California’s top environmental regulator leaving Newsom administration Bullet Associated Press – August 12 Jared Blumenfeld, head of California's Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) and a key climate adviser to Governor...more
Governor Newsom calls for boosting water supply projects to curb California drought and climate change - The Vacaville Reporter – August 11 Governor Gavin Newsom released a broad plan on August 11 seeking to expand...more
Sonoma County vintner to pay $925,000 in environmental damage settlement Bullet The Press Democrat – July 31 The Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office last Friday announced that a $925,000 settlement had been reached with...more
EPA health advisory for PFAS compounds spurs lawsuit Bullet E&E News - July 14 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s dramatic new health advisory for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is facing a lawsuit from a...more
Supreme Court restricts EPA's authority to mandate carbon emissions reductions - Associated Press - June 30 - In a blow to the fight against climate change, the Supreme Court on Thursday limited the extent of the U.S....more
7/5/2022
/ California ,
California Air Resources Board ,
Carbon Capture and Sequestration ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Power Plan ,
Drinking Water ,
Drought ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Governor Newsom ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Regulatory Authority ,
SCOTUS ,
Water Supplies ,
Wealth Tax ,
West Virginia v EPA
EPA sets stringent standards for PFAS in drinking water Bullet E&E News - June 15 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on June 15 announced new drinking water “health advisories” for four per- and polyfluoroalkyl...more
6/27/2022
/ CA Supreme Court ,
California Endangered Species Act ,
CEQA ,
Climate Change ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Review ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Monsanto ,
PFAS ,
Proposition 65
Ninth Circuit blocks permits for hydraulic fracturing off California coast Bullet Los Angeles Times - June 3 The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals last Friday blocked hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, off...more
6/13/2022
/ CEQA ,
Climate Change ,
Coastal Real Estate ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Review ,
Fracking ,
NAAQS ,
Oil & Gas ,
Water Resources Control Board
EPA moves to give states and tribes more power to protect water - Associated Press - June 2 - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday proposed to undo a Trump-era rule limiting the power of states and...more
6/3/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
California Endangered Species Act ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Water Act ,
Drought ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Pesticides ,
Tribal Lands ,
Water Supplies
City of San Diego sues 20-plus companies to force cleanup of PFAS contamination Bullet Times of San Diego - May 11 The San Diego City Attorney’s Office filed suit last Wednesday against more than 20 chemical companies for...more
Southland air regulators threaten to sue EPA for failure to control federally-regulated emissions sources Bullet - Los Angeles Times - May 10 - The South Coast Air Quality Management District (District), which oversees a...more
5/16/2022
/ Air Pollution ,
Biden Administration ,
California Coastal Commission ,
CARB ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Air Act ,
Department of Toxic Substances Control ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Governor Newsom ,
Oil & Gas ,
Public Comment
Biden to crack down on polluters in poor and minority communities Bullet Associated Press - May 5 The Biden administration on Thursday announced a wide-ranging enforcement strategy aimed at holding industrial polluters...more
Supreme Court reinstates Trump-era water rule, for now Bullet Associated Press - April 6 The Supreme Court this Wednesday reinstated a Trump-era rule curtailing the power of states and Native American tribes to block...more
California plan would pay farmers to grow less to save water - Bullet Associated Press - March 29 - Under a new $2.9 billion plan announced on Tuesday, California would pay farmers not to plant thousands of acres of land in...more
In last year’s Land Use, Environmental & Natural Resources Update 2021 Update, we reported on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in County of Maui v. Hawai’i Wildlife Fund (County of Maui), 590 U.S. __; 140 S. Ct. 2778 (2020),...more
Appeals court halts ruling blocking Biden climate metric -
The Hill - March 16 -
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday halted a lower court’s ruling that prevented the Biden administration from factoring the...more
EPA directs states to steer new water infrastructure funding to disadvantaged areas - Bullet M Live – March 9 - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Tuesday issued a memorandum to guide billions of dollars in...more
3/11/2022
/ Carbon Capture and Sequestration ,
Clean Air Act ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Infrastructure ,
Monsanto ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Water ,
Water Pollution ,
Water Supplies
Climate change threatens nearly one third of U.S. hazardous chemical facilities -
NPR – March 2 -
Nearly one third of the hazardous chemical facilities in the United States, including many sites in California, are at...more
Citing drought, U.S. won’t deliver water to California farmers -
Associated Press – February 23 -
With California entering the third year of severe drought, federal officials said Wednesday they won’t deliver water to...more
Biden administration prioritizes environmental justice funding without mentioning race, hoping to fend off legal challenge - CNN – February 18 - The Biden administration announced today that 40% of federal funds for climate...more
EPA to bring back mercury pollution rules rolled back under Trump administration -
CNN – January 31 -
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Monday that it intends to restore the 2012 Mercury and...more
Supreme Court to weigh limits on reach of Clean Water Act -
Associated Press – January 25 -
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear an appeal that will test the limits of federal jurisdiction under the Clean...more
UC study finds safe drinking water remains out of reach for many Californians -
NBC Bay Area – January 12 -
An estimated 371,000 Californians -- about 1% of the state's residents -- rely on drinking water that may contain...more
1/14/2022
/ Agricultural Sector ,
Aviation Industry ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Energy ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Violations ,
Farms ,
Governor Newsom ,
Herbicides ,
Pollution Control ,
Water Supplies
Walmart sued for alleged dumping of hazardous waste in California landfills -
Los Angeles Times – December 20 -
A lawsuit filed last Monday in Alameda County Superior Court by the California attorney general and a...more
Industry groups and seven states lose bid to reinstate rule limiting scope of Clean Water Act -
Courthouse News Service – December 7 -
Seven states and a collection of industry groups fighting to revive a Trump-era...more
Biden administration acts to restore clean-water safeguards -
Associated Press – November 18 -
The Biden administration took action this Thursday to restore federal protections for hundreds of thousands of small streams,...more
11/19/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Clean Water Act ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Groundwater ,
Infrastructure ,
Liquid Natural Gas ,
PFAS ,
PHMSA ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
Waters of the United States