2021 Land Use, Environmental & Natural Resources Update -
Allen Matkins – March 25 -
With the end of the first quarter of 2021 approaching, we thought it timely to issue an update on selected recent developments and...more
3/26/2021
/ Bureau of Land Management ,
Environmental Policies ,
Hydraulic Fracturing Study ,
Natural Resources ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pollution Control ,
Popular ,
Proposed Legislation ,
State Water Boards ,
Water ,
Water Supplies
Senate confirms Biden’s pick to lead EPA -
The New York Times – March 10 -
The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Michael S. Regan, the former top environmental regulator for North Carolina, to lead the U.S. Environmental...more
3/12/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
California Air Resources Board ,
CEQA ,
Climate Change ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Environmental Impact Statements ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Offshore Wind ,
Oil & Gas ,
Renewable Energy ,
Water Pollution
Officials call for protection of Redwood City’s salt ponds -
The San Mateo Daily Journal – February 19 -
Nearly 60 Bay Area political leaders and organizations last Tuesday asked the Biden administration to protect...more
State senators introduce bill to ban hydraulic fracturing in California by 2027 -
San Francisco Chronicle – February 17 -
State Senators Scott Wiener and Monique Limon have introduced a bill that would halt the...more
2/19/2021
/ Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Fracking ,
Fracking Bans ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
NEPA ,
NHTSA ,
Oil & Gas ,
Public Works ,
Renewable Energy ,
State Park
Biden picks North Carolina environmental chief to lead EPA -
Associated Press – December 17 -
President-elect Joe Biden this Thursday selected Michael S. Regan to serve as Administrator of the U.S. Environmental...more
12/18/2020
/ Biden Administration ,
Bureau of Land Management ,
Climate Change ,
Department of the Interior ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Lockheed Martin ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Site Remediation ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service ,
Water Quality ,
Water Quality Control Boards
New EPA rule aims to limit tough clean air measures under Biden -
The New York Times – December 9 -
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this Wednesday completed a rule that could weaken federal authority to...more
12/11/2020
/ Air Pollution ,
Bureau of Land Management ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Water Act ,
Climate Change ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Draft Guidance ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Groundwater ,
Hawaii Wildlife Fund v County of Maui ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pollution Control ,
Regulatory Reform ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service faces suit over removal of endangered species protections for gray wolves -
Bullet The Hill – November 9 -
Last Friday, a coalition of conservation groups filed a notice of intent to sue...more
11/13/2020
/ Air Pollution ,
Bureau of Land Management ,
California Air Resources Board ,
Carbon Capture and Sequestration ,
Climate Change ,
CPUC ,
Endangered Species ,
Energy Efficiency ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Governor Newsom ,
Oil & Gas ,
Power Plants ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service ,
Waste Treatment Facilities ,
Wastewater
President Trump makes agricultural water demands priority for new office -
U.S. News & World Report – October 13 -
President Donald Trump this Tuesday created what he called a “subcabinet” for federal water issues,...more
10/16/2020
/ Air Pollution ,
Board of Supervisors ,
Bureau of Land Management ,
Climate Change ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
Oil & Gas ,
Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) Policy ,
Trump Administration
EPA chief challenges California effort to mandate zero emission vehicles in 2035 -
Bullet Reuters – September 28 -
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler on Monday questioned...more
10/2/2020
/ Air Pollution ,
Bureau of Land Management ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
FERC ,
Final Rules ,
Governor Newsom ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Oil & Gas ,
Public Land ,
Zero-Emission Vehicles
Montage Healdsburg resort faces $6.4 million fine for construction stormwater-related violations -
Bullet The Press-Democrat – September 15 -
The developer of the Montage Healdsburg hotel in Sonoma County is facing...more
9/18/2020
/ Air Quality Standards ,
Bureau of Reclamation ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Review ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Hazardous Waste ,
Oil & Gas ,
Waste Management ,
Water Quality ,
Water Quality Control Boards ,
Water Supplies ,
Watershed
White House directs agencies to relax enforcement -
Los Angeles Times – September 9 -
A memorandum produced by the White House Office of Management and Budget and sent to federal agency heads last week instructs them to...more
9/11/2020
/ Bureau of Land Management ,
Critical Habitat ,
Department of the Interior ,
Deregulation ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Enforcement Guidance ,
Environmental Policies ,
Farms ,
Groundwater ,
Infrastructure ,
Mineral Extraction ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Trump Administration ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service ,
Water ,
Water Supplies
California targets diesel trucks, ships for biggest pollution reductions in over a decade -
Bullet Los Angeles Times – August 27 -
The California Air Resources Board this Thursday adopted its biggest pollution-cutting...more
8/28/2020
/ Bureau of Land Management ,
California Air Resources Board ,
Dow Chemical ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Review ,
Forest Service ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
National Parks ,
Natural Resources ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pesticides ,
Water Supplies
Federal court blocks Interior Department’s relaxation of migratory bird safeguards -
U.S. News & World Report – August 12 -
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York this Tuesday struck down a U.S....more
8/14/2020
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Biofuel ,
Clean Water Act ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Department of the Interior ,
Diesel Fuel ,
Endangered Species ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Incidental Take Permits ,
Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) ,
Navigable Waters Protection Rule ,
Oil & Gas ,
Renewable Energy ,
State Attorneys General ,
Trump Administration ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
Wastewater ,
Water Quality Control Boards ,
Water Resources Control Board ,
Waters of the United States
Billions for national parks as historic bill becomes law -
Bullet The Mercury News – August 4 -
President Donald Trump this Tuesday signed into law the “Great American Outdoors Act,” which will provide $9.5 billion over...more
8/7/2020
/ California Energy Commission ,
Conservation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Hazardous Waste ,
Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) ,
Land Preservation ,
National Environmental Policies ,
National Parks ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
Popular ,
Wildlife Protection
Federal agencies to limit water pollution enforcement where states have taken action -
Bullet The Hill – July 27 -
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday released a memorandom stating that it will not pursue...more
7/31/2020
/ Clean Water Act ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Authority ,
Environmental Litigation ,
NEPA ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Policy Memorandums ,
Water Pollution ,
Water Quality Control Boards
Supreme Court reinstates streamlined permitting for pipelines, but not for Keystone XL project -
Bullet Bloomberg Law – July 6 -
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday reinstated a streamlined permitting program, known as...more
7/10/2020
/ Conflicts of Interest ,
Endangered Species ,
Energy Projects ,
Environmental Policies ,
Fracking ,
Governor Newsom ,
Keystone XL Pipeline ,
National Parks ,
Nationwide Permits (NWPs) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service
Supreme Court says pipeline may cross underneath Appalachian Trail -
Bullet NPR – June 15 -
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that a new 600-mile natural gas pipeline can cross underneath the Appalachian Trail on...more
6/19/2020
/ Air Quality Standards ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Drinking Water ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
National Parks ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Popular
EPA limits states' power to stop oil and gas pipelines -
Bullet NPR – June 1 -
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday issued a new rule intended to expedite the approval process for pipeline...more
6/5/2020
/ Clean Air Act ,
Clean Water Act ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Section 401 ,
Trump Administration
States sue over rollback of fuel efficiency standards -
Bullet The San Diego Union-Tribune – May 27 -
California, joined by nearly two dozen other states, the District of Columbia and the City of Los Angeles, on...more
5/29/2020
/ California Air Resources Board ,
Clean-Up Costs ,
Contaminated Properties ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Superfund ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
Water Quality
Judge temporarily blocks Trump administration's California water plan -
Bullet Associated Press – May 12 -
A preliminary injunction was issued on Monday temporarily blocking the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s (Bureau)...more
5/15/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Nationwide Permits (NWPs) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Public Comment ,
Water Quality ,
Water Supplies
Montana federal court judge invalidates permit coverage for Keystone XL pipeline; could stymie projects across country -
Bloomberg Law – April 15 -
The U.S. District Court for the District of Montana on Wednesday...more
A Note to Our Readers: Although the coronavirus and its many disruptions are dominating the news, we will continue to publish the California Environmental Law and Policy Update so long as there are newsworthy developments in...more
Federal judge rules California-Quebec cap-and-trade agreement is valid -
San Francisco Chronicle – March 12 -
California’s agreement with Quebec to share cap-and-trade markets to reduce greenhouse gases survived its...more
3/13/2020
/ Cap-and-Trade ,
Clean Air Act ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Foreign Commerce ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Oil & Gas ,
Proposition 65 ,
Shipping ,
Stormwater Discharge Permits ,
Trump Administration ,
World Health Organization
California approves ambitious new plan to deal with climate change and sea-level rise -
San Francisco Chronicle – February 26 -
The state's Ocean Protection Council, the cabinet-level policy body within the California...more
3/6/2020
/ Center for Biological Diversity ,
Climate Change ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Fossil Fuel ,
National Marine Fisheries Service ,
Oil & Gas ,
Recycling ,
Rising Sea Levels ,
San Francisco ,
Wastewater
FERC orders draining of Santa Clara County’s biggest reservoir due to risk of earthquake collapse -
The Mercury News – February 25 -
In a dramatic decision that could significantly impact Silicon Valley’s water...more
2/28/2020
/ Air Quality Standards ,
Beverage Manufacturers ,
Breach of Warranty ,
CEQA ,
Department of the Interior ,
FERC ,
Fracking ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Oil & Gas ,
Oil Wells ,
Pollution Control ,
Public Nuisance ,
Scientific Research ,
Water Pollution ,
Water Supplies