The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will rescind much of the Biden administration’s first nationwide drinking water standard aimed at protecting people from PFAS, which are found in hundreds of consumer and...more
The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) circulated a draft template, dated April 8, 2025, to assist federal agencies in updating their procedures for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)....more
5/2/2025
/ Air Quality Standards ,
California ,
Carbon Emissions ,
CEQ ,
Clean Air Act ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Violations ,
Government Agencies ,
Kinder Morgan ,
NEPA ,
Oil & Gas ,
PFAS ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Reform ,
SCOTUS ,
Water
On February 20, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) posted a pre-publication notice on its website of an Interim Final Rule rescinding its regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act...more
Newly-appointed U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a memo this Wednesday that the Justice Department will reverse a Biden-era directive to prioritize enforcement of environmental laws in disadvantaged and low-income...more
2/7/2025
/ Attorney General ,
Bureau of Land Management ,
California ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Water Act ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Federal Funding ,
Oil & Gas ,
PFAS ,
SCOTUS ,
Trump Administration ,
Water ,
Wildfires
The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to pause its review of a case involving California’s stricter vehicle emissions and electric vehicle standards. Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris filed the request...more
2/3/2025
/ California ,
Clean Air Act ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Oil & Gas ,
Paris Agreement ,
SCOTUS ,
State Health Departments ,
State Legislatures ,
Trump Administration ,
Water ,
Wildfires
The White House announced on Monday that President Joe Biden would ban new offshore oil and gas drilling along most of the U.S. coastline. The order will protect 625 million acres of ocean along America’s Atlantic and Pacific...more
1/10/2025
/ Biden Administration ,
California ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Energy ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Exxon Mobil ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Offshore Drilling ,
Oil & Gas ,
Recycling ,
Water
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday issued a new regulation preventing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS, from being approved through low volume exemptions — abridged reviews...more
12/6/2024
/ Biden Administration ,
California ,
Endangered Species ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Hazardous Waste ,
Infrastructure ,
Native American Issues ,
Oil & Gas ,
PFAS ,
Public Health ,
Settlement ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Trump Administration ,
Water
In the last four years, California has adopted some of the nation’s most innovative air regulations, including a ban on new gasoline-powered car sales by 2035 and a prohibition against diesel-fueled trucks visiting state...more
11/8/2024
/ Air Pollution ,
Air Quality Standards ,
Ballot Measures ,
California ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Environmental Policies ,
Incidental Take Permits ,
Infrastructure ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Trump Administration ,
Waste Disposal ,
Water ,
Wildfires
Governor Gavin Newsom on September 29 signed Assembly Bill (AB) 98 into law. The bill, which faced opposition from business groups, local governments, and environmental justice advocates, forbids cities and counties from...more
ExxonMobil sued by California AG and environmental nonprofits over plastic waste -
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and a coalition of environmental nonprofit entities sued ExxonMobil on Monday, accusing the company...more
9/27/2024
/ California ,
Contamination ,
Department of Water Resources ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Violations ,
Exxon Mobil ,
Inland Waterways ,
New Legislation ,
Oil & Gas ,
Plastic Bag Bans ,
Pollution Control ,
Settlement ,
Water
Farmers in southern Tulare County will face greater scrutiny for groundwater pumping after the state placed the region on probation following a lengthy hearing in Sacramento on Tuesday....more
9/20/2024
/ California ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Farms ,
Groundwater ,
Infrastructure ,
Natural Resources ,
PFAS ,
State and Local Government ,
Water ,
Water Resources Control Board ,
Water Rights ,
Water Supplies
During arguments on Wednesday in the most significant environmental dispute before the U.S. Supreme Court this year, the Court's conservative justices expressed skepticism over the Environmental Protection Agency's efforts to...more
2/26/2024
/ Board of Supervisors ,
California ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Exxon Mobil ,
Farmers ,
Gold ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Mining ,
Pipelines ,
Radioactive Drilling Waste ,
SCOTUS ,
Waste ,
Water
The future of California water storage reached a major milestone on Thursday with the finalization of plans for the Sites Reservoir in Northern California. The reservoir would be the second largest off-stream reservoir in the...more
11/6/2023
/ Bayer ,
Bureau of Reclamation ,
California ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Offshore Drilling ,
Pipelines ,
Resource Management ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Water ,
Water Resources Control Board ,
Water Rights ,
Water Supplies
The Biden administration proposed new regulations this Thursday that, if enacted, would aggressively limit greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. The move stands to force major changes in the energy sector and is likely...more
Companies that generate a billion dollars or more a year doing business in California would be required to publicly release their carbon emissions data under a bill introduced Monday by State Senator Scott Wiener. Supporters...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
Bayer bid to end Roundup suits draws U.S. Supreme Court inquiry -
Bloomberg – December 13 -
The U.S. Supreme Court signaled interest in Bayer AG’s bid to stop thousands of lawsuits claiming that its top-selling...more
12/20/2021
/ Air Pollution ,
Bayer ,
Biden Administration ,
Criminal Negligence ,
Environmental Policies ,
New Rules ,
Oil Spills ,
State Regulators ,
Water ,
Water Commissions ,
Water Supplies
Governor Newsom moves to ban hydraulic fracturing by 2024 -
NPR – April 23 -
Governor Gavin Newsom announced plans last Friday to ban hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, by 2024 as part of a longer-term...more
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
Deb Haaland confirmed as first Native American Cabinet secretary -
NPR – March 15 -
Deb Haaland, a member of New Mexico's Laguna Pueblo, has become the first Native American Cabinet secretary in U.S. history. The...more
Trump administration reverses migratory bird protections -
Bullet The New York Times – December 21 -
The U.S. Department of the Interior this Tuesday finalized a reversal of protections for wild birds under the 1918...more
1/8/2021
/ Dams ,
Deregulation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Trump Administration ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service ,
Water ,
Water Districts ,
Wetlands
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
Congress sends landmark conservation bill to White House -
Bullet The New York Times – July 22 -
The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a measure that, for the first time, guarantees maximum annual funding...more
7/24/2020
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Clean Water Act ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Groundwater ,
Monsanto ,
Paris Agreement ,
Popular ,
Public Land ,
RCRA ,
Trump Administration ,
Water ,
Water Quality ,
Water Resources Control Board
Bayer to pay more than $10B to resolve lawsuits over Roundup, PCBs, and Dicamba -
Bullet NPR – June 24 -
Bayer will pay more than $10 billion to end tens of thousands of lawsuits filed over its Roundup weedkiller, the...more
6/26/2020
/ Air Pollution ,
Clean Water Act ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Fuel Efficiency ,
Monsanto ,
Navigable Waters Protection Rule ,
Pesticides ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Tribal Lands ,
Trump Administration ,
Water ,
Water Pollution ,
Water Resources Control Board ,
Wetlands
Governor Newsom proposes new plan for San Joaquin River Delta -
Governor Gavin Newsom revealed a novel approach Tuesday to managing the San Joaquin River Delta that would keep more water in the fragile delta while restoring...more
2/10/2020
/ Clean Air Act ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Assessments ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Federal Funding ,
Groundwater ,
NEPA ,
OIG ,
Rivers ,
State Water Boards ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Waste Treatment Facilities ,
Wastewater ,
Water ,
Water Resources Control Board ,
Water Supplies