On February 18, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14215 “Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies,” Section 7 of which provides that: “[t]he President and the Attorney General’s opinions on questions of law are...more
On the first day of his Presidency, among 26 other Executive Orders that day, Donald Trump issued his Unleashing American Energy Executive Order rescinding President Biden’s Executive Order 14096 of April 21, 2023...more
4/2/2025
/ Clean Air Act ,
Clean Energy ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Funding ,
Regulatory Reform ,
State and Local Government ,
Trump Administration
Despite having over 130 years of collective environmental law experience, Verrill’s environmental group is very cautious in making predictions about the future. But sometimes we identify a trend that seems so obvious that we...more
1/29/2025
/ Biosolids ,
CERCLA ,
Environmental Liability ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Investment Adviser ,
PFAS ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Toxic Chemicals
Beginning in May of 2026, owners of brands selling packaged products and importers of foreign-produced packaged products sold in Maine will be required to adhere to Maine’s Stewardship Program for Packaging. Beginning six...more
On November 20, 2024, Governor Maura Healey signed the Massachusetts Leads Act, engrossing House Bill 5100 (the “MA Leads Act”), which, among many funding provisions, contains two changes that will significantly benefit...more
12/2/2024
/ Clean Energy ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
Offshore Wind ,
Regulatory Reform ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Tax Credits
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) often uses civil penalties to punish environmental violators. The EPA can either pursue a penalty through its internal administrative process or have the Justice...more
11/18/2024
/ Administrative Interpretation ,
Administrative Proceedings ,
Clean Water Act ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Violations ,
Judicial Authority ,
Jury Trial ,
MA Supreme Judicial Court ,
Public Rights Doctrine ,
SCOTUS ,
SEC v Jarkesy ,
Seventh Amendment
While the SCOTUS’s Loper Bright Enterprises et al. (Loper) decision reversing Chevron was a win for those seeking to rein in the administrative state at the federal level, it does not sound the death knell for Massachusetts...more
In a groundbreaking move, effective July 1, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection will tighten the permitting requirement for certain existing and new sources of air pollution located near an environmental...more
In my October 2023 blog post about “The Plastics Problem in Massachusetts,” I noted that environmental and some mainstream groups have been attacking traditional recycling of plastics in an effort to stop the manufacture of...more
Last April, we reported that the Attorney General was set to enforce municipal compliance with denser, transit-friendly zoning requirements. Now that has come to pass. The recently commenced battle between the Town of Milton...more
Massachusetts residents and businesses dispose of enough trash yearly to fill up about 31 Fenway Parks. Despite decades of government policies to reduce waste, we continue throwing away about six million tons of waste each...more
When considering the establishment of an estate or trust to hold title to real property, it is important to segregate potentially contaminated property from other assets Unfortunately, once title vests in an estate or...more
In The Graduate, Mr. McGuire pulls aside Benjamin Braddock, played by Dustin Hoffman, and utters “one word” of career advice – “plastics.” Benjamin’s diffident reaction reflects his wealthy suburban character’s utter lack of...more
In August, Governor Healey signed the FY 2024 budget legislation extending for five years until January 1, 2029, the Brownfields Tax Credit that was set to expire at the end of 2023. Consequently, the redevelopment community...more
Not everyone would make a connection between the recent Supreme Court affirmative action decision on college admissions and the Massachusetts environmental permitting process. Although it may seem attenuated, for...more
The Healey Administration has followed a well-traveled path in appointing Bonnie Heiple, a respected environmental and energy attorney from a large Boston law firm (WilmerHale), as Commissioner of MassDEP. The Patrick...more