The Legal and Practical Challenges of California's Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation
Nota Bene Episode 101: Catching up with Global Climate Regulation with Nico van Aelstyn
Schoenbrod: SCOTUS Ruling Helps EPA Deal With a "Stupid Statute"
On May 16, in Texas v. EPA, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected EPA’s nonattainment designation for two counties in Texas. What I find most interesting about the case is the reaction to it. Inside EPA (subscription...more
On May 16, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a significant ruling in a longstanding dispute between the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency...more
Every law student learns that the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) outlines the default rules for how federal agencies propose and finalize regulations and how courts review them. But for many significant actions under the...more
The Tennessee Air Pollution Control Board (“Board”) issued a February 28th Proposed Technical Secretary’s Order and Assessment of Civil Penalty (“Order”) to Clear Development, LLC (“CD”) alleging violations of an air permit....more
About two months ago, a New York Appeals Court reversed a lower court’s dismissal of the claims brought by two public service organizations in the matter of Clean Air Coalition of Western New York v. New York State Public...more
Earlier this month, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals vacated most of EPA’s startup, shutdown, and malfunction SIP Call. The Court’s rationale boils down to EPA’s failure to make a predicate finding that the SIP call...more
The United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit (“Fifth Circuit”) in a February 16th Order considered the Port Arthur Community Action Network (“PACAN”) Petition for a review of a decision by the Texas Commission on...more
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (“Court”) addressed in a November 14th decision a challenge to a Clean Air Act Prevention of Significant Deterioration (“PSD”) permit issued by the Texas Commission on...more
The Tennessee Air Pollution Control Board (“Board”) issued a May 4th Proposed Technical Secretary’s Order and Assessment of Civil Penalty (“Order”) to AZZ Galvanizing – Chattanooga LLC (“AZZ”) addressing an alleged violation...more
The Tennessee Air Pollution Control Board ("Board") issued a proposed Technical Secretary's Order and Assessment of Civil Penalty ("Order") on March 15th to Hommel Concrete Company ("HCC"). See APC22-0192. The Order...more
The United States Senate Environment & Public Works Committee (“Committee”) held a March 29th hearing titled: The EPA Good Neighbor Rule: Healthier Air for Downwind States (“Hearing”)...more
Last week, D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected challenges to EPA’s “Revised Cross-State Air Pollution Update Rule”. The Court found that the Rule was “an appropriate exercise of EPA’s statutory authority”....more
The Tennessee Air Pollution Control Board (“Board”) issued a November 1st proposed Technical Secretary’s Order and Assessment of Civil Penalty (“Order”) to Assurance Operations Corporation d/b/a AOC Metal Works (“Assurance”)....more
Harvest Four Corners, LLC, (“Harvest”) submitted a Petition for Review (“Petition”) on October 11th before the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) Environmental Appeals Board (“EAB”). The Petition...more
The Clean Air Council and Environmental Integrity Project (collectively “EIP”) filed a July 14th Notice of Appeal (“Appeal”) of an air permit issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to Robinson Power...more
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (“TDEC”) issued a proposed Director’s Order and Assessment (“Order”) addressing alleged Clean Water Act stormwater permitting violations by Sequatchie County Scrap...more
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) Environmental Appeals Board (“EAB”) addressed in a September 2nd Order a Petition filed by MPLX challenging a permit condition that the federal agency placed in a...more
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) Environmental Appeals Board (“EAB”) issued a July 21st Order addressing a Petition by the American Bottom Conservancy (“Conservancy”) which challenged the issuance...more
The Minnesota Court of Appeals (“Court”) addressed in a March 23rd Order the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s (“MPCA”) grant of an air emissions permit to PolyMet Mining, Inc. (“PolyMet”). See In re Issuance of Air...more
The Sierra Club and National Parks Conservation Association (collectively “Sierra Club”) filed a Petition for Review (“Petition”) on November 25, 2019 in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit challenging...more
An EIR that did not squarely respond to detailed comments recommending additional mitigation measures has been held not to comply with CEQA. Covington v. Greater Basin., 3d Dist. Court of Appeal Case No. C080342 (certified...more
The Sierra Club and National Parks Conservation Association (collectively “Sierra Club”) filed a Petition for Review (“Petition”) challenging the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) approval of revisions to...more
On Tuesday, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals vacated EPA’s “Close-Out Rule,” which basically concluded that upwind states contributing to exceedances of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone in downwind...more
Major sources of air pollution must obtain a Clean Air Act Title V permit under their state’s EPA- approved implementation plan. Permits, of course, can be challenged. By petition to the EPA Administrator, the Sierra Club...more
The District of Columbia United States Court of Appeals (“Court”) addressed in a June 14th opinion a title V Clean Air Act judicial review issue. See Sierra Club v. Environmental Protection Agency, 2019 WL 2479448. The...more