News & Analysis as of

Clean Water Act › California › Environmental Policies

The Clean Water Act is a United States federal statute enacted in 1972 to reduce levels of toxic substances in the nation's water supply and to prevent high levels of new contamination.  The CWA seeks to... more +
The Clean Water Act is a United States federal statute enacted in 1972 to reduce levels of toxic substances in the nation's water supply and to prevent high levels of new contamination.  The CWA seeks to accomplish its stated goals by preventing point and nonpoint pollution sources, assisting wastewater treatment facilities and maintaining wetlands. less -
Allen Matkins

Beyond Sackett: California’s Expanding Role in Wetlands Permitting and the Future of “Waters of the State”

Allen Matkins on

California’s regulatory authority over “waters of the state” continues to grow even as the federal definition of “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) narrows under shifting legal and regulatory frameworks. In Sackett v. EPA...more

Nossaman LLP

The AI Thirst Trap

Nossaman LLP on

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to transform the water industry. The need for massive amounts of water to cool AI data systems could exacerbate already strained water resources in the U.S. and worldwide. To...more

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update 6.6.25

Allen Matkins on

On May 29, 2025, the Supreme Court held that the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) — which requires federal agencies to analyze the environmental impacts of projects that they perform, fund, or approve — does not...more

Nossaman LLP

California Water Views – 2025 Outlook

Nossaman LLP on

Water is simple. Water issues are complex. To provide more clarity, we asked our attorneys who are committed to the water sector to identify the pivotal issues they’re watching now and for the year ahead. Their perspectives...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Citizen Suits and Larger Penalties May Be the Future of California Water Quality Protections

Troutman Pepper Locke on

The California legislature continues to advance Senate Bill 601 (SB 601), the “Right to Clean Water Act,” which aims to safeguard protections for California’s streams and wetlands that lost federal protection under the Clean...more

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update 4.18.25

Allen Matkins on

The Trump administration is moving to effectively eliminate a crucial protection in the half-century-old federal Endangered Species Act by redefining a single word: harm. A proposed rule, issued this Wednesday from the U.S....more

Jones Day

U.S. Supreme Court Limits EPA Clean Water Act Permitting Authority

Jones Day on

On March 4, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its decision in City & County of San Francisco v. Environmental Protection Agency and clarified the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ("EPA") and state...more

Kelley Drye & Warren LLP

Supreme Court Strikes Down ​“End-Result” Requirements in NPDES Permits

Kelley Drye & Warren LLP on

On March 4, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling that prohibits the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA” or ​“the Agency”) from setting qualitative limits based on the condition of the ​“receiving waters” that...more

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update 3.7.25

Allen Matkins on

On Tuesday, in a 5-4 opinion authored by Justice Samuel Alioto, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a pivotal ruling that the Clean Water Act (CWA) provisions authorizing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to impose...more

Allen Matkins

Supreme Court Says EPA has no Authority to Impose “End-Result” Requirements in Clean Water Act Permits

Allen Matkins on

On Tuesday, March 4, 2025, the Supreme Court issued an opinion in City and County of San Francisco, California v. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. No. 23-753 in which the City and County of San Francisco (San Francisco)...more

Tonkon Torp LLP

U.S. Supreme Court Ruling Will Make it Easier to Comply with NPDES Permits

Tonkon Torp LLP on

On March 4, 2025 the Supreme Court overturned the 9th Circuit to rule in favor of the City of San Francisco in a landmark Clean Water Act case. The EPA authorizes states to issue National Pollutant Discharge Elimination...more

Greenberg Glusker LLP

When Wildfire Toxins Contaminate Stormwater: Essential IGP Compliance Steps

Greenberg Glusker LLP on

On February 14, 2025, the California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) issued a compliance guidance letter for industrial facilities subject to the Statewide Industrial Stormwater General Permit (IGP)...more

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update 2.7.25

Allen Matkins on

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

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update - Special Water Supply Edition

Allen Matkins on

President Donald Trump on Monday issued a memorandum directing the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of the Interior to develop a new plan within 90 days “to route more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to...more

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update 4.26.24

Allen Matkins on

The Biden administration on Tuesday announced a goal to protect and restore 8 million acres of wetlands over the next six years in an effort to counter development pressures and recently weakened federal regulations. The new...more

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update 8.11.23

Allen Matkins on

Monterey County's voter-approved ban on new oil and gas wells is invalid because state law authorizes and promotes oil and gas production, the state Supreme Court ruled unanimously last Thursday. Next year, California voters...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Will EPA Apply the New 401 Certification Rule Retroactively to Pending Requests?

Troutman Pepper Locke on

A filing in a California federal court indicates that EPA is planning to apply its new Clean Water Act section 401 certification rule to all certification requests, including those that are currently pending and that were...more

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update-1.27.23 #4

Allen Matkins on

The fossil fuel industry is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve a legal battle over hydraulic fracturing off the California coast — a fight companies say carries “enormous practical and legal significance.”...more

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck

Bridging Intention and Outcomes

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck on

Panel discussion takeaways on the intersection of environmental justice, groundwater management and how to better include diverse stakeholders in natural resource issues. On March 24, 2021, the Groundwater Resources...more

Stoel Rives - Environmental Law Blog

Update: State Water Board Adopts Final Winery General Order

Stoel Rives - Environmental Law Blog on

At its January 20, 2021 Board meeting, the State Water Resources Control Board (“SWRCB” or “Board”) adopted its final General Waste Discharge Requirements (“WDRs”) for Winery Process Water (“Winery Order”) and associated...more

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard,...

Microplastics/Drinking Water: California State Water Resources Control Board Proposes to Adopt Definition

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard,... on

The California State Water Resources Control Board (“Board”) is proposing to adopt a definition for microplastics. The definition would be applicable to the Board’s drinking water program....more

21 Results
 / 
View per page
Page: of 1

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
Sign up Log in
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
- hide
- hide