On-Demand Webinar | Recent Updates to Federal Environmental and Natural Resource Regulations
Stoel Rives Deeply Rooted Podcast Season 3 Episode 2: Forest Management, Endangered Species, and Regulatory Frameworks with Galen Schuler, General Counsel for Green Diamond Resources
The New Cold War: Risk, Sanctions, Compliance Episode 24: “Elephants and the Mafia: Combatting Criminal Wildlife Trafficking”
[VIDEO] The Price of an Aging Infrastructure on the Environment
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (“Service”) published a proposed rule in the August 29th Federal Register addressing a petition requesting the listing of the Southern Hognose Snake. See 90 Fed. Reg. 42151. The...more
On August 22, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld the decision of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) to deny a petition to remove the southwestern willow flycatcher (Empidonax...more
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on Aug. 21 ordered the federal government to refrain from sending additional detainees to the detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz” and to begin...more
The California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) took final action to approve the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Plan (Conservation Plan) at its August 13, 2025, meeting. As detailed in our previous alert, the...more
The frenetic pace of anti-renewable actions from the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has continued into this week with the issuance of a new memorandum from Greg Wischer, deputy chief of staff for policy, directing the...more
On August 1, 2025, the Senate approved Brian Nesvik, President Trump’s nominee for Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service). The Service shares responsibility for administering the Endangered Species Act of...more
Environmental criminal law in France has developed steadily over the past several years. Recently, however, there has been a shift of the political narrative — both in Europe and domestically — toward simplification rather...more
On June 12, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of updated refined interim core maps that identify areas that EPA states are important to 12 threatened or endangered (listed)...more
As they do every year, male lesser prairie-chickens gathered this Spring on the 48,000-acre Gardiner Angus Ranch in Ashland, Kansas for their ritual mating dance to attract females. The Gardiner Ranch has some of the best...more
What does the silent extinction of endangered species reveal about the hidden corridors of global finance? As financial transactions and environmental health become increasingly linked, a troubling reality emerges: illegal...more
Federal wildlife trafficking and animal cruelty enforcement is alive and well even as the Trump administration re-allocates U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) resources. At first blush, enforcing wildlife trafficking crimes may...more
In response to current global economic uncertainty, the Ontario government recently tabled Bill 5, Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025. Bill 5 aims to streamline and accelerate the approval processes for major...more
Introduction - Le gouvernement de l’Ontario (le « gouvernement provincial ») a annoncé la refonte prévue de la législation relative aux espèces en voie de disparition de cette province. L’approche introduite par cette...more
California’s drive toward a net-zero carbon economy by 2045 is sparking innovative solutions to harmonize environmental conservation with infrastructure development. Assembly Bill (AB) 550, sponsored by Assembly Member...more
The organization American Rivers announced in an April 15th news release its annual list of America’s Most Endangered Rivers. The organization states that it reviews nominations for America’s Most Endangered Rivers from...more
The California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) held its second meeting on the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Plan (Draft Conservation Plan) on April 16, 2025. Though no formal action was taken, the Commission received...more
Introduction Ontario has announced a planned overhaul of the province’s endangered species legislation. The approach was announced on April 17, 2025, as part of Bill 5, Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025. If...more
On April 17, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) (together Services) published a proposed rule to rescind the long-standing definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species...more
California Fish and Game Code Section 5937 has long been a subject of scholarly debate with uncertainty in its application. In a published opinion filed on April 2, 2025, California’s Court of Appeal for the Fifth Appellate...more
On April 2, 2025, California’s Fifth Appellate District issued a decision in Bring Back the Kern v. City of Bakersfield (April 2, 2025, F087487) (2025 WL 98443). The Court held the “self-executing” reasonableness requirement...more
Stakeholders should stay informed as state and federal officials advance plans and policies for water conservation, water quality, and climate resilience in California....more
The California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) accepted public comment on the draft Western Joshua Tree Conservation Plan (Draft Conservation Plan) at its February 12, 2025 meeting, but no formal action was taken. As...more
On Monday, January 13, 2025, California withdrew requests for Clean Air Act waivers from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) needed to support four recently adopted vehicle emissions regulations: 1) the Advanced...more
As previously described in a Jan. 12, 2024 legal alert and a July 12, 2024 legal alert, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) promulgated amendments to freshwater wetlands regulations, changing 6...more
On December 12, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issued a proposed rule to list the monarch butterfly as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and...more