On-Demand Webinar | Recent Updates to Federal Environmental and Natural Resource Regulations
On-Demand Webinar | Linear Infrastructure Redux: Adapting Your Projects to Meet the New Regulatory Climate
President Donald Trump’s second term has already proven to be an extension of his first-term deregulatory agenda at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Given historical trends, such deregulation will likely prompt...more
President Trump hit the ground running, issuing more executive orders, memoranda, and other actions on Inauguration Day than any previous president. Agencies are already working to implement those actions. Many of the actions...more
On his first day in office, US President Donald Trump signed a number of executive orders and memoranda reversing many of his predecessor’s climate policies and launching a promised transformation of the nation’s...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
After years on hold, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (“USFWS”) is moving forward with a proposed rule to list monarch butterflies as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”). On Dec. 12, 2024, USFWS published...more
On February 28, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia upheld the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (Service) denial of a petition filed by the New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association (Cattle Growers) urging...more
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has proposed listing the northwestern pond turtle (Actinemys marmorata) and the southwestern pond turtle (Actinemys pallida) as threatened species under the federal Endangered Species...more
The Center for Biological Diversity (“CBD”) filed a September 27th Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief (“Complaint”) in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia against the United States Fish...more
I can hear the music in my ear, and the voice: “Space, the final frontier… “. Endangered and threatened species are destined to boldly go where none of them has gone before – habitats outside of their historical range....more
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association said on Thursday that they had reached an agreement, referred to as the "Clean Truck Partnership," that gives new flexibility for...more
On October 18, 2022, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced 12-month findings on a petition to list three California-based salamander species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA): the Kern Plateau salamander...more
On June 7, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issued a proposed rule titled, “Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Designation of Experimental Populations.” In issuing the proposed rule, FWS re-affirms its...more
Eighty-nine organizations (collectively “Coalition”)two sent letters, respectively, to United States Senators Merkley and Murkowski, and Congresswoman Pingree and Congressman Joyce urging their support to enable the U.S....more
Biden administration prioritizes environmental justice funding without mentioning race, hoping to fend off legal challenge - CNN – February 18 - The Biden administration announced today that 40% of federal funds for climate...more
This Client Alert—Part 2 of an ongoing series—provides an overview of one of EPA’s key objectives in its draft Strategic Plan: Developing resilience and adaptation to climate change impacts. Other alerts in the series can be...more
On December 22, 2021, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) proposed to list the cactus ferruginous pygmy owl (Glaucidium brasilianum cactorum) (Owl) as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) primarily due...more
On October 7th, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) announced the Biden Administration’s first round of proposed revisions to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations. Each of the “Phase 1” changes will...more
On Monday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) published a final rule delisting the now-recovered Cumberland sandwort (Arenaria cumberlandensis) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Originally listed as endangered in...more
Linear infrastructure projects, including oil and gas pipelines, electric transmission lines and transportation, have faced a number of regulatory challenges over the last year. Some of these challenges stem from changes in...more
Right out of the box, the Biden Administration took a decisive stance on the importance of climate costs in agency decision making, returning to Obama-era metrics and values. On his first day in office, President Biden issued...more
On January 20, 2021, President Biden announced his administration will review regulatory actions taken between January 17, 2020 and January 20, 2021 in accordance with an Executive Order titled “Protecting Public Health and...more
Biden orders review and reversal of over 100 Trump administration environmental regulations - The New York Times – January 20 - President Joe Biden this Wednesday recommitted the United States to the Paris climate...more
Each new presidential administration brings with it its own set of policy goals and priorities. While the text of the environmental laws does not change without an act of Congress, agencies within the executive branch have a...more
Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s inauguration on January 20, 2021 as the forty-sixth President of the United States could usher in a sweeping period of environmental regulatory changes vastly eclipsing those of his immediate predecessor...more