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Monthly Archives: August 2015

Update on California’s Efforts to Comply With the State Water Board’s Emergency Regulation To Reduce Potable Water Use By 25%

Mon Aug 31st, On Environmental Law, by

On May 5, 2015, the State Water Resources Control Board (“SWRCB”) adopted an emergency regulation mandating urban areas to reduce potable water usage by 25 percent statewide between June 2015 and February 2016. The regulation was implemented in accordance with Governor Brown’s April 1, 2015 Executive Order on actions necessary to address California’s severe drought conditions. The provisions of the emergency regulation went into effect on May 18, 2015. As […]

EPA Finds Aircrafts Cause Greenhouse Gas Emissions – Comments Due August 31, 2015

Fri Aug 28th, On Environmental Law, by

The Obama Administration is making findings that greenhouse gas (GHG) from aircraft endanger the public health and welfare of current and future generations within the meaning of section 231(a) of the Clean Air Act. The  findings specifically refer to six greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride. These gases were previously defined as air pollution in the 2009 Endangerment Finding under section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act. If […]

13 States Block Clean Water Rule (WOTUS) Today – Remaining States Subject to Rule Tomorrow

Thu Aug 27th, On Environmental Law, by

Today, a North Dakota federal judge enjoined the implementation in 13 states of the Obama Administration’s new Clean Water Rule: “Definition of Waters of the United States” (also known as the Waters of the United States Rule, or WOTUS), which becomes effective tomorrow, August 28, 2015. The rule, proposed on June 29, 2015 in the Federal Register, redefines the Clean Water Act’s “navigable waters of the U.S.” to include “those […]

Criminal Intent — EPA Had Knowledge of Risk of Mine Blowout

Wed Aug 26th, On Environmental Law, by

The Environmental Protection Agency said today it had underestimated the amount of water built up in an abandoned Colorado mine, resulting in a catastrophic release of toxic substances into the Animas River. EPA admitted in a report released following its investigation of the incident on August 5, that it could have foreseen the rupture and release and yet it did not have measures in place in preparation for that inevitability. […]

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