Thu Aug 27th, On Environmental Law, by Bick Law LLP
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 […]
Wed Aug 26th, On Environmental Law, by Bick Law LLP
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. […]
Mon Aug 24th, On Environmental Law, by Bick Law LLP
The Department of Water Resources (DWR) will adopt emergency regulations implementing California’s new Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) by November 2015. Comments are due to DWR by September 4, 2015. The SGMA empowers local agencies to adopt groundwater management plans that meet the needs of their communities. The goal is to manage the state’s aquifers to survive drought and climate change to ensure a reliable water supply. As part of […]
Thu Aug 20th, On Environmental Law, by Bick Law LLP
Residents along the Animas River in Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, have deemed their river a “crime scene.” EPA and its contractors could be criminally responsible for violating the Clean Water Act as a result of the recent toxic spill in Colorado to the Animas River caused by EPA workers. CWA is the primary Federal statute governing the restoration and maintenance of the “chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the […]