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Comment Period Ends October 31, 2016 for EPA Draft ICR Surveys That Could Lead to Expansion of GHG Regulations of Methane Emissions to Existing Sources in Oil and Gas Sector Under Clean Air Act

Mon Oct 17th, On Environmental Law, by

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has published a second draft for public comment of an information collection request (ICR) that will provide information for EPA to use to develop comprehensive regulations to reduce methane and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions from existing sources. Public comments are due by October 31, 2016. In particular, EPA is seeking information about natural gas venting during maintenance activities at existing oil and gas facilities, […]

Rejection of the New Project Test in Friends of the College of San Mateo Gardens v. College of San Mateo: More Consistency for Project Developers

Tue Oct 11th, On Environmental Law, by

On September 19, 2016, in a unanimous decision affecting project developers concerned about extensive and wasteful subsequent CEQA review, the California Supreme Court in Friends of the College of San Mateo Gardens v. College of San Mateo rejected the arbitrary “new project test” and confirmed that California courts would continue to give deference to the guidance of lead agencies and would apply the “substantial evidence” test to determine whether an […]

California Environmental Lawyers Monitor NAM’s Petition for Writ of Cert on WOTUS Jurisdictional Issue and Possible Impacts on California Ag and Property Owners

Mon Oct 10th, On Environmental Law, by

In the latest move to shut down EPA’s Clean Water Rule, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to decide a threshold jurisdictional question. This question has haunted the 22 court challenges to the rule from the start; namely, which court has original jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act (CWA) to hear legal challenges to EPA’s rule — the federal courts of appeal or federal trial […]

California Coastal Commission Postpones Review Of Poseidon Desal Project Permit

Tue Oct 4th, On Environmental Law, by

The Poseidon desalination plant is a 50-million gallon per day facility to be located adjacent to the AES Huntington Beach Power Station. It is scheduled to be operational by 2019. The plant’s development permit was on the agenda to be considered by the California Coastal Commission on Sept 7th or 8th, but that agenda item has been postponed to a future date. On May 5, 2015, the State Water Resources […]

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