Targeted by environmental associations and NGO in France for several years, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have reached a decisive turning point. Used in various industrial sectors since the 1940s for their non-stick, waterproof, and heat-resistant properties, these chemicals have been the focus of intense political debate in France due to their toxicity and persistence
Other authors: Kirsty Morris
The House of Commons’ Joint Committee on Human Rights (the “Committee“) has launched a new inquiry to examine the UK’s current framework in relation to forced labour in international supply chains1. The Committee is seeking to establish if the current framework is effective in managing the risk
National Energy Policy: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Announces the Unfreezing of Federal Funds Allocated to Pennsylvania
On February 24, 2025, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania announced that federal funding that was allocated to Pennsylvania, which had previously been frozen, is now unfrozen. On January 27, 2025, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget issued the “Memorandum
State government plaintiffs in cases against PFAS manufacturers have adopted the strategy of filing parallel complaints in state court – one for recovery for contamination caused by PFAS in AFFF and a second for potentially comingled PFAS contamination caused by PFAS from consumer and other non-PFAS products. One reason for doing so: attempting to keep
It has been 50 days since the Trump administration took office, and there remains a tsunami of activity surrounding executive actions and announcements across the federal government. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not been spared from deep cuts, office and grant program closures, and a fair amount of confusion.
On March 11, 2025, EPA
On March 12, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced its deregulatory agenda.[1] Although most of the 31 actions identified by the EPA will require formal notice and comment rulemaking, with litigation ensuing, Wednesday’s announcement makes good on the Trump Administration’s promises to roll back environmental regulation.[2]
Of particular significance to the
Yesterday, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the agency will undertake 31 historic actions in the “greatest and most consequential day of deregulation in U.S. history,” mostly aimed at reducing or eliminating regulations regarding air pollution, energy production for coal plants, and DEI.
Of these actions, one of the most consequential is rolling
Water Quality: Supreme Court Holds ‘Generic Prohibitions’ Unauthorized by Clean Water Act
On March 4, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion holding that the Clean Water Act (CWA) does not authorize the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to impose “generic prohibitions,” otherwise known as “end-result” provisions, in National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
UPDATE
On February 19, the White House unveiled an interim final rule (IFR) to rescind all National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) implementing regulations that the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has promulgated since 1977. The IFR takes effect immediately and bypasses the usual public notice and comment process for rulemakings by invoking the “good cause” exception in the Administrative Procedures Act (APA)[1], although its publication in the Federal Register will trigger a 30-day public comment period.
Pipelines: Michigan Court of Appeals Upholds Permit for Enbridge’s Relocation of Line 5
On February 19, 2025, the Michigan Court of Appeals upheld the conditional approval for Enbridge Energy Limited Partnership (“Enbridge”) to relocate its “Line 5” pipeline to a tunnel underneath the Straits of Mackinac in a consolidated appeal opinion. In Re Application Of