The European Union (“EU”) is preparing to adopt the world’s most sweeping ban on per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”), including with respect to the presence of the so-called “forever substances” in practically all consumer and commercial products.
On February 7, the EU Chemical Agency (“ECHA”) issued the plan – known as the “Universal Restriction
The Plan aims to “simplify, accelerate and align incentives to preserve the competitiveness and attractiveness of the EU as an investment location for the net-zero industry”[1].
By Paul A. Davies, Michael D. Green, and James Bee
On 1 February 2023, the European Commission (Commission) presented a proposal for a Green Deal Industrial Plan for the Net-Zero Age (the Plan). The Plan forms part of the European Green Deal adopted in 2019, which sets out the EU’s green transition ambitions and climate targets towards reaching net zero by 2050. The Plan sits alongside other Green Deal initiatives, including the “Fit for 55” package of policies (which seek to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% from 1990 levels by 2030), as well as REPowerEU (introduced to reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels and provide clean and affordable energy).
The Plan is designed to support the scaling up of the EU’s net zero manufacturing capacities and installation of sustainable products and energy supplies, whilst also enhancing the competitiveness of Europe’s net zero industry. This Plan is particularly relevant in light of the US Inflation Reduction Act in the US, which aims to mobilise over $360 billion by 2032[2], and recent concerns in relation to energy security and energy prices in the EU.
As more and more couples are disputing pet custody issues when divorcing or separating, there is increasing concern in the legal community about how to fairly adjudicate these disputes, without unnecessarily burdening the already over-burdened court systems. The courts in New Jersey have so many judicial vacancies, that “the chief justice of the New
Public Health: DOI Publishes Draft Guidance for $500 Million Grant to States for Orphaned Well Cleanup
On January 30, 2023, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) released draft guidance on the $500 million grant that is being provided to states under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the purpose of orphaned well cleanup. This grant
In response to a court ruling finding that New Orleans’ requirement that the holder of a residential short-term rental (“RSTR”) license hold a homestead exemption violated the Constitution’s Commerce Clause, the New Orleans City Planning Commission is making recommendations for changes to the RSTR regulations. In particular, on January 27, 2023, the City Planning Commission
Earlier this week, the decision in Bartell Ranch v. McCullough generally supported the Bureau of Land Management’s review under NEPA and related statutes of a lithium mine near Thacker Pass, Nevada. If approved, Thacker Pass would be the largest lithium mine in the United States. The decision and the entire review of the mine are
By A. Scott Hecker, Adam R. Young, Patrick D. Joyce, Brent I. Clark, Daniel R. Birnbaum, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: Occupational noise exposure is common in certain industries across the United States, such as construction, manufacturing, and even warehousing and logistics. According to OSHA, the “Center for Disease
Under the Clean Water Act (CWA), the U.S. federal government is responsible for regulating the discharge of pollutants into the “navigable waters of the United States” and has discretionary power to formulate the regulatory details and geographical scope of federal jurisdiction over those “navigable waters.”
The manner in which the government should define these “navigable
In an opinion in a much-publicized case, filed December 28, 2022, and later ordered published on January 26, 2023, the First District Court of Appeal (Div. 3), upheld the City of Livermore’s (“City”) approval of a 130-unit affordable housing project on a downtown infill site and its accompanying determination that the project was CEQA-exempt under Government Code section 65457 (“Section 65457”). (Save Livermore Downtown v. City of Livermore (2023) 87 Cal.App.5th 1116 (“SLD”).) The important opinion was ordered published based on requests submitted by City, Attorney General Rob Bonta, YIMBY, and the California Building Industry Association.
A recent decision by the state Appellate Division has affirmed the broad statutory authority of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (“NJDEP”) to oversee the remediation of contaminated sites and invoke compulsory direct oversight in remediation matters under the Site Remediation Reform Act (“SRRA”).
In the matter of In Re New Jersey Department of