On May 12, the Third District Court of Appeal belatedly ordered partially published an opinion it had filed on April 20, 2022, reversing the trial court’s judgment upholding the EIR for lead agency Siskiyou County’s approval of Crystal Geyser Water Company’s water bottling plant project. We Advocate Through Environmental Review, et al. v. County of
California AG Launches Investigation into Fossil Fuel and Petrochemical Industries for Plastic Pollution
On April 28, 2022, the California Attorney General launched an investigation into the “fossil fuel and petrochemical industries for their role in causing and exacerbating the global plastics pollution crisis.” As a first step, the CA AG issued a subpoena to ExxonMobil, “a major source of global plastic pollution, seeking information relating to the company’s
RMP and PSM highly hazardous chemical regulations are back on the agenda
The agencies regulating industrial chemical processes are taking a second look at modernizing regulations aimed at preventing chemical accidents in the near future. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Process Safety Management (PSM) standard and the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Risk Management Program (RMP) rule were practically identical for processes containing threshold levels of
A Few Thoughts from Davos…
Like many governments around the world, UK politics currently appear somewhat unstable. And the UK’s problems are a reflection of the world, where established views and beliefs are suddenly no longer the unassailable certainties they have seemed to be for decades.
Davos met this week for the first time in two years against this very
Singapore Consults on Green and Transition Taxonomy
The proposed taxonomy for green and transition activities is aligned with increasing global demand for clear and consistent classification of sustainable finance activities.
By Paul Davies and Sabrina Singh
In May 2022, the Green Finance Industry Taskforce — a multi-stakeholder group convened by the Monetary Authority of Singapore to accelerate the development of green finance
US SEC Proposes Rules Regarding ESG for Certain Funds and Advisers
At an open meeting on May 25, 2022, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” or “Commission”) approved two new proposals regarding ESG that will impact the fund and investment management industry. One of the proposals is directed solely at registered funds and business development companies (BDCs), while the other applies to registered funds, BDCs,
League of California Cities and CSAC File Request for Depublication of First District Decision Addressing Sufficiency of CEQA-Mandated “No Project” Alternative In Housing Project EIR
On May 25, 2022, the League of California Cities (“League”) and California State Association of Counties (“CSAC”) filed a 10-page letter with the California Supreme Court requesting it to depublish the First District Court of Appeal’s recent decision in Save the Hill Group v. City of Livermore, Case No. A161573 (my April 4, 2022 post
The Slow and the Furious: OSHA’s Rulemakings Continue at Various Stages with Infectious Diseases a Priority
By A. Scott Hecker, Benjamin D. Briggs, Adam R. Young, Patrick Joyce, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: On May 25, 2022, Douglas Parker, Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, testified before the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor’s Workforce Protections Subcommittee regarding his
Texas Takes Much-Anticipated Steps to Streamline Permitting and Assume Regulatory Authority for Carbon Sequestration Wells
On May 3, 2022, the Railroad Commission of Texas (Railroad Commission) voted to approve three actions that represent a major step forward in facilitating the deployment of carbon capture, use and sequestration activities (CCUS) in Texas. Specifically, the Railroad Commission approved:
- Publication of proposed amendments to its rules implementing the state program for geologic
The Drumbeat of PFAS Litigation Is Getting Louder
On May 25th, Massachusetts filed suit against a number of companies alleged to have manufactured PFAS and/or aqueous film-forming foam. Massachusetts joins a number of other states which have already brought similar claims. Indeed, Massachusetts filed the case in South Carolina, where an existing multi-district litigation concerning PFAS is already in progress.
The complaint asserts