On October 13, 2021, the Biden Administration announced its plan to develop seven major offshore wind farms on the East and West coasts and in the Gulf of Mexico. These projects are part of President Biden’s plan to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030, which would generate enough electricity to power more
Does putting a label on a ‘whole substance’ make sense from a public health perspective?
This insights column, originally published in Chemical Watch, provides a refresher on the important distinctions between hazard and risk based approaches and discusses them in the context of the findings of the EPA TSCA risk evaluations. The completed TSCA risk evaluations make findings of “no unreasonable risk” or presents “unreasonable risk” for each condition
Agricultural Law Weekly Review – Week Ending October 29, 2021
Agribusiness: Federal Court Allows Securities Fraud Claims to Proceed Against Bayer Re: Monsanto Purchase 
On October 19, 2021, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued an order denying Bayer’s motion to dismiss a suit brought by Bayer investors alleging that the company’s actions in connection with its acquisition of Monsanto violated
Supreme Court Grants Cert On GHG Regulation Of Power Plants
On January 19, 2021, the last full day of President Trump’s tenure at the White House, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals essentially said “good riddance” to Trump’s “ACE” (the Affordable Clean Energy Rule) in American Lung Association v. EPA, No. 19-1140 (D.C. Cir. 2021). More to the point, the
EPA Increases Environmental Justice- Related Reviews and Enforcement
Under the Biden-Harris administration, the U.S. EPA has made advancing Environmental Justice (EJ) a leading priority. At times it has felt like EPA releases an EJ-related announcement, policy, or guidance every day. While that may be an exaggeration, EPA has taken numerous actions related to EJ issues over the last nine months. Perhaps the most
From Worse to Bad: New draft of “Build Back Better” Legislation Reduces But Doesn’t Eliminate New Financial Burdens on Hardrock Miners Operating on Federal Land
Everyone has heard a bad joke where the setup for the punchline is “well, it coulda been worse”. Hardrock mining companies operating on federal public lands presumably didn’t feel like laughing when the House Natural Resources Committee released its committee print for President Biden’s proposed “Build Back Better” (BBB) legislation in
What You Need to Know About the Biden Administration’s “Long-Term Strategy” with “Pathways to Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2050”
On November 1, 2021, as the world commences the COP26 gathering in Glasgow, Scotland, for the next round of global climate negotiations, the White House, under the signatures of John Kerry, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, and Gina McCarthy, National Climate Advisor, issued a strategy stating that achieving net-zero GHG emissions by 2050 is
Fourth District Affirms Judgment Upholding CEQA Class 32 Infill Exemption For Costco Gas Station/Parking Lot Project Within Existing Shopping Center
In an opinion filed September 28, and certified for publication on October 26, 2021, the Fourth District Court of Appeal (Div. 3) affirmed a judgment denying a writ petition challenging the City of Tustin’s finding that a Costco gas station/ancillary facilities project in an existing shopping center was categorically exempt from CEQA. Protect Tustin Ranch
EPA Makes PFAS Announcements, Issues PFAS Strategic Roadmap and Planned RCRA Hazardous Waste Designations
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently made several announcements regarding its goals for investigating, regulating, and remediating Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), a group of chemicals used in a variety of consumer and industrial products since the early 1940s. In the environment, PFAS can be found in soil, groundwater, surface water, and the
BOEM to Issue a Call to Further Assess Commercial Interest in Wind Energy Leasing in the Gulf
On October 28, 2021, the Department of Interior announced three major milestones to advance commercial offshore wind energy development, one of those impacting the Gulf of Mexico.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (“BOEM”) will publish a Call for Information and Nominations (“Call”) on November 1, 2021 in the Federal Register. The Call will allow