The Louisiana Private Works Act (“LPWA”) [1] provides helpful security to unpaid contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers. In particular, it can provide persons that have no contract with the owner a direct claim against the owner for payment and provides both those with and without direct contracts with the owner a privilege or lien on the
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What Will EPA Do with Its New Superfund Money?
The Senate’s bipartisan infrastructure bill, which passed Aug. 10, contains a provision that would bring back an excise tax that expired in 1995 on a lengthy list of raw chemicals. House Democrats also want it to cover crude oil.
In addition to this new tax stream, the House has already approved…
A Decade of CEQA Developments
On September 13, 2011, I began the endeavor of writing Miller Starr Regalia’s CEQA Developments blog. Ten years and 358 blog posts later, it continues to be a challenging and rewarding task. Since my inaugural post (which can be viewed here) was a “top ten” list of CEQA litigation mistakes to avoid, I thought…
John Bel Edwards Extends Legal Deadlines and Eases Requirements for Making Unemployment Insurance Claims in Wake of Hurricane Ida
On September 6, 2021, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards signed and issued Emergency Proclamation 170 JBE 2021 (the “Proclamation”) designed to provide assistance to certain groups affected by Hurricane Ida, including a temporary suspension of certain deadlines and requirements relating to unemployment insurance as well as the temporary suspension of legal deadlines applicable to legal…
Are Pretreatment Standards for PFAS in Landfill Leachate Coming?
The U.S. EPA recently released the 15th installment of its Preliminary Effluent Guidelines Program Plan[1]. In addition to announcing the initiation of new rulemakings for certain categories of industrial dischargers, the report provides a window into where the agency is focusing its attention for potential future clean water act regulations. This year, landfills…
Proposed Vermont Regulations Threaten to Upend Process for Treatment of Oily Wastewater
The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VDEC) is currently in the process of reviewing and reauthorizing its Hazardous Waste Management Regulations. Mixed among the updates is a proposed provision that should be of great concern to generators of used oil wastewater. Section 7-805 of VDEC’s hazardous waste regulations delineates the requirements for wastewater to…
EPA and Army Corp’s Joint Section 401 Guidance Walks Back Regulatory Certainty
This blog post was republished by Law360 on September 14, 2021.
On August 19, EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) issued a joint guidance document concerning implementation of EPA’s 2020 Water Quality Certification Rule. The agencies explain that the guidance applies specifically to 41 Clean Water Act Section 404 Nationwide Permits (NWPs) proposed…
New Pennsylvania PFOS and PFOA Cleanup Standards Reach Final Major Regulatory Hurdle
The process to revise regulations in Pennsylvania is often long and involved, and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s (PADEP) revision to its Act 2 Chapter 250 regulations to incorporate cleanup standards for three per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has proved to be no exception. PADEP first published its regulatory proposal in the Pennsylvania Bulletin…
Important Development in Lawsuit Challenging Office of Renewable Energy Siting Regulations
On August 27, 2021, Justice Peter Lynch of the New York State Supreme Court, Albany County issued the first substantive ruling in Town of Copake v. New York State Office of Renewable Energy Siting, No. 905502-21 (Sup. Ct. Albany Cty. Aug. 27, 2021), a lawsuit challenging the validity of regulations promulgated by the New York…
“Good as Gold or Fool’s Gold – What Does It Mean to an Owner for a Contractor to be Licensed, Bonded, and Insured?”
Trippe Hawthorne, a partner, and construction lawyer at Kean Miller, was a featured author for the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL), where he wrote on the subject of contractors and what it means to be licensed, insured, and bonded. Many property owners see this nomenclature in marketing and promotional materials for General…

