The Biden administration has enormous climate and carbon management goals, which rightfully include the geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide as a core part of its climate adaptation strategy. The administration, to its credit, has worked with Congress to provide tax credits and billions of dollars of new funding for programs targeting the transportation and sequestration
Reflections on Water
Key developments in the fluid world of water law and policy
Latest from Reflections on Water - Page 3
Biden WOTUS Final Rule at OMB
By Dave Ross & Anna Wildeman
On September 12, with exactly three weeks until the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral argument in the Sackett v. EPA case, EPA sent the latest iteration of a final rule to define “Waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) to the Office of Management and Budget for interagency review. While the Court may not issue an opinion…
PFAS in Focus: Show-Me Insights From Chris Wieberg, Missouri Department of Natural Resources
By Dave Ross & Anna Wildeman
Dave and Anna kick off a PFAS podcast series taped on location at the Missouri Water Seminar to provide an on-the-ground perspective of how state and local governments are dealing with the emerging regulatory framework for PFAS. Our first guest — Water Program Director Chris Wieberg of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources — explains…
EPA’s Clean Water Act Certification Proposal to Significantly Impact Hydropower Licensing
On June 1, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a pre-publication version of its proposal to re-write the Clean Water Act Section 401 rule (Certification Proposal), which, if finalized, is expected to have far-reaching impacts on hydroelectric licensing and relicensing. The Certification Proposal is intended by EPA to replace the version of the rule finalized…
401 Certification Proposal Hits the Street
EPA released a pre-publication version of its proposal to re-write the Clean Water Act 401 Certification Rule. The proposed re-write comes after the Northern District of California vacated EPA’s 2020 Certification Rule, which the U.S. Supreme Court later reinstated. The proposal also includes conforming amendments to EPA’s certification regulations for the Section 402 NPDES…
Drinking Water on Tap: Money, Morality, and More with Tracy Mehan from the American Water Works Association
By Dave Ross & Anna Wildeman
Tracy Mehan joins Dave and Anna to discuss his work as executive director of government affairs with the American Water Works Association and the flood of water topics inundating the drinking water sector, including new infrastructure funding, affordability as an environmental justice issue, AWWA’s perspective on PFAS and its associated superfund liability question, and updates…
First Circuit Reverses Its Stance on the Diligent Prosecution Bar
On April 28, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, sitting en banc, overturned its own 30-year-old precedent on the Clean Water Act (CWA), North & South Rivers Watershed Ass’n v. Town of Scituate, 949 F.2d 552 (1st Cir. 1991). Under Town of Scituate, “diligent prosecution” of a federal administrative enforcement…
Supreme Court Re-Instates the Clean Water Act Section 401 Certification Rule
Today, in a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court re-instated the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) 2020 Clean Water Act (CWA) section 401 rule (Certification Rule). The Court stayed a decision by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, which had vacated and remanded the Certification Rule back to EPA without first…
EPA Proposes Federal Water Quality Standards for Washington State
By Dave Ross & Anna Wildeman
In a move consistent with EPA’s recent uptick in oversight of state regulatory programs, EPA has proposed to establish federal water quality standards (WQS) for human health criteria (HHC) for Washington state. The proposal comes less than two months after the Office of Water rescinded a memorandum that directed EPA regions to comply with Clean…
Innovation in Iowa: Talking About the Future of Watershed Management With Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig
By Anna Wildeman & Dave Ross
Anna and Dave welcome Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig to talk soil health, creative financing, and the future of watershed management in Iowa. They also discuss the state’s ongoing work as part of the Hypoxia Task Force.…