by Chris Colyer With the COVID-19 pandemic finally starting to subside, state and local governments are making up for lost time and enacting new environmental laws, rules, and policies at a breakneck pace. Consequently, companies find themselves having to rapidly adjust to new a new regulatory environment. To assist our reads to stay organized and […]
by Amanda A. Reeve The Arizona’s First Regular Session of the 55th Legislature has been moving along at a pretty fast and steady pace. A total of 40 bills have already been sent to the Governor’s desk; and 32 of those have been signed into law with the remaining eight bills under consideration. These bills […]
by Patrick Paul, Chris Colyer, Michael Ford In prior blogs (available here and here), we’ve reported on changes to certain federal and state environmental enforcement policies related to COVID-19. In a nutshell, these policies essentially clarified the enforcement priorities of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and certain other state agencies like the Arizona Department […]
By Patrick Paul, Chris Colyer and Michael Ford On April 10, 2020, the U.S. EPA published “Interim Guidance on Site Field Work Decisions Due to Impacts of COVID-19.” Directed specifically to the Agency’s Regional Administrators, the interim guidance was issued for response actions related to cleanup and emergency response sites where EPA is the lead agency […]
by Patrick J. Paul, Chris Colyer, and Michael C. Ford On March 31, 2020, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) issued a Memorandum of Compliance and Enforcement Implementation During COVID-19. This memo of compliance is consistent with the March 26, 2020 United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Memorandum entitled COVID-19 Implications for EPA’s Enforcement […]
by Patrick J. Paul and Chris Colyer As previously reported in this blog, on December 4, 2019 EPA published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) seeking information on whether to include certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on the list of toxic chemicals subject to reporting under Section 313 of the Emergency Planning and […]
By Patrick Paul & Chris Colyer Although EPA announced an “action plan” on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) back in February, subsequent actions have been limited, that is, until recently. First created in the 1940s, PFAS are most commonly utilized to make products such as nonstick cookware, grease-resistant food packaging, stain repellents, and firefighting foams. […]
by Fred Breedlove Most businesses that work in a natural resource industry in Arizona are familiar with the requirements of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (“NHPA”), and Arizona’s State Historic Preservation Act (“SHPA”). There are two reasons for that. First, the responsibility of landowners to protect cultural or archaeological resources applies on both […]
By Christopher P. Colyer On Tuesday, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published an internal memo outlining new agency efforts to improve the consistency and transparency of cost-benefit analyses performed in conjunction with agency rulemakings. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler’s memo directs the agency’s offices of Air and Radiation, Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, Land […]
by Frances Folin Late on Friday, March 1st, Senate Bill 19-181 was introduced in the Colorado State Senate. The Bill would bring sweeping changes to oil and gas regulation in Colorado, less than 6 months after voters rejected Proposition 112 at the ballot box. After its first marathon 12-hour hearing Tuesday before the Senate Transportation and […]