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About Us:
Welcome to the S&W Environmental, Natural Resources, Oil and Gas Law Blog. This blog is a resource for the regulated community to stay current on new developments impacting the environmental, natural resources and energy sectors. It provides timely updates on a broad range of federal, state and local environmental topics — including proposed legislation and government rulemakings — that impact regulated industries throughout the southwest and the nation as a whole.
Topics
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Recent Posts
Are Smart Grids Smart Enough to Prevent Cyber Attacks?
by Raymond Heyman As electric utilities move towards the implementation of smart grid software and hardware, an area of interest is potential exposure to cyber attacks. The electric grid generally refers to the network of transmission lines, substations, transformers and … Continue reading
Tagged Cyber Attack, Smart Grids
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Drone to the Rescue in Flagstaff Forest Fire
by Patrick J. Paul The U.S. Forest Service deployed a drone for its maiden mission to manage a forest fire in Flagstaff, Arizona earlier this week. The lightning-caused Maroon Fire has been burning for several weeks in the Coconino National … Continue reading
Tagged drone, forest fire, forest service, maroon fire, Yarnell
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Reauthorization of Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act Offers Opportunities for Federal Land Users, Conservation
by John W. Andrews Buried deep inside the recently passed Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, legislation reviving the formerly expired Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act (FLTFA) offers opportunities for potential purchasers of federal public lands, while also creating a source … Continue reading
Tagged BLM, Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act, FLTFA
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Utah Supreme Court Clarifies Administrative Agencies’ Fact Finding Duty and the Standard of Review for Administrative Appeals
By: Graham Gilbert In McElhaney v. City of Moab, 2017 UT 65, —- P.3d —-, the Utah Supreme Court held that an adjudicative land use decision, and likely all administrative decisions subject to substantial evidence review on appeal, must include … Continue reading
Tagged Administrative Law, Conditional Use Permit, Land Use, Standard of Review
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ADEQ Considers Seeking Primacy for the Clean Water Act 404 and Safe Drinking Water Act Underground Injection Control Programs
By Michael Ford On Monday, December 4, 2017, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Water Quality Division, kicked off a stakeholder process to discuss the potential for the state to seek primacy for two water-related regulatory programs: the Clean Water Act … Continue reading
Tagged 404 Permit, ADEQ, clean water act, Primacy, Safe Drinking Water Act Underground Injection Control Program
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Second Annual Arizona Drone Summit Held in Mesa
by Patrick J. Paul Earlier this month in collaboration with the Arizona Regional Economic Development Foundation, Arizona UAS Magazine produced and organized Arizona’s second annual Arizona UAS Summit & Expo at the Sheraton Mesa Hotel at Wrigleyville West in Mesa. … Continue reading
Tagged Arizona UAS Summit, drones, UAS, unmanned aircraft systems
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Seven Months into the Trump Administration, Outlook of Controversial Obama-Era Ozone Standard Remains Hazy
by Chris Colyer The status of a controversial rule establishing more stringent ambient air quality standards for ozone—promulgated by former President Barack Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—remains unclear following a series of developments under the current Trump Administration and the … Continue reading
Tagged air standards, attainment, ozone, ozone standards, trump
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How to avoid CEQA environmental review by ballot initiative
by Sean M. Sherlock The World Logistics Center is a massive project – 41 million square feet of logistics facilities located on 2,300 acres in Moreno Valley, California. The project has undergone environmental review for years, culminating in an Environmental … Continue reading
Tagged ballot initiative process, CEQA, environmenal impact report, environmenal review, moreno valley, tuolumne jobs, world logistics center
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California Water Law Update
By Katherine A. McKitterick and Sean M. Sherlock To address the worsening drought, on April 1, 2015, Governor Brown issued Executive Order B-29-15 (“Executive Order”), mandating a 25% reduction in potable urban water consumption. In response, the State Water Resources … Continue reading
Tagged California, conservation, drought, Proposition 218, state water resources control board, tiered rate, water
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Project Built at Variance With EIR Subject to Late CEQA Lawsuit
By: Sean M. Sherlock Ordinarily the threat of a lawsuit under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) passes once the statute of limitation expires – in most cases 30 days after the filing of a Notice of Determination. But a … Continue reading
Tagged addendum, CEQA, NOD, notice of determination, statute of limitation, supplement
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