-
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
-
Recent Posts
- So, What Exactly Is A Water Of The U.S.?
- Supreme Court Grants Cert On GHG Regulation Of Power Plants
- 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
- Arizona-Based Airline Enters Delivery Drone Space
- Rare Rulemaking Initiated by Arizona Department of Water Resources
So, What Exactly Is A Water Of The U.S.?
by Patrick J. Paul The federal Clean Water Act created federal jurisdiction over “navigable waters” defined as “waters of the United States” (WOTUS). Since becoming law in 1972, debate over what is, and is not, WOTUS has been robust. The … Continue reading
Tagged Corps Clean Water Rule, EPA, Navigable Waters Protection Rule, Pasqua Yaqui, substantial nexus, WOTUS
Share this Article:
U.S. House Passes PFAS Action Act of 2021
by Patrick J. Paul On Wednesday July 21, 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the PFAS Action Act of 2021. The bill, H.R. 2467, passed 241-183 demonstrating its bipartisan support, with twenty-three Republicans joining their Democratic colleagues in supporting … Continue reading
Environmental Justice Coming into Focus Under Biden’s USEPA
by Amanda Reeve and Lucas J. Narducci In its June 25, 2021 Press Release, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“USEPA”) presented its plan for utilizing $50 million dollars, allocated to the agency under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021/Covid-19 … Continue reading
Tagged environmental justice, EPA
Share this Article:
Environmental Justice: A Focus in Air Toxics Data Reporting
by Lucas J. Narducci & Amanda A. Reeve We all have been waiting to see what new course or approach will be taken by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“USEPA”) in regard to environmental justice. Rather than a major new … Continue reading
Tagged clean air act, environmental justice, EPA
Share this Article:
EPA Issues Interim PFAS Guidance
by Patrick J. Paul On December 18, 2020, EPA issued interim guidance (available here and here) designed to protect the public from exposure to emerging chemicals of concern. More particularly, that interim guidance outlines the current state of science on techniques … Continue reading
The Rush is On for Jurisdictional Determinations
by Mitchell J. Klein The EPA and the Corps of Engineers are seeing an unprecedented amount of requests for determining whether or not an activity impacts a Water of the United States and triggers Clean Water Act restrictions and permitting. … Continue reading
Tagged Corps of Engineers, EPA, Jurisdictional Determination, Waters of the United States
Share this Article:
EPA Announces New Office of Mountains, Deserts, and Plains
by Patrick J. Paul Declaring that the days of a one-size-fits-all approach to environmental remediation are over, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on September 2, 2020, the creation of a new office Mountains, Deserts, and Plains (OMDP). This new … Continue reading
Tagged abandoned mines, EPA, Office of Mountains Deserts & Plains, OMDP
Share this Article:
States Challenge EPA’s COVID-19 Enforcement Policy
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 … Continue reading
Tagged ADEQ, enforcement, EPA
Share this Article:
EPA Announces COVID-19 Interim Field Work Guidance
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 … Continue reading
Tagged cleanup, coronavirus, COVID-19, EPA, interim guidance
Share this Article:
ADEQ Issues COVID-19 Memo of Compliance & Enforcement
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 … Continue reading
Tagged ADEQ, Arizona, coronavirus, COVID-19, EPA
Share this Article:
