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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
- Colorado River Lower Basin States Face Tier 1 Shortage and Maybe More
- NASA Flies First Drone Ever on Another Planet
- The Utah Legislature Chooses “All of the Above” for a Reliable Electric Grid
- Coal Communities’ Transition in Arizona Getting More Attention
- Changes Coming Soon to a Due Diligence Project Near You!
Biden and the Environment: the First Three Weeks
By Patrick J. Paul Three weeks into the administration of President Biden and Vice-President Harris, early indications suggest a commitment to maintaining campaign promises with respect to numerous energy and environmental-related issues including climate change and environmental justice. On Inauguration … Continue reading
Tagged Biden, climate policy, executive orders, trump
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Trump vs. Biden: The Important Role that Climate Change, the Environment and Pollution Will Not Play in the 2020 Presidential Election
by Raymond S. Heyman We are just weeks away from the national Presidential election. The two major party candidates, President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joseph Biden, could not be farther apart philosophically than they are on the important … Continue reading
Tagged 2020 Presidential Election, Biden, trump
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President Declares National Emergency: Foreign Adversaries Creating Vulnerability in U.S. Electric Grid
by Kelly A. Daly On May 1, 2020, President Trump declared a national emergency relating to threats facing the bulk-electric power system in the United States. Specifically, the President issued Executive Order on Securing the United States Bulk-Power System, which … Continue reading
Tagged electric grid, Executive Order, national emergency, trump
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Cooperative Federalism and the Clean Water Act: The States Finally Get their Due
by Michael C. Ford, Lucas J. Narducci and Patrick J. Paul There is no shortage of dramatic, if not predictable, commentary in the wake of the Trump Administration’s release of its “Navigable Waters Protection Rule” (“Rule”) ranging from the indignant … Continue reading
Tagged clean water act, trump, Waters of the United States, WOTUS
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Trump Proposes Rules to Expedite Infrastructure Projects
by Patrick J. Paul On January 9, 2020, in one of the more significant environmental proposals of the current administration, President Trump’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) proposed updates to its regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the National … Continue reading
Tagged CEQ, infrastructure, NEPA, trump
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EPA to Take Action to Improve Cost-Benefit Analyses for Agency Rulemakings
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 … Continue reading
Tagged cost-benefit, EPA, trump
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Coal Exports: The Trump Administration and Western States Take Action to Open Ports for Shipment of Coal
by Denise A. Dragoo On April 10, 2019, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order seeking to address permitting and policy obstacles preventing the export of coal and other energy resources through West Coast ports. New port facilities and improvements … Continue reading
Tagged 401 Certification, 404 Permits, clean water act, coal, EPA, Millennium Bulk Terminal, trump
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President Trump’s Budget for a Better America May Not Be Better for the EPA
by Raymond S. Heyman On Monday, March 11, 2019, the Office of Management and Budget issued President Trump’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2020, “A Budget for a Better America”, (the “Budget Proposal”) in the amount of $4.7 trillion. As … Continue reading
Tagged A Budget for a Better America, EPA, trump
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Trump EPA Proposes Limitations to WOTUS Rule
by Patrick J. Paul In a long anticipated move, on Tuesday December 11, 2018 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed further revisions to the federal Clean Water Act’s definition of “waters of the United States,” (WOTUS), clawing back the … Continue reading
Tagged Clean Water, clean water act, EPA, ephemeral, trump, Trump EPA, Waters of the United States, WOTUS
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Climate Change Debate Rages On
by Patrick J. Paul With 2019 just around the corner, recent historic hurricane and fire damage and Democratic mid-term election gains in the House and across many states will cause climate change impacts, policy and legislation to take center stage, … Continue reading
Tagged Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, House Climate Solutions Caucus, National Climate Assessment, trump
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