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News Articles

Automakers File Amicus Brief in the Ninth Circuit in the Volkswagen ‘Clean Diesel’ Suit Arguing for Federal Preemption

On December 13, 2018, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers Inc., the Association of Global Automakers, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce filed its amicusbrief to…

Read More 2019-02-05

U.S. District Court Dismisses Clean Water Act Citizen Suit Challenging Unpermitted Discharge of Pollutants Via Groundwater Seeps

Environmental group brought citizen suit challenging unpermitted discharge of coal ash wastewater via groundwater seeps and thence to navigable surface waters. The U.S. District Court…

Read More 2019-01-07

Nevada District Court Reverses Nevada State Engineer’s Prohibition on Domestic Well Drilling in Pahrump Basin

The Nevada State Engineer’s efforts to regulate groundwater withdrawals in the over-appropriated Pahrump Artesian Basin were dealt a blow recently when a state District Court…

Read More 2019-01-07

U.S. Department of Agriculture Announces $449 Million Loan to Assist In Developing the Sites Reservoir Project in California

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has committed to a $449 million loan for the Maxwell Water Intertie, a component of the Sites Reservoir Project. The…

Read More 2019-01-07

California Court of Appeal Addresses Proposition 218 and a Municipal Referendum Seeking to Alter Water Rates to Facilitate Water Infrastructure

The Third District Court of Appeal has held that Proposition 218 does not preclude placing a referendum on the ballot regarding legislatively imposed fees. [Wilde…

Read More 2019-01-07

U.S. District Court Concludes Federal Agencies’ Environmental Assessment of Coastal ‘Fracking’ Violated the ESA and Coastal Zone Act

The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California recently granted in part and denied in part seven cross-motions for summary judgment relating to…

Read More 2019-01-07

U.S. Supreme Court Reverses Fifth Circuit—Limits Agency Discretion under the Endangered Species Act in Addressing the Dusky Gopher Frog

The U.S. Supreme Court has held that a designation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) of critical habitat for a given species for…

Read More 2019-01-07

California Legislature Passes New Greenhouse Gas Standards For Uber, Lyft and Other Ride-Sharing Platforms

Uber and Lyft are on the verge of estimated $120 billion and $15 billion IPOs, respectively, in 2019. Uber has completed over 10 billion rides…

Read More 2019-01-07

Royal Dutch Shell to Link Carbon Footprint Targets to Executive Compensation

On December 3, 2018, Royal Dutch Shell PLC (Shell) issued a joint statement with institutional investors in which it committed to certain steps to further…

Read More 2019-01-07

New Round of Rulemaking by EPA and the Corps of Engineers Define Waters of the United States and the Scope of the Clean Water Act

Andrew Wheeler, Administrator of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) announced a new formal definition of “waters…

Read More 2019-01-07