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News Articles

California Becomes the First State to Require Solar Power For New Homes Beginning In the Year 2020

California has taken yet another big step towards going green. The California Energy Commission has adopted a triennial update to standards found within the California…

Read More 2018-09-16

The Need for Environmental Impact Reports—California Court of Appeal Addresses CEQA Impacts on Aesthetics and Traffic in a Historical District

Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs) are often required to analyze the environmental impact a project may have on…

Read More 2018-09-16

California Court of Appeal finds an Agency Can Recover Record Preparation Costs under CEQA When a Petitioner Does Not Produce a Record

The Second District Court of Appeal has held that an agency is entitled to reasonable record preparation costs when it had to take over record…

Read More 2018-09-16

California Court of Appeal Finds Granting Well Permit Is Ministerial, Exempt From CEQA

Upholding the decision of the lower court, the Second District Court of Appeal held that the County of San Luis Obispo’s approval of permits to…

Read More 2018-09-16

Gold King Mine Spill—Impacting Colorado and New Mexico—Fifth Federal Lawsuit Filed Against EPA by Hundreds of Navajo Farmers and Ranchers

On August 3, 2018, almost 300 Navajo farmers and ranchers filed a complaint for Personal Injuries and Damages against the United States, U.S. Environmental Protection…

Read More 2018-09-16

Cross-Border U.S.-Mexico Sewage Pollution Claim Makes Its Way to Federal Court

Cross-border pollution, which has plagued the region in and around the Tijuana River watershed in southern San Diego County since the 1930s, has been flaring…

Read More 2018-09-16

Nevada Supreme Court Accepts Certified Questions From the Ninth Circuit Regarding Application of Public Trust Doctrine to Adjudicated Water Rights

In the long-running dispute over the waters of the Walker River, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently certified the following question of law to…

Read More 2018-09-16

Colorado Supreme Court Rules that Right to Reuse Return Flows Not Included in Augmentation Plans

On June 25, 2018, the Colorado Supreme Court denied an appeal from Coors Brewing Co. and held that a water user may not obtain the…

Read More 2018-09-16

Washington Supreme Court Exempts State Department of Natural Resources from Liability Under State Cleanup Law

On May 24, 2018, the State of Washington’s Supreme Court issued a decision narrowing the extent of “owner or operator” liability under the state’s Model…

Read More 2018-09-16

Colorado Supreme Court Extends Anti-Speculation Doctrine to Designated Groundwater Replacement Plan

On April 9, 2018, the Colorado Supreme Court upheld the Adams County District Court’s decision granting summary judgment against Front Range Resources, LLC (Front Range)…

Read More 2018-06-08