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Eastern Water Law & Policy Reporter

January 2019

Volume 13, Number 11 January 2019

FEATURE ARTICLE

The Ebb and Flow of the Federal Clean Water Act—EPA Releases New Proposed ‘Waters of the United States’ Rule Defining the Scope of the Act by John Sittler, Esq. and Paul Noto, Esq., Patrick, Miller, Noto, Aspen,

Colorado295

EASTERN WATER NEWS

News from the West300

REGULATORY DEVELOPMENTS

New Round of Rulemaking by EPA and the Corps of Engineers Define Waters of the United States and the Scope of the Clean Water Act303

PENALTIES AND SANCTIONS

Recent Investigations, Settlements, Penalties and Sanctions305

JUDICIAL DEVELOPMENTS

Federal:

The Curious Case of the Dusky Gopher Frog—U.S. Supreme Court Limits Agency Discretion under the Endangered Species Act308

Weyerhaeuser Co. v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, ___U.S.___, Case No. 17-71 (Nov. 27, 2018).

Tenth Circuit Finds Settlement Agreement Between BLM and Environmental Groups Not Ripe for Challenge until Agency Implements the Settlement Provisions310

Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance v. Burke, 908 F.3d 630 (10th Cir. 2018).

District Court Rules on Trump Administration’s Motion to Dismiss Border-Wall Complaint’s NEPA and Endangered Species Act Claims312

Center for Biological Diversity, et al., v. Kirstjen M. Nielsen, et al., ___F.Supp.3d___, Case No. CV-17-00163-TUC-CKJ (D. D.C. Oct. 31, 2018).

District Court Concludes Federal Agencies’ Environmental Assessment of Coastal ‘Fracking’ Violated the ESA and Coastal Zone Act314

Environmental Defense Center v. U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, ___F.Supp.3d___, Case No. CV168418PSGFFMX (C.D. Cal. Nov. 9, 2018).

District Court Dismisses Clean Water Act Citizen Suit Challenging Unpermitted Discharge of Pollutants via Groundwater Seeps316

Prairie Rivers Network v. Dynegy Midwest Generation, LLC, ___F.Supp.3d___, Case No. 18-CV-2148 (C.D. Ill. Nov. 14, 2018).