The U.S. EPA announced on February 6 plans to hold public hearings in Kansas City on February 27 and 28 to discuss the Trump administration’s attempt to clarify which waters and wetlands receive protections under the Clean Water Act (“CWA”). The water rule proposal is an attempt to rewrite the Obama administration’s Clean Water Rule… Read more
On Thursday, February 28th, there will be a Solar panel discussion at Southface. The Solar Panel Discussion event will explore new solutions to existing and reoccurring solar energy problems that impede the growth of its industry market in Georgia. Gathering professions in the field as well as related industries, this event will create a collaborative… Read more
The recent federal government shutdown has delayed the EPA’s rewrites of Obama-Era rules, such as carbon standards for existing power plants, which may jeopardize the Trump administration’s ability to defend the rewrites in court before the 2020 presidential election. Andrew Wheeler, the agency’s acting chief told senators during his January 16th confirmation hearing that the… Read more
On Tuesday, January 22, Citigroup announced the issuance of its inaugural green bond, to be used for funding renewable energy, sustainable transportation, water quality and conservation, energy efficiency and green building projects. The bond was issued via €1 billion ($1.1 billion) three-year fixed-rate notes as part of Citi’s $100 billion environmental finance goal, under which… Read more
On October 1, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit held that there is no statute of limitations applicable to an EPA enforcement action for injunctive relief for violations of the Clean Air Act’s New Source Review (NSR) requirements. United States v. Luminant Generation Co., No. 17-10235, (5th Cir., October 1, 2018). Injunctive… Read more
In an October 11, 2018 memorandum to Regional Administrators, OSHA clarified that 29 C.F.R. § 1904.35(b)(1)(iv), which prohibits employers from retaliating against employees for reporting work-related injuries or illnesses, does not prohibit post-incident drug testing. When the 2016 rule was originally promulgated, OSHA took the position that employers could not use “drug testing (or the… Read more
The Turner Environmental Law Clinic at Emory University School of Law will celebrate its 20th anniversary with an environmental law seminar and conference on Friday, January 18, 2019, from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm at Emory School of Law. SGR is a sponsor of the conference and SGR partner Andrew Thompson serves on the advisory… Read more
On November 27, 2018, the California Office of Administrative Law approved an amendment to Section 25603 of Title 27, California Code of Regulations, Article 6 to allow alternative signal words for on-product Proposition 65 warnings for pesticides that are also regulated under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. The new regulatory texts adds subsection… Read more
In Hubbard v. Cal. Water Services, a California appeals court upheld a jury verdict finding that California Water was not liable to the estate of Thomas Hubbard for asbestos exposure occurring while he was employed by an independent contractor. The appeals court reasoned that the jury reasonably found that Mr. Hubbard’s employer, a contractor for… Read more
On November 13, the EPA announced that it will reopen existing federal standards for smog forming pollution limits for heavy trucks. California, which has some of the worst smog in the country, has announced that it cannot wait for the federal rulemaking process and is proceeding with setting its own, potentially more stringent standards. California… Read more