Energy and Environment MonitorEnvironmental EnforcementDistrict Court Pauses Kids' Climate Suit for Interlocutory AppealNovember 29, 2018 On November 21, 2018, the United States District Court for the District of Oregon stayed a climate change suit in order to allow for an interlocutory appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. An interlocutory appeal is an appeal of a specific ruling by a trial court that is made before the trial itself has actually concluded. The District Court’s order concerns a suit filed against the… The Promise and Perils of Clean Water Act LitigationNovember 26, 2018 On November 14th, a federal district court dismissed a lawsuit filed by environmental groups against the owners of the Vermillion power plant, a retired coal-fired facility on the banks of the Middle Fork in Vermillion County, Illinois. Metals from coal ash were leaching from three unlined ponds into groundwater that flows to the Middle Fork, which happens to be both a federally and state… DO I HAVE A POINT SOURCE?November 19, 2018 The Answer Depends on the Jurisdiction
Let’s say you have an unlined pond. It doesn’t directly discharge to any river or stream and, as a result, you’ve never applied for an NPDES permit. But, let’s assume that pollutants in the pond percolate into groundwater. And let’s further assume that these pollutants eventually make their way, via groundwater, to a river or stream.
Does your pond… U.S. Supreme Court Allows Kids' Climate Trial to ProceedNovember 13, 2018 We have written before about this case where a group of children have sued the United States Government for its failure to protect them from the effects of climate change. October 30, 2018. In prior rulings, a federal district court judge in Oregon has rebuffed efforts by the United States to dismiss the case on the grounds that it presents non-justiciable “political” questions rather than… U.S. Supreme Court Stays Kids' Climate SuitOctober 29, 2018 On October 19, 2018, the United State Supreme Court temporarily stayed a suit filed against the President and various executive agencies brought by 21 minors, an organization known as Earth Guardians, and “future generations” by and through their self-appointed guardian, Dr. James Hansen, who is a well-known climate scientist and climate change activist. See In Re United States of America, et… Federal District Court Enjoins WOTUS Rule in Three More StatesSeptember 19, 2018 Readers may recall that last month, August 23, 2018, we reported that a federal district court in South Carolina enjoined an EPA rule suspending the 2015 “waters of the United States rule”. EPA had proposed to suspend the 2015 rule and reinstate the previous 1982 regulation defining what constitutes a water of the United States. EPA did so in part to provide uniformity to the definition applied… EPA Puts Affordable Clean Energy Rules Out for Public CommentSeptember 10, 2018 On August 21, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) proposed the Affordable Clean Energy rule (“ACE”) as a replacement for the Obama Administration’s controversial 2015 Clean Power Plan (“CPP”), which EPA proposed to repeal because it exceeded the agency’s authority. On August 31, 2018, EPA officially published the proposed rule for public comment. See Fed. 83 Reg. 44746 (Aug. 31,… Federal Court Rules that a West Virginia County Cannot Deny a Request to Re-Zone Property to Allow for Construction of a Natural Gas Compressor StationAugust 29, 2018 A federal district court in West Virginia ruled on Wednesday that Fayette County’s zoning code is preempted by the Natural Gas Act as it applies to Mountain Valley Pipeline’s FERC-approved activities in connection with a compressor station to be constructed in that county. See Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC v. Wender, et al., No. 2:17-cv-4377 (S.D.W.Va. Aug. 29, 2018), ECF No. 34. MVP obtained a… The Murky "Waters of the United States" Just Got MuddierAugust 22, 2018 When I wake up and listen to National Public Radio report about a federal district court’s injunction of an EPA regulation, I conclude that someone besides a lawyer believes the decision is important. What was decided by the federal district court in Charleston, South Carolina on Thursday, August 16 was significant, but for a reason not reported. Defining the “waters of the United States”… "Strangled by Process"August 15, 2018 The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit decided a case involving the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 (MLA), an event sufficiently unusual that it merited a reading of the case. The MLA is the federal statute that governs the leasing of federal minerals, normally coal and oil and gas, on the public lands that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) administers, primarily in the Western U.S. The… EPA Offices at Odds Over Response to FERC Greenhouse Gas InquiryAugust 7, 2018 In December of 2017, FERC announced that it would review its policies on certification of natural gas pipeline projects. In particular, it announced that it would review its 1999 Policy Statement on Certification of New Interstate Natural Gas Pipeline Facilities (available at https://www.ferc.gov/legal/maj-ord-reg/policy-statements.asp). Then, on April 19, 2018, FERC initiated a “notice of… EPA Offices at Odds Over Response to FERC Greenhouse Gas InquiryAugust 7, 2018 In December of 2017, FERC announced that it would review its policies on certification of natural gas pipeline projects. In particular, it announced that it would review its 1999 Policy Statement on Certification of New Interstate Natural Gas Pipeline Facilities (available at https://www.ferc.gov/legal/maj-ord-reg/policy-statements.asp). Then, on April 19, 2018, FERC initiated a “notice of… |
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