A United States Magistrate (U.S. District Court [Alabama]) (“Magistrate”) addressed in an August 2nd Report and Recommendation whether a water law dispute satisfied the jurisdictional minimum of $75,000.00 to remain in...more
Welcome to the August edition of Nutter’s Environment & Energy Insights, a monthly update of current trends in environment and energy law. This month we cover: EPA’s new Facility Response Plan requirements for potential...more
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and Shasta-Siskiyou Transport (“SST”) entered into a May 30th Consent Agreement (“CA”) addressing alleged violations of the Clean Water Act. See Cwa-09-2024-0042. ...more
Sam Hess of Inside EPA has a fulsome report on EPA's everything but the kitchen sink attempt to avoid a nationwide freeze of its most recent definition of Waters of the United States in litigation filed by a North Carolina...more
The Environmental Integrity Project (“EIP”) sent a May 2nd Clean Water Act Notice of Intent (“NOI”) to sue to the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) for alleged violation of a nondiscretionary duty under that statute....more
Construction law is a complex field that intersects with various other industries and legal fields, one being the maritime industry. In nearly twenty years of practicing construction law, I have often experienced the...more
Key Takeaways - • What Is Happening? On March 14, 2024, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) signed a final rule requiring certain facilities to develop Facility Response Plans (FRPs) for a potential worst-case...more
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) on March 22, 2024, announced its plans for enhancing the protection of the country's wetlands following the U.S. Supreme Court's Sackett v. EPA decision. In Sackett, the Supreme Court...more
EPA picked another Clean Water Act fight with the United States Supreme Court last week and I don't understand why EPA thinks it is a fight it can win. As many of you know, the jurisdictional reach of the Clean Water Act is...more
On March 14, 2024, the National Agency of Waterway Transportation (Agência Nacional de Transportes Aquaviários, “ANTAQ”) held Public Hearing No. 02/2024-ANTAQ. The aim of the hearing was to obtain feedback and suggestions to...more
Both regulators and the regulated community must remain alert to accommodate the constantly changing regulatory scheme created in the post-Sackett world. The application of Maui and Sackett in recent months confirms the...more
On January 25, the Washington Supreme Court decided that title to a corridor of shorelands along Lake Sammamish vested in the property owners instead of King County. The case involved interpretation of Washington’s...more
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (“Fifth Circuit”) addressed in a December 18, 2023, Consolidated Opinion whether certain Louisiana wetlands were subject to Clean Water Act jurisdiction. See Lewis v....more
On January 16, 2024, Law No. 14,813 (“Law 14,813”) was published, aiming to provide legal certainty and regulatory stability to pilotage services. Law 14.813 amends Law No. 9.537/97 (“Law 9,537”), which provides for the...more
Recent federal court decisions have changed the way wetlands are regulated in the United States. Here's what you need to know. A Shift in Wetland Regulation: The Sackett Decision and Its Impact In 2023, the U.S. Supreme...more
November was an eventful month for the Clean Water Act (CWA). The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued two decisions last month—which will apply to cases and matters in California and other states within the Ninth...more
Garry Lewis owns 2000 acres in Livingston Parish, Louisiana and he has been fighting with the Army Corps of Engineers over whether any of those 2000 acres are wetlands subject to Federal Clean Water Act jurisdiction for over...more
On November 20, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued Draft Guidance, again attempting to interpret the Supreme Court decision in County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund and describe in practical terms...more
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) is issuing for public comment draft guidance on applying the United States Supreme Court decision in County of Maui vs. Hawaii Wildlife Fund. EPA had previously...more
In what has already been a major year for the Clean Water Act, there’s now another attempt to redefine its scope. On October 17, the Clean Water Act of 2023 was introduced by ranking member of the House Committee on...more
As a result of the North Carolina Farm Act of 2023 (Session Law 2023-63), North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ or the Department) may now only regulate wetlands that are subject to federal Clean Water...more
For decades, developers and environmental groups have disagreed about the scope of the Clean Water Act. The definition under scrutiny – the “Waters of the United States”, also known as WOTUS, establishes the geographic scope...more
On September 8, U.S. EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers published a final conforming rule amending the definition of “waters of the United States” in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Sackett decision....more
Following years of administrative rulemaking and litigation, on September 8, 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) released a revision to the definition of waters of the United...more
The Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers recently announced a revised and final rule amending the definition of Waters of the United States (WOTUS) following the Supreme Court decision in Sackett v....more