On August 29, 2023, the U.S. EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced a pre-publication version of their final rule amending the definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) in response to the Sackett v. EPA...more
8/30/2023
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Amended Rules ,
Clean Water Act ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Final Rules ,
Navigable Waters ,
Sackett v EPA ,
SCOTUS ,
Substantial Nexus ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
Waters of the United States
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its long-awaited decision in the Sackett v. EPA case, in which it narrowed the test for determining whether wetlands are subject to federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act, thereby...more
On January 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court granted a petition for a writ of certiorari in Sackett v. EPA (case no. 21-454) regarding the question,“[w]hether the Ninth Circuit set forth the proper test for determining whether...more
On May 24, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court released its opinion in the Territory of Guam v. United States case. At issue was whether Guam could maintain a Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act...more
5/27/2021
/ CERCLA ,
Clean Water Act ,
Clean-Up Costs ,
Consent Decrees ,
Contribution Claims ,
Cost Recovery ,
Environmental Liability ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Remediation Costs ,
Guam ,
Guam v United States ,
Hazardous Waste ,
SCOTUS ,
Statute of Limitations ,
U.S. Navy
On December 8, 2020, U.S. EPA announced issuance of draft guidance to clarify its view of how the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund decision should be applied to its Clean Water Act National...more
12/10/2020
/ Appeals ,
Clean Water Act ,
Comment Period ,
Direct Discharge ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Functional Equivalent ,
Groundwater ,
Hawaii Wildlife Fund v County of Maui ,
Navigable Waters ,
NPDES ,
Permits ,
Point Sources ,
Remand ,
SCOTUS ,
Vacated ,
Waters of the United States
On July 6, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court granted in part and denied in part the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ application for stay of the order issued by the U.S. District Court of Montana....more
7/9/2020
/ Appeals ,
Article III ,
Clean Water Act ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Emergency Orders ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Injunctions ,
Irreparable Harm ,
Motion To Stay ,
Nationwide Permits (NWPs) ,
NEPA ,
Pipelines ,
SCOTUS
Update June 17, 2020: On June 15, 2020, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers filed an application to the U.S. Supreme Court for a stay of the April 15, 2020, order (amended May 11, 2020) issued by the U.S. District Court of...more
6/18/2020
/ Article III ,
Clean Water Act ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Energy Projects ,
Equitable Relief ,
Injunctions ,
Irreparable Harm ,
Keystone XL Pipeline ,
Motion To Stay ,
Nationwide Permits (NWPs) ,
NEPA ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
SCOTUS ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
Vacatur
In a 6-3 opinion issued on April 23, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Clean Water Act regulates activities that release pollutants that are eventually conveyed through groundwater to navigable water. The ruling is...more
4/29/2020
/ Appeals ,
Clean Water Act ,
Direct Discharge ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Functional Equivalent ,
Groundwater ,
Hawaii Wildlife Fund v County of Maui ,
Navigable Waters ,
Permits ,
Point Sources ,
Remand ,
SCOTUS ,
Vacated ,
Waters of the United States