The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) issued a proposed rule to revoke the Service’s January 7, 2021, final rule defining the scope of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) as it applies to conduct resulting in the...more
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published in the Federal Register changes to its Clean Water Act Nationwide Permits (NWPs). The final rule, published on January 13, 2021, reissues 12 existing NWPs and issues four new NWPs....more
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service adopted a final regulation on December 18, 2020, to establish a process and the criteria for excluding areas from critical habitat designations under the Endangered Species Act. The final...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently adopted a final regulation governing the issuance of guidance documents, which the agency historically has used to provide direction to agency staff, other governmental...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a final rule on June 1, 2020, intended to limit the ability of states and tribes to block or delay projects requiring a water quality certification under Section 401 of the...more
The Clean Water Act applies by its terms to “navigable waters,” which the act defines merely as “waters of the United States.” A clear and consistent definition of this critically important phrase, which demarcates the...more
1/29/2020
/ Clean Water Act ,
Clean Water Rule ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Federal Jurisdiction ,
Final Rules ,
Inland Waterways ,
Jurisdiction ,
Navigable Waters ,
New Regulations ,
Trump Administration ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
Waters of the United States
A new final regulation issued on September 12, 2019 by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers repeals the Obama administration’s 2015 “Clean Water Rule,” but does little to clear up the...more
9/18/2019
/ Clean Water Act ,
Clean Water Rule ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Federal Jurisdiction ,
Final Rules ,
Inland Waterways ,
Jurisdiction ,
Navigable Waters ,
New Regulations ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
Waters of the United States
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service issued a set of three new final rules on August 12, 2019, that substantially revise the regulations implementing the Endangered Species Act. The new...more
The Environmental Protection Agency issued a final rule June 26, 2019, revising the agency’s Freedom of Information Act regulations. According to EPA, those regulations, last updated in 2002, required revision to comply with...more
7/22/2019
/ Appeals ,
Confidential Information ,
Congressional Intent ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Exemptions ,
Final Rules ,
FOIA ,
Food Marketing Institute v Argus Leader Media ,
Motion to Compel ,
Private Commercial or Financial Information ,
Protected Disclosures ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Substantial-Competitive-Harm Test ,
Trade Secrets
On July 1, 2014, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service jointly published a final policy providing their interpretation of the phrase ‘‘significant portion of its range,’’ which is part...more