Three years after a massive spill at a Los Angeles wastewater facility sent millions of gallons of sewage into Santa Monica Bay, the city has agreed to spend more than $20 million on improvements to remedy the environmental...more
Climate change threatens to dramatically shrink the amount of water California can deliver over the next 20 years and could significantly reduce supplies available from the State Water Project according to new projections...more
The California Air Resources Board has requested that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant California an authorization pursuant to § 209(e)(2) of the Clean Air Act to, among other things, prohibit locomotives that...more
California’s ambitious zero-emission, heavy-duty truck regulations face new legal challenges. Our Environment, Land Use & Natural Resources Group outlines the status of California’s Advanced Clean Fleet (ACF) Regulation,...more
Last week, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin announced that, effective January 1, 2025, Virginia will exit a California-led electric vehicle (EV) mandate and will instead comply with less stringent federal guidelines. The...more
Less than a month after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published environmental operational standards and greenhouse gas emission regulations for owners and operators of heavy-duty vehicles, including major freight...more
Fine particle pollution – also known as soot – is a cause of respiratory disease, increased asthma symptoms, cancer, and cardiovascular dysfunction. Incomplete combustion of organic materials such as wood, fuel oil, plastics,...more
Environmental regulations, including those under the California Air Resources Board’s (“CARB”) jurisdiction, present a complex compliance challenge for vehicle fleet managers and operations departments across the country....more
Good afternoon! This is Akin’s newsletter on climate change policy and regulatory developments, providing information on major climate policy headlines from the past week and forthcoming climate-related events and hearings...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Thursday that it is delaying planned rules to curb emissions from existing natural gas plants. The agency said it is still on track to finalize rules for coal-fired power...more
The Advanced Clean Fleets (“ACF") regulation (“ACF Regulation") applies to truck fleets and imposes requirements on fleets to register their vehicles to monitor and facilitate the transition of fleet vehicles from internal...more
Truck engine maker Cummins Inc. has agreed in principle to pay a $1.675 billion civil penalty for installing devices on hundreds of thousands of engines to allow them to emit excess pollution. According to the U.S. Department...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday proposed banning the cancer-causing chemical trichloroethylene (TCE), which can be found in consumer products including automobile brake cleaners, furniture care, and...more
REGULATORY ISSUES & UPDATES - New CFTC Enforcement on Carbon Markets Misconduct - The U.S. CFTC publishes a rare alert soliciting tips about potential manipulation in the carbon markets and announces the formation of...more
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association said on Thursday that they had reached an agreement, referred to as the "Clean Truck Partnership," that gives new flexibility for...more
Chemours Co., E.I. DuPont de Nemours, Inc., and Corteva, Inc. on Friday said they had reached an agreement in principle to pay $1.19 billion to settle claims that they contaminated U.S. public water systems with...more
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday narrowed the scope of the 1972 Clean Water Act by ruling that an Idaho couple's property does not include wetlands subject to federal oversight under the law. The decision in Sackett v. EPA...more
The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday that it will take up a dispute between the Biden administration and commercial fishing companies that presents the Court with a chance to overrule its decision in Chevron v. National...more
Like any acquisition, the purchase of a biofuels company should involve substantial due diligence so the buyer can best determine the value of the target’s assets and liabilities, assess the risks associated with its business...more
Mandatory disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions by business operators is coming, one way or another. California legislators continue to press for a change in law that would require disclosures for large businesses that do...more
The fossil fuel industry is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve a legal battle over hydraulic fracturing off the California coast — a fight companies say carries “enormous practical and legal significance.”...more
Just a few weeks ago, in late October, trucking and manufacturing representatives from across the United States convened in San Diego for the American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference and Exhibition to discuss the...more
Virginia AG Jason Miyares has confirmed that Virginia will be legally bound by a recent California rulemaking banning the sale of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035. As a result of legislation passed in 2021 by the Virginia...more
California continues to push toward its statewide carbon-neutrality goals. On August 25, 2022, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) unanimously approved regulations that require all new 2035 and later passenger...more
What’s Next in the Regulation of Methane Emissions? Previously in our sessions, I have discussed carbon dioxide and what policymakers should do about it. Last month I explained it in full in a speech to the Independent...more