At its May 23, 2024 open meeting, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NOPR”) proposing to establish a one-year “reasonable period of time” for certifying authorities to...more
At its May 23 open meeting, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR), proposing to establish a one-year “reasonable period of time” for certifying authorities to act on...more
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (“D.C. Circuit”) recently upheld two FERC orders granting natural gas pipeline developers’ requests to extend their construction deadlines. The D.C. Circuit...more
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced on September 14th a final rule that it denominates Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification Improvement Rule (“Final Rule”)....more
On December 20, 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (“D.C. Circuit”) in Waterkeepers Chesapeake, et al. v. FERC vacated a FERC order approving the relicensing of the Conowingo Dam because FERC did not have...more
On June 2, 2022, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposed rule updating the water quality certification regulatory requirements under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act (CWA). This proposed...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a proposed rule on June 9, 2022, to revise the requirements for water quality certification under the Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 401. The proposed rule changes both...more
Last week, EPA released its proposed “Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification Improvement Rule”. The proposed rule would make a number of significant changes to the rule promulgated by EPA in 2020....more
On October 21, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California vacated and remanded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2020 Clean Water Act Section 401 final rule (Certification Rule)....more
On July 2, 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit waded into the controversy surrounding proper interpretation of the one-year deadline for state action contained in Section 401 of the Clean Water Act. Its...more
There has been a longstanding debate about how to apply the one-year time limit on Clean Water Act Section 401 certification decisions. The D.C. Circuit court in Hoopa Valley Tribe v. FERC, 913 F.3d 1099 (D.C. Cir. 2019)...more
On March 18, 2021, FERC issued a Final Rule amending its regulations to establish a one-year period for states, tribes, or other certifying authorities (“Certifying Agencies”) to act on a Clean Water Act (“CWA”) Section 401...more
The saga of judicial efforts to enforce the one-year limit on state review of applications for water quality certifications under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act shows no sign of reaching a conclusion. First, in Hoopa...more
FERC issued a final rule on March 18 amending its regulations to establish a one-year period for state agencies or other certifying authorities to act on requests for water quality certifications required for a certificate of...more
In 2019, the D.C. Circuit in Hoopa Valley Tribe v. FERC held that the plain language of Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 401 establishes a bright-line maximum period of one year for States to act on a request for water quality...more
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) issued a February 20th document titled: Declaratory Order on Waiver of Water Quality Certification (“Order”)...more
The Maryland Department of the Environment (“MDE”) and Exelon Generation Company, LLC (“Exelon”) entered into a October 29th settlement agreement (“ Settlement Agreement”) related to litigation involving a Section 401 Clean...more
Frustrated by some states’ use of their Clean Water Act (CWA) section 401 authority to oppose or delay energy projects—particularly the transportation of fossil fuels—the Trump Administration last Friday issued the second...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced the rollout of its new Clean Water Act Section 401 Guidance for Federal Agencies, States and Authorized Tribes which replaces an April 2010 Interim Guidance...more
On April 2, 2019, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or “Commission”) determined that the one-year statutory limit on state review of interstate natural gas pipeline company applications for water quality...more
On January 25, 2019, the U. S. Court of Appeals for the D. C. Circuit rendered a highly significant opinion with respect to state water quality certification under section 401 of the Clean Water Act (CWA). ...more
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (“Court”) addressed in a February 5th Summary Order (“Order”) the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (“NYDEC”) denial of a Section 401 Clean...more
On January 25, 2019, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a unanimous decision in Hoopa Valley Tribe v. FERC, No. 14-1271 (D.C. Circuit), ruling that California and Oregon waived...more
The United States Court of Appeals (Fourth Circuit) (“Court”) addressed in a January 14th opinion a Virginia Section 401 certification of the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline. See Appalachian Voices v. State Water Control...more
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) issued an Order on Petition for Declaratory Order (“Order”) addressing Constitution Pipeline Company, LLC’s (“Constitution”) January 11th Petition for Declaratory Order...more