Governor Jerry Brown announced yesterday that a global climate action conference will be held in San Francisco in 2018, as he continues his quest to be a leader in the global warming movement. Governor Brown previously criticized President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement—an agreement which was never ratified by the U.S. Congress. […]
May 26, 2017 | Category:
California,
Land Use,
Lawsuit,
News,
Water | Tags:
appeal,
California,
california land use,
court case,
EPA,
land use,
Land Use Law,
lawsuit,
Water,
Water Law,
Waters Of The U.S.
A California farmer is facing a $2.8 million fine and a trial in federal court this summer for failing to get a permit to plow his own field. John Duarte, of Duarte Nursery, bought 450 acres of land near Modesto in 2012, where he planned to grow wheat. While his wheat was planted, it was […]
May 24, 2017 | Category:
Air Quality,
Land Use,
Lawsuit,
News | Tags:
court case,
EPA,
Global Warming,
Greenhouse Gas,
land use,
Land Use Law,
lawsuit,
mitchell chadwick llp
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it would put a stop to two Obama-era rules for new and existing dumps meant to cut methane emissions at landfills. The EPA will reconsider the rules after industry groups protested the Obama Administration’s final rules for both rules: “Standards of Performance for Municipal Solid Waste Landfills” and Emission Guidelines […]
May 21, 2017 | Category:
California,
Land Use,
Lawsuit,
Mining,
News | Tags:
appeal,
California,
california land use,
court case,
land use,
Land Use Law,
lawsuit,
mining
The U.S. Supreme Court is requesting that the Trump administration evaluate the extent to which states can prohibit mining activity on federal lands. Earlier this week, the Justices asked the acting solicitor general to weigh in on a case brought by a part-time prospector who hopes to knock down a specific California ban on a […]
A Washington state judge rejected an environmental activist’s request to present a necessity defense at his trail, where the “activist,” along with four other “activists” face charges of sabotage and burglary. The defendant admitted to illegally entering a pipeline facility near Anacortes, Washington, and shutting off a valve. The defendant argued his actions were somehow justified since […]
May 6, 2017 | Category:
California,
CEQA,
Land Use,
Lawsuit,
News | Tags:
California,
california land use,
CEQA,
environmental group,
land use,
Land Use Law,
lawsuit,
mitchell chadwick llp,
traffic study
In a recent decision, the California Supreme Court added to the complexity of CEQA review for projects in coastal areas. On March 30, 2017, the Supreme Court issued its holding in Banning Ranch Conservancy v. City of Newport Beach (S227473), which struck down an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) prepared by the City of Newport Beach […]
April 6, 2017 | Category:
Land Use,
Lawsuit,
News,
Water | Tags:
appeal,
court case,
environmental group,
EPA,
Land Use Law,
lawsuit,
mitchell chadwick llp,
Water,
Water Law,
Waters Of The U.S.
This week, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that it will hear a case related to the Clean Water Rule, also known as the Waters of the United States rule, promulgated under the Obama administration. The Supreme Court denied the Trump administration’s motion to put the ligation on hold in light of President Trump’s February executive […]
March 24, 2017 | Category:
Endangered Species,
Land Use,
Lawsuit,
News,
Oil and Gas | Tags:
Braiden Chadwick,
environmental group,
land use,
Land Use Law,
mitchell chadwick llp,
oil,
oil & gas,
oil and gas,
pipeline,
U.S. State Department
Today the State Department issued the cross-border permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, fulfilling President Trump’s promise to approve the pipeline after it was rejected by former president Barack Obama after encountering pressure from environmental pressure groups.
Last week, utility regulators from California, Oregon, and Washington reaffirmed a 2006 commitment to support carbon reduction and clean energy. The commissioners – Michael Picker, president of the California Public Utilities Commission, David Danner, chairman of the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, and Lisa Hardie, chairwoman of the Oregon Public Utility Commission – met in […]
On February 28, 2017, President Trump signed an executive order directing the roll back of Clean Water Act rules promulgated under the Obama administration. The rules, known as the Waters of the United States rule, defines federal permitting jurisdiction under the CWA. During his 2016 campaign, the president spoke frequently of his intentions to roll […]