The Regulatory Action Amendments to the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) Guidelines (the “Amendments”) have been approved by the Office of Administrative Law and filed by the Secretary of State. The Amendments are now effective California regulations. All CEQA documents that were not circulated for the statutory public review and comment period prior to the […]
On December 18, 2018, President Trump signed into law the Indian Tribal Energy Development and Self-Determination Act (“Act”). The Act is a bipartisan bill that was introduced by Senator John Hoeven from North Dakota. Hoeven is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. The new law preserves trust reform principles and mechanisms in […]
The U.S. Supreme Court released its decision in Weyerhaeuser Co. v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (“USFWS”) that resulted in a significant victory for private property rights. Using common sense, the Supreme Court interpreted the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”) to allow critical habitat designations only in areas that the USFWS determines are actually habitat for […]
On Thursday, December 6, 2018, the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) released proposals that would revise conservation efforts for the sage grouse made under the Obama administration. The changes are being made to enhance cooperation with Western states, and ease restrictions on oil and natural gas drilling, mining, and other activities. In 2017, the Trump […]
The Departments of Interior and Agriculture announced a $449 million grant for the Sites Reservoir Project in Colusa County, California. The Sites Reservoir is a proposed 13-mile lake that would hold nearly 1.8 million acre-feet of water diverted from the Sacramento River. The $449 million grant will fund a pipeline that will connect the Glenn-Colusa […]
Last Thursday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced a proposed rollback of a 2015 Obama administration rule setting CO2 emissions standards for new or modified coal-fired steam generating units. Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler stated that the Obama era standards were set too high and that carbon capture and sequestration is not the best […]
The Sixth District Court of Appeal filed a decision heavy on writ procedure in the case Alliance of Concerned Citizens Organized for Responsible Development on November 26, 2018 (Case No. H044410). The heavy focus on procedure in the Court’s decision doesn’t make for the most exciting reading, but the decision contains an important reminder for […]
The Interior Department’s internal watchdog has absolved Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke after an examination of his handling of a controversial national monuments review. In a report summary dated Nov. 21, Deputy Inspector General Mary Kendall said investigators “found no evidence” that a former Utah state representative who owned property within the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument […]
Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke ordered the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to review federal conservation efforts of the greater sage grouse Wednesday. Zinke wanted the federal government to be “a good neighbor” and certify that officials in 11 Western states were fully consulted about the conservation program, according to the Associated Press. The […]
Mitchell Chadwick LLP sponsored the Placer Land Trust’s 2018 Placer Conservator Dinner, Awards & Live Auction night this year, held on November 15th at the Ridge Golf Club in Auburn. Mitchell Chadwick LLP hosted guests Troy Caldwell (White Wolf Ski Resort) and Tim DeGraff (Resource Environmental Solutions LLC) at the event, which honored Daryl and […]
