January 9, 2018 | Category:
California,
Endangered Species,
Land Use,
Lawsuit,
News | Tags:
California,
california land use,
court case,
Endangered,
endangered species,
environmental group,
land use,
Land Use Law,
lawsuit Last week, California River Watch sued a group of vineyard developers for allegedly violating the Endangered Species Act (ESA), arguing that the group engaged in agricultural practices that harm the protected California Tiger Salamander (CTS). In 2014, a group of developers filed for and received permits to convert 9.8 acres of their property into […]
January 8, 2018 | Category:
Air Quality,
California,
CEQA,
Land Use,
Lawsuit,
News | Tags:
Air Quality,
appeal,
california land use,
CEQA,
court case,
environmental group,
Greenhouse Gas,
land use,
Land Use Law,
lawsuitIn a case certified for partial publication, the Second District Court of Appeal addressed the Public Resources Code section 21168.9 mandate that a court’s order overturning the CEQA decision of a public agency shall be limited to the scope necessary to bring the agency’s decision into compliance with CEQA. The case, Center for Biological Diversity […]
January 3, 2018 | Category:
Endangered Species,
Land Use,
Oil and Gas | Tags:
BLM,
Endangered,
endangered species,
land use,
Land Use Law,
oil,
oil & gas,
oil and gas,
speciesLast week, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued an instruction memorandum (IM) revising an Obama-era policy that directed agency field offices to prioritize oil and natural gas leasing and drilling projects outside of the most sensitive greater sage grouse habitat. The IM now says that the BLM does not need to lease and develop […]
Matthew Leopold was confirmed as U.S. EPA’s general counsel, and David Ross (formerly Wisconsin Assistant Attorney General) was also confirmed as the EPA’s water office chief. New Release HERE and HERE.
This week environmental groups brought a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its recent support of a company’s plan to pump 16.3 billion gallons of groundwater each year from a Mojave Desert aquifer to developments in South Orange County and other locations. Los Angeles-Based Cadiz Inc. seeks to build a pipeline that pumps the water […]
December 14, 2017 | Category:
California,
CEQA,
Land Use,
News | Tags:
California,
california land use,
CEQA,
environmental group,
Housing,
land use,
Land Use LawIn its latest update to the Housing Opportunity Index (“Index”), the National Association of Home Builders identified Los Angeles to be the most expensive housing market in the nation, overtaking San Francisco, who had held the dubious number ranking for nearly five years. According to the NAHB, just 9% of the homes sold in Los […]
This week, President Trump signed two proclamations, which reduced the size of two national monuments in Utah by 2 million acres and is now the largest rollback of federal land protection in U.S. history. Using the Antiquities Act, Trump formally downsized the Grand Staircase-Escalante Monument to about half its size (from 1.9 million acres to […]
The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed Susan Bodine, a former chief counsel for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and a one-time Barnes & Thornburg partner, to head up the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s enforcement arm. Details HERE.
November 10, 2017 | Category:
California,
CEQA,
Land Use,
Lawsuit | Tags:
appeal,
california land use,
CEQA,
court case,
land use,
Land Use Law,
lawsuitIn an unpublished decision filed November 6, 2017, the First district Court of Appeal upheld a County decision to approve a design review application for a market and grocery store renovation project. (Case No. A150043) The petitioner appealed from a trial court decision, which found application of the CEQA exemption proper. Marin County first issued […]
The U.S. Senate on Thursday narrowly confirmed Bill Wehrum to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s air and radiation office, on a party-line vote.
