land use

Jury Convicts PG&E In San Bruno Pipeline Explosion Trial

Jury Convicts PG&E In San Bruno Pipeline Explosion Criminal Trial A California federal jury found Pacific Gas & Electric Co. guilty Tuesday of five criminal counts alleging it violated pipeline safety standards leading up to the 2010 San Bruno gas-line explosion and a separate count alleging it obstructed a subsequent federal investigation into the explosion.  […]

NEPA Greenhouse Gas Guidance Released by CEQ

NEPA Greenhouse Gas Guidance Released by CEQ This week, the White House Council on Environmental Quality released final guidance for Federal agencies intended to clarify when and how they conduct GHG analyses as part of National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”) reviews.  GHG guidance was first drafted in 2010, and revised in 2014.  Previous draft versions […]

When Will Affordable Housing Advocates Push For More Supply, Fewer Rules?

When Will Affordable Housing Advocates Push For More Supply, Fewer Rules? A Forbes magazine article highlighted what is perhaps the largest affordable housing solution that everyone should know, but no one talks about–especially here in California: If you increase the supply of something, the cost goes down.  Hence, if home prices are too high, increase […]

‘Water windfall’ beneath California’s Central Valley

‘Water windfall’ beneath California’s Central Valley A study led by Stanford scientists Robert Jackson and Mary Kang found that California’s Central Valley has three times more groundwater than previously estimated.  Previous estimates of California’s groundwater supply were based on decades-old data and only extended to a maximum depth of 1,000 feet.   Due to technological restraints, […]

Alert: New Regulations and Permit Requirements for Wetlands and Waters of the State

State Water Resources Control Board: New Regulations and Permit Requirements for Wetlands and Waters of the State On June 17, 2016, the State Water Resources Control Board (“State Water Board”) proposed a regulatory and permitting framework for wetlands not otherwise covered by the federal Clean Water Act. The State Water Board had previously recognized that […]

Wyoming Judge To BLM: Hands Off Oil and Gas Development

      Wyoming Judge To BLM: Hands Off Oil and Gas Development A federal judge in Wyoming struck down the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s fracking rule for federal and Indian lands, finding that BLM lacked congressional authority to issue the regulations. The Obama fracking rule added a permit requirement for hydraulic fracturing on BLM lands, […]

Feds Issue First-Ever Technical Guidance For Environmental Justice

Feds Issue First-Ever Technical Guidance For Environmental Justice On June 7th, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) issued a technical guidance document Tuesday covering how to incorporate environmental justice principles when evaluating development projects. (Press Release HERE.) According to the EPA, the Technical Guidance for Assessing Environmental Justice in Regulatory Actions outlines approaches and methods to […]

Supreme Court: Jurisdictional Determinations are Subject to Immediate Judicial Review

High Court Holds That Jurisdictional Determinations are Subject to Immediate Judicial Review On May 31, 2016, the United States Supreme Court issued its highly-anticipated ruling in United States Army Corps of Engineers v. Hawkes Co., Inc., holding that the Army Corps of Engineers’ jurisdictional determinations (“JD”) are final agency actions subject to immediate judicial review. […]

Mitchell Chadwick Helps Win Approval of Largest Mitigation Bank in California

Mitchell Chadwick Helps Win Approval of Largest Mitigation Bank in California Mitchell Chadwick LLP, working with Land Veritas, owner of the Petersen Ranch Mitigation Bank and WRA, Inc. are pleased to announce that the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board, Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the California Department of […]

Environmental Groups Sue EPA To Force Stricter Rules For Oil and Gas “Hazardous Waste”

Environmental Groups Sue EPA To Force Stricter Rules For “Hazardous Waste” …but EPA has already found that oil and gas waste doesn’t meet the standards of hazardous waste… A myriad of environmental groups sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failing to update its rules for oil and gas drilling waste disposal, stating that the […]

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