Laws & Regulations

"Federal firings expected to undermine oil and gas permitting"

"With egg prices spiking due to bird flu, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced steps last week to control the H5N1 virus, such as increasing financial relief for farmers with affected flocks and exploring vaccines and therapeutics for chickens. While these steps might help stabilize the egg supply in the short term, they’re insufficient for one simple reason: Chickens are not the only animals affected by this disease."

"The US Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected EPA “end result” sewage permits issued under the Clean Water Act that focus on water quality instead of outlining specific requirements to prevent pollution.

In a fractured 5-4 ruling written by Justice Samuel Alito, the court blocked the EPA from issuing permits that make a permittee responsible for surface water quality, or “end result” permits—a term the court coined in the ruling. National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permits govern pollution from sewer overflows during storms.

"The United Nations Environment Programme on Monday said a new round of negotiations toward a global plastics treaty will take place from August 5 to 14 in Geneva, Switzerland, after countries failed to agree on the parameters of a final agreement last December in Busan, South Korea."

"Forecasters with the National Weather Service were among those who lost their jobs, raising questions about the service’s ability to continue providing the free, accurate, up-to-the minute information on potential hazards like heat waves, blizzards, tornadoes and hurricanes that is critical to industries such as agriculture and aviation, as well as the weather reports the general public relies on."

"FBI agents this week questioned Environmental Protection Agency employees regarding a Biden administration grant program for climate and clean-energy projects, escalating a criminal probe that already caused one veteran prosecutor to resign, according to two people familiar with the matter."

"Amid spending freezes and policy rollbacks from Donald Trump, environmental advocacy groups are gearing up for a long series of legal showdowns with the administration."

"The Justice Department is preparing to drop a landmark lawsuit alleging that emissions from a Louisiana petrochemical plant poses a danger to nearby communities."

"The president wants to circumvent environmental regulations to expand timber production, something sought by homebuilders and the construction industry."