Posts from July 2015.
Today, the State of Tennessee joined in one of the many lawsuits filed by States challenging the EPA and Corps of Engineers Final Rule that defines of Waters of the United States under the federal Clean Water Act. The federal agencies stated in their Final Rule that they had actually narrowed the definition but most agricultural and industry groups believe the Final Rule will do the opposite. Tennessee joined the lawsuit already filed in the United States District Court of Ohio by the States of Ohio and Michigan. Tennessee's foray into the litigation marks what is believed to be the 30th
Tags: burr forman, Corps of Engineers, Environmental Blog, epa, Tennessee, water regulations, Waters of the United States
The Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ("Corps") published their Final Rule defining "waters of the United States" on June 29, 2015. The rule becomes effective on August 28, 2015. The rule was pre-published on May 27, 2015 by EPA and the Corps (the "Agencies"), and it has already received unprecedented attention. The Clean Water Act's jurisdiction relates to "navigable waters" which is defined by Congress only as "Waters of the United States or the territorial seas." This vague definition has created substantial confusion to ...
Posted in: Environmental Law Cases, Water Regulations
Tags: environmental law, Environmental law blog, epa, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Waters of the U.S.
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court halted further implementation of a U.S. EPA's regulation limiting mercury and other hazardous air toxic emissions from coal- and oil-fired electric power plants. In a 5-4 decision, the majority held that EPA failed to take costs into account when deciding to regulate power plants under this rule, thereby imposing substantial and costly emissions limits and control requirements on them. However, the Court did not strike down the rule, instead remanding the case for further proceedings. The Opinion can be viewed here. Members of Congress and ...
Tags: Electric Power Plants, emission and fuel standards, Environmental Blog, environmental law, epa, Mercury Emissions, supreme court