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Environmental Essentials Webinar Series – Sackett II/WOTUS IX: Implementation of the Supreme Court’s Interpretation of “Waters of the US” Under the Clean Water Act
Bracewell’s Ann Navaro , Sara Burgin and Daniel Pope discussed the implications of the US Supreme Court’s recent decision in Sackett v. EPA for the reach of the Clean Water Act at the federal level and in the states. They...
ESG Regulatory Landscape Creates Commercial Pitfalls
With Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues top of mind in almost every industry, including at the recently concluded COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow, the burgeoning US regulatory landscape and accompanying litigation trends are giving rise to a variety...
Engaging Environmental Specialists and Preserving Privileges
The lines between legal, technical, and strategic communications often get blurry in the context of site investigations, incident response, and other environmental projects. Many company personnel equate "cc-ing" in-house counsel with preserving confidentiality. As a result, the parameters of the...
White House Issues Interim Guidance Memo on Implementation of "Two-for-One" Executive Order On Regulations, Invites Public Comment
On February 2, 2017, the Acting Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (“OIRA”) issued a guidance document (the “Interim Guidance”) intended to help clarify President Trump’s January 30, 2017 Executive Order titled “Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory...
The Trump effect on energy and environment law, manufacturing — an E&E News and ABA presentation
[video] What will a Trump administration mean for the energy and environment legal landscape, and do manufacturers stand to benefit? Bracewell LLP's Jeff Holmstead and the National Association of Manufacturers' Ross Eisenberg sit down for an in-depth discussion on the...
2016 Election: Outlook for the Clean Power Plan and Other Environmental Issues
Scott Segal, co-head of Bracewell’s Policy Resolution Group, and Jeff Holmstead, head of the Environmental Strategies Group at Bracewell, discuss how the next President and Congress will confront issues such as climate change, the Clean Power Plan, and other environmental...
U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board Releases Strategic Plan for 2017-2021
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (“CSB”) released its Strategic Plan for 2017-2021 today. The Strategic Plan is the result of 18 months of staff and stakeholder development and review. The plan serves as a blueprint for the...
PHMSA Implements New Emergency Safety Authority Effective Immediately
On October 3, 2016, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) announced an Interim Final Rule (IFR) establishing when and how it will issue Emergency Orders to address imminent safety hazards across the oil and gas pipeline industry. See...
EPA Advances Climate Goals by Expanding Refrigerant Regulations
On September 26, 2016, EPA released a Final Rule updating the Agency’s Refrigerant Management Program. See Protection of Stratospheric Ozone: Update to the Refrigerant Management Requirements under the Clean Air Act: Final Rule . The Final Rule is scheduled to...
Significant New Safety Requirements Proposed For Natural Gas Pipelines
On March 17, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued a major proposal to revise the safety standards for onshore natural gas pipelines. The proposed rule follows years of study as well as specific...
OSHA Announces National "Step-Up for Safety" Campaign for Upstream Industry
On February 19, 2016, OSHA announced the 2016 Step-Up for Safety Campaign to raise awareness about hazards in the oil and gas industry. The campaign is a joint effort among OSHA, the STEPS Network, and NIOSH. Oil and gas drilling...
U.S. Department of Justice Expands Worker Endangerment Initiative
On December 17, 2015, Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates issued a memorandum to all 93 U.S. Attorneys urging federal prosecutors to work with the Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resource Division (ENRD) to pursue worker-endangerment violations. The announcement culminated...
EPA Hits Oil and Gas Industry With a Flurry of Proposed Methane Regulations
EPA took major steps on August 18, 2015 to curtail methane emissions from the oil and gas industry by simultaneously releasing four new proposed rules. These actions are part of the Obama Administration’s larger climate action plan, which focuses primarily...
EPA's "Next Generation" Enforcement Hitting Region 6 Facilities Now
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s RCRA compliance sweep though Region 6 in the first half of 2015 captured a series of violators sharing the common problem of underreporting their hazardous waste volumes. Particularly noteworthy is the prevalence of companies working...