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Second Federal Court Rules CEQ Lacks Rulemaking Authority
- February 18, 2025
- Brigit Rollins
On February 3, 2025, a federal court in North Dakota ruled that the Council on Environmental Quality (“CEQ”), the federal agency...
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States Introduce Pesticide Liability Limitation Bills in 2025 Legislative Session
- January 28, 2025
- Brigit Rollins
The start of a new year also means the start of a new legislative session. By late January, all but a...
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FWS Proposes Listing the Monarch Butterfly as “Threatened” Under the ESA
- January 7, 2025
- Brigit Rollins
On December 12, 2024, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (“FWS”) released its long-awaited proposed decision to designate the monarch...
Federal Court Upholds Treated Seeds Exemption
- December 3, 2024
- Brigit Rollins
A federal court in the Northern District of California has recently ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) does not have...
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D.C. Circuit Rules CEQ Lacks Rulemaking Authority
- November 19, 2024
- Brigit Rollins
In a 2-1 decision issued earlier this month, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that the Council on Environmental Quality...
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Texas Files Suit Against FWS For Decision to List Mussels As Endangered
- November 5, 2024
- Brigit Rollins
In late October, 2024, the state of Texas filed a lawsuit against the Department of Interior and the United States Fish...
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WOTUS Update: Judge Recommends Resolving CWA Dispute in Favor of Landowner Following Sackett Decision
- October 22, 2024
- Brigit Rollins
In late September, a federal judge for the Southern District of Florida recommended that an on-going case be resolved in favor...
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EPA Releases Vulnerable Species Action Plan
- October 10, 2024
- Brigit Rollins
On September 25, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) released its Vulnerable Species Action Plan (“VSAP”), the finalized version of its...
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When Wetlands Go Dry: Prior Converted Cropland under Swampbuster and the CWA
- September 19, 2024
- Brigit Rollins
The Wetland Conservation provisions of the Food Security Act of 1985, known colloquially as “Swampbuster,” introduced a new program to promote...
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EPA Publishes Highly-Anticipated Final Herbicide Strategy
- September 5, 2024
- Brigit Rollins
On August 20, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) released its final Herbicide Strategy. The document, which was released in a...
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Third Circuit Rules Failure to Warn Claims Preempted by FIFRA
- August 22, 2024
- Brigit Rollins
The Third Circuit Court of Appeals has split from the Ninth and Eleventh Circuits by concluding that the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide...
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EPA Releases Draft Insecticide Strategy
- August 13, 2024
- Brigit Rollins
On July 25, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) released its highly anticipated draft Insecticide Strategy, the latest step in the...
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Farm Bill 2024: Themes in the Proposed Conservation Titles
- July 30, 2024
- Brigit Rollins
The Farm Bill is an omnibus bill enacted approximately every five years that authorizes and funds most programs administered by the...
SCOTUS Rejects Consent Decree Over Rio Grande
- July 16, 2024
- Brigit Rollins
On June 21, 2024, the United States Supreme Court issued a ruling in Texas v. New Mexico, No. 141, Orig, (2024),...
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Supreme Court Overturns Long-Standing “Chevron” Doctrine
- July 2, 2024
- Brigit Rollins
On June 28, 2024, the United States Supreme Court issued its highly anticipated decision in Loper Bright Enters. v. Raimondo, No....
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Eleventh & Ninth Circuits Issue Decisions in Glyphosate Lawsuits
- June 18, 2024
- Brigit Rollins
The last several months have seen numerous developments in the on-going litigation filed by plaintiffs who claim that glyphosate-based pesticide products...
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Ag & the ESA: When a Species is Listed “Wherever Found”
- June 11, 2024
- Brigit Rollins
The Endangered Species Act (“ESA”) is widely recognized as one of the strongest wildlife protection laws in the world. The primary...
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Colorado Legislature Passes Wetlands Permitting Bill
- May 28, 2024
- Brigit Rollins
On May 16, 2024, the Colorado State Legislature passed House Bill 1379, a state law intended to regulate the discharge of...
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CEQ Completes NEPA Overhaul with Final Phase 2 Regulations
- May 14, 2024
- Brigit Rollins
On May 1, 2024, the Council on Environmental Quality (“CEQ”) released the final version of its Bipartisan Permitting Reform Implementation Rule,...
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“Hazardous Substances”: EPA Takes Action on PFAS
- April 30, 2024
- Brigit Rollins
The Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) has issued its highly anticipated final rule to designate two per—and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) as hazardous...