The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has ruled a potentially responsible party’s (PRP) settlement with New Jersey resolving its state-law liability in connection with contamination at a municipal landfill did not protect it from third-party lawsuits seeking contribution toward expenditures made by EPA on the same site. New Jersey Department of Environmental…
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The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California has dismissed a Clean Air Act (CAA) complaint asserting EPA must reassess risks of hazardous pollution sources whenever it requires technological upgrades for them. Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future et al. v. Wheeler, No. 19-cv-2004, 2020 WL 3481425 (N.D. Cal. June 26, 2020). In a matter…
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The 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has affirmed the right of state and local governments to sue Volkswagen over tampering with emissions devices on their vehicles after they were sold. The decision reverses the lower court’s dismissal of the claims and opens the door for more litigation. In re Volkswagen “Clean Diesel” Mktg., Sales…
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On April 23, 2020, the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund, No. 18-260, addressing whether the Clean Water Act (CWA) requires a permit when pollutants originate from a point source, but are conveyed to navigable waters by a nonpoint source, such as groundwater. The Court found…
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The United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has ruled EPA acted improperly when it suspended restrictions on the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) to replace ozone-depleting substances (ODSs). Natural Resources Defense Council v. Wheeler, No. 18:1172 (D.C. Cir. April 2020). EPA did this without going through notice-and-comment procedures, which is what the Natural…
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The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has affirmed a District Court order remanding to state court a suit filed by the City of Baltimore seeking to hold oil companies accountable for climate change. In 2018, the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore filed suit against major oil companies in state court. The…
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On January 23, 2020, the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR) which redefines “waters of the United States” (WOTUS). This new rule adopts a more limited definition of WOTUS that are subject to the Clean Water Act. The NWPR defines WOTUS to include only four categories…
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A federal district court in Ohio has endorsed the “constructive submission” doctrine as a way to require the EPA to set standards for polluted bodies of water when states neglect or refuse to set those standards. Environmental Law & Policy Center v. EPA, Docket No. 3:19-cv-00295 (November 13, 2019, N.D. Ohio). The Clean Water Act…
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The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts has ruled pollution from a Cape Cod resort that travels through groundwater into the Atlantic Ocean is not subject to Clean Water Act permitting requirements. Conservation Law Foundation v. Longwood Venues & Destinations, Inc., No. 1:18-cv-11821 (November 26, 2019, D. Mass.). The Complaint alleges treated…
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The United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments on November 6, 2019, in Hawai’i Wildlife Fund v. County of Maui, a groundwater case that challenges the scope of the Clean Water Act (“CWA”). 831 F.3d 754 (9th Cir. 2018). The Ninth Circuit previously held that where a point source discharge to groundwater is fairly traceable…
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