Environmental

By Joseph Green on June 17, 2019

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC) announced last week that it will not begin enforcement of the Household Cleansing Product Information Disclosure Program until January 2, 2020. Previously, NYDEC had delayed enforcement until October 2 for compliance with the initial July 1, 2019 deadlines under the Program. Under the new disclosure program, manufacturers (with over 100 employees) of covered cleaning products are required to disclose by July 1, 2019, certain information regarding intentionally added ingredients…

Environment, Land & Resources

UK Treasury Committee Launches Inquiry Into Decarbonization And Green Finance

By Latham & Watkins LLP on June 17, 2019

The seven-week inquiry will assess the potential impact of decarbonization on the UK economy, and examine opportunities for the growth of green finance. By Paul A. Davies and Michael D. Green On World Environment Day, June 5, 2019, the UK Treasury Committee (the Committee) launched an inquiry into the decarbonization of the UK economy and green finance. The inquiry will scrutinize the role of HM Treasury (HMT), regulators, and financial services firms in supporting the…

Environmental Law & Policy Monitor

EPA Excludes Farm Animal Waste from EPCRA Air Emissions Reporting Obligations

By Greg Blount & Buck Dixon on June 14, 2019

On June 13, 2019, EPA published a final rule that revises its release notification requirements under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). Specifically, the revision exempts from EPCRA reporting air emissions from animal waste at farms. While these air emissions are now exempt from reporting requirements, releases from animal waste to other water and land must still be reported.…

Mexico Mining Law Blog

Bills Pending Discussion in Mexico’s Congress that Could Impact the Mining Industry. Part 1.

By Osvaldo Ordorica on June 14, 2019

Mexico’s Congress concluded its legislative year on April 30th, 2019 with 18 bills proposing changes to several laws, including the Mining Law, which could have an impact in how mining operations do business in the coming years. One bill, sponsored by Baja California’s State Legislature, proposed a review of all current concessions and the need for operational approval from state governments. The bill was presented in both Chambers and was rejected by the Senate,…

Endangered Species Law and Policy

Fish and Game Commission Adds Four Bumble Bees to Candidate List

By Paul Weiland on June 13, 2019

On June 12, 2019, the California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) voted 3-1 that listing four subspecies of bumble bee may be warranted under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). The decision was made after the Xerces Society, Center for Food Safety, and Defenders of Wildlife filed a petition to list the Crotch bumble bee (Bombus crotchii), Franklin’s bumble bee (Bombus franklini), Suckley cuckoo bumble bee (Bombus suckleyi), and western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis occidentalis) as endangered species under…

Workplace Safety and Environmental Law Alert Blog

Half Baked — Illinois Legislature Includes Some Employer Protections in New Recreational Cannabis Law, But Creates Potential Liabilities

By Seyfarth Shaw LLP on June 13, 2019

By Adam R. Young, Michael L. DeMarino, and Jennifer L. Mora Seyfarth Synopsis: Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is expected to sign a new recreational cannabis bill, which contains extensive provisions regarding the extent of an employer’s right to ban and otherwise discipline employees for cannabis use. Across the country, states are moving to legalize medical and recreational cannabis. In states that legalize recreational cannabis, employers and drug testing services have seen significant increases…

Inside Energy & Environment

President Trump Issues Executive Order Directing Significant Changes to the Regulation of Genetically-Engineered Organisms

By Thomas Brugato on June 12, 2019

agricultural-worker-takes-care-of-his-estate-picture-id958953510 (1)

On June 11, 2019, President Trump issued an Executive Order that would require the Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Food and Drug Administration—the three main agencies with regulatory authority over genetically-engineered (“GE”) plants and animals in the United States—to revise their regulations governing GE organisms. These changes follow closely on the heels of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (“APHIS”) recent proposed regulations that would increase the number of genetically-engineered…

Energy & Environmental Law Adviser

Project Proponents: Five Tips to Use ESG Criteria in Drawing More Infrastructure Investors

By Jane E. Montgomery & Caitlin M. Ajax on June 12, 2019

Businessman in energy efficiency concept.

As investors become more interested in incorporating sustainability into investment portfolios, many project proponents find that incorporating ESG into infrastructure planning provides a “leg up” in securing investors and financing. An ESG disclosure, or an “environment,” “social,” and “governance” framework designed to disclose risk, makes it easier for investors to match projects with their own sustainability goals.…

Environmental Law & Policy Monitor

EPA Announces National Compliance Initiatives

By Brooks Smith & Patrick Fanning on June 12, 2019

The US EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) has recently published its final National Compliance Initiatives (NCIs) for FY 2020-2023, setting out its new enforcement and compliance areas of focus. Formerly known as the National Enforcement Initiatives (NEIs), the newly-renamed NCIs reflect OECA’s shift toward compliance assurance. EPA believes the name change helps better convey the goal of the NCIs, which is to reduce the average time from violation identification to correction. In…

Environment, Land & Resources

UK Adopts 2050 Net-Zero Greenhouse Gases Target

By Latham & Watkins LLP on June 12, 2019

The UK is the first major economy and G7 country to adopt the target following the CCC’s May 2019 recommendation. By Paul A. Davies and Michael D. Green Adoption of 2050 Net-Zero Target UK Prime Minister Theresa May has confirmed that the UK government will adopt the Committee on Climate Change’s (CCC’s) recommended net-zero target by 2050, and will formalize that adoption through legislation. The new target supersedes the 80% greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction by…