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Drone Delivery Systems Can Aid Coronavirus Relief

by Patrick J. Paul As COVID-19 continues its spread across the U.S. and globe and governments react with historic aid measures, social distance and stay at home orders, it seems opportunities for accelerated drone deployment to help with the COVID-19 spread in the U.S. may be missed.  Drones can reduce human involvement in the supply […]

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Sewage Surveillance to Assess Possible COVID-19 Spread in Tempe Wastewater

by Patrick J. Paul Researchers from Arizona State University are evaluating Tempe wastewater for traces of COVID-19, which could serve as an early warning system of the virus’s spread in communities.  Although believed to be among the first cities in America to study the possible connection between community spread of the coronavirus through wastewater systems, the […]

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ADEQ Issues COVID-19 Memo of Compliance & Enforcement

by Patrick J. Paul, Chris Colyer, and Michael C. Ford On March 31, 2020, the Arizona Department of Environmental  Quality (ADEQ) issued a Memorandum of Compliance and Enforcement Implementation During COVID-19. This memo of compliance is consistent with the March 26, 2020 United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Memorandum entitled COVID-19 Implications for EPA’s Enforcement […]

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COVID-19 Drone Use Cases May Hasten Regulatory Approvals

by Patrick J. Paul As the Coronavirus pandemic continues its spread across the globe, the case for drone delivery is rapidly gaining international attention and consequently may have regulatory approval fast-tracked. In China, drone delivery systems previously utilized for residential mail delivery were re-purposed in the medical supplies field to assist hospitals’ response to the […]

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The COVID-19 Impact on Renewable Energy Projects

by Patrick J. Paul The COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on a host of industries worldwide and the renewable energy market is not exempt.  In the U.S., the renewable market is likely to be impacted by supply chain and construction disruptions caused by the coronavirus spread.  These delays may further negatively impact existing power […]

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Drone Deployment to Combat COVID-19

by Patrick J. Paul As the world faces an unprecedented pandemic with the rapid spread of the coronavirus, drones are being increasingly deployed to assist in the response. From delivery, to disinfectant, to photography, the use of drones in this crisis continues to grow as emergency responders and food and medical supply delivery companies attempt […]

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Cooperative Federalism and the Clean Water Act: The States Finally Get their Due

by Michael C. Ford, Lucas J. Narducci and Patrick J. Paul There is no shortage of dramatic, if not predictable, commentary in the wake of the Trump Administration’s release of its “Navigable Waters Protection Rule” (“Rule”) ranging from the indignant to the hyperbolic, and the outright inane: This bulldozing of clean water protections would be […]

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Forever Chemicals (PFAS) Start New Decade With Flurry of Scrutiny

by Patrick J. Paul and Michael C. Ford The first few weeks of 2020 have seen regulatory and litigation attention heaped upon what have come to be known as “forever chemicals” or  Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), which encompass more than 5,000 chemical substances in total and are found most commonly in household products like nonstick […]

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Trump Proposes Rules to Expedite Infrastructure Projects

by Patrick J. Paul On January 9, 2020, in one of the more significant environmental proposals of the current administration, President Trump’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) proposed updates to its regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). According to the White House, the rules are designed to modernize […]

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Ninth Circuit Dismisses Youth Climate Change Suit

by Patrick J. Paul On January 17, 2020, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in a 2-1, thirty-two page decision, authored by Arizona’s former Vice-Chief Justice Andrew Hurwitz, dismissed a climate change lawsuit brought by 21 plaintiffs aged 8 through 19 against the federal government for violating their right to a […]

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