by Patrick J. Paul With midterm elections looming, the prospects of a blue wave strengthening, and a consistent shuffling of the Trump cabinet, former Oklahoma Attorney General and current EPA administrator Scott Pruitt now finds himself in the hot seat. Fresh off a glowing self-evaluation in the form of EPA’s own 2017-18 Year in Review, […]
by John W. Andrews Buried deep inside the recently passed Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018[1], legislation reviving the formerly expired Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act (FLTFA) offers opportunities for potential purchasers of federal public lands, while also creating a source of funding for important conservation transactions. Originally enacted by Congress in 2000, FLTFA authorized the […]
by Megan H. Tracy Back in February, the White House released its proposed budget for 2018. Among other things, the President’s budget sought to cut EPA’s budget by $2.5 billion, or over 23 percent. Targets of the proposed cuts included: climate change programs, state radon protection programs, water-system improvements along the U.S.-Mexico border, state and tribal […]
by Denise Dragoo (The following article appears in The Enterprise – Utah’s Business Journal) In his 2017 State of the State address, Gov. Gary R. Herbert challenged Utah businesses to create 25,000 jobs in 25 rural counties throughout Utah over his next four-year term. During the 2017 Legislative Session, the governor’s Rural Jobs Initiative was […]
By Mitch Klein Following the presidential election, much was made of the enormous changes that the new president intended to make at the EPA, and his choice for Director, Scott Pruitt, resulted in heated opposition and a frenzied uproar from those who foresaw the dismantling of environmental protections. The funny thing is, aside from much […]
by Raymond S. Heyman On January 30, 2018, Commissioner Andy Tobin submitted an expansive Proposed Energy Modernization Plan in Arizona Corporation Commission, Docket No. E-00000Q-16-0289. This docket, the “Review, Modernization and Expansion of the Arizona Renewable Energy Standards and Tariff Rules and Associated Rules” was originally opened in August 2016. Commissioner Tobin’s Plan includes: The […]
by Patrick J. Paul While legislative wrangling over construction of a border wall continues, unmanned aerial vehicles are a growing part of the nation’s defense strategy. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has implemented the Predator-B Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) to prevent the unauthorized entry of terrorists, criminals and undocumented immigrants. CBP currently maintains and […]
by Patrick J. Paul On January 22, 2018, in National Association of Manufacturers v. Department of Defense, the United States Supreme Court held unanimously that challenges to the federal Clean Water Act’s 2015 Waters of the United States (WOTUS) Rule should be adjudicated at the federal District Court level and not the appellate level, the venue […]
by Amanda Reeve The Western Governors’ Association (“WGA”) convened for its 2017 Winter Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona on December 1-2 to discuss western policy and announce its Policy Resolutions for 2018. While discussions focused on workforce development, natural resources management, disaster preparedness, technology and transportation and infrastructure; at the heart of all these conversations was […]
by John D. Burnside In a stunning change of course, the United States Environmental Protection Agency announced on December 1, 2017, that it would not issue final regulations imposing financial responsibility requirements on hardrock mining operations to fund the estimated cost of future Superfund cleanup. EPA’s decision effectively withdraws proposed rules published January 11, 2017, […]
