by Patrick J. Paul On October 25, President Trump issued a memorandum directing Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao to launch an initiative to safely test and validate advanced operations for drones in partnership with state and local governments in select jurisdictions. The Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Pilot Program is intended to address the […]
by Patrick J. Paul On September 21, 2017, in what is believed to be the first federal court ruling on the issue of local drone regulation, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts in Singer v. City of Newton, overturned a 2016 ordinance passed by the Newton, MA, City Council regulating pilotless aircraft […]
by Patrick J. Paul Earlier this month in collaboration with the Arizona Regional Economic Development Foundation, Arizona UAS Magazine produced and organized Arizona’s second annual Arizona UAS Summit & Expo at the Sheraton Mesa Hotel at Wrigleyville West in Mesa. The distinguished faculty addressed a wide array of issues impacting unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) including […]
by Jeffrey Reeser On September 21, 2017, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”) issued a public version of its most recent classified annual report to Congress on covered transactions for CY 2015. CFIUS is the multi-agency governmental committee established to evaluate and clear foreign acquisitions of U.S. businesses based on national security grounds. […]
by Mitch Klein United States EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has hired Henry Darwin to serve the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as its Chief of Operations. Under both Republican and Democrat administrations, as the Director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) Darwin has proven his abilities to streamline government bureaucracy. He is a perfect selection […]
by Patrick J. Paul On Friday, May 19, 2017, less than a month after the National Park Service’s first use of a drone in a Grand Canyon search and rescue mission, the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rule requiring owners of small unmanned aircraft operated for […]
by Mitchell J. Klein In a recent unpublished case, the Superior Court of New Jersey held that the Plaintiff in a CERCLA case had committed spoliation when, during the course of the remedial activity, it disposed of various contaminated materials. See Pollitt Drive, LLC v. Harvey Engel. While the case does not establish any precedent, […]
By Stephen Smithson At its core, agency deference – as enshrined in the United States Supreme Court’s decision, Chevron U.S.A. Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., 467 U.S. 837 (1984) – is both reasonable and necessary. Indeed, in City of Arlington v. FCC, 133 S.Ct. 1863, 1868 (2013) (citations omitted), Justice Scalia explained why […]
by John D. Burnside On February 17, 2017, the U.S. Senate confirmed President Trump’s nominee Scott Pruitt as the new administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Senate confirmation followed weeks of partisan and public attacks against Mr. Pruitt’s fitness to serve as the nation’s chief regulator of clean air, water, and land, as well […]
by Rachel M. Lynn On January 6, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that the Denbury Green Pipeline-Texas LLC (“Denbury Green”) could take private property by eminent domain. In Denbury Green Pipeline-Texas LLC v. Texas Rice Land Partners Ltd., the decision turned on the question of whether or not Denbury Green qualified as a “common carrier” […]
