Regulatory staff continue to advance the Administration’s regulatory agenda, including issuing proposed and final rules. This blog post highlights the status of key natural resource regulatory actions.
Continue Reading COVID-19 and the CRA Deadline: Status of the Natural Resources Regulatory Agenda

On January 23, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released their new regulatory definition of “the waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) clarifying the geographic scope of federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act.
Continue Reading Agencies Release Final Rule Clarifying Federal Jurisdiction Under the Clean Water Act

Yesterday, EPA and the US Army Corps of Engineers (together, the Agencies) signed and made available a pre-publication version of the highly anticipated repeal of the 2015 WOTUS Rule, which will place the entire country under the pre-2015 Rule regime while the Trump administration works to complete its replacement WOTUS definition.
Continue Reading Long-Awaited Repeal Rule Ends Patchwork of WOTUS Implementation

Last week, EPA and the Corps issued a long-awaited proposal to redefine the “waters of the US” (WOTUS) subject to federal regulation and permitting requirements under the Clean Water Act. The reach of the CWA is notoriously unclear, but knowing which areas on your property are jurisdictional and will require permits is critical to project planning and timelines. If finalized, the proposed rule would replace the Obama administration’s contentious 2015 WOTUS Rule and eliminate the regulatory patchwork that currently exists as the 2015 WOTUS Rule is being implemented in only certain parts of the country.
Continue Reading EPA and Corps Release Long-Awaited Proposal to Redefine WOTUS

As reported in The Nickel Report, the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit last week dismissed an interstate natural gas pipeline company’s challenge to the State of New York’s delay in issuing a water quality certification under section 401 of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA). The case is one of several pending across the country that involve a state’s authority to issue, deny, or waive a CWA water quality certification for interstate natural gas pipeline projects.
Continue Reading D.C. Circuit: FERC to Decide Water Quality Certification Waiver for Natural Gas Pipeline Projects