Category: Legal & Regulatory

“God Squad” Invoked Against Endangered California Fish in House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing

Lawmakers invoke God Squad against imperiled Calif. fish Emily Yehle, E&E reporter Published: Wednesday, March 16, 2016 Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe said yesterday that it was “reasonable” for the administration to consider removing federal protections for the delta smelt in the face of California’s drought. The delta smelt — a tiny fish […]

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Farella Braun & Martel Law Update for March 2016

Implementation of California’s New Groundwater Law Continues as DWR Releases Draft Emergency Regulations for Groundwater Sustainability Plans In 2014, the California Legislature adopted the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), which for the first time comprehensively regulates the extraction and use of the state’s groundwater.  A significant milestone in SGMA’s implementation is the adoption of emergency […]

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Industry Groups Ask Judges to Reconsider Jurisdiction Ruling on CWA

CLEAN WATER RULE: Industry groups ask judges to reconsider jurisdiction ruling Tiffany Stecker, E&E reporter Published: Tuesday, March 1, 2016 A coalition of agriculture, building and other industry groups yesterday asked a federal appeals court to reconsider a decision on the Obama administration’s contentious Clean Water Rule, requesting that the court’s full panel of active […]

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Two House Members Launch Municipal Finance Caucus

MUNICIPAL BONDS FOR AMERICA Two House Members Launch Municipal Finance Caucus   Today, Congressmen Randy Hultgren (R-IL) and Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) announced the formation of the Municipal Finance Caucus, a bi-partisan caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives.  The intent of the caucus is to bring greater focus to state and local finance issues and, importantly, […]

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Farella Braun + Martel LLP Law Update for February 24, 2016

Preemption Defense: Is Inaction by the FDA Enough? A seeming contradiction between two recent federal district court rulings on preemption and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s oversight of pharmaceuticals creates some uncertainty about whether evidence submitted by the drug manufacturer of inaction by the FDA is enough to establish that the FDA would not […]

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Obama Administration Wins Jurisdiction Fight Over Contentious Rule

WATER POLICY: Obama admin wins jurisdiction fight over contentious rule AN E&E PUBLISHING SERVICE Tiffany Stecker and Jeremy P. Jacobs, E&E reporters Published: Monday, February 22, 2016 A federal appeals court panel today said that it will rule on challenges to the Obama administration’s hot-button Clean Water Rule. A divided 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel […]

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High Court Case On CWA Findings Might Alter Jurisdiction More Than Rule February 17, 2016

  High Court Case On CWA Findings Might Alter Jurisdiction More Than Rule February 17, 2016 Source: Association of California Water Agencies A pending Supreme Court ruling on whether regulators’ findings that waters are jurisdictional under the Clean Water Act (CWA) are subject to pre-enforcement review might alter the scope of the water law more […]

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Senator Feinstein Introduced Revised Drought Bill

Revisions were made to Senator Feinstein’s drought relief bill, California Long-Term Provisions for Water Supply and Short-Term Provisions for Emergency Drought Relief Act, on February 10th, 2016. Please, click the links below to view associated materials. Press release on revision Bill Summary Final Bill text

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State Water Board Adopts Emergency Conservation Regulation for 2016

Feb. 3, 2016 State Water Board Adopts Emergency Conservation Regulation for 2016 The State Water Resources Control Board adopted an emergency conservation regulation late Tuesday that extends the requirements of the existing regulation through October with a few limited adjustments to reflect climate, growth, and development of some drought-resilient potable water supplies since 2013. The […]

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