What happened: Last week the Senate passed a landmark piece of legislation – the Great American Outdoors Act. Under the legislation, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) would be permanently and fully funded at $900 million annually rather than funding levels being determined by the congressional appropriations process each year. What is next: The … Continue Reading
Squire Patton Boggs’ State Attorneys General Practice Group is comprised of lawyers who have served at senior levels in state AG offices around the country and whose practices focus, to one degree or another, on representing clients before these increasingly assertive and powerful, yet often overlooked, government agencies, as explained in detail here. In these updates, … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Resolution Repealing BLM’s Planning 2.0 Rule Sent to the President Last week, the Senate passed H. J. Res 44, using the Congressional Review Act (CRA), to rescind the Bureau of Land Management’s Resource Management Planning rule, known as the BLM Planning 2.0 Rule, by a vote of 51-48. The House passed the resolution … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity EPA to Hold Public Hearings on Clean Power Plan This week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold public hearings in Washington D.C., Atlanta, Denver and Pittsburgh to receive comments on its proposed Clean Power Plan. EPA’s Clean Power Plan intends to reduce carbon emissions from existing power plants to 30 percent below … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity EPA Approves New Measurements for Ozone In significant news for entities attempting to maintain or attain the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQSs), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced it has approved four new testing methods that are now allowed for measuring ozone and related pollutants in determining compliance. The alternative tests can … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity Ozone A court order issued last week instructs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue its proposed rule concerning ozone by December 1, 2014, and a final rule by October 1, 2015. This action would finalize the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) that are expected to significantly impact cities, counties, transportation systems … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House E&C Committee to Vote on LNG Export Legislation On Wednesday, April 30, the House Energy and Commerce Committee will consider H.R. 6, the “Domestic Prosperity and Global Freedom Act.” The legislation, which enjoys the support of the Committee’s senior most Republican leadership and appears headed for the House floor for a vote … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Nominations for U.S. Department of the Interior and EPA On Tuesday, December 17, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will meet to consider the nomination of Neil Kornze to become the Director of the Bureau of Land Management at the Department of the Interior. The Committee will also consider at that time … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity This Week’s Hearings: Tuesday, June 18: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a markup of pending legislation. Tuesday, June 18: The House Appropriations Energy and Water Subcommittee will mark up the FY 2014 appropriations bill. Tuesday, June 18: A House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee will hold a hearing on “U.S. … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity This Week’s Hearings: Wednesday, June 12: The House Science, Space and Technology Committee, Subcommittee on Environment, will hold a hearing questioning the achievability of new ozone standards proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Thursday, June 13: The House Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, will hold an oversight … Continue Reading
