Michigan Environmental Council’s Post

With the Indiana legislature in session, it can be hard to keep up with what bills are being worked on and what they might mean for your community and values. If you're someone who cares about environmental issues in Indiana, I recommend keeping an eye on the Hoosier Environmental Council's bill-watching page. They provide the bill description, HEC's stance, and action items for constituents. https://lnkd.in/gjWQ3Kq2

Curious about your rights during property inspection inquiries by EGLE or the EPA? Varnum environmental attorney Kyle Konwinski explains the state and federal cleanup laws that impact Michigan property owners in this advisory.

Our latest California water law alert from Krisha Yadav-Ranjan recaps the SWRCB's revisions to its Water Quality Enforcement Policy, highlighting a focus on environmental justice, potential impacts on penalties, and more. https://lnkd.in/gK6WYhmG #SomachLaw #CAWater #WaterQualityLaw #WaterLaw

‼️ We need your help to protect access to legal action for Florida’s waterways. ‼️ The Florida Legislature is trying to strip us - conservation organizations and concerned citizens like yourself - of the power to go to court to enforce environmental laws. Senate Bill 738 and House Bill 789 (entitled 'Environmental Management') would require the losing party in many environmental lawsuits to pay the court costs and attorney fees of the other parties. This is an attempt by the legislature to stop Waterkeepers and other groups from challenging environmentally destructive permits by threatening us with financial ruin. Bottom Line: SB 738 and HB 789 will make it harder for advocates to take polluters to court to protect the environment. Take action: https://lnkd.in/eSDA3q_3

A recent Supreme Court ruling has significant implications for federal agencies' ability to regulate the environment, public health, and more. For environmental advocates and policy makers, this ruling represents a pivotal shift with broad consequences for our efforts to combat climate change and protect natural resources. #EnvironmentalLaw #ClimateChange #ShipandShoreEnvironmental #SupremeCourt #ChevronDoctrine #Sustainability #PolicyChange #PublicHealth

There is a lot of news from the US Supreme Court regarding their lack of concern for people’s right versus corporate rights. (Seem to remember someone saying the corporations are people too, but it seems that these multi-billion dollar organizations are better protected than most families and that corporations are more important to certain Supreme Court members than other “people”.) Here in California, historically there was always a push to limit regulations by starving the regulatory agencies of staff. This history is reflected in the reality that many environmental regulations are applied only to selected targets. Agency staff will tell you off-the-record that only those considered bad actors, especially those bad actors with political influence, are able to demand the agency’s time. If you have a benificial project, or are wanting to go beyond the requirements of mitigation for your project, you do not get any focused attention. Staff spend their resources in defense by battling those that have the ability to demand attention through political operatives and have the intent to find all the “loopholes” that shifts the costs to the public and benefits to them. This has got to change. We need agencies to have an offense that is equal to their defense. If California wants to be a leader in protecting our environment and quality of life for those that don’t live in gated communities, we need to fund regulatory agency staff to work on “good” projects to make them better. https://lnkd.in/e6aAA5jF

Who bears the burden of water contamination cleanup? From acquiring pricey treatment technologies to new operating expenses to maintain these new systems in the future, the journey to accountability isn't always crystal clear. In the April edition of Journal AWWA, our client and partner with SL Environmental Law Group, PC Ken Sansone and water resources director at the City of Pomona Chris Diggs chronicle Pomona's success in uncovering liability for the city's investment in public health and safety. Read the full article here: https://shorturl.at/lBGRS #PFAS #waterutilities #watermanagement

Firm Partner, John Parker, discusses the recent Loper Bright Supreme Court decision which will have impacts on how administrative agencies regulate businesses, workers, property cleanup and redevelopment, investments, and clean air and clear water. The decision is a significant change in federal administrative law. Read the full article and analysis below to learn more about this influential decision and the long-term effects that may impact you or your businesses.   Through our Newsletters, we routinely provide our clients with the latest legal updates and developments impacting their interests and concerns.   #supremecourt #litigation #environment #environmentallaw #administrativelaw #longisland #laborlaw #sahnwardbraffcoschignano #chevron #SCOTUS 

Good article from The Colorado Sun about how last week's Supreme Court decisions are going to impact environmental policymaking in the coming years. Both the Chevron case as well as the EPA good neighbor case that came down turn up the pressure and raise the stakes for environmental advocacy. I'm still digesting but more thoughts to come on this soon....and please share more resources below if you've stumbled across some additional good insights. https://lnkd.in/gJxRcFQM

CPR: Why a new air quality bill is the latest in rift between Gov. Polis and environmental justice groups: It won’t be the first battle between Gov. Jared Polis and environmental justice advocates, but a new bill from Democratic lawmakers could mark one of the most direct confrontations over Colorado’s current approach to climate change and air pollution. Legislation filed this week calls for significant revisions to newly minted rules meant to cut climate-warming emissions from large industrial sites. In particular, it would force regulators to scrap a provision allowing companies to meet the requirements by paying into a state-managed fund, which critics describe as a pay-to-comply loophole. … The plan, however, is likely to face opposition from business groups. Meghan Dollar, a senior vice president for government affairs for the Colorado Chamber of Commerce, said the business organization is still reviewing the legislation, but she’s concerned lawmakers would scrap a set of regulations forged through months of careful negotiations. “This could set a dangerous precedent for future regulatory efforts and continues to move the goalposts on environmental policy when industry needs predictability to operate effectively,” Dollar said. Read more here. | timnathchamber.com #Timnath #Colorado #TimnathChamber