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Gravel2Gavel Construction & Real Estate Law Blog

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EPA Directed to Do Additional Work on NESHAP for Brick and Structural Clay Products Manufacturing; and NESHAP for Clay Ceramics Manufacturing Rule

On July 6, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit decided the case of Sierra Club and Natural Resources Defense Council v. EPA. Senior Judge Sentelle, writing for a unanimous panel, mostly granted the environmental petitioners petition for review of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean Air Act (CAA) rule, establishing National…

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D.C. Circuit Rejects FERC’s Licensing Decision, Vacating and Remanding the Matter for Further Work

Another important case was decided by U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on July 6, American Rivers and Alabama Rivers Alliance v. FERC. The Alabama Power Company, whose application to re-license its electrical power generating facility serving Coosa River Basin in Alabama, GA, and TN was at issue, is…

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California Governor Signed into Law The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018

Today, our colleagues Cathie Meyer and Amy Pierce published their Client Alert titled California Enacts Mini-GDPR Effective January 1, 2020. Under the new law, covered businesses will need to update policies and procedures for responding to customer inquiries about collection, use, sale and disclosure of customers’ personal information or face…

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L.A. Metro P3 Funding Options and the California Infrastructure Financing Act

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is the agency that operates public transportation for all of Los Angeles County. With the passage of Measure M by voters in 2016, Metro has signaled their intent to improve and expand public transit in L.A. County. Just this year, Metro adopted…

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Seventh Circuit Remands “Waters of the United States” Case to Corps of Engineers to Determine Whether there is a “Significant Nexus”

On June 27, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit decided the case of Orchard Hill Building Co. v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Court of Appeals vacated the decision of the District Court granting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (Corps) motion for summary judgment dismissing the Orchard Hill…

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Ninth Circuit Affirms District Court’s Ruling Finding Lack of Redressability for Alleged ESA and NHPA Violations

On June 28, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit decided the case of Center for Biological Diversity, et al., v. Export-Import Bank of the U.S., affirming the ruling of the District Court, which granted Export-Import Bank of the United States’ (Ex-Im Bank) summary judgement motion finding that, “as a…

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Are JVs the Answer to Trade Wars?

Today, our colleague Tom Shoesmith published his Client Alert titled China: Are Joint Ventures the Answer to Trump’s Trade Wars?  In the Alert, Tom discusses how U.S. companies may respond to the Trump Administration’s tariff wars. This could including entering into a joint venture (JV) with a Chinese partner, enable the U.S. company…

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Transition from LIBOR to Risk-Free Rates

Recently, our colleague Trevor Wood published a Client Alert titled LIBOR and the Transition to Risk-Free Rates, discussing the Chief Executive of the UK Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) recent announcement that, because of insufficient trading in the underlying markets, the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) will no longer be supported by the…

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The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Issues New Guidance Regarding Incidental Take Permits

At the end of April, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service issued new guidance regarding the evaluation and negotiation of Endangered Species Act Section 10(a)(1)(b) incidental take permits (ITPs). The guidance has significant implications for private project proponents considering whether to undertake the often time-consuming and costly process of seeking…

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EPA Proposes to Promulgate No New CWA Section 311 Rules for Releases of Hazardous Substances

On June 25, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) (83 F.R. 29499 (June 25, 2018)) regarding Clean Water Act Hazardous Substances Spill Prevention. “EPA has determined that the existing framework of regulatory requirements serves to prevent CWA HS discharges.” Section 311(j)(1)(C) of the Clean Water Act (CWA)…