Firm Highlights
Blog
Understanding 91’s Amnesty Program
Chapter 91 of the Massachusetts General Laws, otherwise known as the Public Waterfront Act, is the primary law protecting the public’s rights to use and access the coastal tidelands of the Commonwealth. First adopted...
Blog
EPA Issues Final National Drinking Water Standard for Six PFAS Compounds
On April 10, 2024, after receiving nearly 122,000 comments on the proposed rule, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced its final National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (“NPDWR”) for six perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl...
Blog
Navigating Maine's Renewable Energy Rate Revisions: Key Insights on PUC Docket No. 2024-00137 and 2024-00149
The Maine PUC has recently opened two related dockets that will significantly impact the renewable energy industry. The first, Docket No. 2024-00137, is a follow-on docket to the PUC’s Investigation into the Stranded Cost...
Blog
Better Communication Among Regulators and the Regulated Can Improve Outcomes for Wastewater Permittees
As our understanding of the environment and anthropogenic impact grows, protection efforts increasingly spawn regulation. Media coverage of perceived harms to health and the environment and well-funded advocacy by conservation organizations usually eclipse the...
Blog
Massachusetts’ Mandated Multi-Family Zoning Moves Forward, But Some Towns Resist
Town Meetings across Massachusetts are voting on zoning bylaws that would encourage multi-family housing. According to Section 3A of the Zoning Act, passed in 2021, 177 cities and towns near MBTA transit must ensure...
Blog
The Plastics Problem In Massachusetts Part II: Plastic Bags
In my October 2023 blog post about “ The Plastics Problem in Massachusetts ,” I noted that environmental and some mainstream groups have been attacking traditional recycling of plastics in an effort to stop...
Blog
Administrative Penalties Under Scrutiny: Jarkesy’s Potential Impact on EPA and Massachusetts Enforcement
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) often uses civil penalties to punish environmental violators. The EPA can either pursue a penalty through its internal administrative process or have the Justice Department file suit...
Blog
Loper Bright and Massachusetts Environmental Law: Navigating the Boundaries of Federal and State Authority
While the SCOTUS’s Loper Bright Enterprises et al. (Loper) decision reversing Chevron was a win for those seeking to rein in the administrative state at the federal level, it does not sound the death...
Blog
Governor Healey Enacts Transformative Clean Energy and Economic Development Laws: Streamlined Permitting, Equity Protections, and Extended Project Approvals
On November 20, 2024, Governor Maura Healey signed the Massachusetts Leads Act, engrossing House Bill 5100 (the “MA Leads Act”), which, among many funding provisions, contains two changes that will significantly benefit project developers...
Blog
Massachusetts Provides Extra Protection to Environmental Justice Communities from Air Pollution
In a groundbreaking move, effective July 1, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection will tighten the permitting requirement for certain existing and new sources of air pollution located near an environmental justice population...
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