In the continuing legal battle between Central Valley agricultural interests and California’s high-speed rail (“HSR”) project, plaintiffs in three separate lawsuits in Sacramento County Superior Court requested a preliminary injunction to stop all work associated with the initial segment of the HSR between Merced and Fresno until a ruling on the lawsuits’ merits. On November
Newly Published CEQA Decision Sets Precedent Regarding EIR Project Alternatives
My colleague, Barbara Brenner, posted an environmental law alert on the recently published CEQA decision issued by the California Third District Court of Appeal in Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Ctr. v. County of Siskiyou, No. C064930, 2012 Cal. App. LEXIS 1088 (Cal. Ct. App. Sept. 26, 2012). The case is significant because it
Environmental Groups Sue DOGGR Over Fracking Permits
Environmental groups filed a complaint today in Alameda County Superior Court against the California Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) alleging that DOGGR violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by issuing permits for oil and gas wells that allowed hydraulic fracturing activities without sufficient environmental review. The complaint alleges that there are several environmental and public health impacts associated with fracking that DOGGR fails to consider in its CEQA analyses for oil and gas well permits. The complaint also alleges that DOGGR improperly excludes new oil and gas well permits from CEQA based on categorical exemptions for minor alternations to land or existing facilities.
Continue Reading Environmental Groups Sue DOGGR Over Fracking Permits
Upcoming Webinar: Don’t Get Caught California Dreaming: The Proposition Trap
Join Stoel Rives attorney Melissa Jones for a webinar to help you avoid getting caught in the Proposition 65 trap. The webinar will cover significant regulatory and enforcement issues associated with Prop 65, including litigation, product testing, recent trends, and practical advice for compliance.
| When: | Wednesday, October 10, 2012 9 – 10:30 a.m. Pacific 11 |
Save the Date: Join us for a Webinar on the Proposition 65 Trap
Save the Date for a webinar presented by Melissa Jones designed to help you avoid getting caught in the Proposition 65 trap. The webinar will cover significant regulatory and enforcement issues associated with Prop 65, including litigation, product testing, recent trends, and practical advice for compliance.
Check back soon for more information and registration.
Prop 65: OEHHA Issues Sulfur Dioxide Guidance
As you may recall, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) added sulfur dioxide as a chemical known to cause reproductive toxicity to the Proposition 65 list of chemicals on June 29, 2011. Today, the OEHHA issued two important notices regarding sulfur dioxide. Continue Reading Prop 65: OEHHA Issues Sulfur Dioxide Guidance
CA State Agency Claims Nail Polish Contains Toxic Chemicals
As reported by the Associated Press, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (“DTSC”) has issued a report claiming that nail polish has been sold in the State containing the chemicals toluene, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and formaldehyde, which the agency has referred to as “the toxic trio.”
The agency’s report noted that the use of the chemicals
Proposition 65: New Director of OEHHA
Yesterday, Governor Brown appointed George Alexeeff as the Director of the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) at the California EPA. Alexeeff has been the deputy director since 1998 and has worked at the department since 1988. He has a doctorate in pharmacology and toxicology from U.C. Davis.
Among other duties, OEHHA is responsible
First Prop 65 Notice of Violation Issued Regarding 4-MEI in Soft Drinks
A Proposition 65 (“Prop 65”) plaintiff has issued the first 60-Day Notice of Violation concerning 4-Methylimidazole (4-MEI). 4-MEI, a chemical compound used to make certain products, is one of the over 850 chemicals on California’s Prop 65 list of chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive harm. 4-MEI was placed on the Prop 65 list in
Teetotalers and Environmentalists Unite! California’s Plaintiffs’ Attorneys Use an Environmental Protection Law to Collect on “Beer Pong” Accessories
Last week a “concerned citizen” acting in the “interest of the general public” filed a rash of Proposition 65 (“Prop 65”) lawsuits against retailers for their sale of drinking game kits in California. Prop 65 threatens to impose penalties of up to $2,500 per violation, plus attorneys’ fees and costs, if a business knowingly and