Last fall, Puget Soundkeeper (Soundkeeper) filed suit against the Port of Seattle (Port) and its tenant, Total Terminals International, under the citizen suit provisions of the Clean Water Act (CWA). Soundkeeper alleged that stormwater discharges from the marine cargo terminal exceeded the limits imposed by the Industrial Stormwater General Permit (ISGP) that covers the facility. The Port filed a motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction. The Port claimed that Soundkeeper failed to comply with a CWA notice requirement and argued that only the permittee, Total Terminals, could be held liable for violations of the discharge permit.
The Waterkeeper Alliance, Waterkeepers Chesapeake, and California Coastkeeper Alliance (the organizations) recently filed a lawsuit against the EPA, claiming that the agency has sorely neglected its duties under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The organizations believe that the EPA has not updated regulations for currently regulated contaminants, been reluctant to regulate new contaminants in public drinking water systems, and missed mandatory deadlines under the Act.
On March 8, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it would be deactivating the import alert it had previously imposed on AquaBounty AquAdvantage Salmon—fish that have often been termed “frankenfish” by the media. The lifting of this ban marks the first time that a genetically engineered (GE) animal product has been cleared for sale to U.S. consumers.
The Sea Grant Law & Policy Journal (SGLPJ) has some exciting things planned for the Spring. First, we have out a call for student papers. We are currently seeking submissions from law students for papers addressing coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes law and policy issues. The chosen papers will be published in a Summer 2019 edition of the SGLPJ. Submissions must be received by 5 p.m. central time on Friday, March 15, 2019 and should be emailed to cjanasie@olemiss.edu.
