Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are spread in many ways. One of the highest priority pathways identified in the United States is the overland transport of watercraft. In 2024, Creative Resources Strategies, LLC received funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to work with the National Sea Grant Law Center to develop model federal legislation to protect the nation’s aquatic resources from the interstate overland transport and spread of aquatic invasive species by watercraft.
The growing body of evidence supporting the negative effects of PFAS compounds has led to increased attention from Congress and executive branch federal agencies seeking to limit their uptake by the populace. States within the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain regions have also begun to take regulatory actions to address PFAS contamination. The purpose of this Comparative Analysis is to provide an overview of these steps taken by the federal and state governments to regulate PFAS in the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain region.
The future of offshore drilling just became more unclear. On November 20, 2025, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (Bureau) announced a proposed 5-year plan to reopen areas of the continental shelf for offshore drilling that had previously been closed. This announcement comes days after Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum issued Secretary’s Order 3445, which terminated the Biden Administration’s 2024-2029 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program, which proposed only 3 new lease sales in the Gulf—the fewest number of sales ever—and directed the Bureau to begin developing “a new, more expansive” program as soon as possible. The proposed new plan calls for 34 lease sales, covering over 1.27 billion acres, in the Gulf and off the coasts of Alaska and California. Many of these areas had previously been closed by past presidents in order to protect sensitive ecosystems and prevent future oil spills.
On November 17, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) proposed a new rule to change the definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS). Defining WOTUS may seem technical or insignificant, but it is central to understanding which bodies of water are subject to federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act (CWA). It affects day-to-day decisions such as how to comply with federal law, when permits are required, and which permits are needed. According to the EPA and the Corps, by providing a clear and durable definition, this proposal may help accelerate economic growth and opportunities.
This case study examines Amara’s Law (Sec. 116943), a Minnesota bill that seeks to eliminate the non-essential use of PFAS, improve transparency in consumer products, and reduce environmental contamination. The case study also highlights the efforts of Amara Strande, a Minnesota resident whose battle with a rare form of liver cancer brought attention to PFAS contamination. The case study also discusses recent efforts to amend the law and challenge its legality in court.
The terms “biosolids” and “sewage sludge” are often used interchangeably. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) uses the term biosolid to specifically refer to sewage sludge that has been treated to comply with the EPA’s regulation related to sewage sludge- “Standards for the Use or Disposal of Sewage Sludge” or 40 C.F.R. Part 503. This sewage sludge will be applied to land as a fertilizer or soil conditioner. Land application is the most common disposal method for biosolids. Depending on the presence of certain pollutants in the sewage sludge, it may be applied to farms, golf courses, and even home gardens. This case study will cover recent U.S. EPA and state actions related to controlling the use of PFAS-contaminated biosolids.
In 2025, the National Sea Grant Law Center received funding from The Nature Conservancy to conduct a legal analysis of existing Maine law to understand current barriers to and opportunities for permitting shellfish restoration projects.
The October 2025 issue of The SandBar is now available. The lead story is: "Louisiana Coastal Parishes’ Land Loss Lawsuit Reaches the Supreme Court".