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Recent Blog Posts
- Offshore Oil Drilling Debate Updates: Proposed New Lease Sales and Environmental Groups Efforts to Stop Them
- December 10th, 2025 — by Amy Kraitchman — Category: Offshore Energy
- 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.
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- EPA and Army Corps Propose New Definition for WOTUS
- December 1st, 2025 — by Taylor Young — Category: Clean Water Act
- 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.
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- Changes Underway: The Army Corps Modifies NWP 48 and Retires NWP 56
- September 23rd, 2025 — by Taylor Young — Category: Aquaculture
- In 1972, Congress passed the Clean Water Act (CWA) which granted the United States Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) the power to issue permits regulating certain activities over navigable waters.
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- Justice Department Affirms the Legality of Shrinking and Removing National Monuments
- August 26th, 2025 — by Bradley Reimer — Category: Environmental Law
- The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released a new opinion in late May detailing why President Trump can legally shrink and outright remove national monuments under the Antiquities Act of 1906 (Antiquities Act). Specifically, Trump seeks to remove the Chuckwalla and the Sáttítla Highlands National Monuments created by President Biden to free up the land for oil and gas drilling.
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- Breaking Down the AFFF Multidistrict Litigation
- August 11th, 2025 — by Blakely Durham — Category: Water Quality
- South Carolina has become a hotspot for litigation surrounding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The reason? The United States District Court for the District of South Carolina is home to the Aqueous Film-Forming Foams Product Liability Multidistrict Litigation.
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