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Law and the Environment

Our blog provides perspective on developments in environmental law and policy - which developments may matter to you, and how and why they matter. Whether you are a manufacturer or a power plant developer, a renewable energy developer or hoping to be a renewable energy consumer, this blog offers commentary on current issues that are important to your business.

Court Annuls New York’s Wetlands Regulations for Failure to Comply with SEQRA
Blog April 14, 2026
On April 8, 2026, Albany County Supreme Court Justice Richard M. Platkin made a splash when he annulled 6 NYCRR Part 664 – New York State’s wetlands permitting regulations promulgated under the 2022 adoption of amendments to New York State Environmental Conservation Law Article 24, the Freshwater Wetlands Act – in its entirety for noncompliance with the State Environmental Quality Review Act (“SEQRA”)…
Supreme Court to Decide Case That Could Redefine Boundaries of Judicial and Environmental Review of Federal Permit Applications
Blog March 11, 2026
When a federal agency applies for a permit, has it made a “final” decision that courts can review, or is it just one step in a longer regulatory process?…
A Challenge to the Constitution for the Ocean? Understanding Trump’s Deep Sea Mining Executive Order
Blog May 29, 2025
On April 24, 2025, President Trump signed a far-reaching executive order aimed at accelerating the development of deep-sea mining for critical minerals beneath both United States and international waters…
Major Shift Proposed for Endangered Species Act Interpretation: Redefining “Harm”
Blog April 23, 2025
On April 17, 2025, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued a proposed rule to rescind the regulatory definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)…
 What Happens When Agency Administrators Don't Support the Agency's Statutory Mission?
Blog March 03, 2025
I suspect that lots of people have said it, but President Obama is often credited with saying that elections have consequences…
A Fossil-Forward U.S. Energy Policy Begins to Take Shape under Trump
Blog January 23, 2025
President Trump began his second term by issuing a barrage of executive orders, memoranda, and other directives, many of which targeted U.S. energy policy and the federal employees who implement it…
Montana Protects a Constitutional Right to a Stable Climate:  Will Any Other States Follow Suit?
Blog December 19, 2024
The Montana Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling in favor of plaintiffs in a climate case based on certain provisions of the Montana constitution…
Massachusetts Legislature Finalizes Permit Extension Language – Get those permits now!
Blog November 15, 2024
In some good news for the development community, the Massachusetts legislature has finalized language that would extend the validity of most municipal and state permits related to land development or the environment for a period of two years…
How Will the Election Results Affect the Supreme Court (If At All!)?
Blog November 01, 2024
As the election approaches, lawyers, clients, and those who don’t have enough to do are beginning to speculate about what the election might mean for the Supreme Court…
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ABOUT

In today’s fast changing world, almost all of us get our news – including our news about developments in environmental law and policy – electronically. This blog is not intended to be a substitute for the BNA™, or Greenwire™, or Google™, although we do hope that we will be able on occasion to let you know about issues that haven’t yet come to your attention.

What we really want to accomplish is to be able to provide some perspective on those developments. We’ll try to tell you which developments may matter to you. And why they matter. And how they matter. Whether you are a manufacturer or a power plant developer, whether you are a renewable energy developer or hoping to be a renewable energy consumer, whether you are a municipality or public agency or university, we want to comment on current issues in a way that is useful to you in your business.

Frankly, this blog also provides us with the opportunity to introduce you to Foley Hoag’s Environmental Practice Group. Our practice has been New England’s preeminent environmental practice for the past twenty years. We have the depth and capacity to handle the wide array of environmental issues that can arise in the course of your business. We will work with you to resolve any environmental issues that must be addressed in order for you to achieve your business goals – from permitting new projects to cost-effective cleanup of urban Brownfields properties to implementation of cost-effective due diligence in the support of acquisitions to navigating the emerging world of climate change regulations.

We will also assist you in the defense and prosecution of environmental litigation. As a result of our service to our clients, we have attained a national reputation in environmental matters. Our lawyers have built an impressive record resolving environmental disputes at the negotiating table and in the courtroom, and a number of our cases have produced precedents of national importance.

The scope of this blog will be commensurate with the scope of our practice. We’ll cover climate change, renewable energy, hazardous and solid waste, clean air and water, sustainability and green design. You name it, if it’s got an acronym attached to it, we’ll cover it.

As the headline indicates, we want to inform, update, comment, and discuss. In other words, while we’re going to enjoy posting, we’ll enjoy the blog more – and its usefulness will increase – if we hear from you also. Please comment on the blog entries. Let us know about developments we missed or implications of our discussions that we did not consider.

We look forward to the conversation.