U.S. Supreme Court rejects Bayer’s bid to stop Roundup lawsuits
The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected Bayer’s appeal to shut down thousands of lawsuits claiming that its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer.
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Governor’s veto of ethanol warning upheld by Indiana Senate
The Indiana Senate narrowly upheld a veto that Gov. Eric Holcomb issued last year on a bill that would have required additional labeling for fuel pumps distributing E15, a fuel blend that contains up to 15% ethanol in gasoline.
Hamer-Bailey: PFAS liability and commercial property transfers
Over the last few years, one of the most talked about — and confounding — topics in environmental law has been the issue of PFAS contamination (of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). A pervasive part of our modern lives, from Teflon to Scotchgard to firefighting foam, PFAS compounds now seem to be both a blessing and a curse.
Kelln and Harrell: Could Title VI force change in IN enviro policies?
Conceptually, environmental justice is the “fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin or income, with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.” The concept of environmental justice is not new, but came to the forefront during the Obama administration in the aftermath of the Flint, Michigan, lead-contaminated drinking water crisis. However, environmental justice never became a coherent strategy and was overshadowed by significant rulemakings around climate change. That has changed in the first year of the Biden administration.
SCOTUS justices wrestle with EPA power to curb carbon emissions
The Supreme Court of the United States wrestled Monday with the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to curb greenhouse gas emissions from the nation’s power plants, a case that could hamstring the Biden administration’s plans to combat climate change.
Justices to weigh limits on reach of Clean Water Act
The Supreme Court said Monday it will consider reining in federal regulation of private property under the nation’s main anti-water pollution law, the Clean Water Act.
Indiana environmental chief leaving for federal agency job
The head of Indiana’s environmental oversight department for the past five years is leaving that position for a job with the federal government.
Justices turn away VW appeals over emissions scandal suits
The Supreme Court on Monday turned away appeals from Volkswagen that sought to stop state and local lawsuits related to the 2015 scandal in which the automaker was found to have rigged its vehicles to cheat U.S. diesel emissions tests.
High court adds climate change, immigration cases to docket
Over the objections of the Biden administration, the Supreme Court agreed Friday to consider a climate change case that could limit the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to curb greenhouse gas emissions. The court also said it would hear a Republican-led immigration challenge.
Judge OKs settlement with US Steel over 2017 Indiana spill
A federal judge has approved a revised settlement with U.S. Steel, more than four years after one of the steelmaker’s Indiana plants discharged wastewater containing a potentially carcinogenic chemical into a Lake Michigan tributary.
AES Indiana sues insurers over coal-ash cleanup liability
AES Indiana is suing more than a dozen insurance companies, claiming they have refused to indemnify and defend the utility for coal-ash environmental cleanup that could exceed $177 million at three generating plants.
7th Circuit affirms former Goshen factory not posing danger to residents
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a federal judge’s ruling that a former factory in Goshen is not posing any ongoing dangers to the health of residents in the area.
High court expands eligibility for Clean Air Act exemption
The Supreme Court on Friday said an expanded number of small refineries can seek an exemption from certain renewable fuel requirements.
Indianapolis attorney’s leap to classroom highlights role, value of adjunct law faculty
Environmental attorney Kathryn Watson was already scheduled to be a guest speaker in the clean air law class during Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law’s spring semester when the professor called to ask if she would be willing to shoulder a bit more responsibility.
Indiana governor vetoes bill requiring ethanol warning label
Gov. Eric Holcomb has vetoed a bill that would require additional labeling for Indiana gas pumps that distribute E15, a fuel blend that contains up to 15% ethanol in gasoline.
Judge: BP’s Whiting refinery violated soot emission limits
A BP refinery in northwestern Indiana repeatedly violated air pollution standards for soot emissions between 2015 and 2018, a federal judge ruled in a lawsuit brought by environmental advocates.
Wetlands deregulation bill advances to Indiana governor
Lawmakers gave final approval Wednesday to a disputed bill seeking to remove protections from Indiana’s already diminished wetlands amid mounting criticism that the legislation could cause damage to the state’s waterways, wildlife and vegetation.
Indiana lawmakers amend environment bills as deadlines near
Dozens of amendments to bills affecting Indiana environmental policy have sparked debate among lawmakers as the Legislature enters its final stretch of the session. The proposed changes arrive as members of the General Assembly decide whether the state should adopt greener initiatives or scale back current policy protecting water, energy and other resources.
Trump policy that weakened wild bird protections revoked
The Biden administration on Monday reversed a policy imposed under former President Donald Trump that drastically weakened the government’s power to enforce a century-old law that protects most U.S. bird species.
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett authors first opinion
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett has delivered her first opinion, writing a 7-2 decision released Thursday in a case about the federal Freedom of Information Act, which Barrett explains makes “records available to the public upon request, unless those records fall within one of nine exemptions.”