Project Coyote’s Post

Today in a sweeping 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court has struck down the Chevron rule. This decision will curtail the ability of Federal agencies to interpret ambiguous regulations as they see fit. The Chevron rule has been one of the most cited cases in U.S. administrative law and has been in effect for 40 years since the Court ruled in Chevron U.S.A. v. Natural Resources Defense Council in 1984. We will monitor how this decision affects environmental regulations, such as those governing waters of the U.S. and endangered species. #SupremeCourt #ChevronRule #WOTUS #Regulations #EnvironmentalLaw

Announcement: Minister Broke Law Over Emergency Order for Spotted Owl: Judge I am sharing an important legal development that aligns with my ongoing work on legal empowerment and regulatory frameworks. A federal court judge has ruled that Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault violated the Species at Risk Act by delaying an emergency order to protect the endangered spotted owl in British Columbia. This case highlights the critical need for timely and decisive action in environmental governance. In my recent article, "Beyond Band-Aids: Legal Empowerment as a Catalyst for Environmental Change," I emphasize the importance of enforceable regulations and the role of legal empowerment in achieving environmental justice. This case is a practical example of how delays and bureaucratic processes undermine statutory obligations designed to protect vulnerable species and ecosystems. Justice Yvan Roy's decision underscores that prompt action is legally required once an imminent threat to a species is identified. The judge's assertion that "the machinery of government cannot undermine the clear statutory obligations made to the minister resonates with my advocacy for regulatory integrity and accountability. As always, I encourage my students to engage with such developments critically, understand the legal implications, and consider diverse perspectives. The study of regulation thrives on diverse views, fostering a comprehensive understanding of the complexities. Stay engaged and continue to explore, question, and challenge! https://lnkd.in/ebSrjd2v #AlgonquinCollege #ThomasConway #OntarioColleges #EnvironmentalJustice #LegalEmpowerment #RegulatoryAffairs #ClimateAction #SustainableFuture #EnvironmentalPolicy #PublicParticipation #CommunityEmpowerment #Transparency #Accountability #EnvironmentalGovernance https://lnkd.in/euwmu2Eh

Planned developments with pending applications and-or in need of the 404 permit are now in jeopardy of not getting developed and-or face significant delays until this is resolved by the courts. #protectedspecies #DEP #EPA #development #wetlands #conservation #404permit

🧑⚖️ Legal systems are evolving to include the impacts on animals and other species in their sentences for environmental crimes. This significant shift in perspective transforms environmental crime trials, ensuring that the consequences on ecosystems and species are no longer ignored or overlooked 🦏 🦓🦁🌳 Join the webinar this Wednesday May 22, 10 am CEST, for a conversation with the authors of the report.

Six conservation groups filed a petition with the California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) on March 5, 2024 to request the implementation of legal protections for five populations of the western burrowing owl as a threatened or endangered species under the California Endangered Species Act. If the burrowing owl is granted such protections, it will have far-reaching impacts on development projects in south and central-western California; the San Francisco Bay Area; and the Central, Coachella, and Imperial Valleys. 🔗Read more about this story and our other notable updates mentioned below in this week's Sustainable Development & Land Use Update: https://hubs.li/Q02DM4-y0 ✔️ Affordable housing construction underway in San Francisco ✔️ California lawmakers exempt their new office building from state environmental law ✔️ San Diego built more housing last year than it did in the past 17 years #SustainableDevelopment #Housing #LandUse #California

Registration is Open for the 2024 Martz Symposium on Public Lands! Join Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy, and the Environment and Colorado Environmental Law Journal: The Future of Public Lands – People, Place, and Power Fri, Oct 4 and Sat, Oct 5 In person or virtual University of Colorado Law School Public lands across the United States provide us with clean water, energy and food production, world-class recreational opportunities, wildlife habitat, and many other important values. Indigenous peoples have deep ties to the land informed by their traditional ecological knowledge. And public lands drive economic opportunities and job creation for rural communities. For all these reasons, the American public broadly supports the protection and sustainable use of public lands, yet they are facing unprecedented threats from resource degradation, climate change, the demands of multiple uses, and challenges in agency funding levels. The 2024 Martz Symposium will take a deep dive into these rapid changes that are unfolding in real time and how they impact our relationship to the land. The Conference will consider the latest developments and proposed reforms to the laws and policies that govern our management of public lands, including a look at those laws that are standing in the way of progress and others that have helped to pave the way for innovation. And the Conference will convene a diverse and inclusive set of stakeholders, policymakers, academics, and advocates to share ideas on how best we can steward and care for America’s public lands for current and future generations. More information can be found on the GWC website: https://lnkd.in/gDu4qVEp

Get in the mood for #WorldWetlandsDay at our Conservation and Land Use Webinar on Thursday, February 1! Krista Spohr from NYS Department of Environmental Conservation will provide an overview of DEC's current freshwater wetlands regulations and how they are enforced, and explain forthcoming regulatory changes and their effective dates. Register here: https://lnkd.in/dV-Hz3KG. In 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law historic revisions to New York's Freshwater Wetlands Act. Currently, DEC's jurisdiction is limited to wetlands that are equal to or greater than 12.4 acres (and certain wetlands of unusual local importance) and identified on the State Freshwater Wetlands Map. The new legislation will eliminate the map requirement beginning in 2025 and in 2028, DEC's jurisdiction will expand to wetlands as small as 7.4 acres. The reforms will allow DEC to protect over one million acres of critically important freshwater wetlands that are currently unmapped and thousands of additional acres of smaller wetlands. Earlier this month, DEC published an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking, inviting public comment on potential updates to freshwater wetlands protection and classification regulations. The DEC is looking for answers to specific questions as well as general input and suggestions which may inform the potential revisions, including: - criteria for “wetlands of unusual importance” including significant flooding, rare animals, vernal pools, and local and regional significance - criteria for extension of regulated adjacent areas - procedures for jurisdictional determination. To view the draft proposed regulatory updates, visit DEC's Freshwater Wetlands Program webpage: https://lnkd.in/dXZKmg5r. Comments are due February 19, 2024.

It’s crunch time for nature protection in Australia. 💪 The government is working on new nature laws that must stop the alarming destruction of our forests, wetlands and #wildlife. We’ve had behind-the-scenes access to these new laws, and they don’t go far enough. 👎️ 👀 Today the public consultation has started again and it might be our last chance to take a peep before they go to the country’s decision makers. Learn more about our asks to protect nature: https://acf.to/3TRw77f #auspol

What the Supreme Court Chevron decision means for environmental rules. The decision could make it easier for courts to block ambitious climate and wildlife regulations. https://lnkd.in/eKEGuiVW #ClimateProtection #ClimateRegulation #Chevron #ChevronDecision #WildlifeRegulations #ChevronDoctrine #EPA #EnvironmentalRights #EnvironmentalProtection #ClimateChange #EnvironmentalRegulation

Needs to be updated and enforced...........