Environmental

Recent Posts

Jenner & Block: USGS Releases Water and Sediment Priority Constituents Monitoring Report
Posted on 18 Jun 2013 by E. Lynn Grayson

By E. Lynn Grayson , Partner, Jenner & Block The USGS has released a new report, Prioritization of Constituents for National and Regional Scale Ambient Monitoring of Water and Sediment in the United States , that addresses the methodology used... Read More

New Neonic Pesticide Controls in Ontario
Posted on 29 Jun 2015 by Dianne Saxe

On July 1, 2015, new regulatory requirements for the sale and use of neonicotinoid-treated seeds in Ontario will start to come into effect, to protect bird and bee health.Ontario wants to reduce the number of acres planted with neonicotinoid-treated corn... Read More

Jenner & Block: New Textbook Update Addresses Bee Colony Collapse Disorder
Posted on 25 Jun 2012 by Jenner & Block Corporate Environmental Lawyer

By Robert L. Graham , Partner, Jenner & Block LLP Bob Graham co-authored a leading environmental law textbook in use at many U.S. law schools titled Environmental Law and Policy: Nature, Law and Society . The Fourth Edition of this textbook was... Read More

State Net Capitol Journal Legislative Updates: Connecticut Moves To Control Runaway Bamboo
Posted on 4 Jun 2013 by State Net

ENVIRONMENT: The CONNECTICUT Senate approves a bill that would impose a $100 fine on residents who fail to control the growth of bamboo on their property and require people who sell or install running bamboo to educate customers on the plant's growing... Read More

Class Action for Harming Bees with Neonicotinoids
Posted on 24 Nov 2014 by Dianne Saxe

By Jennifer Kalnins Temple Ontario beekeepers have filed a lawsuit in Ontario Superior Court (Windsor) against two massive chemical companies, Bayer AG and Syngenta AG, for over $400 million dollars in losses allegedly caused by neonicotinoid pesticides... Read More

Widespread use of herbicides create immunity and resistance in weedy plants
Posted on 6 Aug 2011 by Thomas H. Clarke, Jr.

Prior posts have noted that a wide variety of substances, including hazardous substances, can act as selection factors in fostering "evolution" amongst impacted organisms. Now, researchers have found that many weeds, including some of significant... Read More

Downstream Problems: Farmer Liability for Fishkills in Indiana
Posted on 22 Aug 2013 by Todd Janzen

This time of year, many farmers are busy spraying crops with herbicides and pesticides. Should an accident occur that causes these chemicals to enter a stream or river—whether caused by negligence or rapidly shifting weather conditions—a farmer... Read More

Why Do the New House Republicans Hate the Bald Eagle?
Posted on 28 Jul 2011 by Leda Huta

Leda Huta, Executive Director, Endangered Species Coalition In 1973, Richard Nixon, a Republican president, didn't just sign the U.S. Endangered Species Act into law. His administration played a very large role in actually crafting this forward... Read More

Why Sound the Alarm for Resistance to Bt Corn?
Posted on 16 Mar 2012 by Todd Janzen

By Todd J. Janzen, Partner, Plews Shadley Racher & Braun LLP Why do those against genetically modified foods (GMOs) sound the alarm whenever some research shows that a pest has developed resistance to the genetic modification? I have often had this... Read More

Keller and Heckman LLP: Bipartisan Meetings on The Safe Chemicals Act of 2011
Posted on 3 Jul 2011 by Keller and Heckman LLP

A series of stakeholder meetings on Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) (15 U.S.C. § 2601 et seq. ) "reform" began in the Senate on June 21, 2011. Billed as bipartisan stakeholder talks, these meetings may bring us closer to a viable TSCA... Read More

Certain Pesticides Fail New U.S. EPA Screening Guide for Volatilization Risks
Posted on 9 May 2014 by Steven M. Siros

By Steven M. Siros The U.S. EPA has released its draft " Human Health Bystander Screening Level Analysis: Volatilization Risks of Conventional Pesticides" . This screening guide is intended to provide a mechanism for evaluating exposure... Read More

Comments Submitted in Response to the Proposed Rule on Pesticides; Policies Concerning Products Containing Nanoscale Materials
Posted on 9 Sep 2011 by Keller and Heckman LLP

The Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA" or "Agency") solicits public comments about what procedures it should use to obtain more information on the use of nanoscale ingredients in pesticide products. 76 Fed. Reg. 35383 (June 17... Read More

Parkinson's may be caused by the same bacterium that causes ulcers, new animal model studies suggest
Posted on 30 May 2011 by Thomas H. Clarke, Jr.

The cause of Parkinson's Disease is unknown. To date, many experts have suggested that it may have a genetic origin; see http://www.webmd.com/parkinsons-disease/parkinsons-causes . Other experts point to toxins that may selectively destroy the dopaminergic... Read More

More Evidence That Exposure to Pesticides and Solvents May Cause Parkinson’s
Posted on 10 Jun 2013 by Dianne Saxe

By Dianne Saxe, Ontario Environmental Lawyer A recent report in a leading peer reviewed medical journal, Neurology , again concludes that exposure to pesticides and solvents is linked to a higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease . The report... Read More

EPA Denies Request to Ban Trisclosan
Posted on 23 Jul 2015 by E. Lynn Grayson

EPA has denied the January 14, 2010 petition submitted by the Food & Water Watch and Beyond Pesticides to ban the antimicrobial pesticide triclosan. The petition requested that EPA take the following regulatory actions: • Federal Insecticide... Read More