Author: Admin

By Juan-Carlos Rodriguez Law360 (March 11, 2025, 9:52 PM EDT) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday dissolved its more than 30-year-old environmental justice and civil rights office, the latest in a string of EPA actions targeting efforts to ease pollution burdens on historically disadvantaged communities. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin told agency leaders in a memorandum that the elimination of the…

By Bonnie Eslinger Law360 (March 13, 2025, 1:44 PM EDT) — A California federal judge on Thursday ordered the immediate reinstatement of certain probationary employees fired from six federal agencies, saying the Office of Personnel Management did not have the authority to direct those terminations, making the firings “unlawful.” Judge William Alsup’s order “finds that all such terminations were directed by…

We are hearing reports that the federal funding freeze is impacting access to portals and services in Native communities. The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is committed to tracking how any pause on federal funding is impacting Native communities. If your community is affected, please share your experiences and concerns by contacting us at oversight@indian.senate.gov. Below are some…

By Juan-Carlos Rodriguez Law360 (March 3, 2025, 5:55 PM EST) — Five federal agencies are violating their legal obligations to provide transparency about their connection to the Elon Musk-headed entity that’s leading the Trump administration’s effort to reduce government staffing and spending levels, environmentalists said in a D.C. federal lawsuit filed Monday. The Center for Biological Diversity said that the U.S.…

By Crystal Owens Law360 (February 21, 2025, 7:41 PM EST) — A coalition of Democratic senators is urging Department of Homeland Security Director Kristi Noem to issue guidance to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on acceptable forms of tribal identification as proof of U.S. citizenship, arguing that immigration raids have stoked fear and panic for many Indigenous citizens. U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M.,…

By Joyce Hanson Law360 (February 20, 2025, 6:14 PM EST) — A Texas federal judge has ordered the U.S. government to say whether it still wants to intervene in a land dispute between the Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo tribe and the city of El Paso now that Donald Trump is president. U.S. District Judge David C. Guaderrama’s Tuesday order…

By Keith Goldberg Law360 (February 20, 2025, 8:54 PM EST) — Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Mark Christie downplayed concerns Thursday that a recent executive order from President Donald Trump will erode the agency’s authority, but acknowledged that it’s unclear how much the order seeks to involve the White House in FERC’s operations. Neither Christie nor his fellow commissioners mentioned…

By Juan-Carlos Rodriguez Law360 (February 20, 2025, 10:15 PM EST) — The White House says it rescinded National Environmental Policy Act regulations in an effort to “expedite and simplify” the federal permitting process, but attorneys say the immediate effect of the move will likely be to confuse agencies and slow down project approvals. The White House Council on Environmental Quality‘s interim…