Posts by Adriana
EPA Proposes Updates to Clean Water Act’s Water Quality Certification Requirements
On August 8, 2019, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) published a set of proposed amendments (the “Proposed Rule”) to the regulations governing the issuance of Water Quality Certifications by states pursuant to Section 401 (“Section 401 Water Quality Certification”) of the Clean Water Act (“CWA”). Under the Section 401 Water Quality Certification process,…
Read MoreAppellate Division Confirms That Brooklyn Heights Library Redevelopment May Proceed
On May 8, 2019, the Appellate Division, Second Department unanimously affirmed a lower court ruling dismissing a petition challenging the sale and redevelopment of the Brooklyn Public Library’s (“BPL”) Brooklyn Heights Branch. This ruling clears the way for a proposal by the developer Cadman Associates LLC (an affiliate of The Hudson Companies) to construct a…
Read MoreMayor de Blasio Announces Suite of Historic Buildings Emissions Reduction Laws
To commemorate Earth Day on April 22, 2019, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a groundbreaking suite of laws enacted by the New York City Council to require and facilitate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from a significant number of buildings in NYC. Taken together, the laws represent the most ambitious carbon…
Read MoreAppellate Division Affirms Dismissal of Challenge to the American Museum of Natural History’s Gilder Center Project
In a decision dated April 18, 2019, the Appellate Division, First Department unanimously and emphatically affirmed a lower court ruling dismissing the lawsuit challenging the legality of the American Museum of Natural History’s Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation. The Gilder Center will, inter alia, expand and modernize the Museum’s educational facilities, create…
Read MoreEPA Announces “Action Plan” for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)
On February 14th, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) introduced its PFAS Action Plan to better understand PFAS chemicals and the extent of existing contamination, prevent future contamination, and more effectively communicate with the public regarding PFAS and associated health and environmental risks. PFAS, a group of chemicals created in the 1940s, exist in a…
Read MoreTown of East Fishkill Defeats Zoning Challenge
In a decision dated January 7, 2019, the New York Supreme Court, Dutchess County, dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Town of East Fishkill’s 2012 zoning code amendment allowing for remediation and redevelopment of former gas station properties in accordance with the bulk conditions that previously existed on the properties, without need for a special permit…
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