- Posts by Jennifer J. Seely
AssociateJennifer Seely is an environmental attorney whose practice spans permitting, compliance, administrative adjudications and litigation. She represents clients on issues related to air quality, water, environmental health and ...
Federal regulation under the Clean Water Act (CWA) continues to evolve rapidly, creating ongoing uncertainty for project planning and permitting. Recent actions—from new executive directives aimed at expediting permits to updated guidance following the Supreme Court’s Sackett v. EPA decision—are reshaping how the meaning of “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) is defined and regulated. At the same time, court decisions are narrowing federal authority in some areas while introducing new complexities in others, including changes to CWA National Pollutant ...
On January 15, 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a proposed rule titled “Updating the Water Quality Certification Regulations” (Proposed Rule). This rule implements changes to the Clean Water Act’s (CWA) Section 401 permitting process. EPA intends to narrow the scope of the States’ certification authority to the application of solely water quality-related conditions which may be applied only to the discharge, not the project as a whole.
This change, among others in the Proposed Rule, will significantly reduce the ability of States or ...
California Water Views provides timely and insightful updates on the water sector in the state. We relay information on how water legislation and policy from the nation’s capital, Sacramento, and around the U.S. affect California’s water utilities, agencies, practitioners, and consumers. We also write about important events, conferences, legal cases, and other key happenings involving all things water in and around California.
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