LATEST INSIGHTS

Goldberg Segalla Nationally Recognized For Environmental Litigation By Best Lawyers
General
Posted by:

GS Environmental Law Practice Group Achieves National Ranking from Best Lawyers

We are incredibly proud that our Environmental Law practice group has received national and regional recognition in the 2026 Best Lawyers® Best Law Firms survey, achieving national ranking in the Litigation – Environmental category.

The Best Lawyers® Best Law Firms rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes client and lawyer evaluations, as well as peer reviews from leading attorneys. Clients assess firm practice groups on responsiveness, understanding of business needs, cost effectiveness, civility, and whether they would recommend the firm to …

Continue Reading
steel pipes in crude oil factory
Emerging Issues / New York
Posted by:

How New York State’s Superfund Amendments are Expanding the Use of Environmental Liens

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s recently enacted budget bill for 2025-2026 includes several important changes to the New York State Superfund program.

The Superfund was created to help enforce state hazardous waste regulations and to investigate and remediate contaminated sites. Overall, the amendments clarify the program and strengthen the state’s ability to enforce hazardous waste laws.

Separately, New York’s Navigation Law regulates petroleum discharges and imposes strict liability on petroleum dischargers. This means any person who discharges petroleum, regardless of fault, is liable for all cleanup and …

Continue Reading
New Jersey Flag with blue sky background
New Jersey / PFAS
Posted by:

New Jersey County Challenges Judicial Consent Order in Landmark PFAS Settlement

In a recent development involving the landmark settlement between the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and 3M, a New Jersey county has asked to be excluded from the settlement, stating it intends to pursue its own claims against the company for greater compensation.

The state originally sued 3M and other companies in 2019, alleging decades of discharging hazardous substances, including polychlorinated biphenyls, metals, pesticides, and PFAS. Under the settlement announced in May, 3M would be released from all PFAS-related claims statewide, including those …

Continue Reading
EPA Offices, Washington DC
EPA / PFAS
Posted by:

EPA Proposes Changes to PFAS Reporting Requirements

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Nov. 10 released a proposal aimed at improving the scope of its perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) reporting requirements under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). 

The initial regulation was finalized toward the end of 2023. However, both the Biden and Trump administrations pushed back the initial compliance deadlines set forth in the regulation.

The purpose of the proposal, published in the Federal Register on November 13, is to make the reporting regulations more practical by reducing unnecessary and/or …

Continue Reading
Apartment buildings in NYC
New York / Regulations
Posted by:

NYC Court says NO! to Environmental Reviews that Would Stop the ‘City of YES!’

Despite boasting the largest population in the United States and being one of the most sought-after places to the live on earth, over the last couple of decades New York City has increasingly struggled with a shortage of housing. Restrictive zoning regulations and New Yorkers leery of the prospect of skyscrapers popping up in their outer-borough neighborhoods are primary culprits that have stunted the Big Apple’s growth. Therefore, Mayor Eric Adams’s prioritization of pushing land use and passing zoning reforms to address the costly housing …

Continue Reading
Magnifying glass Search Documents
Regulations
Posted by:

Haunted by the Ghost of Chevron Deference: Ripple Effects from the End of the Chevron Era

You may think you’ve seen the last of Chevron deference, but in the year since SCOTUS pronounced the era of Chevron dead, it has garnered more attention than ever. As a reminder, Chevron deference was overturned in the 2024 Loper Bright case, which held that federal courts may not defer to an agency’s interpretation of an ambiguous statute.[1] In the first six months after Loper Bright was decided, lower courts cited the decision more than 400 times[2], the president cited the decision …

Continue Reading
Construction site of oil pipeline
Pipeline
Posted by:

New York and New Jersey Approve $1B Fracked Natural Gas Pipeline

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) last week approved the required permits for the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline project.

The approval paves the way for the Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Company to build a new, 37-mile addition to the Williams Transco natural fracked gas pipeline system, which runs from Texas through Pennsylvania into parts of Western New York. The new addition will bring gas into New Jersey and downstate New York, including Brooklyn, Queens, …

Continue Reading
Palm trees blowing in the wind and rain as a hurricane approaches a tropical island
Climate Change
Posted by:

Study Shows How Climate Change Fueled Hurricane Melissa

When Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica last week it was one of the strongest recorded hurricanes in the Atlantic at 185 miles per hour. For perspective, Hurricane Gilbert in 1980 tops the record at 190 miles per hour.

A recent study conducted by the Imperial College in London England, using an Imperial College Storm Model called IRIS, found that climate warming increased Hurricane Melissa’s speed by 7 percent and that “it is unlikely that Melissa would have happened without climate change.”

IRIS is a model that …

Continue Reading
Container ships at dock
Emissions
Posted by:

Shipping’s Climate Future on Hold: IMO Vote Delayed to 2026

Member states of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) voted on Oct. 17 to delay the adoption of a comprehensive plan to decarbonize the global shipping industry. The decision came in response to threats of sanctions from the United States, which warned of tariffs, visa restrictions, and port levies against countries supporting the measure.

The IMO has been laying the foundation for climate action in shipping for years. In 2023, it adopted a revised Greenhouse Gas Strategy, setting a goal to reduce net emissions from international …

Continue Reading
US state flag of New York
Climate Change / New York
Posted by:

New York to Invest $26 Million to Address Climate Change and Protect Water Quality

Gov. Kathy Hochul recently announced two grant opportunities totaling $26 million for projects aimed at addressing the impact of climate change and protecting water quality across New York State.

Twenty-four million of these funds will be made available through the Climate Resilient Farming Grant Program (CRF), and the remaining $2 million will be provided through the state’s Ecosystem Based Management Program’s Stream Corridor Management Pilot Program.

Climate Resilient Farming Grant Program

The CRF Program is funded through New York’s Environmental Protection Fund and is also …

Continue Reading