On December 8, 2025, a Massachusetts federal court ruled that the Trump administration’s ban on permit application review for offshore and onshore wind projects was illegal. While the ruling will not necessarily result in the issuance of new permits, it lifts the moratorium on review and processing of applications. In May 2025, a coalition of
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The Release Report #7: Oversight Tiers
This is the seventh in a series of blog posts discussing key features of Connecticut’s new release-based cleanup regulations (the “RBCRs”), R.C.S.A. § 22a-134tt-1 et seq.
Under the Transfer Act, the majority of site remediation efforts are led by licensed environmental professionals (LEPs). For a minority of sites with especially serious contamination, remediation efforts are…
Connecticut DEEP Reissues Stormwater and Pretreatment General Permits
By Emily Deans & Bob Melvin
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has been busy reissuing its suite of general permits (GPs) for wastewater and stormwater discharges. In October, DEEP reissued the Commercial Stormwater General Permit, Industrial Stormwater General Permit, and Pretreatment General Permits for Significant Industrial Users and Non-Significant Industrial Users. Below are highlights of significant changes…
EPA Proposes New Clean Water Act Definition of “Waters of the United States”
By Bob Melvin & Emily Deans
On November 20, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army published their proposed rule to revise the definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act (CWA). Following more than a decade of litigation and WOTUS “repeal and replace” rulemaking, the current administration promotes…
The Release Report #6: Understanding Release Characterization Requirements
This is the sixth in a series of blog posts discussing key features of Connecticut’s new release-based cleanup regulations (the “RBCRs”), R.C.S.A. § 22a-134tt-1 et seq.
The RBCRs require that, following discovery of a release, the “nature and extent of the release must be determined” so an appropriate remediation strategy can be designed and the…
New General Permit for Connecticut Remediation Contractors
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has issued a new general permit for remediation contractors, known as the General Permit to Act as a Contractor to Contain or Remove or Otherwise Mitigate the Effects of Certain Releases (Registered Existing Release Response Contractor) (Remediation GP). This new Remediation GP supplements the well-established…
The Release Report #5: Immediate Actions
This is the fifth in a series of blog posts discussing key features of Connecticut’s new release-based cleanup regulations (the “RBCRs”), R.C.S.A. § 22a-134tt-1 et seq.
The last post in the RBCR series discussed reporting of new releases under Connecticut’s March 2022 spill regulations. This post discusses immediate response actions required for new releases (and…
The Release Report #4: New Releases
This is the fourth in a series of blog posts discussing key features of Connecticut’s new release-based cleanup regulations (the “RBCRs”), R.C.S.A. § 22a-134tt-1 et seq.
The new RBCRs set forth requirements for the characterization, remediation, and closure of both old and new releases. The last few posts in this RBCR overview series have related…
The Release Report #3: Reporting Existing Releases
This is the third in a series of blog posts discussing key features of Connecticut’s new release-based cleanup regulations (the “RBCRs”), R.C.S.A. § 22a-134tt-1 et seq.
After a release has been “discovered” (see last post) the next step under the RBCRs is evaluating if and when that release must be reported. This post, and the…
The Release Report #2: Discovery of an Existing Release
This is the second in a series of blog posts discussing key features of Connecticut’s new release-based cleanup regulations (the “RBCRs”), R.C.S.A. § 22a-134tt-1 et seq.
Under the new RBCRs, the obligation to characterize and, if needed, remediate pre-existing contamination begins with the “discovery” of that contamination by a person who created or is maintaining…