Recent Developments Blog

By Andrew Cook and Pat Osborne

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has issued a decision that is likely to negatively affect not just the aggregate industry, but other related industries. The Court’s decision broadens Wisconsin towns’ authority to regulate certain types of land uses under the guise of its police powers, rather than through a zoning ordinance, which requires county board approval.

Every year, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) prepares an Annual Energy Outlook which forecasts energy consumption and demand into the future. An “early release” of the 2012 edition of the Annual Energy Outlook projects natural gas will play an increasingly important role.

Citing data from the state of Illinois, the EPA has announced it intends to revise its proposed designation for Kenosha County, and recommend it be designated nonattainment for the 2008 8-hour ozone standard. This decision by the EPA is unwelcome, as nonattainment designations carry with them substantial regulatory and related economic burdens.

The EPA has created a new tool that allows the public to see what data the federal government has on point source discharges into the nation’s waters. The Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) Pollutant Loading Tool allows for easy searching and mapping of water pollution by local area, watershed, company, industry sector, and pollutant.