Are you up-to-date with the new regulations of the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Right-of-Way? The new Bureau of Indian Affairs' Right-of-Way regulations have a considerable impact throughout Indian country, for both tribes and businesses involved in negotiations and economic opportunities on tribal lands. This topic will provide you with an overview of the Bureau of Indian Affairs' New Right-of-Way requirements. The new regulations will be compar...

Understand the application and design components of Horizontal Directional Drilling as it applies to your project. Horizontal Directional Drilling has been associated with numerous utility strikes, cross bores, damage to adjacent infrastructure, overlying settlements, and loss of drill fluid to the surrounding environment. These issues have led to costly catastrophic failures and regulatory noncompliance project shutdowns. However, pipeline, t...

Are you up-to-date with the new regulations of the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Right-of-Way? The new Bureau of Indian Affairs' Right-of-Way regulations have a considerable impact throughout Indian country, for both tribes and businesses involved in negotiations and economic opportunities on tribal lands. This topic will provide you with an overview of the Bureau of Indian Affairs' New Right-of-Way requirements. The new regulations will be compar...

Learn about key issues including keeping trespassers off utility or other easements. This topic will include legal and practical advice on identifying the priorities in land rights and responsibilities regarding easements and rights of way as the dominant estate and as to competing interests with respect thereto. Whether the servient estate holders, other easement holders or other third parties, determining what can, may and can't be done on t...

Learn how to identify and handle the more difficult aspects of storm water permitting and SWPPP development. In 1972, Congress enacted the Clean Water Act, which prohibits industries and other "point sources" from discharging pollutants into surface waters unless they obtain NPDES permits and comply with their provisions. Although in 1972 storm water was not regulated-it was considered the quintessential nonpoint source-by 1990 the act had bee...

Understand the current Clean Air Act landscape and other current regulatory and enforcement efforts at USEPA. Clean Air Act regulations and possible rule changes affect business and commerce all over the country. They also affect the quality of life. Clients want timely and pertinent information to guide their decision making. Lawyers, engineers and consultants need to understand company specific detail, but they also need to know the "big pic...

Get practical advice to avoid common mistakes so that you can prepare useful and legally compliant NEPA documents. Since 1970, the National Environmental Policy Act has been the cornerstone for environmental protection in the United States. To implement NEPA, federal agencies must prepare environmental impact statements or environmental assessments to study the impacts of their proposed actions. Unfortunately, some federal agencies, their cons...

Construction claims are tricky and on public projects they can be even more complex. Owners, contractors, subcontractors and architects who are experienced in private construction contracts can run into trouble when dealing with public works contract claims. This topic will provide persons who work on public works contracts around the country with the fundamental elements of public works claims and will also provide information regarding the...

Become aware of recent sewer innovations and keep your agency or clients ahead of the curve. Many agencies are at a crossroads when they look at their sewer systems. On the one hand, the federal agencies, such as the EPA, are issuing consent decrees for overflows at an accelerating rate; the funds that agencies have are shrinking and much of the experienced staff of these agencies are leaving the work force for a variety of reasons. As sewer s...

Be prepared for specific numeric requirements in storm water permits. For more than two decades, storm water dischargers have complied with permits that impose vague general requirements for implementing best management practices (BMPs). Recently, there has been pressure to include numeric requirements in storm water permits. Numeric requirements would make it easier for agencies and environmental groups to identify which dischargers are viola...