» Land Use & Development

Federal Court’s Dismissal of Buyer’s Fraud Action in Allegedly Contaminated Gas Station Sale Highlights the Need for Land Purchasers to Conduct Independent Environmental Assessments

A Washington federal district court denied purchaser Pyramid Gold, Inc.’s claim that it was misled as to the level of contamination present at the gas station it purchased from BP West Coast Products, LLC. Pyramid Gold agreed to the sale after rece… Read More

Bill Providing Incentives for Renewable Energy Development on Contaminated Sites Advances in Senate

Senator Frank R. Lautenberg has introduced legislation, called the Cleanfields Act of 2010, to provide incentives for the private sector to develop clean energy projects on contaminated sites. In addition, Sen. Lautenberg introduced the Cleanfields I… Read More

Bill Seeks To Promote Landowner Role In Endangered Species Recovery

Under new legislation introduced by Idaho Senator Mike Crapo, recovery efforts for threatened and endangered species would benefit from voluntary contributions from landowners. Crapo, the Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subc… Read More

Utah Authorizes Use of Eminent Domain to Seize Federal Land

On Saturday, March 27, 2010, Utah governor Gary Herbert signed into law a pair of bills authorizing the use of eminent domain to seize some of the federal government’s most valuable land in the state. In Utah, where the U.S. government owns more th… Read More