The outbreak of the coronavirus and the measures taken by the Chinese government to contain it have brought production in China as the world's workbench to a complete standstill. Companies that operate in China or purchase such goods are currently facing delivery shortfalls. A similar situation could soon threaten Italy, where the first factory closures have already taken place ...
In response to the impact of COVID-19 and the partial withdrawal of EBA benefits – see our update here – the Cambodian government have issued a number of regulations which are intended to provide some relief to affected businesses in Cambodia. We outline these updates below: Letter 1313 MEF – dated 25 February 2020 Notification no ...
Long considered “emerging contaminants,” per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have now emerged. And water agencies throughout California must take heed. As we last reported, in November 2017, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) added two widely used PFAS compounds to the Proposition 65 list of chemicals known to cause reproductive toxicity: perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) ...
Thailand is at a powerful crossroads in its economic development. After several decades of consistent growth, it is now preparing to finally break through and become a high-income nation. To do this, it is focusing on smart industry. A high-income Thailand is one driven by technological progress, so the government has begun pouring money into robotics and automation ...
Thailand’s future is set to be more connected, technologically advanced and economically prosperous than ever. This being driven by one development in particular: the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) ...
In another step in President Trump's ongoing efforts to relax environmental restrictions impacting economic development, on January 10, 2020, the Council on Environmental Quality published its proposed rulemaking to update its regulations for implementing procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act ("NEPA") ("Proposed Rule"). The deadline for filing comments on the Proposed Rule is March 10, 2020 ...
Below, please find ENSafrica’s Mining Indaba ENSight, covering trends and recent developments impacting South Africa’s mining industry in the coming year; and the controversial issue of artisanal mining in South Africa: South Africa: legislative developments in mining in 2020 and their relation to optimising growth and investment in the digitised mining economy (Lloyd Christie) Calls to decriminalise artisanal mining (interview with Ntsiki-Adonisi Kgame, fi
The Governor's Office of Planning and Research (OPR) has recently issued two technical advisories with helpful California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) guidance on two prominent California land use topics. The first advisory outlines potential CEQA exemptions for immediate-term disaster recovery, with the goal of helping communities and public agencies prepare their climate change adaptation and resilience strategies ...
On 17 January 2020, the Chief Inspector of Mines for the Mine Health and Safety Inspectorate of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy issued new guidelines and guidance notes in the Government Gazette in terms of section 49(6) of the Mine Health and Safety Act, 1996 (the "MHSA"), making these guidelines legally enforceable. These new guidelines and guidance notes must be read and interpreted in conjunction with the MHSA ...
The Minister of the Environment and Forestry (MOEF) has issued Regulation No. P.38/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/7/2019 on The Types of Planned Businesses and/or Activities Plans which Require an Environmental Impact Analysis (Reg 38/2019), which came into effect on 5 September 2019. Reg 38/2019 replaces Regulation No. 05 of 2012 on the same matter ...
On Nov. 20, 2019, United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler signed the Risk Management Program Reconsideration Rule (Reconsideration Rule), which finalized changes to the 2017 Risk Management Program Amendments. The Reconsideration Rule reflects EPA’s reconsideration of its 2017 Amendments based on objections from three petitions and based on its own review. The Reconsideration Rule was effective on Dec ...
With a new year comes changes. And one change is a law tying business license applications to California's water quality laws. Beginning January 1, 2020, Senate Bill 205 will require that certain applicants for either a new business license or a renewal from cities or counties show that they are complying with the federal Clean Water Act and California's Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act ...
Summary of Public Policy and Prior Amendments The Minimum Fuels Storage Public Policy (the “Public Policy”) was released by Mexico’s Ministry of Energy (“SENER”) on December 12, 2017. The objective is to improve energy security in Mexico and ensure adequate energy supply and competitive prices, through the establishment of mandatory minimum fuel inventories and reporting obligations ...
The Danish Regions have proposed a new model for establishing a so-called Treatment Council which is to assess whether the price of treatments and health technology measure up to the effect for the patients. The model will now go out for consultation. The purpose and scope In their proposal, the Danish Regions want to establish a Treatment Council which is to make recommendations regarding the use of medical devices and health technology ...
Recently, in Amgen Inc. v. Hospira, Inc.,[1] the Federal Circuit clarified the limits of the Safe Harbor defense in cases involving patented manufacturing methods. In a case brought in the District of Delaware, Amgen alleged that Hospira infringed several patent claims over methods of manufacturing erythropoietin (EPO), a biologic drug used to treat anemia ...
With an increase in recent years of mass tort litigations and runaway jury verdicts, the scope and complexity of product liability and mass torts litigation continues to expand. The result: product manufacturers face ever-growing potential risk and exposure. While in the past, manufacturers may have viewed products liability litigation as an inherent risk of doing business, the current legal climate has resulted in products liability litigation being far from business as usual ...
This fall, an outbreak of lung illnesses allegedly related to vaping ignited public hysteria and legislative reactions in many states. The vaping and cannabis industries are already paying, and will continue to pay, high reputational and policy costs associated with these events, and the industries should also be aware that the widespread nature of reported injuries could lead to a substantial amount of costly mass tort litigation ...
Amid the noise, vitriol and spectacle, the real debate that we need to have about climate change has been drowned out. In the past few weeks, I have followed with much interest a Swedish child activist’s barely concealed yearning for the Nobel Peace Prize. Sadly, Greta Thunberg, famous for her tirades on climate change, did not win the award, despite her widely watched zero-emission Atlantic crossing in a hydro- and solar-powered yacht to address the UN General Assembly ...
Part 5 of the Environment Bill, contains a number of disparate proposals relating to water – which could have major implications for many. Senior associate Joanne Sear and solicitor Grace Mitchell take a look at some of the key points in the Bill. Water resources planning According to its explanatory notes, the Bill is intended to “improve… water resources planning” and “facilitate… collaborative regional planning” ...
