Between the Lines Blog
Service Animals in Arkansas Schools: What Every Administrator Should Know - Part Two
In a prior installment of this blog post we outlined the law that all Arkansas school administrators should know about service animals. Now we turn to a slightly less clear issue that comes up quite frequently: the difference between service animals and emotional support animals. The Mitchell…
Service Animals in Arkansas Schools: What Every Administrator Should Know (Part 1)
Navigating the ADA, Reasonable Accommodations, and Safety in Practice If you’ve ever had a parent or visitor arrive at your school event with a dog, you’ve probably found yourself asking: What are my legal responsibilities? What questions am I allowed to ask? How do I balance access, safety, and…
National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Fall 2025 Meeting Summary
The Mitchell Williams Insurance Regulatory team of lawyers recently attended the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Fall 2025 National Meeting which was held in Hollywood, FL. This summary highlights issues that various NAIC groups addressed. What You Need to Know: …
Storage Tank Enforcement: Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Proposed Order/Assessment Addressing Ashland Facility
December 9, 2025
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (“TDEC”) issued a November 5th Order and Assessment (“Order”) to Brockton USA, LLC (“BU”) addressing alleged violations of the Tennessee Underground Storage Tank (“UST”) regulations. See Case No. UST25-0111. The Order provides that BU is a…
Federal Government Poised to Amend Definition of Short-Term, Limited-Duration Insurance … (Again)
On August 7, 2025, the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury (collectively “the Departments”) released a statement that they intend to undertake notice-and-comment rulemaking to reconsider the 2024 amendments to the federal regulatory definition of short-term…
Arkansas Environmental, Energy, and Water Law Blog
Post-Consumer E-Cigarettes/RCRA: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Interpretive Letter Addressing Potential Application of the Household Hazardous Waste Exemption
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) in a January 7th Interpretive Letter addressed whether: … the Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) exemption apply to post-consumer e-cigarettes throughout the entire collection and recycling supply chain. EPA was responding to a September 4…
Citizen Suit Enforcement/Clean Water Act: Alabama Department of Environmental Management/Environmental Organizations and Gadsden Wastewater Facility Enter into Settlement Agreement
The Alabama Department of Environmental Management along with 4 environmental organizations entered into a January 22nd Settlement Agreement (“SA”) with the Water Works and Sewer Board of the City of Gadsden, Alabama (“Gadsden”). See Civil Action No. CV-22-900009.00. The 4 environmental…
Air Enforcement: Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment -Division of Environmental Quality and Bono Petroleum Storage Tank Terminal Operator Enter into Consent Administrative Order
The Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment -Division of Environmental Quality (“ADEQ”) and Murphy Oil USA, Inc. (“Murphy Oil”) entered into a December 9th Consent Administrative Order (“CAO”) addressing a violation of an Air Permit. See Case #: SD-25-0008. The CAO provides that Murphy Oil…
Section 401/Clean Water Act: Arkansas/Louisiana/Mississippi/Wyoming Attorneys General Comments Addressing U.S. EPA Proposed Certification Rule
The Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Wyoming Attorneys General (collectively, “AG”) submitted February 17th comments to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) on the federal agency’s proposed rule addressing the certification process under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act…
Hearing Protector Fit Testing/Ensuring Appropriate Noise Protection at Work: Occupational Safety and Health Administration Bulletin
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) issued a Safety and Health Information Bulletin titled: Hearing Protector Fit Testing: Ensuring Appropriate Noise Protection at Work (“Bulletin”). See SHIB 02-17-2026. The Bulletin addresses hearing protector fit testing (“HPFT”) which…