Between the Lines Blog
When Selling Annuities Becomes Investment Advice: A Guide for Insurance Providers
For insurance companies and agents, the distinction between selling annuities and providing investment advice can blur unexpectedly. When annuity sales involve discussions about a client's securities portfolio or recommendations to liquidate investments to fund purchases, agents may inadvertently…
ANRC Takes Next Step Toward Implementing Arkansas's New Water and Sewer Grant Program
The Arkansas Natural Resources Commission voted unanimously on April 2, 2026, to recommend new finance rules that will govern how millions of dollars in water and sewer infrastructure funding are distributed, and the implications for utilities, municipalities, and water authorities across the state…
Final Rulemaking Package Submitted for California Intervenor and AHB Fairness and Accountability Regulations
April 21, 2026
by Jerry Zimmerman
On April 20, 2026, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara submitted the final rulemaking package for the Intervenor and Administrative Hearing Bureau (AHB) Fairness and Accountability regulations (REG-2025-00006) to the Office of Administrative Law for final review. These regulations…
Trademark Scams: How to Spot Them and Protect Yourself
Trademark scams are on the rise, leading to confusion amongst trademark owners. In fact, in August 2025, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) took the extraordinary step of sanctioning a foreign filing firm and terminating over 52,000 trademark applications and registrations…
Understanding Patient Safety Organizations: A Practical Guide
If you work in the healthcare industry, you have likely heard about Patient Safety Organizations (PSOs) and the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (PSQIA). This article breaks down what these frameworks mean and how they can protect sensitive safety information from disclosure in…
Arkansas Environmental, Energy, and Water Law Blog
Arkansas Permit Streamlining/Expediting Update: Ben Holden (Trinity) and Walter Wright (Mitchell Williams) Arkansas Environmental Federation Air Presentation
Ben Holden and I undertook a presentation at the Arkansas Environmental Federation (“AEF”) Air Seminar titled: Permitting Streamlining Update and Real World Bottlenecks (“Presentation”). Ben Holden, P.E. is a Managing Consultant with Trinity Consultants. Ben addressed “real world bottlenecks”…
The State of Clean Energy Manufacturing in Q1 2026: Environmental Defense Fund Report
The Environmental Defense Fund (“EDF”) released on May 5th a report titled: The State of Clean Energy Manufacturing in Q1 2026 (“Report”). The Report is authored by Tom Taylor and Katherine Shok. The Report analyzes the following: Announced investments and associated jobs for clean energy…
Air/Stormwater Enforcement: Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and Belle Chasse Construction Company Enter into Compliance Order & Notice of Potential Penalty
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (“LDEQ”) and River Construction, Inc. (“RCI”) entered into a March 31st Consolidated Compliance Order & Notice of Potential Penalty (“Order”) addressing alleged violations of the Clean Water Act and Louisiana air regulations. See MM-CN-11-00759. The…
Citizen Suit Enforcement/Clean Air Act: NAACP Seeks Preliminary Injunction for Southaven Mississippi (Colossus 2) Data Center
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (“NAACP”) filed a May 6th Motion for a Preliminary Injunction (“Motion”) in the United States District for the Northern District of Mississippi against xAI Corp. and MZX Tech LLC (collectively, “xAI”) requesting an injunction…
Recycling and Emission Reduction Regulation Enforcement/Clean Air Act: United States Department of Justice and National Grocery Chain Enter into Consent Decree
The United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and the Kroger Co. (“Kroger”) entered into an April 29th Consent Decree (“CD”) in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio addressing alleged violations of Section 608 of the Clean Air Act. Kroger operates a national grocery…