Between the Lines Blog
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…
The Future of FOIA is Here: New Requirements under Acts 505 and 922 of 2025
The Arkansas Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has long been a cornerstone of transparency, ensuring that the public has access to government records and meetings. Acts 505 and 922 of 2025, which took effect on August 5, 2025, significantly amend FOIA to modernize public meeting rules, clarify…
Arkansas Environmental, Energy, and Water Law Blog
Section 401/Clean Water Act: U.S. EPA Issues Proposed Rule Addressing Certification
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced on January 13th a proposed rule addressing the certification process under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act. The proposed rule narrows the Section 401 scope with the EPA stating that it would: … return Clean Water Act (CWA)…
Manure Digesters: Buffalo River Watershed Alliance and other Environmental Organizations Petition for Rulemaking to Deem Such Activities Ineligible for Funds Under the Rural Energy for America Program
The Buffalo River Watershed Alliance and 42 other environmental organizations (collectively, “BRWA”) submitted a Petition to the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Business-Cooperative Service (“RBCS”) styled: PETITION FOR RULEMAKING TO DEEM MANURE DIGESTERS INELIGIBLE FOR FUNDS UNDER…
Transportation/Hazardous Materials: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration Interpretive Letter Addressing Surfactants
The United States Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (“PHMSA”) addressed in a January 7th Interpretive Letter the application of the federal Hazardous Materials Regulations (“HMR”) to the term “surfactant” with respect to the use of “UN2927, Toxic liquid, corrosive, organic…
National Environmental Policy Act/Council on Environmental Quality: Final Rule Issued Removing Implementing Regulations
The White House Council on Environmental Quality (“CEQ”) published a final rule in the Federal Register on January 8th removing its National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”) implementing regulations. See 91 Fed. Reg. 618. CEQ adopted the interim final rule published on February 25, 2025, as the…
Waters of the United States/Clean Water Act: Arkansas Farm Bureau Comments on the U.S. EPA Proposed Rule
The Arkansas Farm Bureau (“ARFB”) submitted January 5th comments to the United States Environmental Protection Agency and United States Corps of Engineers (collectively, “Corps”) on the proposed rule to revise the definition of “Waters of the United States” (“WOTUS”). See Docket…