Business Law Agribusiness Committee

The Agribusiness Committee of the California Lawyers Association Business Law Section will continue its 2019 Agriculture Tour series with a tour of the San Luis Joint-Use Complex located at 31770 Gonzaga Road in Gustine, CA. The Joint-Use Complex serves the State Water Project and the Central Valley Project and includes O’Neill Dam and Forebay, Sisk Dam, San Luis Reservoir, Gianelli Pumping-Generating Plant, Dos Amigos Pumping Plant, and a 103-mile portion of the California Aqueduct. The program is a unique opportunity for practitioners to go behind the scenes at this facility, built by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and operated by the California Department of Water Resources. Read more

The Agribusiness Committee of the California Lawyers Association Business Law Section will continue its 2019 Agriculture Tour series with a Water Tour, to be held at the San Luis Joint-Use Complex near Santa Nella, CA, on Friday September 20, 2019. Read more

July 12, 2019 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) sent its rule to repeal the 2015 Waters of the U.S. (“WOTUS”) Rule to the White House Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) for interagency review. OMB reviews are limited to 90 days with no minimum period for review. The final rule is the first step in the two-step repeal-and-replace process undertaken by the Trump administration. Once the White House interagency review is complete, EPA can formally repeal the 2015 WOTUS Rule and move forward with finalizing its replacement rule. Read more

On Tuesday April 2, 2019, the State Water Resources Control Board adopted a statewide Wetland Definition and Procedures for Discharges of Dredged and Fill Material to Waters of the State. The Procedures consist of four major elements: 1) A wetland definition; 2) A framework for determining if a wetland is a water of the state; 3) Wetland delineation procedures; and 4) An application for dredged or fill activities. Read more

In a consignment distribution model, a third party Warehouse (the consignee) takes possession of goods on behalf of a Vendor (the consignor) for sale to Customers. Title passes directly from the Vendor to the Customer, and the Customer pays the Vendor directly (the Vendor pays the Warehouse a commission). Read more

Agricultural labor, wildfire issues, the future of utilities, water quality, endangered species, and legislative updates were the key topics covered by the legal staff of the California Farm Bureau Federation at its 2019 Ag Issues Update on February 8, 2019. Read more

On Monday December 11, 2018,the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army (Army) proposed a revised definition of “waters of the United States” that clarifies federal authority under the Clean Water Act. Read more