After nearly a decade of work, on September 19, 2019, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) endorsed its much anticipated Tropical Forest Standard (TFS). The TFS is a first-of-its-kind framework for assessing jurisdiction-scale offset credit programs that reduce emissions from tropical deforestation and degradation. It is widely expected to serve as a replicable
September 2019
European Parliamentary Research Service issues a briefing paper on implementing EU’s ethical guidelines on AI
On 19 September 2019, the European Parliamentary Research Service (“EPRS”)—the European Parliament’s in-house research service—released a briefing paper that summarizes the current status of the EU’s approach to developing a regulatory framework for ethical AI. Although not a policymaking body, the EPRS can provide useful insights into the direction of EU policy on an issue.…
Expanded Conditional Approval Draft Guidance Issued
On September 26, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) issued a draft guidance explaining the criteria it plans to apply when granting “expanded conditional approval” to new animal drugs not intended for minor uses or minor species that address a serious or life-threatening disease or condition or fill an…
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Proposed Changes to State and Tribal Certification Authority under Clean Water Act Section 401
Companies seeking approval for pipelines got some encouraging news from a Trump Administration proposal to cut back on states’ authority to block pipelines by withholding state water quality approvals, but environmentalists and states continue to express skepticism and are likely to sue. On August 22, the EPA proposed its Updating Regulations on Water Quality Certification…
Suspension & Debarment Update: SBA to Sharpen Suspension & Debarment Procedures
Changes are coming to the suspension and debarment practices of the Small Business Administration (SBA), and contractors should ready themselves for an uptick in suspension and debarment activity as a result. That’s the takeaway from a new audit report released last week by the SBA’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) criticizing aspects of the…
Suspension & Debarment Update: SBA to Sharpen Suspension & Debarment Procedures
Changes are coming to the suspension and debarment practices of the Small Business Administration (SBA), and contractors should ready themselves for an uptick in suspension and debarment activity as a result. That’s the takeaway from a new audit report released last week by the SBA’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) criticizing aspects of the…
GDPR’s right to be forgotten limited to EU websites
On September 24, 2019, the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) adopted a decision on the geographical scope of the right to erasure under the GDPR (decision available here). The court decided, in line with the opinion of Advocate General Szpunar, that a US-based search engine does not have to remove (de-reference)…
Old Conflicts, New Technologies
In 2016 the United States Special Operations Command (“USSOCOM”) witnessed a technological development of grave significance for the future of global conflict. According to the then-Commanding General of USSOCOM, Americans had to contend with armed enemy aircraft during the Battle of Mosul.
The United Kingdom at the height of its powers in the 19th century…
Italian Supervisory Authority approves Code of Conduct under the GDPR
On September 12, 2019, the Italian Supervisory Authority (“Garante”) approved a code of conduct for consumer credit agencies (the “Code”), pursuant to Art. 40 GDPR (see here in Italian).
The Code already existed prior to the GDPR, but it had to be amended to meet the requirements of the GDPR and be approved by the…
Top 10 Questions During Ideation of Digital Health Solutions
Our clients increasingly apply agile product and business development methodologies when they are developing digital health solutions. “Ideation” is the part of that process and involves the rapid identification and creation of ideas for digital health solutions, which are then prototyped and tested. Covington has created a Top 10 Questions for Ideation of Digital Health…