Federal Government

The Washington state Supreme Court granted last year the Yakama Nation the right to transport goods and services across state lines without taxation. Attorneys and tribal members called it a landmark case for tribal sovereignty, and now the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review it. In 2013, Washington’s Department of Licensing demanded $3.6 million in taxes and…

The Janus v. AFSCME decision by the U.S. Supreme Court denies public sector unions from forcing workers to pay dues. The 5-4 ruling could affect about 10 percent of Alaska’s workforce.

The proposal would eliminate EPA’s ability to preemptively or retroactively veto permits for waste discharge in waterways, restricting the agency’s ability to step in and regulate large projects. Under the Obama administration, EPA used its authority under Section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act to propose restrictions on the Pebble Mine.

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that states may not force public employees to pay agency fees to unions of which they are not a member.

Justice Kennedy is a moderate and a champion for the gay rights movement. President Trump will likely replace him with a staunch conservative, which would fundamentally shift the culture of the court.

The Army Corps of Engineers last fall halted cleanup of fuel-tainted soil near Birch Lake, about 60 miles south of Fairbanks, when workers uncovered buried junk that included barrels with residues of a different contaminant – the banned pesticides DDT and chlordane.