Turning Points--by Watershed Legal Counsel

Why environmental nonprofits should comment like the record matters On May 29, 2026, the Office of Management and Budget, joined by federal award-making agencies across the federal government, proposed significant revisions to the Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance —the government-wide framework that governs federal grants, cooperative agreements, and other forms of federal financial assistance.  The deadline for submitting comments is July 13, 2026. The proposal is framed as a transparency, accountability, and oversight measure, but its practical effect would be to make federal funding less predictable by giving agencies broader discretion to screen, condition, suspend, or terminate awards based on shifting agency priorities, broadly stated “national interest” concerns, and new restrictions tied to DEI, immigration, and other administration policy priorities. For nonprofits, local governments, universities, and other recipients and subrecipients of federal funds, this is no...

  A practical guide for individuals, businesses, and public entities navigating AI use in legal decision-making Artificial intelligence has become the first stop for a lot of legal questions. I see that firsthand in my practice almost every day. Many clients come to us after they’ve already run an issue through AI. Some have gone further—submitting comments to an administrative agency or even filing things in court based on AI-generated content without involving an attorney or other appropriate expert. Even after we’re retained, we sometimes recognize the hallmarks of AI in client emails responding to draft work we’ve shared. It’s a fair assumption that those drafts are being run through an AI tool to generate comments or revisions before coming back to us. None of that is unusual. And in many cases, it starts from a good instinct—trying to understand the issue and engage more effectively. But it also reflects something I see regularly: people are getting information without alwa...

The recent sewage spill into the Potomac River began with the structural collapse of a 72-inch interceptor sewer line built in the early 1960s — a major trunk line carrying wastewater toward regional treatment facilities. The failure released hundreds of millions of gallons of untreated sewage before emergency bypass pumping could be installed. Response efforts continue, with federal assistance joining local and state crews. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has supported stabilization and site protection. Investigations into the cause remain underway. Even so, public debate has already shifted toward assigning responsibility — with elected officials, river advocates, and commentators pointing fingers across agencies and jurisdictions. At the same time, the utilities and government entities involved have pivoted toward cooperation under established interjurisdictional agreements and defined operational roles. More than simply a news story, this is a case study in how regional system de...