The Ninth Circuit remanded a summary judgment order in a challenge to EPA's approval of Montana's variance request from approved water quality standards adopted under the CWA.

We are in the first phase of a second space age, building on exploration that led to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. The year 2020 witnessed 110 orbital launches. Renewed activity in outer space, and new sources of investment and technology, will magnify and accelerate the potential environmental effects of space activities. Those venturing into or investing in space will need to keep abreast of the current applicable legal framework, and also look for ways to improve the law to address concerns related to pollution, contamination, and debris.