On December 4, 2017, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) amended its National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The rule reduces the primary annual standard for PM2.5 from 15.0 to 12.0 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3). DNR was required to promulgate this rule to be consistent with the U.S. EPA NAAQS for PM2.5, published in January, 2013. The DNR rule is scheduled to be effective January 1, 2018, and will be submitted to the EPA as a revision to the Wisconsin state implementation plan.

Husch Blackwell is proud to be a sponsor of Milwaukee Startup Week 2017. This series of events showcases the entrepreneurial spirit of Southeast Wisconsin and provides opportunities for startups to showcase their ideas, network with fellow innovators, and attend workshops with business, marketing, and legal experts. Husch Blackwell is sponsoring the Startup Showcase by Startup Milwaukee event on November 7, 2017. The showcase will provide local entrepreneurs the opportunity to present their products and services at the City Lights Brewing Company. Additionally, Husch Blackwell will have attorneys present on legal issues that affect startups during the Launch Conference on November 9, 2017, and other events throughout the week.

A Wisconsin employer recently made headlines when it announced that it was offering its employees the option to be outfitted with a microchip to replace the cards or badges they use regularly while at work. The company, called Three Square Market, held a “chip party” on August 1 during which 41 out of its 85 employees opted to have the small chip implanted in their hand. Although the purpose of this RFID chip is limited to office functions such as making purchases in the break room market, logging into computers and printers, and accessing the building, one cannot help but think about the implications this type of technology could have on employee privacy.

April 1, 2016
New Developments
Second Circuit Upholds Dismissal of Asbestos Defendant for Lack of Personal Jurisdiction
By David Dean

In February 2016, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld dismissal of an out-of-state corporate defendant for lack of personal jurisdiction in an asbestos case, Brown v. Lockheed Martin Corp., No. 14-4083