This week, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released their respective reports on potential areas of regulatory reform. The reports were spurred by President Trump’s March 28...more
On May 22, 2017, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt announced the formation of the Superfund Task Force. During his short time at EPA, Administrator Pruitt has emphasized the need to “streamline...more
On March 28, 2017, President Trump made good on his campaign promise to take action to repeal President Obama’s climate agenda, including the Clean Power Plan (CPP). In his “Executive Order on Promoting Energy Independence...more
As Inauguration Day approaches, energy and environmental issues will take center stage with this week’s confirmation hearings for the heads of the Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of the Interior and the...more
When President-elect Trump is sworn into office on January 20, 2017, he will bring a new administration and new priorities to the White House. This transition gives any company with business before the federal government an...more
The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is one of many policies facing an uncertain future as power changes hands in the federal government. While it’s impossible to know exactly what to expect from President-Elect Trump and the...more
After several years of work, Congress passed the bipartisan Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act – more commonly referred to as the TSCA Modernization Act of 2015 – and President Obama is expected to...more
The largest overhaul to the nation’s aging water infrastructure in decades is making progress in the Senate. On April 28, 2016, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved a $9 billion update to the Water...more
The President has unveiled his fiscal year 2017 budget request for the federal government. The figures are ambitious in the way that only a president in his last term would propose, and the budget includes numerous funding...more
In a 5-4 vote, the United States Supreme Court stayed the implementation of the Clean Power Plan (CPP) through the ultimate Supreme Court determination on the merits, assuming the inevitable writ of certiorari from the D.C....more
Earlier than expected, the Senate is considering a highly anticipated bipartisan energy bill this week. The first broad package of energy legislation in over a decade, the bill proposes many adjustments to current energy...more
Last month, the White House released its fall Unified Agenda, which provides a look at the various regulations being developed by each agency and where each is in the rulemaking process. In the energy and environment space,...more
1/7/2016
/ Barack Obama ,
Clean Power Plan ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
MSHA ,
Oil & Gas ,
PHMSA ,
Pipelines
In December 2015, Congress passed the first major transportation infrastructure bill in over a decade, covering a large range of infrastructure projects and ensuring funding for the next five years. One section of the bill...more
The Clean Power Plan final rule, proposed Federal Plan and carbon pollution standards for new, modified and reconstructed (existing) power plants were published in the Federal Register on October 23, 2015 — weeks after its...more
In an updated rule released October 1, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set tighter limits on ozone – a compound regarded as a precursor to smog. In setting the new standard at 70 parts per billion (ppb) for...more
On September 29, 2015, EPA issued a final rule to regulate emissions from petroleum refineries in the United States. The rule requires monitoring for specific compounds that are emitted as part of the refining process of...more
The WOTUS rule is concerning to many industry sectors because it would significantly expand Clean Water Act (CWA) jurisdiction for the agencies. In particular, the rule would extend jurisdiction to broad definitions of...more
On August 18, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the first-ever proposal aimed at regulating methane emissions, as well as volatile organic compounds (VOC), from the oil and gas industry. EPA is...more
On August 3, 2015, President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a new set of final regulations aimed at reducing carbon output from power plants. The sweeping new Clean Power Plan (CPP) sets limits...more
8/14/2015
/ Barack Obama ,
Chevron Deference ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Power Plan ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
MATS ,
Power Plants ,
Renewable Energy ,
SCOTUS ,
SIP ,
Solar Energy ,
Tax Credits ,
Wind Power
On June 29, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered another warning to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) against overstepping its statutory authority under the Clean Air Act. In Michigan v. Environmental Protection...more
On May 29, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its long-awaited proposed volume obligations for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for 2014, 2015 and 2016, as well as volume obligations for...more
On Thursday, May 27, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers released the final rule defining “waters of the United States” (WOTUS), which the agencies have renamed the Clean Water...more
On November 21, 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it would further delay finalizing the 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volumetric blending requirements until 2015. This announcement put the...more
On June 23, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down the first decision to place limitations on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) authority to regulate greenhouse gases (GHG) under the Clean Air Act. In the...more
On June 2, 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a draft of its proposed rule that will, for the first time, limit carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions at existing fossil-fuel fired electric utility generating...more