The most recent Maine legislative session produced a slate of new major energy-related legal updates. Ranging from sunsetting and recalibrating net energy billing to overhauling renewable portfolio standards and creating a...more
In this Issue: Fusion, Federal Actions & Other Climate Hot Topics -
Welcome to the June 2025 edition of Climate Law Matters. Foley Hoag continues to monitor the latest legal developments affecting renewable energy,...more
Cyberattacks on U.S. energy infrastructure have been on the rise in 2024. According to the 2024 Thales Data Threat Report, 42% of critical infrastructure companies, including those in the energy sector, suffered data breaches...more
In this Issue: Permitting Reform, the Supreme Court, EV’s, and Climate Week 2024 -
After nearly a decade as New York State’s environmental chief, I recently joined Foley Hoag to help the firm’s clients emerge as global...more
9/19/2024
/ Climate Change ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Electricity ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Reform ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Renewable Energy ,
Utilities Sector
In This Issue: Battery and Energy Storage Systems -
2023 was a banner year for energy storage in the United States. Statistics reported by Wood Mackenzie show that in 2023 alone, energy storage deployment across all...more
6/24/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Batteries ,
Clean Energy ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Electricity ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Energy Storage ,
FERC ,
Mergers ,
Renewable Energy
As part of the Biden Administration’s efforts to align energy cybersecurity efforts across the country, the U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) has funded the release of a set of energy distribution cybersecurity baselines for...more
3/7/2024
/ Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Electricity ,
Energy Reform ,
Energy Sector ,
Incident Response Plans ,
Popular ,
Power Grid ,
Security and Privacy Controls ,
Utilities Sector
On Friday, May 27, 2022, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an order approving ISO-New England’s proposed tariff revisions, which phase out the ISO’s minimum offer price rule (MOPR) by 2024...more
On Wednesday, June 8, Foley Hoag hosted the Energy Bar Association’s (EBA) Northeast Chapter Annual Meeting at the firm’s Boston offices. The event featured three panels, which explored the changing laws, technologies, and...more
6/15/2022
/ Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) ,
Annual Meeting ,
Batteries ,
Energy Sector ,
Energy Storage ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
FERC ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
RTO ,
State Regulators ,
Transmission Planning
On March 24, 2022, the Department of Justice unsealed two indictments charging four Russian government employees in two hacking campaigns that targeted critical infrastructure in the energy sector. We cover these indictments...more
4/22/2022
/ Criminal Prosecution ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Energy Sector ,
FBI ,
Hackers ,
Joe Biden ,
Mitigation ,
Popular ,
Russia
The United States Department of Justice unsealed two indictments in March involving four Russian government employees who have been charged in connection with two separate hacking conspiracies targeting the global energy...more
4/22/2022
/ Criminal Prosecution ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Energy Sector ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Hackers ,
Indictments ,
Joe Biden ,
Russia
The managers of the New England States Committee on Electricity (“NESCOE”) recently released a report (“Report”) to New England’s governors to advance its shared vision for a clean, affordable, and reliable 21st-century...more
It was not a matter of if, but when. On Friday, Colonial Pipeline Company, the largest U.S. fuel pipeline, closed its entire 5,500-mile pipeline system that carries liquid fuels, including gasoline, from the Gulf Coast of...more
5/11/2021
/ Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Emergency Response ,
Energy Sector ,
Information Technology ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Popular ,
Ransomware
According to media reports, ransomware attacks against the manufacturing industry have more than tripled compared with last year. This dramatic rise in cyberattacks poses serious concerns about the vulnerability of critical...more
12/18/2020
/ Bulk Electric System ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Energy Sector ,
Executive Orders ,
Information Technology ,
Manufacturing Facilities ,
Power Grid ,
Ransomware ,
Trump Administration
Editors’ Note: This is the first in our fifth-annual end-of-year series examining important trends in data privacy and cybersecurity in the coming year.
The Growing Threat of Ransomware -
According to media reports,...more
12/17/2020
/ Bulk Electric System ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Energy Sector ,
Executive Orders ,
Information Technology ,
NERC ,
Popular ,
Power Grid ,
Ransomware ,
Trump Administration
On October 6, 2020, the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) released a 2020 Homeland Threat Assessment (“HTA”). According to Acting Secretary Chad F. Wolf, the “first of its kind report” identifies the primary threats...more
The (“FERC” or “Commission”) recently issued an Order approving a request by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (“NERC”) to defer the implementation of several Reliability Standards scheduled to take effect...more
On March 19, 2020, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued its Memorandum on Identification of Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers During COVID-19 Response (“Memo”). The Memo identifies...more
Security experts nationwide warn that the United States should expect serious cyberattacks from Iran in the next few months. The anticipated attacks, retaliation for United States’ killing of Major General Qasem Soleimani,...more
1/15/2020
/ Cyber Attacks ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Cyber Threats ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Energy Sector ,
Foreign Relations ,
Hackers ,
Iran ,
Oil & Gas ,
Power Grid ,
Terrorist Threats
Editors’ Note: This is the second in our fourth-annual end-of-year series examining important trends in data privacy and cybersecurity in the coming year. Our previous entry discussed the CCPA. Up next: a look into how...more
12/17/2019
/ Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Electric Generation Suppliers ,
Energy Sector ,
Hackers ,
Natural Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Popular ,
Power Grid ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Risk Management ,
Utilities Sector
In 2018, privacy and data security crossed a number of thresholds. In the public mind, through high-profile data breaches and revelations about unexpected uses of personal information, questions of privacy became much more...more
4/26/2019
/ Attorney General ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
COPPA ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Energy Sector ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FCC ,
FERC ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
HIPAA Privacy Rule ,
Political Advertising ,
Popular ,
Privacy Concerns ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Earlier this month, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) Chairman Neil Chaterjee testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on issues related to cybersecurity in the energy...more
3/1/2019
/ Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Energy Sector ,
Federal Power Act ,
FERC ,
NERC ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Reporting Requirements
Editors’ Note: This is the first in our third annual end-of-year series examining important trends in data privacy and cybersecurity during the coming year. Up next: comparing data protection regulations aimed at children...more
On September 13, 2018, the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed the trial court’s dismissal of claims that the zero-emission credit (ZEC) program enacted by the Illinois legislature in 2016 violated the U.S....more
On July 19, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or “Commission”), pursuant to its authority under section 215 of the Federal Power Act, issued a final rule directing the North American Electric Reliability...more