On June 11, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") issued a proposed rule to repeal all greenhouse gas ("GHG") emissions standards for fossil fuel-fired electric generating units ("EGUs") under § 111 of the...more
6/20/2025
/ Clean Air Act ,
Comment Period ,
Deregulation ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Infrastructure ,
Power Plants ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements
Trump Paves Way for Coal Renaissance and Targets State Climate Change Efforts -
In early April, President Trump issued several presidential actions to revive the coal industry, including rolling back environmental...more
6/19/2025
/ Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Congressional Review Act ,
Deregulation ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Projects ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Policies ,
EU ,
Executive Orders ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Infrastructure ,
NEPA ,
Oil & Gas ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Trump Administration ,
UK ,
Zero-Emission Vehicles
The National Environmental Protection Act ("NEPA") requires that federal agencies assess the environmental effects of their proposed actions prior to making final decisions, including decisions on issuing federal permits,...more
6/17/2025
/ CEQ ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Projects ,
Environmental Impact Statements ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Review ,
Executive Orders ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Government Agencies ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Infrastructure ,
NEPA ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Reform ,
SCOTUS ,
Trump Administration
On May 29, 2025, a virtual public workshop held by the California Air Resources Board ("CARB") offered direction on how it interprets certain elements of California's climate disclosure laws. While CARB has a July 1, 2025,...more
6/5/2025
/ California ,
Cap-and-Trade ,
CARB ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Policies ,
Filing Requirements ,
Government Agencies ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Infrastructure ,
Proposed Rules ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Rulemaking Process ,
State and Local Government
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") announced it would reconsider the 2024 Risk Management Program ("RMP") rule....more
4/1/2025
/ Biden Administration ,
Deregulation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Infrastructure ,
National Security ,
Oil & Gas ,
Popular ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Trump Administration
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") announced an agenda to revisit numerous regulations addressing the emission of greenhouse gases ("GHGs")....more
REDD+ stands for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, with the "+" representing the additional focus on conservation, sustainable management, and forest carbon stock enhancement. Originally formalized...more
The Biden administration's rule requiring the payment of a fee for methane emissions has effectively been rescinded, although, for now at least, the statutory provision imposing the fee remains in effect along with other...more
3/18/2025
/ Biden Administration ,
Clean Air Act ,
Climate Change ,
Deregulation ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Joint Resolutions ,
Methane ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Trump Administration
On March 4, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its decision in City & County of San Francisco v. Environmental Protection Agency and clarified the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ("EPA") and state...more
3/13/2025
/ California ,
City and County of San Francisco v Environmental Protection Agency ,
Clean Water Act ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
NPDES ,
Permits ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Authority ,
Regulatory Reform ,
San Francisco ,
SCOTUS ,
Statutory Interpretation
President Trump concluded that the integrity and expansion of the energy infrastructure of the United States is an immediate priority for the nation's economic and national security....more
On December 26, 2024, New York enacted a law requiring certain energy companies to contribute cumulatively $75 billion to a climate "superfund" over the next 25 years....more
1/10/2025
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Air Act ,
Climate Change ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
New Legislation ,
New York ,
Oil & Gas ,
Regulatory Reform ,
State and Local Government ,
Superfund
New ESG regulations are expected to have a significant impact on disclosure and governance obligations for EU and non-EU companies alike, including extensive sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements on...more
12/11/2024
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Coal Mines ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Hague Convention ,
Infrastructure ,
Pollution Control ,
Shell Oil
In November 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") released its National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution, a comprehensive plan with the goal of eliminating the release of plastic waste into the...more
REGULATORY ISSUES & UPDATES -
Update on Australia's New Climate-Related Financial Disclosure Regime -
Australia's mandatory climate-related financial disclosure regime is inching closer to implementation after the proposed...more
9/23/2024
/ Clean Air Act ,
Clean Energy ,
Climate Change ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Greenwashing ,
Popular ,
Tax Credits
The California legislature continues to press forward with the implementation of two of the state's sweeping climate disclosure laws after a proposal to delay the implementation dates by the governor failed to be considered...more
There are three offshore wind farms operational in the United States today: the Block Island Wind Farm, which commenced operation in 2016; the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, which became operational in 2020; and most...more
Vermont passed a first-of-its-kind law requiring energy companies to pay for part of the damages from extreme weather events, but the law likely will face legal challenges....more
6/10/2024
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Liability ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Infrastructure ,
National Emissions Standards ,
New Legislation ,
New Regulations ,
Oil & Gas ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Severe Weather ,
Superfund ,
Vermont
The Situation: The United States Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") was required to overhaul the greenhouse gas reporting requirements for the petroleum and natural gas industry by the Inflation Reduction Act ("IRA") in...more
On April 25, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") finalized four rules to regulate pollution from fossil fuel-fired power plants. EPA's stated goal was to provide a framework on which power plants can rely for...more
On April 19, 2024, EPA announced its highly anticipated final rule designating two polyfluoroalkyl substances ("PFAS")—perfluorooctanoic acid ("PFOA") and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid ("PFOS")—as "hazardous substances" under...more
4/22/2024
/ CERCLA ,
Contamination ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Final Rules ,
Groundwater ,
Hazardous Substances ,
PFAS ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Superfund ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Toxic Exposure
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") finalized the strictest-ever emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles. On March 29, 2024, EPA announced new emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles for model years 2027...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") announced new stringent emissions standards for automobiles, which the Biden administration has deemed the "strongest-ever vehicle pollution standards" in U.S. history....more
On January 12, 2024, the EPA announced a proposed new rule entitled Waste Emissions Charge for Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems (the "Proposed Rule"). As required by Congress pursuant to the Inflation Reduction Act ("IRA"),...more
3/13/2024
/ Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Infrastructure ,
Methane ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Waste Disposal
On February 8, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") proposed two regulations that would add nine per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances ("PFAS") to the list of Resource Conservation and Recovery Act ("RCRA")...more
2/15/2024
/ CERCLA ,
Contamination ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Hazardous Waste ,
New Rules ,
PFAS ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Health ,
RCRA ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Toxic Chemicals
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") has proposed regulations for calculating methane emissions fees required beginning this year under the Inflation Reduction Act ("IRA"). Section 136 of the Clean Air Act (added...more
2/6/2024
/ Clean Air Act ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Fees ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Liquid Natural Gas ,
Methane ,
National Emissions Standards ,
Natural Gas ,
Pollution Control ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
U.S. Treasury