On June 11, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") announced a proposed rule to repeal key amendments to the 2024 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards ("MATS") for coal- and oil-fired electric utility steam...more
6/23/2025
/ Air Pollution ,
Clean Air Act ,
Coal Industry ,
Comment Period ,
Deregulation ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Infrastructure ,
MATS ,
Mercury ,
National Emissions Standards ,
Oil & Gas ,
Power Plants ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Toxic Exposure ,
Trump Administration ,
Utilities Sector
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
President Trump issued Executive Order ("EO") 14270 to reform the regulatory framework governing energy production through sunset provisions on all existing and future energy regulation....more
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
On March 12, 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") issued a flurry of press releases announcing its plan to rollback dozens of Biden-era, as well as earlier, environmental regulations. This historic move is part...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
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
February 2019 In Short The Situation: The definition of "waters of the United States" in the Clean Water Act ("CWA") circumscribes the jurisdictional authority of the federal government under the Act. This impacts not just...more
3/6/2019
/ Clean Water Act ,
Comment Period ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Jurisdiction ,
Navigable Waters ,
Oil & Gas ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Proposed Rules ,
Trump Administration ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
Waters of the United States ,
Wetlands
Outlined in an Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") proposal published on August 31, 2018, the Affordable Clean Energy ("ACE") rule would replace the Obama Administration's Clean Power Plan ("CPP"). A 60-day public comment...more
9/18/2018
/ Biomass ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Energy ,
Clean Power Plan ,
Coal Industry ,
Comment Period ,
Electricity ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
MATS ,
Oil & Gas ,
Power Plants ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Renewable Energy ,
Trump Administration
On June 1, 2017, President Trump announced that the "United States will cease all implementation" of the Paris Climate Accord. This Commentary provides a short summary of the impacts of President Trump's announcement....more
6/8/2017
/ Clean Power Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Coal ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
International Relations ,
Paris Agreement ,
Private Sector ,
Renewable Energy ,
State and Local Government ,
Trump Administration
The Trump Administration has signaled its intent to pull the plug on two rules issued by the U.S. Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management ("BLM") in 2015 and 2016. Legal and legislative developments over the next...more
3/25/2017
/ Abeyance ,
Administrative Procedure Act ,
Appeals ,
Bureau of Land Management ,
Congressional Authority ,
Federal Land ,
Fracking ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Methane ,
Pending Legislation ,
Rescission ,
Tribal Lands ,
Trump Administration ,
Waste