Good afternoon! This is Akin’s newsletter on climate change policy and regulatory developments, providing information on major climate policy headlines from the past week and forthcoming climate-related events and hearings...more
On Thursday, March 21, 2024, the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a full committee hearing to question President Biden’s three nominees to serve as Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or...more
On March 21, 2024, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or the Commission) issued its Compensation for Reactive Power Within the Standard Power Factor Range Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which proposes to prohibit...more
On February 29, 2024, President Joe Biden nominated three individuals to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or the Commission): Judy W. Chang (Democrat), David Rosner (Democrat) and Lindsay S. See (Republican). As...more
On February 9, 2024, it was reported that Commissioner Allison Clements will not seek a second term on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) following the expiration of her first term in June of this...more
On Tuesday, February 13, 2024, in Bohan v. FERC, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Circuit) for the second time affirmed a lower court’s finding that property owners could not bring a...more
On January 26, 2024, the Biden-Harris Administration announced that it would place a temporary “pause” on pending decisions to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) to countries with which the United States has not entered into...more
2/2/2024
/ Bilateral Investment Treaties ,
Climate Change ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Energy Policy Act ,
Energy Projects ,
Environmental Impact Statements ,
Exports ,
FERC ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Liquid Natural Gas ,
NAFTA ,
NEPA ,
Public Interest ,
Shareholders ,
WTO
2023 saw two megadeals in the oil & gas industry that have led to calls from environmental interest groups for the FTC to intervene despite a lack of obvious antitrust issues. Whether the FTC will sue to block the deals...more
The past 12 months have been some of the trickiest to navigate for oil & gas companies in recent memory. Despite high energy prices and record cashflows, there is still uncertainty about what future paths to growth might look...more
12/21/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Capital Raising ,
Energy Sector ,
FERC ,
Financing ,
Investment ,
Mergers ,
Oil & Gas ,
Private Equity ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Renewable Energy
On October 19, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or the Commission) proposed changes to the method of collection and data being collected in its Electric Quarterly Reports (EQRs).1 Specifically, FERC...more
On October 19, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) directed the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) to submit new or modified Reliability Standards that address the impacts of...more
On October 23, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an order that will permit Trailblazer Pipeline Company LLC (Trailblazer) to convert its approximately 400-mile-long natural gas pipeline system to...more
On October 27, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or the Commission) issued orders on two liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal projects sponsored by Rio Grande LNG, LLC (Rio Grande) and Texas LNG...more
On October 25, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an order1 that extended the deadline for electric transmission providers to comply with its Order No. 2023, “Improvements to Generator...more
On September 21, 2023, during the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) September open meeting, Acting FERC Chairman Willie Phillips committed to scheduling a vote on pending rehearing petitions related to two...more
On September 6, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC or the “Commission”) Order No. 2023, “Improvements to Generator Interconnection Procedures and Agreements” (the “Final Rule”), was published in the...more
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or the “Commission”) recently issued Order Nos. 896 and 897 (collectively, the “Reliability Orders”), which are two final rules designed to bolster electric grid reliability...more
In Fore River Residents Against the Compressor Station v. FERC,
decided on July 21, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ended long-running litigation over the Federal Energy Regulatory...more
On July 3, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or the Commission) issued an order confirming a more aggressive posture towards scrutinizing the ability of investors to exercise control over public utilities...more
Effective July 1, 2023, oil and liquids pipelines regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and charging so-called “index” rates will be able to increase their rates by over 13 percent. FERC announced this...more
On May 4, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing titled “Hearing to Conduct Oversight of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.” This alert provides a high-level summary of the discussion....more
Energy industry watchers are waiting to see whether environmental or industry groups will appeal a pair of decisions issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on April 21, 2023, that addressed the impacts of...more
For the fourth straight meeting of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the fourth since Willie L. Phillips was appointed its acting Chair, an order aimed at improving the reliability of the nation’s electric...more
Overview -
On March 6, 2023, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (FPISC) Executive Director released a Memorandum...more
On February 16, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or the “Commission”) issued an order approving two new extreme cold weather reliability standards for generation resources proposed by the North American...more