The climate debate has whipsawed in recent years. Businesses frequently have been caught in the middle, with stakeholders including government regulators, activist investors, consumers, non-governmental organizations, and...more
8/4/2025
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
International Court of Justice (ICJ) ,
Paris Agreement ,
Regulatory Requirements
Right now, much about the world is uncertain. Risks posed by political changes dominate the headlines and also weigh heavily on many decisions made by businesses, their advisors, and their stakeholders....more
4/7/2025
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Executive Orders ,
Government Agencies ,
International Trade ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Management ,
Shareholders ,
Terrorism Funding
A Biden-era US Department of Labor (DOL) Rule permitting consideration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors when choosing investments as a “tiebreaker” was recently upheld by Texas federal Judge Matthew...more
Federal environmental enforcement can be civil, criminal, or both. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced a policy intended to better coordinate its civil and criminal environmental enforcement. The...more
Addressing environmental justice (EJ) issues has been a primary concern for the Biden Administration. Recent developments — one in Chicago and one in Louisiana — show different ways local and state regulators have reacted to...more
Executive branch priorities are clearly set out in agency budget requests. While the amount budgeted generally changes when Congress has its say, the original request provides unique insight into how agencies perceive what...more
3/22/2023
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Budgets ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Clean Air Act ,
Climate Change ,
Compliance ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Infrastructure ,
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) ,
SCOTUS ,
West Virginia v EPA
On New Year’s Eve, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed New York’s “Cumulative Impacts” bill into law, making New York the second state in the nation to require assessment of “cumulative impacts” affecting certain...more
1/4/2023
/ Air Pollution ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Hazardous Waste ,
New York ,
Noise Control Ordinances ,
Permits ,
Pollution Control ,
SEQRA ,
Solid Waste
Businesses work to operate in compliance with relevant laws and generally work to avoid — if possible — scrutiny from regulatory agencies. For many businesses, including those that devote considerable resources to meeting...more
US environmental policy changes tend to occur at a glacial pace, particularly at the federal level. Frustrated with the pace of change, environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and state regulators are increasingly...more
12/12/2022
/ Compliance ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Greenwashing ,
NGOs ,
Petrochemicals ,
Plastics ,
Sustainability ,
Transparency
Securing environmental permits is often big part of operating a business. How the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent focus on environmental justice (EJ) issues might affect that permitting remains something of...more
The US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) and External Civil Rights Compliance Office issued draft guidance (Draft Guidance) on June 2, 2022, outlining how EPA intends to integrate...more