Friday, April 23, 2021, marked the conclusion of President Biden’s Leaders Summit on Climate. In this post, we note five key takeaways. In the weeks to follow, Akin Gump will publish in-depth analyses on several of these...more
EPA to Phase Down HFC Use in Early Step to Advance Biden-Harris Climate, Environmental Justice Agendas Last week, the Biden-Harris administration took action—with some bipartisan backing from Capitol Hill—to reduce the...more
President Biden’s Leaders Summit on Climate has wrapped up. The event saw world leaders highlighting their countries’ respective climate commitments, calling for collective action, and attending breakout sessions designed to...more
Key Points
- On Earth Day, the Biden-Harris administration announced a new target for the United States to achieve a 50 to 52 percent reduction in economy-wide GHG emissions by 2030, which constitutes the country’s new NDC...more
5/3/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Clean Power Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Electricity ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) ,
NHTSA ,
Paris Agreement ,
Zero-Emission Vehicles
Late last week, newly confirmed Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Deb Haaland took two major steps to advance the Biden-Harris administration’s climate priorities and accelerate the shift to a clean energy future....more
On Earth Day, April 22, President Biden will launch a two-day Leaders Summit on Climate, a key lead-up meeting to this November’s United Nations climate talks in Glasgow. The President invited over 40 world leaders to the...more
In March, House Democrats re-introduced the Climate Leadership and Environmental Action for Our Nation’s (CLEAN) Future Act, a comprehensive climate package that aims to transition virtually every major sector of the U.S....more
Key Points
- On Wednesday, March 10, 2021, the U.S. Senate confirmed Michael Regan as the next EPA Administrator.
- Although Regan and most of the Biden-Harris administration’s other high-level EPA officials have fairly...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) continued to build on its climate and environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda last week. On March 3, the SEC’s Division of Examinations announced the release of its 2021...more
During yesterday’s Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing, President Biden’s nominees for Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), Brenda Mallory, and for Deputy Administrator the...more
3/9/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Clean Air Act ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NEPA ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Working Groups
The Biden administration’s Interagency Working Group on the Social Cost of Greenhouse Gases (the “Working Group”) took its first step to update the costs to society from carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide pollution....more
On Tuesday, March 2, Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee introduced a sweeping climate proposal—the Climate Leadership and Environmental Action for our Nation’s (CLEAN) Future Act—an amended version of...more
The Biden administration has continued its efforts to reverse the previous administration’s approach to climate change, this time relating to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which requires reviews of large...more
Late last week, the Justice Department withdrew nine Trump-era policy and guidance documents that shaped how the Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) enforced environmental law during the past...more
A number of President Biden’s early climate and environmental policies direct federal funding, research and procurement decisions toward infrastructure. In this installment of our series on President Biden’s “Climate Day”...more
The Biden administration’s international climate diplomacy agenda is taking shape. While rejoining the Paris Agreement is the centerpiece, President Biden’s January 27 Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home...more
Last week’s “Climate Day” actions grabbed headlines primarily for how they respond to climate risk through increased federal coordination. Equally important may be the actions the Biden administration took that day to combat...more
As we previewed yesterday morning, January 27 was the Biden administration’s “Climate Day.”
Yesterday’s actions—two executive orders and a presidential memorandum—provided further detail on the President’s roadmap for...more
Wednesday, January 27 is the Biden administration’s first “Climate Day.” We expect the President to issue a bevy of Executive Orders (EO) that will set the tone for his ambitious climate agenda over the next four years. In...more
Shortly after inauguration, President Joseph R. Biden signed an Executive Order (EO) entitled “Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis.” This sweeping Executive Order...more
Key Points
- President Biden’s Day One Executive Order on climate action reconvenes an interagency working group to establish interim and final social costs of three GHGs: carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane.
-...more
1/28/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Climate Change ,
Department of the Interior ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
FERC ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NEPA ,
Net Zero ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Working Groups
Key Points
- President Biden signed an Executive Order to rejoin the Paris Agreement on Day One of his administration.
- This action underscores that climate change is one of President Biden’s highest priorities and...more
With Democrats now in control of both houses of Congress, environmental and climate change issues will play a more prominent role in legislative deliberations in the United States over the next two years, and beyond. The...more