On May 22, 2025, the House passed budget reconciliation legislation referred to as “The One, Big, Beautiful Bill” (the “Bill”). As currently written, the Bill would reshape key aspects of federal energy policy by targeting...more
5/27/2025
/ Budget Reconciliation ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Projects ,
FERC ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Infrastructure ,
Natural Gas ,
NEPA ,
New Legislation ,
Oil & Gas ,
Permits ,
Pipelines ,
Regulatory Reform
After little more than a week in office, there is still plenty of speculation, but priorities of the Trump 2.0 Administration are becoming more concrete. Issuance of three energy-focused Executive Orders (Unleashing American...more
1/30/2025
/ Affirmative Action ,
Alaska ,
Climate Change ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Department of the Interior ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Policies ,
Executive Orders ,
FERC ,
Infrastructure ,
NEPA ,
OMB ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Trump Administration
In 2016, a new play called Hamilton was dominating Broadway, Pokémon Go was all the rage, and the Summer Olympics were held in Rio. Also that year, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“Commission” or “FERC”) issued an...more
1/15/2025
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Administrative Procedure Act ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Energy Sector ,
Enforcement ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FERC ,
Government Agencies ,
Judicial Review ,
Natural Gas ,
Penalties ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
SEC v Jarkesy ,
Settlement
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (“FERC” or “Commission”) Office of Enforcement (“Enforcement”) continues to focus on enforcing its duty of candor rules, with a recent action resulting in a $6.6 million civil...more
On October 17, 2024, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or the “Commission”) issued an Order on Remand (the “Order”) following the D.C. Circuit’s August 2022 decision in MISO Transmission Owners v. FERC,...more
On October 17, 2024, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or the “Commission”) issued a Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“Supplemental NOPR”) that proposes a reduction to the currently effective index...more
On May 13, 2024, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or “Commission”) established “a new foundation” upon which new electric transmission facilities can be planned, paid for, and built. The Commission did so...more
5/17/2024
/ Cost Allocation ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Eminent Domain ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Justice ,
Federal Power Act ,
FERC ,
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) ,
NEPA ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
Transmission Planning
The United States electric grid is becoming increasingly stressed as the nation navigates the energy transition and demand for electricity rises. On May 1, 2024, recognizing the stress on the grid and the need for additional...more
On March 19, 2024, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (“NERC”) asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) to approve revisions to NERC’s Rules of Procedure (“ROP”) that would require certain...more
Bill Scherman is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Vinson & Elkins, serving as co-chair of the firm's Energy Regulatory practice....more
Over the past few years, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or the “Commission”) and the Department of Energy (“DOE”) have proposed many rules to support the Biden Administration’s push to build transmission...more
On November 29, 2023, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in a critically important administrative law case, Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy, No. 22-859. This case carries enormous potential consequences for...more
12/1/2023
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Article II ,
CFTC ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
FERC ,
Jury Trial ,
Oral Argument ,
SCOTUS ,
SEC v Jarkesy ,
Securities Fraud ,
Seventh Amendment
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (“FERC” or “Commission”) October 18, 2023 Open Meeting (the “October Open Meeting”) and October 27, 2023 issuance of rehearing of remand orders for the Texas LNG Brownsville LLC and...more
On October 25, 2023, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit heard the Liquid Energy Pipeline Association’s (“LEPA”) challenge to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (“FERC”) rulings,...more
At the Open Meeting held on September 21, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or “Commission”) approved four of the six Natural Gas Act (“NGA”) certificate orders for interstate natural gas pipelines and...more
In a concerted effort to meet the Biden administration’s aggressive carbon-reduction goals, the Department of Energy (“DOE”) unveiled a pre-publication copy of a forthcoming proposed rule on August 10, 2023, aimed at...more
8/17/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
Carbon Capture and Sequestration ,
Carbon Emissions ,
CEQ ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Impact Statements ,
Federal Power Act ,
FERC ,
NEPA ,
Renewable Energy
On July 27, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or the “Commission”) issued a final rule intended to revolutionize the interconnection process. Among other things, the final rule replaces the prior...more