The Legal and Practical Challenges of California's Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation
Nota Bene Episode 101: Catching up with Global Climate Regulation with Nico van Aelstyn
Schoenbrod: SCOTUS Ruling Helps EPA Deal With a "Stupid Statute"
Energy Vision performed an assessment of the health benefits of replacing older diesel trucks with new models fueled by renewable diesel, renewable natural gas, or electricity. The assessment finds that RNG-powered vehicles...more
The Colstrip Power Plant in Montana is now one of the early applicants to the new EPA exemption application process which we have previously discussed here. Specifically, the Colstrip plant has requested a two-year exemption...more
Grants a two-year exemption from the EPA's updated Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule for certain stationary sources, citing the lack of commercially viable emissions-control technology needed to meet the rule’s...more
In what it called “the greatest and most consequential day of deregulation in U.S. history,” the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its most expansive deregulatory initiative to date on March 12, 2025. Through a...more
The new administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin, announced March 12 the agency would be rolling back 31 key environmental provisions that regulate air pollution, water protections, and the energy...more
Port Arthur Community Action Network (PACAN) v. Texas Commission on Environmental Quality et al. (Tex. Feb. 14, 2025) presented the Texas Supreme Court with a unique opportunity to provide defined guideposts to understand...more
The Supreme Court has released its opinion in Ohio v. EPA, a case involving whether the federal government’s “good neighbor” ozone regulations were properly promulgated. This decision impacts the authority of the U.S....more
On April 25, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") finalized four rules to regulate pollution from fossil fuel-fired power plants. EPA's stated goal was to provide a framework on which power plants can rely for...more
On April 25, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) signed four final rules representing multi-media regulation (air, water, waste, climate) for the utility sector. Individually, each rule would have been notable for...more
On July 25, 2023, Representative Ted Lieu and 19 other Democratic lawmakers from the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, requesting that the Department of Justice...more
As Seth Jaffe posted last week, the 9th Circuit recently struck down the City of Berkeley’s first-in-the-nation electrification ordinance that prohibited the installation of gas infrastructure in new buildings, finding the...more
As part of an effort to move towards global carbon neutrality, Canada published its 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan in March of 2022 which focuses on achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Working towards a strong economy...more
On the last day of its 2022 term, the Supreme Court curtailed the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to cut carbon emissions from the nation’s power plants. The court held that the “generation shifting”...more
On March 29, 2022, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, supported by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, tabled Canada’s new 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan (the “Plan”). The Plan describes the existing and new measures...more
On March 5, 2021, the federal government released draft Greenhouse Gas Offset Credit System Regulations (Draft Regulations), providing some clarity as to how federal offsets will be created, tracked and ultimately used to...more
The Natural Resources Defense Council (“NRDC”) and several other consumer environmental groups (collectively “NRDC”) filed a lawsuit against the United States Department of Energy (“DOE”) in the United States District Court...more
- It is apparent that former Vice President Joe Biden’s “clean energy revolution” and climate goals stand in stark contrast with the policies the Trump Administration has pursued during its first term, underscoring the...more
On August 7, Continental AG, one of the world’s largest automotive parts manufacturers, announced that it would cut investment in hydraulic components, such as injectors and high-pressure pumps, to focus on electrified drive...more
The Trump Administration announced a long-awaited proposal to roll back the Obama-era Clean Power Plan late last month. (Chicago Tribune). The action had been promised by the President and his appointees at EPA, who pursued...more
California’s New Solar Building Requirements - On May 9, 2018, the California Energy Commission adopted revisions to the State’s Building Energy Efficiency Standards (“2019 Standards”). There are two basic options for...more
Last month the European Commission continued its drive towards reducing carbon emissions by releasing a low-emission mobility strategy. The strategy identifies key transportation initiatives of the European Commission and...more
Environmental and Policy Focus - CalPERS set to divest from thermal-coal companies: Los Angeles Times - Oct 18: The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) Investment Committee will have a new task at...more
In This Issue: - Climate Action Plan Breathes New Life into Oil & Gas Air Regulations - Major Natural Gas Power Plant Announcement Indicates Different Uses for Marcellus & Utica Shale Gas - Natural Gas Expanding...more
Last week was hazardous air pollutant regulation week at the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. First, as we reported, the Court affirmed EPA’s mercury air toxics rule, determining that EPA need not take cost into account in...more
In June, President Obama directed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to propose standards regulating greenhouse gas emissions (“GHG”) from existing power plants. The requirements would be imposed under Section 111(d) of...more