The Continuing Impact of Coal Ash - Energy Law Insights
Volume 9, Issue 7 Welcome to our seventh issue of Currents 2025. In this issue, we look at the changing tides for coal, the new NEPA procedures, West Virginians desire for lower cost energy, southwestern Virginia's newest...more
In recent years, coal-fired generation has reduced significantly in relation to other energy generation. As recently as 2014, according to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, coal produced 39 percent of electricity...more
After 150 days in office, President Trump has signed executive orders on a pace of more than one per day. An emerging priority of the administration is increasing the use of federal land for resource production. This post...more
President Trump’s energy-focused ambitions will generate work for regulators at all levels of the government....more
On April 9, 2025, President Trump announced a slew of executive actions seeking to bolster the coal industry. One of the three executive orders is directly targeted at procedures to increase coal mining and production, which...more
On April 8 and 9, 2025, President Donald Trump issued five Presidential Actions (four Executive Orders and one Proclamation, collectively “Presidential Actions”) for the purposes of ensuring adequate and reliable energy...more
On April 8, 2025, the President of the United States signed a suite of executive orders designed to extend the aims of the January 31, 2025 Executive Order (“EO”) Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation. The implementation...more
The coal production Executive Order expands upon previous mineral production Executive Order 14241 to (a) designate coal as a critical mineral entitled to federal funding and deregulation and (b) declare its availability and...more
Talks (Koalitionsverhandlungen) between the centre-right CDU/CSU and centre-left SPD to form a new German government concluded in a coalition agreement reached on April 9, 2025. In our previous coverage of the German...more
The president’s actions aim to bolster coal production and exports and coal-fired power generation, highlighting the importance of coal to US economic and national security....more
The executive order calls for the removal of federal regulatory barriers that hinder coal production. This will likely involve significant work to navigate and implement these changes, ensuring compliance while maximizing the...more
The below article is a summary of the Energy-related Executive Orders that have been issued this week by the Administration. Vinson & Elkins will provide a detailed substantive analysis of the Orders for clients in the coming...more
Declares coal essential to U.S. economic and national security, designates it as a critical mineral for energy purposes, and directs agencies to remove regulatory barriers, prioritize coal leasing on federal lands, and...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
Welcome to our first Issue of Currents 2025, our energy e-newsletter. While our energy practice is constantly changing and evolving, we too have expanded our focus for 2025 with some new editors involved with this...more
As U.S. Retreats, China Looks to Back Taliban with Afghan Mining Investments - "While the Taliban takes stock of the natural resources and U.S.-funded infrastructure now at their disposal, strategic competitors including...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
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf Floats Natural Gas Tax to Pay for $3 Billion Pandemic Recovery Plan - "Long a proponent of an extraction tax, Wolf said it could pay for improvements to workforce training and support, remove...more
Welcome to Currents, our weekly publication providing insights to the latest energy news and U.S. EIA statistics. Currents is different from other e-newsletters in that it not only provides current energy articles, but it...more
Manufacturing Holds Key to Recovery of Oil and Gas Markets, Revealed at This Week's ADIPEC Energy Dialogue - "'2008 was much more of a hit to the financial sector and manufacturing. This time it is the reverse. The big...more
Energy Infrastructure Attacks are ‘Probable’: Oil Traders Fear Supply Disruptions in the Middle East - "A dramatic escalation of geopolitical tensions will most likely result in an unplanned oil supply shortage in the...more
Q&A with Vivek Warrier - Vivek Warrier moderated the panel on Gas and LNG in North America at the Oil & Gas Council's recent North American Assembly in Houston. Panel members were...more
Trump's EPA Grants 31 Small Refinery Waivers from Biofuel Laws, Angering Corn Lobby - "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has granted 31 small refinery biofuel waivers for 2018, infuriating the ethanol and corn...more
Trump Eyes Action to Limit States' Powers to Block Pipelines - "The Trump administration is considering taking steps to limit the ability of states to block interstate gas pipelines and other energy projects, according to...more
New York Sues Exxon Mobil, Saying It Deceived Shareholders on Climate Change - "The litigation, which follows more than three years of investigation, represents the most significant legal effort yet to establish that a...more