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
The methodology outlines a three-step approach for obtaining credits: retirement of coal-fired power plants, generation of replacement renewable electricity, and assurance of a just transition....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
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division have filed a Statement of Interest (SOI) supporting a lawsuit brought by a coalition of Republican states alleging that three large...more
President Trump’s energy-focused ambitions will generate work for regulators at all levels of the government....more
President Donald Trump's April 8, 2025, proclamation extends the compliance deadline for the EPA's Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) by two years, from July 8, 2027 to July 8, 2029, asserting national security concerns...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
On March 12, 2025, EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (“OECA”) issued a memo outlining new national enforcement and compliance initiatives (“NECIs”). ...more
On Tuesday, February 11, 2025, Senate President Pro Tempore Bill Reineke (R-Tiffin) unveiled the Senate’s energy legislation, S.B. 2. As expected, there are similarities to H.B. 15, introduced by Rep. Roy Klopfenstein...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
In the environmental space, 2024 has been a memorable year with regulatory efforts and court decisions touching on every aspect of environmental and energy regulation, capped out by a closely divided election....more
On May 30, 2024, the Government of Indonesia (the "GOI") enacted Government Regulation No. 25 of 2024 ("GR 25/2024"), amending Government Regulation No. 96 of 2021 on the Implementation of Mineral and Coal Mining Activities...more
The IRS released additional guidance on June 7, 2024, in the form of Notice 2024-48 (Notice) regarding the energy community bonus credit under Sections 45, 48, 45Y and 48E of the Internal Revenue Code. The Notice follows...more
On April 25, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a set of rules aimed at cutting air, water, and land pollution from fossil fuel-fired plants. The rules would require existing coal-fired and new gas-fired...more
Solar Powered Generation Sees Significant Growth while Some Solar Energy is Increasingly Blocked from Production - Our Currents focus article this month is on developments in the growth of solar electric power generation...more