The Continuing Impact of Coal Ash - Energy Law Insights
Key Takeaways - - Pursuant to President Trump’s executive order seeking to maximize the secretary of energy’s emergency authority under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, the secretary’s two new orders have halted the...more
What is the Hydrogen Hubbub? Hydrogen is seen by many as the fuel of the future, a substance that can provide heat through combustion, or electrical power from fuel cells, emitting only water in the process. Its potential...more
FERC Warned Renewables Planning Can Strand Grid Assets - "But at a FERC technical conference, others highlighted a potential risk for overbuilding and the cost it could incur for consumers." Why this is important: It's...more
Coal Power to Increase for First Time Since 2014, US Says - "The amount of electricity produced by coal plants is expected to tick up 22% in 2021, reversing coal’s six-year downward trend." Why this is important: For...more
Gas Stations Run Dry as Pipeline Races to Recover From Hacking - "Gas stations along the U.S. East Coast are beginning to run out of fuel as North America’s biggest petroleum pipeline races to recover from a paralyzing...more
Shot Heard Across Texas: San Antonio Gets a Temporary Restraining Order Against ERCOT - "CPS Energy, the municipal electric utility serving San Antonio and the surrounding area, has won the first skirmish against the...more
Overview of the current energy mix, and the place in the market of different energy sources - Due in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. total energy consumption in 2020 is on pace to decline for a second straight...more
Mountain Valley Says Natural Gas Pipeline Timing Depends on Litigation, U.S. Approvals - “'As the litigation process progresses and as we receive additional information from FERC regarding potentially releasing the...more
More Federal Permits Handed Down as MVP Presses FERC for Construction Restart - "The Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC told FERC that it has received a series of key federal waterbody crossing permits, bolstering its case to...more
Exxon Mobil: Doubling Down While Facing Peak Oil Demand - "With most competitors pivoting away from upstream growth, Exxon continues to press ahead with investments despite very challenging current price environment for...more
Fossil Fuels Still Supply 84 Percent of World Energy — and Other Eye Openers from BP’s Annual Review - "China was responsible for three quarters of the world’s energy consumption growth, followed by India and Indonesia....more
Industry Expert Insights - We reached out to a well-known expert in Mexico in the energy and legal industries to get his thoughts on the current energy climate. Juan Serra is a partner in the Mexico City office of...more
FERC Proposes to Modernize PURPA Regulations - "The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission proposed to modernize its regulations governing small power producers and cogenerators under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies...more
Trump Signs Orders to Speed Up Oil and Gas Pipeline Construction - "President Trump signed two executive orders that he says will speed up construction of pipelines and other projects to enhance the production and...more
Over view of the current energy mix, and the place in the market of different energy sources - Oil and gas - The U.S. mainly relies on petroleum and natural gas fossil fuels for two-thirds of its primary energy needs....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
Coal - Lobbying: ‘America First’ or coal first? LNG groups want to know - The Trump administration has proposed a plan to aid the declining domestic coal and nuclear power industries by keeping ailing generators...more
Activists Have a New Strategy to Block Gas Pipelines: State's Rights - "It already has worked in New York where construction on the Constitution Pipeline has stalled. Now activists are trying the strategy in Oregon." ...more
Russian Hackers Penetrated Networks of U.S. Electric Utilities - "Russian hackers gained access to the networks of U.S. electric utilities last year, which could have allowed them to cause blackouts, according to federal...more
EPA declines to write new rule for toxic spills - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has formally announced that new regulation is not needed to limit spills of toxic waste into waterways. ...more
Coal - Rio exits coal industry in $4B worth of deals - Rio Tinto Group has agreed to several deals worth over $4 billion to sell all of its remaining coal assets, with a $1.7 billion cash sale of coal assets to...more
Ohio Supreme Court Joins Texas and Oklahoma in Holding the State Does Not Recognize a Separate Implied Covenant to Explore Further - "We conclude that Ohio does not recognize an 'implied covenant to explore further'...more
In an order issued Monday, January 8, 2018, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission unanimously terminated the rulemaking proceeding it previously initiated in response to a directive issued last fall by U.S. Department of...more
Trump Delivers a Mixed Message on His National Security Approach - "In another shift from his predecessor, Mr. Trump's strategy does not recognize the changing climate as a threat to national security. The document instead...more
EPA to Restrict Scientific Advisers Who Get Agency Grants - "Pruitt did not say how restrictive the policy would be. But it has the potential to greatly reduce the body of expert scientists who could serve on the boards...more