The Continuing Impact of Coal Ash - Energy Law Insights
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
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
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
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
Welcome to our first issue of 2021! We have been publishing a weekly edition of Currents since 2017 and hope that you find it informative and helpful. Our goal for 2021 is the same -- provide access to interesting and...more
Welcome to our 46th issue of Currents for 2020. Our Energy Practice Group looked at current energy articles, and we also explain the significance of every article. These issues peaked our interest this week, and we have...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
U.S. Shale Producers Race for Federal Permits Ahead of Presidential Election - "Federal permitting in the largest U.S. oilfield in the Permian Basin, located in Texas and New Mexico, is up 80 percent in about the last three...more
Trump Administration Approves Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for Land Leasing, Oil Drilling - "The Trump administration continues to roll back environmental protections and opening doors for the fossil fuel industry in...more
Top Court Seeks Trump Administration Input on PennEast Pipeline - "The U.S. Supreme Court asked the Trump administration for input on a PennEast Pipeline Co. appeal that aims to jump-start a planned natural-gas line by...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
U.S. Banks Prepare to Seize Energy Assets as Shale Boom Goes Bust - "Major U.S. lenders are preparing to become operators of oil and gas fields across the country for the first time in a generation to avoid losses on loans...more
Energy-Related CO2 Emissions ‘Flatlined’ Last Year, IEA Says, Raising Hopes About Climate - "Global emissions remained at approximately 33 gigatonnes in 2019 despite the world economy growing by 2.9%, the IEA said." ...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