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
Welcome to our third issue of Currents 2025. Again, thank you for reading! Power Plays and Fueling Tension: Trade War Ripples Through North American Energy Markets - President Trump's pursuit of U.S. energy dominance,...more
This advisory provides a high-level overview of executive orders (EOs) and Presidential memoranda related to environment, energy, and natural resources signed by President Trump on Inauguration Day and the days immediately...more
Wyoming’s 67th Legislative Session begins on Jan. 14. The Wyoming Legislature alternates between a 40-day General Session in odd-numbered years and a 20-day Budget Session in even-numbered years. The bodies will hold opening...more
In December 2022, planning permission was granted by the secretary of state for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities ("SoS") to extract coal from a coal mine in Whitehaven, Cumbria, England. The project would have been the...more
A California appellate panel has handed environmental and community groups a legal victory in their decades-long dispute with the Port of Los Angeles over its failure to enforce air pollution controls at China Shipping's...more
An article in Science published last week indicates that the mortality risk from exposure to PM2.5 from coal-fired electric generating units is roughly twice as high as the risk posed by PM2.5 from other sources. According...more
In early August 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a proposed denial of Alabama’s permit program to manage coal combustion residuals (CCR) in landfills and surface impoundments within the state. The...more
Today, the US Environmental Protection Agency released its long-awaited proposal for New Source Performance Standards for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from New, Modified, and Reconstructed Fossil Fuel-Fired Electric Generating...more
With names like “boiler slag” and “bottom ash,” it’s no wonder that anyone who has ever heard of coal ash, or the coal combustion residuals (CCRs) produced from burning coal, assumes they are the basest forms of pollution....more
With an attendance of more than 190 world leaders, the long-awaited twenty-sixth Conference of the Parties (COP26) concluded with agreement on the Glasglow Climate Pact and the Paris Rulebook. Amid mixed views of whether...more
In 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, or the “Agency”) promulgated national regulations governing the disposal of coal ash generated by coal-fired power plants, or coal combustion residuals (CCRs). Following...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
The swearing-in of Michael Regan as EPA Administrator means that open questions on policy, agenda-setting, and prioritization for the Agency will soon be answered. Issues that have risen to the top of the new EPA...more
On June 1, 2020, the Government of Alberta rescinded A Coal Development Policy for Alberta, which was also commonly known as the "1976 Coal Policy". The authors published Alberta to Rescind Coal Development Policy, on the...more
Asia's switch from coal to natural gas is driven by stricter emission standards, low natural gas prices, and more efficient new natural gas turbine technology. The overwhelming consensus seems to be that thermal coal is on...more
JANUARY 2020 - FEDERAL APPELLATE COURTS - U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit - El Paso County, Texas, et al. v. Donald J. Trump, et al. On January 8, 2020, a divided panel of the court quickly granted a...more
Corona-Induced CO2 Emission Reductions are Not Yet Detectable in the Atmosphere - "Based on current data measured in the energy, industry, and mobility sectors, restrictions of social life during the corona pandemic can be...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
ExxonMobil, Partners Discover Carbon Capture Technology for Industrial Sources - "A possible breakthrough in technology that could capture more than 90% of carbon dioxide emitted from industrial sources has been announced...more
Supreme Court Lifts Key Obstacle to Atlantic Coast Pipeline, but More Challenges Remain - "The U.S. Supreme Court has reversed a lower court ruling that held up construction on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which would...more
Two United States Senators, Republican Ted Cruz of Texas and Democrat Jean Shaheen of New Hampshire, introduced legislation last week that would place sanctions on any company attempting to finish laying the pipe needed to...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
On 12/5/19 the California Environmental Justice Alliance, Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife and the Public Advocates Office submitted an application for rehearing and clarification of D.19-02-007. The parties allege that the...more
Earthjustice on behalf of a number of environmental organizations sent a February 7th letter to United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) Administrator Andrew Wheeler styled...more