On June 11, 2025, the US Environmental Protection Agency, under Administrator Lee Zeldin, proposed repealing two key Biden–Harris-era rules targeting greenhouse gas and air toxic emissions from fossil fuel–fired power plants....more
On June 17, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) published a proposed rule to repeal the amendments to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (“MATS”) adopted by the Biden administration in 2024. These...more
The SEC’s mandatory climate disclosure rule remains stayed pending the outcome of the current litigation in the Eighth Circuit. Recently, however, Republican SEC Commissioner Mark Uyeda suggested that the Trump administration...more
In the latest NEPA news, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) published a notice in the Federal Register announcing the withdrawal of its interim guidance on “Consideration of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate...more
Primarily through the issuance of executive orders, the Trump administration has taken a comprehensive approach across departments to promote the production and use of fossil fuels and critical minerals, and withdraw support...more
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it will not hear an appeal from certain major oil and gas companies to dismiss a lawsuit by the city of Honolulu seeking to hold the companies responsible for the impacts of...more
As we enter 2025 with a new president in the White House and Republicans in control of both the House and the Senate, we can look forward to a significant shift in the landscape for oil & gas transactions. The second Trump...more
This client alert provides a brief overview of President Biden’s recent decision to expand the ban on offshore oil and gas leasing, outlining its background, scope, and potential impact on the energy industry. Key...more
The White House announced on Monday that President Joe Biden would ban new offshore oil and gas drilling along most of the U.S. coastline. The order will protect 625 million acres of ocean along America’s Atlantic and Pacific...more
In the early hours of Monday, January 6, 2025, a severe winter storm fell on much of the MidAtlantic region and extended into New England. Forecasters predicted that this would only be the first in a series of significant...more
On January 6, President Biden announced an executive action affecting offshore drilling prior to the end of his term. Biden has issued a decree that will “permanently ban” new offshore oil and gas development in large...more
Good morning! This is Akin’s newsletter on climate change policy and regulatory developments, providing information on major climate policy headlines from the past week and forthcoming climate-related events and hearings...more
Look Ahead to the Week of April 29: Negotiators Reach Compromise on FAA Reauthorization - Both the House and Senate are in session this week. Early Monday morning, congressional negotiators announced they reached a...more
The U.S. Department of Energy recently released the first federal blueprint to decarbonize the building sector, which accounts for over a third of the nation’s planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. This plan, developed by...more
President Biden has repeatedly discussed the need to onshore or re-shore U.S. manufacturing to improve national security and competitiveness. The war in Ukraine and worldwide supply chain issues created by the COVID-19...more
Today, President Biden issued the first veto of his presidency. This action had been heavily telegraphed in advance and was widely expected. Nonetheless, this veto is extraordinarily significant....more
During a pandemic paper purge, I found a corporate newsletter showing me and my boss, George David, then CEO of United Technologies Corporation, at the Earth Technologies Forum admiring a display captioned “Why is UTC a...more
A recently-issued multi-agency report highlights a path for the U.S. government to replace fossil fuel-based jet fuel with renewable sources to address climate change and encourage infrastructure development. The U.S....more
Over the last two weeks, while news coverage in America has been fixated on the FBI’s raid on Donald Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago, and later on the death of Queen Elizabeth II, there have been important news stories not widely...more
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, passed by the Senate on August 7, 2022, includes a number of provisions projected to result in significant investments in domestic energy production and manufacturing, and reduce carbon...more
President Biden is reportedly contemplating the declaration of a “national climate emergency” (NCE). According to his advisors, all options are on the table for the administration as it seeks to meet its ambitious climate...more
Southland air regulators threaten to sue EPA for failure to control federally-regulated emissions sources Bullet - Los Angeles Times - May 10 - The South Coast Air Quality Management District (District), which oversees a...more
The Biden administration will resume federal oil and gas leasing in June with a large reduction in acres available for drilling and a historic royalty rate increase. On April 18, 2022, the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”)...more
The Biden Administration announced on April 12th Executive action to permit year-round sales of E15 motor fuel. The Administration’s decision is described as attempting to: ...more
Yesterday, Sarah Bloom Raskin, who had previously served as a Federal Reserve governor and deputy Treasury secretary during the Obama administration, withdrew her nomination to be the Federal Reserve's vice chair of...more