Artificial intelligence, data centers, carbon removal and zero-emission power may sound like a winning line (plus the Free Space) on a 2024 Buzzword Bingo card. But the concepts have come into dramatic real-world tension as...more
9/12/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Data Centers ,
Electricity ,
Energy Sector ,
Energy Storage ,
Green Energy ,
Infrastructure ,
Innovative Technology ,
Renewable Energy ,
Technology Sector
The subsidence risk in geothermal projects needs to be effectively managed by careful review of site conditions and legal and permitting precedents.
Production of geothermal fluids can lead to subsidence of the land...more
If all goes as planned, solar, wind and other clean energy technologies will help us abandon carbon emissions for good. But many green power sources perform their best only when nature cooperates, so an important (and...more
The energy demands of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are growing significantly, with the Department of Energy (DOE) forecasting a tenfold increase in data center energy demand due to the rise of AI applications and...more
6/11/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Clean Energy ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Energy Sector ,
FERC ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Infrastructure ,
Investment ,
National Security ,
Power Grid ,
Renewable Energy ,
Technology Sector
Hydrogen, solar, wind—and even microwave beams from outer space—are a few of the alternative energies being explored as the world strives to cut the cord on carbon emissions. Recently, advancements in geothermal energy...more
Whether by land, by sea or through human innovation, carbon sequestration is likely coming to (or already happening in) a destination near you. As our planet, overdosed on greenhouse gases, battles climate disasters, a...more
Louisiana is the third state granted authority to permit and regulate Class VI underground injection control (UIC) wells, marking a significant step forward for these projects.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)...more
With the success of the Chandrayaan-3 this August, India became the fourth country to land a spacecraft on the moon. Improved fabrication methods like 3D printing, plus larger-scale production of essential materials for...more
Two major forces are combining to create extraordinary opportunities for infrastructure project participants in the United States. One is the long pent-up demand for overhaul of the nation’s roads, ports, dams and other civil...more
Scientists have long proposed that solar electricity generation in space could be an integral component of the world’s carbon-free future. In the 1970s, a U.S. Navy experiment showed that it might be possible to capture solar...more
The 88th regular session of the Texas Legislature saw an unusually high number of proposed bills with a stated focus of ensuring reliability of the Texas grid and favoring “dispatchable generation” (having output within human...more
6/15/2023
/ Corporate Taxes ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Grants ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
Popular ,
Power Grid ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Renewable Energy ,
Texas
California has tremendous offshore wind resources and ambitious offshore power goals, but the uncertain rules and regimes for development have delayed implementation of projects.
The California Energy Commission (CEC)...more
6/15/2023
/ BOEM ,
Bureau of Safety and Envirnonmental Enforcement ,
California ,
CEQA ,
Clean Energy ,
Coast Guard ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Historic Preservation ,
National Marine Fisheries Service ,
NEPA ,
Offshore Lease ,
Offshore Wind ,
Outer Continental Shelf ,
Renewable Energy ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service ,
Wind Power
It is not every day that the rough-and-tumble “giga” world of mining and mineral refining interacts with the rarefied and metaphysical “nano” realm of quantum physics. The lawyers at Pillsbury and other law firms engaged in...more
As demand increases for low-carbon technologies to power the energy transition, the acquisition of critical materials—so-called given their integral role in the transition of energy activities—is becoming increasingly...more
As the world pursues ambitious net-zero carbon emission goals, demand is soaring for the critical materials required for the technologies leading the energy transition. Lithium may be the most well-known of these inputs due...more
Public-private partnerships are often cited as a key pathway to restoring and enhancing the nation’s infrastructure. They can be challenging arrangements to structure. (As a result of the pandemic, they have even suffered the...more
Texas and Louisiana are stepping up efforts to assume regulatory authority for an emerging wave of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) projects.
Despite carbon sequestration being highly touted as a key tool to mitigate...more
A recent Supreme Court decision declines to apply the ATS to general corporate activity in the United States to reach violations of international law alleged to occur in other countries.
The Alien Tort Statute (ATS) requires...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
12/7/2020
/ Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) Rule ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Water Act ,
Climate Change ,
Coal Industry ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Energy Sector ,
Energy Storage ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
FERC ,
Hydrogen Power ,
Keystone XL Pipeline ,
Methane ,
Natural Gas ,
NEPA ,
Nuclear Power ,
Offshore Wind ,
Oil & Gas ,
Petroleum ,
Renewable Energy ,
Renewable Energy Incentives ,
Solar Energy ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)
Key commercial aspects -
1 Describe, in general terms, the key commercial aspects of the oil sector in your country.
The US oil industry is divided into three sectors:
• upstream (exploration and production);
•...more
6/17/2020
/ Embargo ,
Energy Exploration ,
Energy Storage ,
Exploration and Production Assets ,
Exports ,
Federal Common Law ,
Leases ,
Marketing ,
Natural Resources ,
Nuclear Power ,
Offshore Drilling ,
Oil & Gas ,
Petroleum Refining ,
Renewable Energy ,
Sanctions
The new order provides a pathway for certain industries to open doors sooner than others.
Retailers and other businesses are allowed to resume limited operations....more
The April 29 orders extend the stay-home mandate to May 31 but allow construction and some real estate, childcare and outdoor operations to resume.
Six counties and the City of Berkeley issued orders extending their...more
After COVID-19, every facility will be to some degree a health care facility.
The energy and infrastructure sectors will emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic only with modifications to address the possibility of recurrence....more
4/13/2020
/ Business Closures ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Energy Sector ,
Executive Orders ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Operators of Essential Services ,
Shelter-In-Place ,
Social Distancing ,
State and Local Government
Los Angeles issues sweeping order requiring employees and customers of essential businesses to wear face masks or face coverings.
Employees of certain categories of essential businesses must wear face masks or face...more
By April 4, employees at grocery stores, drug stores, gas stations and other public-facing businesses must wear a face covering, and by April 7, public-facing businesses must establish and post a social distancing and...more