Construction Law, Environmental Law

D.C. Seeks to Finalize Rules Aimed at Preventing and Eliminating Lead Hazards

by Amy L. Edwards | Holland & Knight LLP on 5/15/2013

For several years, the District of Columbia has been working toward regulations designed to prevent and eliminate lead hazards. It came one step closer on April 26, 2013, when the District's Department of the Environment...more

Vapor Intrusion Developments

by Martin Booher, Maureen Brennan | BakerHostetler on 5/13/2013

Potential buyers and sellers take note — on April 16, 2013, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) issued draft guidance that would require more evaluation of "vapor intrusion" (migration of any hazardous vapors...more

Green Building Update -- May 8, 2013

by Bryan C. Jackson | Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis... on 5/10/2013

Green Building Focus - The ultimate green building eats smog - Bloomberg Businessweek - Apr 26: The Manuel Gea González Hospital in Mexico City has installed a decorative, white facade made from a sophisticated new...more

Industry and Developers Affected by Changes to South Carolina’s General Permit for Stormwater Discharges from Construction...

by James Potter | Nexsen Pruet, PLLC on 5/10/2013

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) has been delegated authority by the EPA to regulate stormwater discharges due to construction activities. An earlier 2006 General Permit is expiring...more

Green Building Update -- May 2, 2013

by Bryan C. Jackson | Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis... on 5/10/2013

Green Building Focus - Revolving loans would quadruple Prop 39 investments: UCLA Newsroom - Apr 18: Proposition 39, the California Clean Energy Jobs Act, passed in 2012. Prop 39 requires businesses operating in...more

Real Estate Tip – Renewable On-Site Power: Who Pays to Charge a Tenant’s Chevy Volt?

by Richard Smith | Bernstein Shur on 5/10/2013

In two previous LEED tips, Part 1 and Part 2, we explored how taking steps that result in LEED certification may yield little if any improvement in energy efficiency. Another efficiency-neutral LEED concern is clean on-site...more

Towards Not Reinventing The CEQA Wheel: Resources Agency Adopts New CEQA Guidelines For Streamlined Review of Urban Infill...

by Arthur F. Coon, Matthew Henderson | Miller Starr Regalia on 5/9/2013

Repetitive CEQA review and analysis is expensive, unnecessary, unproductive, and inimical to the goals of certainty and finality in the environmental review process. In 2011, to address these concerns in the infill...more

New Jersey Takes Emergency Action To Speed Rebuilding after Hurricane Sandy

by Barbara Casey, Ronald Varnum, Harry Weiss | Ballard Spahr LLP on 5/7/2013

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) took emergency action to reduce approval backlogs and to make it easier for those seeking to rebuild in wake of Hurricane Sandy to obtain regulatory approvals by...more

IRS Construction Deadline Guidance Highlights Disparate Treatment of Renewable Energy Technologies

by Charles Henck, Darin Lowder | Ballard Spahr LLP on 5/1/2013

The IRS recently released guidance in the form of an IRS Notice implementing a rule change under the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 concerning the construction deadline that renewable energy facilities must meet to...more

IRS Releases Guidance on Beginning Construction for Production Tax Credit and Investment Tax Credit

by Alan J. Tarr | Loeb & Loeb LLP on 4/30/2013

A qualified facility is eligible to receive a renewable electricity production tax credit (PTC) or energy investment tax credit in lieu of the PTC if construction of the facility begins before January 1, 2014. Qualified...more

Insurance Coverage Issues for Green-Related Building Projects

by Stevi Raab | Sedgwick LLP on 4/30/2013

Kermit the Frog once famously lamented that “it’s not easy being green.” Well, we hate to break it to you, Kermit, but that’s not exactly true anymore. As it turns out, being green is now all the rage, especially in the...more

Earth Matters - April 2013: Recent Decision Highlights Distinction Between Compliance With Multiple Environmental Programs

by Kimberly Barnashuk, Adam Walters | Phillips Lytle LLP on 4/26/2013

A recent New York Court of Appeals decision, Bronx Committee for Toxic Free Schools v. New York City School Construction Authority, 20 N.Y.3d 148 (2012), highlighted the interplay between the compliance process for the State...more

IRS Issues Notice to Determine When Construction Begins for Purposes of Production Tax Credit, Investment Tax Credit

by Gale Chan, Madeline Chiampou, Brian Levy, Martha Groves Pugh, Philip Tingle | McDermott Will & Emery on 4/23/2013

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued important guidance to determine when construction begins with respect to a qualified facility for purposes of the production tax credit and the investment tax credit for certain...more

IRS Releases “Start Construction” Guidance for Renewable Energy Facilities

by Douglas Davidson, Paul Gordon, Kenneth Kulak, Gabriel Quihuis, Richard Shortz, Wayne Song | Morgan Lewis on 4/19/2013

Long-awaited guidance regarding eligibility for production or investment tax credits largely tracks guidance under the Section 1603 cash grant program....more

IRS Guidance on “Beginning of Construction” for ATRA 2012 Tax Credit Extensions

by Pamela Charles | Davis Wright Tremaine LLP on 4/19/2013

The IRS has issued guidance (Notice 2013-29) on satisfying the new “beginning of construction” requirement for the renewable energy production tax credit under Code Section 45 (PTC) and energy investment tax credit under Code...more

IRS Issues Notice on "Beginning of Construction" Requirement for PTC and ITC Purposes

by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati on 4/19/2013

On April 15, 2013, the IRS released Notice 2013-29, which addresses the requirement that construction of a qualified facility must begin before January 1, 2014, in order to be eligible for the renewable electricity production...more

IRS Releases New Guidance on Beginning of Construction

by Ellen Bastier, J. Ferd Convery , III, Arnold Grant | Reed Smith on 4/18/2013

Prior to the enactment of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (the "Act"), the production tax credit (the "PTC") had been scheduled to expire for wind projects that were not placed in service before January 1, 2013, and...more

Amendments to the Regulations Designating Physical Activities

by Brad Gilmour, Cassia Prentice | Bennett Jones LLP on 4/18/2013

On April 12, 2013, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency released its Draft Regulations Amending the Regulations Designating Physical Activities (the Amended Regulations). According to the Regulatory Impact Analysis...more

Energy Alert: IRS Identifies Two "Begun Construction" Standards To Qualify For Two Tax Credit Opportunities

by Allison Woodbury Leppert | Leonard, Street and Deinard on 4/18/2013

The renewable electricity production tax credit and the energy investment tax credit currently offer taxpayers a tax credit for energy produced from qualified facilities. For the PTC, the tax credit covers a ten-year period....more

Have You "Begun Construction"? IRS Issues Guidance for Renewable Energy Tax Credits

by David Cho, Dorothy Black Franzoni, Jonathan Goldman, Amish Shah, Ram Sunkara, William Warren | Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP on 4/17/2013

On April 15, 2013, the Internal Revenue Service ( IRS) issued much - anticipated guidance that will help developers of wind, solar, biomass and certain other renewable energy facilities qualify for federal renewable energy...more

Developers Rejoice! IRS Issues “Begun Construction” Guidance

by John A. Eliason | Foley & Lardner LLP on 4/17/2013

On April 15, 2013, the IRS released Notice 2013-29 addressing the eligibility for certain alternative energy projects to qualify for the renewable electricity production tax credit (PTC) under section 45 of the Tax Code. This...more

"IRS Guidance on the Commencement of Construction Requirements for Tax Credits for Qualified Energy Facilities"

by Armando Gomez, Paul Schockett, Sean Shimamoto | Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP on 4/17/2013

On April 15, 2013, the Internal Revenue Service released Notice 2013-29 (Notice), which established guidelines and a safe harbor to determine when construction has begun on a “qualified facility” for purposes of the renewable...more

Green Building Update -- April 12, 2013

by Bryan C. Jackson | Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis... on 4/15/2013

Green Building Focus: ..Biofuel waste -- a new green building solution - EarthTechling - Green Tech, Green Products & Energy News - Mar 26: Engineers are working on yet another way to deliver more energy...more

EPA Revises Effluent Guidelines and Standards for Construction and Development

by Gregory Braker, Thomas Lingan, Megan Roberts-Satinsky, Margaret Strand, M. Rosewin Sweeney | Venable LLP on 4/11/2013

On April 1, 2013, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed changes to the Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Construction and Development Point Source Category (the Proposed Rule)...more

Certain Residential Developments Exempt from CEQA Review: Greenhouse Gas Emission Issues Do Not Constitute New Information

by William R. Devine | Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis... on 4/9/2013

The recent California appellate court decision in Concerned Dublin Citizens v. City of Dublin, Cal: Court of Appeal, 1st Appellate Dist., 3rd Div. 2013, upheld a City's affirmation that residential developments are exempt...more

Home

Legal News

Find a Lawyer

Browse Subjects

Subscribe

Pro Services

For Reporters

Construction Law › Environmental Law