As discussed in our earlier Client Alerts, California recently passed several laws requiring certain climate-related corporate disclosures, including, for example, regarding emissions and climate-related financial risk. As...more
As we enter 2024, we once again review the most significant legislation, policy changes and regulatory actions with respect to climate change taken by California in the past year. In contrast to 2022, which brought a revamp...more
COP28 - December 6, 2023 Recap - Today’s COP28 theme – Multilevel Action, Urbanization and Built Environment/Transport – saw the hosting of a Ministerial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change and the release of the...more
This alert looks at developments in environmental law that were at the forefront in 2022; the trend is expected to continue into 2023 as the Biden administration continues to act on its regulatory initiatives in the energy...more
Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday unveiled a 2023 state budget proposal that includes significant cuts to climate investments due to an estimated budget gap of $22.5 billion for the 2023-2024 fiscal year....more
Congress has injected yet another wave of stimulus funding as the Biden Administration attempts to shape the future of America’s infrastructure. On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed into law House Bill 5376, known as...more
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) curtailed the agency’s authority to regulate emissions from power plants through rules shifting electricity generation from...more
After years of attempts with varying success to regulate methane emissions from new oil and gas wells, the Biden administration has shifted strategy in proposing a regulatory program covering both new and existing oil and...more
In the upcoming weeks, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) is expected to release a proposed rule that would greatly expand methane regulations for the oil and gas sector. While EPA has previously issued regulations...more
On May 20, 2021, President Biden issued an Executive Order on Climate-Related Financial Risks (the “Executive Order”), which we have summarized here. The Executive Order broadly addresses Federal climate policy, including the...more
On January 19, 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia struck down the Affordable Clean Energy (“ACE”) rule. The Court issued a 185-page opinion (download here) within which it ultimately determined...more
The United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (“Court”) addressed whether a guidance document issued by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) constituted final agency action for purposes of...more
Last year, we reported on EPA’s decision to allow the expiration of a moratorium on the 2016 Obama Climate Action Plan rule and guidelines seeking to reduce landfill methane emissions (“Methane Rule and Guidelines”)....more
Municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills receive non-hazardous waste from residential properties, commercial businesses, and institutions. When MSW is placed in a lined landfill and covered, it decomposes and emits a gas into...more
President Trump is spearheading a government-wide roll back of Obama Era climate initiatives. The president and his EPA Administrator, Scott Pruitt, have delivered a one-two punch. They both have denied the impact of human...more
ENVIRONMENTAL & ENERGY POLICY - With an incoming administration promising substantial changes to current energy and environmental policies, regulated businesses are closely monitoring and evaluating what 2017 will bring. A...more
Section 111 of the Clean Air Act (CAA) requires EPA to issue New Source Performance Standards (NSPSs) for certain source categories of air pollutants. These NSPSs set threshold limits on emissions of certain pollutants...more
Time to Pay More: EPA Increases Maximum Civil Penalties - Remember the days when the maximum civil penalty EPA could assess for a violation of environmental law was $25,000 per day? Those days disappeared 26 years ago...more
Synopsis: EPA’s recent finding paves the way for the Agency to develop standards regulating greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft. Businesses in the commercial jet manufacturing and aviation transportation industry should...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA” or “Agency”) continues its enforcement focus on commercial refrigerant leaks from major retailers, keeping with the Agency’s goals of reducing leaks of ozone depleting...more
The Obama administration took two major steps in implementing its comprehensive climate change strategy this month, setting first-ever methane emissions standards for new, reconstructed and modified sources and simultaneously...more
The EPA is moving forward with the second stage of the Climate Action Plan – regulation of methane emissions from the oil and gas industry. Even while the first stage in President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, the Clean Power...more
In this edition of Seyfarth Shaw’s Energy Insights Newsletter our Energy and Clean Technologies team covers important developments in Q3 2015 for the energy industry including 1) the latest initiatives from the Environmental...more
EPA Releases TSCA Assessment Documents For Flame Retardant Chemicals: On August 18, 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released for public comment three Problem Formulation and Initial Assessment documents...more
Draft New Source Performance Standards to Reduce Methane and VOC Emissions - The oil and gas sector is the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) latest target regarding the reduction of GHG emissions. The White House...more