After two years of continuous behind-the-scenes work, Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va), who chairs the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, joined by Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), released S. 4753, the Energy...more
Coal production and mining jobs over the past half-century have been influenced by several factors, principally demand from the utility sector, technological breakthroughs in natural gas production, railroad deregulation, and...more
The Virginia Clean Energy Act, the Botetourt County Battery Power Facility and the Impact on the Commonwealth - The Virginia Clean Energy Act (“VCEA”) mandates that Dominion Energy Virginia and Appalachian Power, the two...more
Power Development Plan VIII ("PDP8") calls for expansions to renewable energy generation and development of LNG facilities to aid a gradual phase-out of coal-fired power plants. The plan will require US$134.7 billion in...more
January 5, 2023: Evolution Markets, a provider of strategic financial and transactional services intended to serve the global environmental and energy markets, was acquired by Xpansiv for an undisclosed amount on January 5,...more
On September 13, McDermott Partners Heather Cooper and Philip Tingle provided a detailed overview of the bonus tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 for projects satisfying low-income thresholds or built-in...more
The Supreme Court ended its 2021 term with a much-anticipated decision in West Virginia v. EPA.1 The 6-to-3 decision held that the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) does not have the authority under Section 111(d) of...more
Blocking funding for gas energy projects in Africa may seem like sensible climate policy. But is it? Although the generally accepted ultimate goal is to replace fossil fuels entirely, there is a strong case for starting by...more
On the same day that Maine's highest court was pondering whether 25 percent of Maine's registered voters will successfully prevent hydropower from Canada from reaching New England, E&E published this prediction of...more
Cap and Trade Gets a Big Win in Pennsylvania. Will It Last? "Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) announced that his administration had finalized a regulation to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a cap-and-trade...more
Two new developments of enormous significance passed under the radar last week, buried by the growing threat of an outright Russia/Ukraine war and governmental encroachment on democracy in Canada. These developments, however,...more
Decarbonising Natural Gas and LNG - Natural gas and liquefied natural gas (“LNG”) have long been hailed as one of the winners of the current energy transition when compared to other fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide (“CO2”)...more
If 2020 was the year of the great energy disconnect, 2021 was the year the people carrying out the energy debate appeared to be living on different planets, floating aimlessly through time and space and never intersecting...more
Russia Chooses Not to Raise Natural Gas Supplies to Europe Despite Putin’s Pledge to Help - "Highly anticipated auction results showed Russia’s state gas giant Gazprom had not booked additional gas transit capacity for...more
Ford Building Massive Electric Vehicle and Battery Plants with $11.4 Billion Investment "Automaker says production hubs will bring 11,000 jobs to Tennessee and Kentucky." Why this is important: Ford Motor Company and...more
China Risks Winter Energy Crunch - "China is at risk of the same energy-crunch chaos seen in Europe, with a state-run newspaper warning that coal-fired power plants will struggle to keep the lights on this winter." ...more
The United States Energy Information Administration (“EIA”) issued a June 9th report (“Report”) titled: Electric Power Sector CO2 Emissions Drop as Generation Mix Shifts from Coal to Natural Gas - EIA states that in...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
Welcome to Volume 5, Issue 11 of Currents. As we begin a new month. I'll remind everyone that we are continually looking to write about different topics... In Shift, Oil Industry Group Backs Federal Price on Carbon - ...more
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf Floats Natural Gas Tax to Pay for $3 Billion Pandemic Recovery Plan - "Long a proponent of an extraction tax, Wolf said it could pay for improvements to workforce training and support, remove...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
Welcome to our first issue of 2021! We have been publishing a weekly edition of Currents since 2017 and hope that you find it informative and helpful. Our goal for 2021 is the same -- provide access to interesting and...more
Looking ahead, here are a few themes I think will play a role in 2021, which are a continuation or evolution of where we’ve been in 2020....more
Welcome to our 46th issue of Currents for 2020. Our Energy Practice Group looked at current energy articles, and we also explain the significance of every article. These issues peaked our interest this week, and we have...more
U.S. Court Suspends Key Permits for Equitrans Mountain Valley Pipeline - "A U.S. federal appeals court issued a stay of key water crossing permits needed to complete construction of Equitrans Midstream Corp’s 300-mile...more