On September 6th, the Maryland Department of the Environment (“MDE”) officially withdrew the proposed regulations it had previously issued in December 2023, creating statewide Building Energy Performance Standards (“BEPS”)...more
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) is gearing up for a massive regulatory effort aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the residential heating sector and the commercial and industrial...more
The Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) issued a June 7th Order granting a Petition objecting to the issuance of a Clean Air Act Title V Operating Permit (“Permit”) to the Colver Power...more
Montgomery County, Maryland, signed Bill 16-21 into law on May 2, 2022, as an amendment to the County's Building Energy Use Benchmarking Law (Benchmarking Law), Article 6 of Chapter 18A of the Montgomery County Code. Bill...more
The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (“Court”) addressed in a December 17th Decision the issuance of an air permit by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”) to Algonquin Gas...more
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation are a major focus of the recently issued Massachusetts 2050 Decarbonization Roadmap (the Roadmap) and the Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Plan (CECP) for 2030. ...more
At the outset of 2019, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf set a goal for Pennsylvania to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Now, Governor Wolf plans to achieve that goal by taking the bold step to establish a carbon...more
In a move that will have a significant impact on Pennsylvania's power producers, Governor Tom Wolf signed an executive order on October 3rd directing the state's Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) to create...more
State Files Motion to Dismiss Federal Lawsuit by EQT - "Lawyers representing the Secretary of the state Department of Environmental Protection have filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit by the natural gas company EQT over a...more
In an Internal Memo, the White House Considered Whether to Simply 'Ignore' Federal Climate Research - "The document, drafted September 18 by Michael Catanzaro, President Trump's special assistant for domestic energy and...more
Earlier this week, on April 30, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) quietly modified its source determination test that is used to determine whether emissions from nearby and closely related sources should be...more
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) Assistant Administrator William L. Wehrum addressed in an April 30th letter to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection the question of whether: . . . emissions...more
On April 25, 2018 the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) initiated a rulemaking based on a citizen petition to adopt new rules establishing emissions standards and to modify ten existing rules governing...more
WV DEP Waives Clean Water Act Authority Over Atlantic Coast Pipeline - "The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection waived the state's authority under the federal Clean Water Act to determine if another major...more
On August 11, 2017, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) adopted a landmark bundle of regulations for reducing greenhouse gases (GHG). The regulations primarily target carbon dioxide (CO2)...more
Last week, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) promulgated final regulations to ensure that the Commonwealth will meet the 2020 statewide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions limits mandated by the...more
On January 19, 2016, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced a framework for reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas sector in the state. The Governor touted that as the second-largest producer of natural gas in the...more
Energy and Climate Debate - As Washington prepares for snow, energy issues continue to heat up in the second session of the 114th Congress. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Lisa Murkowski (R-AK),...more
Boston Colleges Take Brownfields Tax Credit Fight to Court - Three Boston-area colleges sued the Massachusetts Department of Revenue in August claiming that “clarifying” changes made to the Massachusetts Brownfields Tax...more
On Friday, MassDEP released for public review and comment draft amendments to the CO2 Budget Trading Program regulations. These amendments are designed to implement the changes to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative...more
On January 31, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) finalized revisions to its “GP-5” air quality general permit, which include significantly reduced allowable emission limits. According to PADEP,...more