The 28th iteration of the Conference of Parties (COP28) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from Nov. 30–Dec. 12, 2023. The meeting brings together...more
Good evening! This is Akin’s newsletter on climate change policy and regulatory developments, providing information on major climate policy headlines from the past week and forthcoming climate-related events and...more
Good evening! This is Akin’s newsletter on climate change policy and regulatory developments, providing information on major climate policy headlines from the past two weeks and forthcoming climate-related events and...more
Proceedings filed by public interest group Environment Victoria represent the first climate change litigation in Australia to challenge the licence to operate of coal-fired energy producers. A public interest group has filed...more
I prepared this post before Ida. It might now be perceived as cynical, or unsympathetic to the plight of those affected in South Louisiana and the Northeast. Is the intensity of hurricanes exacerbated by global warming? Some...more
The Climate Change Act 2008 requires the UK government to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas ("GHG") emissions by 2050. Progress toward this commitment is to be driven via a series of five-year carbon budgets. The sixth budget,...more
Final Rules regarding Credible Data Program Wave 2 – OAC Chapter 3745-4: Effective March 1, 2021, Ohio EPA Division of Surface Water (DSW) adopted final revisions to the following rules...more
U.S. courts have often relied on the political question doctrine to dismiss climate change actions. The Canadian equivalent of the political question doctrine, justiciability, has recently been considered by Canadian Court in...more
On April 15, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana issued an order with potentially broad-sweeping implications for energy-related projects across the country. ...more
On April 15, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana issued an order that could impact energy and development projects across the United States. The court granted partial summary judgment in favor of...more
God help me, I’m finally writing about climate change. This commentary assiduously avoids the obviously political (we take the view that complaining about and belittling our elected representatives and the permanent...more
The Trump Administration announced a long-awaited proposal to roll back the Obama-era Clean Power Plan late last month. (Chicago Tribune). The action had been promised by the President and his appointees at EPA, who pursued...more
President Trump has promised that his Administration will resolve any continuing debate on climate change. On the front line of the effort, the President’s EPA Administrator, Scott Pruitt, has moved to eliminate climate...more
The scientific community largely accepts that the climate is changing, and that there is a “greater than 95 percent” chance that we are the cause. In late 2015, nations around the world gathered in Paris to attempt to combat...more
While the Trump Administration has taken steps to dismantle or revise many of the Obama Administration’s actions regarding climate change, there are conflicting opinions within the Administration and key businesses about the...more
During his campaign, President-Elect Donald Trump vowed to scrap President Obama's Clean Power Plan (CPP) rule. The CPP is the cornerstone of President Obama's environmental legacy. The rule establishes the first national...more
Energy and Climate Debate - Congress approved today a $1.1 trillion omnibus appropriations and $680 billion tax extenders package (H.R. 2029) and adjourned for the first session of the 114th Congress. Please find below a...more
America’s 10 year energy resurgence exhibits the difficulty of prediction. Unexpected global events, from the persistence of the U.S. fracking revolution to the impact (or lack thereof) of low natural gas prices on the...more
Energy and Climate Debate - Following a busy week for the Obama Administration during which it held several energy and climate events in anticipation of the international climate negotiations at the end of the year in...more
Energy and Climate Debate: Congress returns from the Columbus Day holiday this week to full schedules in both chambers, including several energy and environment hearings of interest. In the meantime, the Obama...more
Signifying a historic shift in U.S. energy policy, the House of Representatives passed legislation on October 9 that would lift the nearly 40-year ban on crude oil exports by a vote of 261 to 159. Twenty-six Democrats joined...more
Energy and Climate Debate - With Congress avoiding a government shutdown by passing a continuing resolution last week, both the House and Senate are in session this week with full schedules, including several energy and...more
Following a raucous debate fueled by intense lobbying by environmental organizations and the oil industry, the California Legislature has approved an ambitious plan by Gov. Jerry Brown (D) to boost targets for renewable...more
Last Friday, September 11, 2015 was the final day for California legislators to pass bills out of the Legislature and on to Governor Jerry Brown for consideration. This year’s crop of bills included something for both sides...more
The Obama Administration’s release of the final Clean Power Plan kicked off a busy second half of the year for climate and energy policy issues. As climate issues increasingly become an important part President Obama’s...more