On Wednesday, April 16, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum directed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to order Equinor to “stop work” on its 812 megawatt Empire Wind 1 project just outside of New York Harbor....more
4/21/2025
/ Biden Administration ,
BOEM ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Construction Project ,
Department of the Interior ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Projects ,
Executive Orders ,
Government Agencies ,
Net Zero ,
New York ,
Offshore Wind ,
Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act ,
Permits ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Renewable Energy ,
Secretary of the Interior ,
Stop Work Orders ,
Trump Administration
On February 19, the White House unveiled an interim final rule (IFR) to rescind all National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) implementing regulations that the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has promulgated since 1977....more
2/21/2025
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Audubon Society ,
CEQ ,
Energy Projects ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Review ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Final Rules ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
NEPA ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Trump Administration
On December 5, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit handed the U.S. offshore wind industry a decisive win in its eagerly awaited ruling on the remaining challenges to the Vineyard Wind 1 project’s federal...more
Going into 2024, the Biden Administration was primed to hold four offshore wind lease sales during the one-year window established by the Inflation Reduction Act. But the recent announcement by the Bureau of Ocean Energy...more
On August 14, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) held its long-awaited Central Atlantic lease sale, auctioning leases off Delaware and Virginia to Norwegian energy giant Equinor and utility Dominion Energy...more
On April 30, 2024, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and the U.S. Treasury Department (“Treasury”) published Final Treasury Regulations (T.D. 9993) (the “Final Regulations”) providing guidance relating to the election...more
If the offshore wind industry is going to come close to meeting the Biden Administration’s goal of deploying 15 GW for floating wind by 2035, it’s going to require a lot of turbines spinning in the Gulf of Maine and off a...more
Last week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) jointly finalized a long-awaited overhaul of their offshore wind leasing and permitting regulations, which...more
UPDATE:
A recent lawsuit against Dominion Energy’s approved Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project off the coast of Virginia underscores our prediction in our March 8 QuickStudy that plaintiffs will craft their...more
On March 22, 2024, the IRS issued additional guidance (Notice 2024-30) on the energy communities provision of the Inflation Reduction Act. This latest guidance is narrowly focused on two topics: (1) expanding the “hook” by...more
In the world of offshore wind, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (“BOEM”) Gulf of Mexico region is known for its independent streak. The proposed sale notice (PSN) for its second Gulf of Mexico wind sale in two years...more
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: a group of local residents or businesses opposes a renewable energy project for aesthetic, economic, or ideological reasons. But when filing lawsuits challenging project approvals,...more
On February 12, 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (“USFWS” or “Service”) issued a long-awaited final rule revising its eagle permit program under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (15 U.S.C. 668-668d) (“BGEPA”)....more
On February 13, 2024, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) designated two final Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) for the development of floating offshore wind energy projects off the southern coast of Oregon. This...more
On November 22, 2023, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and the U.S. Treasury Department (“Treasury”) published Proposed Treasury Regulations (REG-132569-17) (the “Proposed Regulations”) providing long-awaited guidance and...more
The Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”) and the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) are steadily churning out guidance on the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act’s (the “IRA”) expanded tax credits for renewable and...more
In an ongoing series related to the Inflation Reduction Act (“IRA”), we have been looking at key provisions of the IRA with the potential to benefit the U.S. offshore wind industry. On April 5, 2023, the IRS issued Notice...more
On April 4, 2023, the Department of Treasury (the “Treasury”) and the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) published Notice 2023-29, Energy Community Bonus Credit Amounts under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (“the Notice”),...more
Texas has long been known for its light-touch regulatory regime, particularly towards the energy industry, but in the current legislative session state lawmakers are considering legislation that would require state permits...more
On November 25, 2022, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the “Service”) published a final rule listing two Distinct Population Segments (“DPSs”) for the lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus, “LEPC”) under the...more
On May 20, 2021, the D.C. Circuit affirmed a U.S. District Court ruling dismissing an appeal brought by the Fisheries Survival Fund, Garden State Seafood Association and seaside municipalities (“Appellants”) challenging the...more
On April 3, 2020, New York State announced the passage of the Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth and Community Benefit Act (“Act”). The Act established a new Office of Renewable Energy Siting (“ORES”) within the NY...more
On January 13, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) released its Final 4(d) Rule for the Northern Long-Eared Bat (Final Rule). The Final Rule greatly expands upon the scope of the interim 4(d) rule that the Service...more
On September 4, 2015, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the misdemeanor convictions of Citgo Petroleum Corporation and Citgo Refining and Chemicals Company, L.P. (collectively Citgo) for “taking” migratory birds in...more
9/16/2015
/ Appeals ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Incidental Take Permits ,
Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Renewable Energy ,
Reversal ,
Strict Liability ,
Takings Clause ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service