During recent Senate hearings pertaining to energy and appointment made by the Biden administration to the United States Department of Energy, some of the most interesting questions have been asked by Senator John Kennedy of...more
7/1/2024
/ Biden Administration ,
Climate Change ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Infrastructure ,
Minerals ,
Natural Gas ,
Nuclear Power ,
Permits ,
Pipelines ,
STEM ,
Transmission Grid
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, it lost access to many world markets, including much of Europe. Countries like Germany, which for years had relied on Russian gas and oil, now turned sharply away and sought to...more
Like her or hate her, it was impossible to ignore Greta Thunberg. The Swedish teenager (she's now 21) burst on the world scene in 2018 as a leader for dramatic climate activism. "How dare you!" she demanded of the United...more
Over the last few weeks, numerous articles have appeared touting the residue in wastewater that had been used in hydraulic fracturing operations as a potential source of lithium. (Source 1) (Source 2) (Source 3). Lithium, of...more
Along with the incessant calls of “from the river to the sea...,” one refrain that is heard often among pro-Palestinian protesters at college encampments is this expressed by Barnard college student Maria Grosso, who wants...more
6/20/2024
/ Child Labor ,
Cobalt ,
Democratic Republic of Congo ,
Energy Sector ,
Foreign Policy ,
Fracking ,
Israel/Palestine ,
Lithium Batteries ,
Military Conflict ,
Renewable Energy ,
Wastewater
Ever since strongman Hugo Chavez assumed power in Venezuela in 1999 and began moving the country toward an authoritarian, socialist model, the collapse of the economy has been offset by income generated from the presence of...more
Since Israel killed Iran Revolutionary Guard Commander General Mohammed Reza Zahedi and six others in Damascus, Syria on April 2, Iran has sworn that it will retaliate harshly against Israel. Israeli soldiers have had their...more
On January 8, 2024, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed into law P.L. 2023, c. 243 (A4125/ S2712). With certain industry exceptions not presently relevant (for example, oil refineries and petroleum terminals), and...more
One wild card of the Middle East equation has been Hezbollah, the Iranian-inspired Shiite terror group /political party in Lebanon. Considered the most fully armed non-state actor in the world, Hezbollah possesses an arsenal...more
Amid much fanfare, in 2022, the City of Palo Alto, California, home to Stanford University, amended its building code to require that every new building within its borders be all electric. This followed the lead of the City...more
Late last year the Internal Revenue Service released Publication 5884 (“Inflation Reduction Act and CHIPS Act of 2022 Pre-Filing Registration Tool User Guide and Instructions”), which provides instructions to taxpayers...more
Over 50 years ago, on October 6, 1973, the Arab armies of Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel during Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.
Almost exactly 50 years later, on October 7, 2023,...more
The Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service continue to issue guidance regarding the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA), which modified and extended the clean energy investment tax credit (ITC) under...more
12/13/2023
/ Airports ,
Clean Energy ,
Energy Projects ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
Investment Tax Credits ,
IRS ,
Microgrids ,
NPRM ,
Renewable Energy ,
Solar Energy ,
Tax Incentives ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Wind Power
Two recent studies show that, by the end of 2023, United States carbon emissions will decrease, despite an expansion in the overall economy of about 2.5 percent. That is, according to the United States Energy Information...more
12/1/2023
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Coal Industry ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Policies ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Natural Gas ,
Paris Agreement ,
Renewable Energy
Generation Z, the current group of young adults, Millennials, their most immediate elders, and to an increasing extent Generation Alpha, their youngest siblings, have sometimes been accused of having much shorter attention...more
Since he took office in 2018, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has been a strong supporter of renewable energy, and an ardent opponent of natural gas development. One of Murphy’s cornerstone projects has been a massive bet on...more
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took a strong, uncompromising pro-Hamas stance in the latter’s military conflict with Israel last week. In so doing, he torpedoed any potential in the near future for possible joint...more
On August 29, 2023, the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released proposed regulations implementing the Prevailing Wage and Registered Apprenticeship provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act...more
The right-wing government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin (Binyamin) Netanyahu and the left-wing government of US President Joseph Biden do not often see eye-to-eye on many issues, but both curiously have in common a...more
Shortly after an important bridge on Interstate 95 just north of downtown Philadelphia collapsed on June 11, 2023, shutting down the entire highway in that area due to a disastrous truck fire on the street below,...more
As noted in a previous Legal Alert, the United States Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service issued guidance in June pertaining to the “Direct Payment Option” available for tax credits under the Inflation...more
On May 31 the Internal Revenue Service issued its second round of guidance for those entities wishing to obtain tax credits from clean energy projects as part of the $10B program contained within the Inflation Reduction Act...more
The explosion and fire of a tanker truck just north of Center City Philadelphia, leading to the collapse of sections of Interstate 95, one of the most heavily traveled roads in the United States and the chief highway...more
Earlier this week, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals handed down a very important ruling concerning the regulation of the use of both natural gas and appliances that use natural gas.
In California Restaurant Association...more
Numerous reports indicate that the United States Department of Environmental Protection (EPA) is preparing to issue new federal emissions standards for light-duty vehicles that would force the number of electric vehicles sold...more
4/12/2023
/ Airports ,
Biden Administration ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Electricity ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Infrastructure ,
National Emissions Standards ,
Power Grid ,
Power Outages ,
Renewable Energy ,
Transportation Industry