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
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
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
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
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
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
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
While most of the United States was transfixed by the story of a Chinese reconnaissance balloon flying over much of the country, a story involving Communist China with more far-reaching implications was occurring one...more
As with many other industries, the airport industry is rushing to electrify. Nearly every airport conference contains a session on airport electrification. As nearly every commercial service airport in the United States is...more
In a startling turnaround, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he would consider allowing the operator of the State’s one remaining nuclear power plant, located at Diablo Canyon, to petition to keep the facility...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
12/30/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Climate Change ,
Coal ,
Electricity ,
Energy Sector ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Hydropower ,
Keystone XL Pipeline ,
Natural Gas ,
Price Inflation ,
Renewable Energy ,
Russia ,
Severe Weather ,
Ukraine
May 26, 2021 was the day the energy world changed.
On the same day that a Dutch court in The Hague ruled that Royal Dutch Shell could be held liable for climate change and ordered it to reduce its greenhouse gas...more
The geo-political folly that is the Nord Stream 2 pipeline – designed to convey natural gas directly from Russia to Germany in the Baltic Sea – came into sharper focus this week. As work on the highly controversial pipeline...more
On February 3, German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier proclaimed that Germany had exceeded its target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 40% compared to 1990 levels. Despite clearly being aided by the deep economic slump...more
2/11/2021
/ Climate Change ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
EU ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Germany ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
OPEC ,
Pipelines ,
Renewable Energy ,
Russia
When President Biden takes office on January 20, among the many other obstacles, issues and problems that he will need to deal with is an impending polar vortex that meteorologists now predict will descend upon the United...more
1/12/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Climate Change ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Domestic Policy ,
Energy Sector ,
Foreign Policy ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Fracking ,
Infrastructure ,
Interstate Commerce ,
Natural Disasters ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Polar Vortex ,
Renewable Energy ,
Russia
...As the Biden Administration prepares to take office with a platform pledging both to respect science and to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreements, a review of the actual data appears in order.
Starting from a baseline on...more
In the midst of a Coronavirus pandemic, some of the hottest weather in recorded history, and massive wildfires, Californians are now dealing with another huge problem - roving power blackouts. Just when it matters the most,...more
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced last week that he has chosen a site along Delaware Bay in Salem County to become what is being called the New Jersey Wind Port, billed as the first port in the nation to be built...more
Two United States Senators, Republican Ted Cruz of Texas and Democrat Jean Shaheen of New Hampshire, introduced legislation last week that would place sanctions on any company attempting to finish laying the pipe needed to...more
6/11/2020
/ Coal ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Environmental Policies ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Fracking ,
Germany ,
Natural Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Renewable Energy ,
Russia ,
Sanctions
Approximately 30% of all confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States have been reported in the New York City metropolitan area, which is located mainly in southeastern New York state and northeastern New Jersey. Last...more
Oracle founder and billionaire Larry Ellison already owns about 98% of Lanai, a small Hawaiian island with approximately 3,000 residents nine miles from and politically part of Maui. Two weeks ago, the island announced that...more
Pacific Gas and Electric provided its customers in northern California with a glimpse of the future last week. Due to extremely dry conditions coupled with the prospect of strong winds, and cognizant of last year’s massive...more
11/6/2019
/ Chapter 11 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Corporate Restructuring ,
CPUC ,
Energy Sector ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
PG&E ,
Pipelines ,
Renewable Energy ,
Utilities Sector ,
Wildfires
Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) announced this week that it is establishing a microgrid to supply power at the airport, connected to the main electrical power grid in case of emergency but otherwise separate from...more
11/6/2019
/ Airports ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Electronically Stored Information ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Marcellus Shale ,
Microgrids ,
National Security ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
Renewable Energy ,
Solar Panels ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Projects ,
Utilities Sector