Key Points -
In the lead-up to November’s COP26 meeting in Glasgow, the United States has joined much of the rest of the world in its pursuit of a clean-energy economy that reduces emissions and environmental impacts from...more
Late last week, newly confirmed Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Deb Haaland took two major steps to advance the Biden-Harris administration’s climate priorities and accelerate the shift to a clean energy future....more
On Tuesday, March 2, Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee introduced a sweeping climate proposal—the Climate Leadership and Environmental Action for our Nation’s (CLEAN) Future Act—an amended version of...more
In 2014, we wrote about efforts by the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) to require less traditional parties to fund the decommissioning of idle oil and gas wells and related...more
10/1/2019
/ BSEE ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Decommissioned Facilities ,
Deepwater Horizon ,
Department of the Interior ,
Energy Sector ,
Gulf of Mexico ,
Offshore Drilling ,
Oil & Gas ,
Outer Continental Shelf ,
Popular
On June 7, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued updated guidance to “clarify and provide recommendations concerning the implementation of” Section 401 of the Clean Water Act (CWA), which could have...more
6/20/2019
/ Certification Requirements ,
Certifications ,
Clean Water Act ,
Climate Change ,
Coal Industry ,
Department of Environmental Conservation ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
Guidance Update ,
Oil & Gas ,
Section 401 ,
Trump Administration ,
Water Quality
On September 11, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposed rule to amend various provisions of a key Obama-era regulation that sought to reduce methane emissions from oil and natural gas...more
9/13/2018
/ Amended Regulation ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Methane ,
Natural Gas ,
New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Rollbacks
On Tuesday, August 21, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) Rule, a proposal to replace the Clean Power Plan issued in 2015. EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler...more
8/23/2018
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Power Plan ,
Coal-Fired Generation ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
Power Plants ,
Proposed Rules ,
Renewable Energy
On Thursday, August 2, 2018, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) jointly proposed a rule to freeze the fuel...more
8/3/2018
/ Automotive Industry ,
Clean Air Act ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Fuel Standards ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Manufacturers ,
Motor Vehicles ,
NHTSA ,
Oil & Gas ,
Proposed Rules
On July 30, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will host a workshop to engage stakeholders in a discussion surrounding the development of a study of the economic impacts of compliance with the North American...more
7/19/2018
/ Air Pollution ,
Diesel Fuel ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Federal Register ,
Maritime Transport ,
Oil & Gas ,
Operating Costs ,
Pollution Control ,
Ports ,
Shipping ,
Stakeholder Engagement ,
Vessels
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
5/7/2018
/ Air Pollution ,
Clean Air Act ,
Department of Environmental Protection ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Landfills ,
Oil & Gas ,
Permits ,
Separate Entity Rule ,
Source Determination Rule ,
Title V
On April 11, 2018, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issued a Memorandum titled “Guidance on the recent M-Opinion affecting the Migratory Bird Treaty Act” (the “Memorandum”), giving field advice to its enforcement...more
4/23/2018
/ Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act ,
Department of the Interior ,
Endangered Species ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Incidental Take Permits ,
Memorandum of Guidance ,
Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) ,
Oil & Gas ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service
On February 23, 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a prepublication notice to change the Oil and Natural Gas Sector: Emission Standards for New, Reconstructed, and Modified Sources rule (“2016 Rule”). The...more
President Trump’s decision earlier this month to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement—an international, nonbinding agreement to take steps to limit global temperature rise—followed a series of moves at the...more
6/20/2017
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Power Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Commercial Buildings ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Energy Tax Incentives ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
Global Warming ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Hospitals ,
Methane ,
Oil & Gas ,
Paris Agreement ,
Power Plants ,
Renewable Energy ,
Trump Administration ,
Universities
On June 12, 2017, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt announced another extension to the effective date of the Obama-era rule amending federal Risk Management Program (RMP) requirements for...more
This week, President Trump announced his decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, describing it as “disadvantaging the United States” and indicating that the United States will “cease implementation”...more
6/3/2017
/ Climate Change ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Sector ,
Global Warming ,
Investment Funds ,
Oil & Gas ,
Paris Agreement ,
Popular ,
Renewable Energy ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Retaliation ,
Trump Administration
Only months after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) first contacted thousands of oil and gas companies demanding detailed information regarding methane releases from gas production facilities and related equipment, it...more
It looks like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will have its own scary treat for the oil and gas industry this Halloween—an information request under Section 114 of the Clean Air Act designed to help EPA regulate...more
Critics Claim “Intimidation” -
Earlier this month, on September 14, 2016, feuding parties gathered before the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology to address the legitimacy of subpoenas sent to the New York...more
9/28/2016
/ Attorney General ,
Climate Change ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Energy & Climate Debates ,
FBI ,
Fraud ,
Government Investigations ,
Legislative Committees ,
Oil & Gas ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Subpoenas
In response to the April 20, 2010, Deepwater Horizon incident and under the auspices of the United States Department of Interior’s (DOI’s) “Idle Iron Policy,” the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has...more