The Supreme Court held a marathon, nearly 3-hour oral argument yesterday, in what could be the most economically-impactful cases this Term: Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump and Trump v. V.O.S. Selections (the “Tariff...more
11/7/2025
/ Constitutional Challenges ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Foreign Policy ,
Imports ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
International Trade ,
Non-Delegation Doctrine ,
Oral Argument ,
Risk Management ,
SCOTUS ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies
On October 23, 2025, Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright, relying on his authority under Section 403 of the Department of Energy Organization Act, directed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (the “Commission” or...more
10/31/2025
/ Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) ,
Data Centers ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Electricity ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Sector ,
FERC ,
Government Agencies ,
Interconnections ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Authority ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Transmission Grid
Participants will hear our panelists discuss the current federal government enforcement landscape in key areas including antitrust, environmental, energy and securities enforcement. Our panel will address current trends and...more
9/29/2025
/ Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Continuing Legal Education ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Sector ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Violations ,
Government Agencies ,
Securities Regulation ,
Securities Violations ,
Trump Administration ,
Webinars
Federal government enforcement continues to pose commercial and reputational risks to companies and individuals that operate in highly regulated environments. Vinson & Elkins is pleased to offer this round-up of recent...more
9/10/2025
/ Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Enforcement ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FERC ,
Government Agencies ,
Price-Fixing ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Risk Management ,
SEC v Jarkesy ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Trump Administration
On September 3, Jason Fleischer, Joyce Adetutu, and Jeffrey Jakubiak will present a CLE program titled “Impact of Tariffs on Energy and Infrastructure.” This session will explore how rising global tariffs—and those proposed...more
As the Trump administration continues to roll out its sweeping tariff policy, the North American energy industry is working to address the effects of the President’s tariff strategy. The Trump administration intends to...more
7/31/2025
/ Canada ,
Clean Energy ,
Energy Sector ,
Imports ,
International Trade ,
Mexico ,
Steel Industry ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies
Since President Donald Trump took office for his second term, the tariff landscape has changed dramatically. Trump is the first US president to exercise his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act...more
7/15/2025
/ CFIUS ,
China ,
Customs ,
Exports ,
Imports ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
International Trade ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Policy ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies
On July 3, 2025, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or the “Commission”), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (“Army Corps”), and the Departments of Energy (“DOE”), Interior (“DOI”), Transportation (“DOT”),...more
7/14/2025
/ Appeals ,
Biden Administration ,
CEQ ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Department of the Interior ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Energy Regulatory Commission ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Review ,
FERC ,
Government Agencies ,
Guidance Documents ,
Judicial Review ,
NEPA ,
Permits ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Rulemaking Process ,
SCOTUS ,
Trump Administration ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
USDA
On June 17, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) published a proposed rule to repeal the amendments to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (“MATS”) adopted by the Biden administration in 2024. These...more
6/18/2025
/ Air Pollution ,
Biden Administration ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Air Act ,
Deregulation ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Power Plants ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Trump Administration
In the first major National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”) case to reach the Supreme Court in almost two decades, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision on May 29, 2025, in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v....more
6/2/2025
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Chevron Deference ,
Environmental Impact Statements ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Government Agencies ,
Infrastructure ,
Judicial Review ,
NEPA ,
Oil & Gas ,
Railroads ,
SCOTUS ,
Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v Eagle County Colorado ,
Statutory Interpretation
On April 8 and 9, 2025, President Donald Trump issued five Presidential Actions (four Executive Orders and one Proclamation, collectively “Presidential Actions”) for the purposes of ensuring adequate and reliable energy...more
On April 8, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order titled “Protecting American Energy From State Overreach” (the “Executive Order”), which directs the United States Attorney General to identify and halt the...more
The below article is a summary of the Energy-related Executive Orders that have been issued this week by the Administration. Vinson & Elkins will provide a detailed substantive analysis of the Orders for clients in the coming...more
For more than twenty years, the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”), and later, the United States‑Mexico-Canada Agreement (“USMCA”), have facilitated cross-border trade and investment among the United States,...more
2/13/2025
/ Canada ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Sector ,
Executive Orders ,
Imports ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
International Trade ,
NAFTA ,
Tariffs ,
Trump Administration ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
US Trade Policies
After little more than a week in office, there is still plenty of speculation, but priorities of the Trump 2.0 Administration are becoming more concrete. Issuance of three energy-focused Executive Orders (Unleashing American...more
1/30/2025
/ Affirmative Action ,
Alaska ,
Climate Change ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Department of the Interior ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Policies ,
Executive Orders ,
FERC ,
Infrastructure ,
NEPA ,
OMB ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Trump Administration
In 2016, a new play called Hamilton was dominating Broadway, Pokémon Go was all the rage, and the Summer Olympics were held in Rio. Also that year, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“Commission” or “FERC”) issued an...more
1/15/2025
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Administrative Procedure Act ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Energy Sector ,
Enforcement ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FERC ,
Government Agencies ,
Judicial Review ,
Natural Gas ,
Penalties ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
SEC v Jarkesy ,
Settlement
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (“FERC” or “Commission”) Office of Enforcement (“Enforcement”) continues to focus on enforcing its duty of candor rules, with a recent action resulting in a $6.6 million civil...more
On October 17, 2024, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or the “Commission”) issued a Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“Supplemental NOPR”) that proposes a reduction to the currently effective index...more
On May 1, 2024, the Council on Environmental Quality (“CEQ”) published the final version of Phase 2 of its National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”) rulemaking (“Phase 2 Rule”). The Phase 2 Rule is the culmination of the...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized a host of new requirements for fossil-fueled power plants, including new source performance standards (“NSPS”) for new and modified coal- and gas-fired plants and...more
The United States electric grid is becoming increasingly stressed as the nation navigates the energy transition and demand for electricity rises. On May 1, 2024, recognizing the stress on the grid and the need for additional...more
On March 19, 2024, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (“NERC”) asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) to approve revisions to NERC’s Rules of Procedure (“ROP”) that would require certain...more
On February 12, 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) released its final rule revising its permit regulations for “take” under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (BGEPA), an overhaul that has been several...more
On November 29, 2023, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in a critically important administrative law case, Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy, No. 22-859. This case carries enormous potential consequences for...more
12/1/2023
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Article II ,
CFTC ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
FERC ,
Jury Trial ,
Oral Argument ,
SCOTUS ,
SEC v Jarkesy ,
Securities Fraud ,
Seventh Amendment
On November 16, 2023, the Department of Energy (“DOE”) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (“NOPR”) that would amend DOE’s regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”) to add a categorical...more