When Minnesota's Attorney General Keith Ellison announced in June 2020 that his office had filed a climate change lawsuit, the litigation strategy he described was relatively novel for a climate change case. Rather than...more
As most people are aware, various public and private entities have filed lawsuits against fossil fuel producers alleging a variety of claims that seek to enjoin behavior and obtain damages as a result of the defendants’...more
On March 23, 2020, on behalf of its members and U.S. industry, the American Petroleum Institute (“API”) sent a letter to the EPA requesting a temporary waiver of non-essential compliance obligations, including recordkeeping,...more
An Interview with Bill Raney, President of West Virginia Coal Association - Nick Preservati, Co-Chair of Spilman's Energy Practice Group, recently sat down with Bill Raney, President of the West Virginia Coal Association...more
The American Petroleum Institute (“API”) recently announced that Kelly Robbins has been named Executive Director of the Arkansas Petroleum Council (“APC”). As noted in an October 31st post, long-time APC Executive Director...more
Arkansas Petroleum Council (“APC”) Executive Director Tom Parker has announced he will retire December 31st. Tom also serves as the Southern Region Director of the American Petroleum Institute (“API”)....more
On July 7, 2017, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (the D.C. Circuit) vacated portions of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) 2015 rule on the Definition of Solid Waste (the...more
On January 5, 2016, the American Petroleum Institute (API) released its annual State of American Energy 2016 report while emphasizing a need to either amend or repeal EPA’s RFS and a need to promote energy infrastructure...more
On October 30, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) submitted a draft final rule for review to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that would reduce the amount of biofuels that must be...more
In a settlement with the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) and the American Petroleum Institute (API), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) agreed to set renewable fuel obligations for calendar...more
Environmental and Policy Focus - Royal Dutch Shell suspends Arctic drilling indefinitely: Washington Post - Sep 28: Royal Dutch Shell announced early on September 28, 2015 that it will indefinitely suspend its Arctic...more
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act imposed a requirement on the SEC in Section 1504 to promulgate a disclosure rule regarding certain extraction payments involving resource issuers within 270 days of passage or by April...more
In a press release Wednesday, the American Petroleum Institute (“API”) published a first-of-its-kind industry standard for community engagement in shale-rich areas where oil and gas can be extracted using horizontal drilling...more
Everyone is in favor of transparency and anti-corruption – at least, everyone except the occasional despot or dictator. Yet substantial controversy now swirls around the disclosure of the vast sums that governments receive...more
In This Issue: Energy and Climate Debate; Congress; Department of Energy; Department of Interior; Department of State; Environmental Protection Agency; Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; International Trade...more