Recent raging winter storms have caved in streets, wrecked piers, collapsed homes and apartment buildings, and submerged property up and down California’s coastline. As sea levels continue to rise from climate change,...more
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced more than $325 million in funding for 21 projects aimed at addressing environmental and climate justice issues in disadvantaged communities. This funding...more
On April 25, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) signed four final rules representing multi-media regulation (air, water, waste, climate) for the utility sector. Individually, each rule would have been notable for...more
In this week’s edition, we discuss the ever-increasing focus on greenwashing by way of enforcement action taken by regulatory authorities and incoming legislation aimed at enhancing consumer protection. The EU confirmed the...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") announced new stringent emissions standards for automobiles, which the Biden administration has deemed the "strongest-ever vehicle pollution standards" in U.S. history....more
HHS Cybersecurity Performance Goals and the Healthcare Industry - The healthcare industry is a major target for cyberattacks because of all of the personal information collected from patients. Recognizing that the healthcare...more
Good morning! This is Akin’s newsletter on climate change policy and regulatory developments, providing information on major climate policy headlines from the past two weeks and forthcoming climate-related events and...more
A lot, it turns out. The Biden Administration, bending the knee to the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, has paused approval of new LNG export facilities. (In terms of influence on the President, this “wing” is...more
As the nation’s largest energy consumer, the U.S. federal government plans to curb greenhouse gas emissions across its expansive portfolio of more than 350,000 federal buildings. In a pioneering move, the Biden administration...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through its Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR), has announced an unprecedented funding opportunity entitled the “Environmental and Climate...more
On September 21, 2023, the Biden administration outlined plans to expand federal agencies’ consideration of the social cost of carbon—a metric for the economic cost of each additional ton of carbon dioxide emitted to the...more
"Green Day" in the UK - As part of its "Powering Up Britain" strategy, the UK government has published a series of documents setting out its vision for the UK's transition to net zero and the strengthening of UK energy...more
On June 8, 2023, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), on behalf of the Ocean Policy Committee (OPC), announced the development of a new “Ocean Justice...more
On April 21, 2023, President Biden announced new initiatives to further his administration’s commitment to addressing the impact of climate change on communities “with environmental justice concerns,” including low-income...more
The Biden administration (the Administration) has set ambitious goals to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions to at least 50% below 2005 levels by 2030 and to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. To achieve these ends, the...more
On March 20, 2023, the White House Council of Economic Advisers released the Economic Report of the President (“Report”). Chapter 9 of the Report, entitled “Opportunities for Better Managing Weather Risk in the Changing...more
On April 3, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird (R) announced her participation in a 21-state letter, opposing new Department of Energy (DOE) gas stove regulations that the states claimed would prohibit the sale of more than...more
In June 2022, the US Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) launched the Climate Change Mitigation Pilot Program (the “Program”). This program was enacted to support President Biden’s January 27, 2021 Executive Order, which...more
On January 10, the Biden-Harris Administration released the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization: A Joint Strategy to Transform Transportation, which is designed to cut all greenhouse emissions from the...more
This alert looks at developments in environmental law that were at the forefront in 2022; the trend is expected to continue into 2023 as the Biden administration continues to act on its regulatory initiatives in the energy...more
Since the start of the Biden administration in January 2021, there has been an increased focus on combatting climate change, including regulatory actions and initiatives to increase disclosure by corporations regarding their...more
A recently-issued multi-agency report highlights a path for the U.S. government to replace fossil fuel-based jet fuel with renewable sources to address climate change and encourage infrastructure development. The U.S....more
On September 8, the White House published a report (“Climate-Crypto Report”) on Climate and Energy Implications of Crypto-Assets in the United States, which was followed by a detailed Fact Sheet summarizing the findings in...more
President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the “IRA”) into law on August 16, 2022. Among other things, the IRA expands the federal income tax credits available to promote the development and use of renewable...more
Congress has injected yet another wave of stimulus funding as the Biden Administration attempts to shape the future of America’s infrastructure. On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed into law House Bill 5376, known as...more