Recent Updates to Federal Environmental and Natural Resource Regulations
After two years of continuous behind-the-scenes work, Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va), who chairs the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, joined by Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), released S. 4753, the Energy...more
In May 2024, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM or the Agency) issued a final rule updating its renewable energy and right-of-way (ROW) policies. BLM is one of the largest landholders in the United States, with significant...more
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is reviewing 20 major renewable energy projects — mostly solar — across the West that would cover as much as 193,000 acres of federal land, and generate 13,845 MW of electricity, or enough...more
The Biden Administration recently held a Tribal Nations Summit in Washington, D.C. At the Summit, the Administration announced a number of new actions, in particular, new initiatives relating to Tribal consultation. The...more
The Province of Alberta referred two constitutional questions to the Alberta Court of Appeal - - whether the federal Impact Assessment Act (IAA), part of Bill C-69, is unconstitutional in whole; and - whether certain...more
The IRS recently issued Notice 2021-05, which extends the continuity safe harbor to 10 years for offshore wind projects and renewable energy projects constructed on federal land. Under prior IRS guidance, most renewable...more
Notice 2021-05 gives renewable energy developers 10 years to complete projects located offshore or on federal land. Key Points: ..Developers of offshore and federal land projects now have 10 years to complete their...more
New guidance from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS, the Service) extends the Continuity Safe Harbor to 10 years for both offshore wind projects and projects on federal land...more
The IRS has released Notice 2021-05, which extends the Continuity Safe Harbor detailed in Notice 2018-59 from 4 years to 10 years for offshore wind projects and renewable energy projects constructed on federal land. As such,...more
President Donald Trump signed into law on Dec. 27 H.R. 133, an end-of-year legislative package that paired the long-awaited Energy Act of 2020, reauthorizing a number of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) programs, with a...more
Supreme Court Lifts Key Obstacle to Atlantic Coast Pipeline, but More Challenges Remain - "The U.S. Supreme Court has reversed a lower court ruling that held up construction on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which would...more
U.S. to Give Eight Nations Oil Waivers Under Iran Sanctions, Official Says - "The U.S. has agreed to let eight countries - including Japan, India and South Korea - keep buying Iranian oil after it reimposes sanctions on the...more
Sustainable Development Focus - Judge rules in favor of Trump administration in California federal lands case - POLITICO - Nov 2 A federal judge in California last Thursday blocked a state law that sought to limit the...more
The inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the 45th President of the United States on January 20, 2017, brought with it levels of angst and concern not felt for some time within the environmental community. While some welcome the...more
Offshore wind projects have taken root in America. The country’s first operating offshore wind farm, in Block Island, Rhode Island, began contributing energy to the power grid in December 2016. Now, more than 23 offshore wind...more
President Donald Trump’s recently signed Executive Order on Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth (the Order) includes significant revisions to the regulatory landscape both (1) directly in the case of oil and...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: With a dramatic change from a progressive democratic to a conservative republican administration, we anticipate that EPA is not only likely to pivot away from an enforcement heavy to a more business...more
Against the backdrop of the presidential campaigns, stand-alone energy legislation is advancing in Congress for the first time since 2007. On Wednesday, April 20, 2016, the Senate voted, 82-12, to approve S. 2012, the Energy...more
This afternoon, the Administration issued two policies intended to encourage private investment in natural resource conservation and to facilitate application of the mitigation hierarchy—avoiding, minimizing and compensating...more