April 22nd marked Earth Day, an annual celebration of environmentalism. The headline event of Earth Day 2016 was having 175 countries sign the Paris Agreement, which represents a global commitment to reducing greenhouse gas...more
The legal dispute over one of the Obama Administration’s signature regulatory programs – the Clean Power Plan (the “CPP”) – took an unexpected turn on February 9, 2016, when the Supreme Court granted a request by 27 states...more
The Clean Power Plan (CPP) is without a doubt one of the most complex and controversial regulatory undertakings in the EPA’s history, so much so that it was challenged in court – twice – before it was even published in the...more
The U.S. Supreme Court has blocked implementation of President Obama’s signature plan to address climate change pending a decision by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on the plan’s legality. The Clean Power Plan is being...more
Renewable Energy Focus - President Obama requests significant funding boost for clean energy R&D - Solar Industry Magazine - Feb 9 - President Barack Obama’s 2017 budget proposal for the U.S. Department of...more
Energy and Climate Debate - The bipartisan Senate energy bill is on hold, following a disagreement over federal aid to address the Flint, Michigan, water crisis. In the meantime, President Obama released his fiscal year...more
In a virtually unprecedented move, the Supreme Court yesterday issued an order staying the Clean Power Plan, the cornerstone of President Obama’s environmental agenda and the most significant step the country has ever taken...more
On February 9, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a major setback to the Obama Administration’s efforts to curb emissions of carbon dioxide from existing power plants in the U.S. In a 5-4 split decision, the Court granted...more
Environmental and Policy Focus - Supreme Court deals blow to President Obama’s efforts to regulate power plant greenhouse gas emissions - New York Times - Feb 9 - In a major setback for President Obama’s...more
The Paris Outcome - After two weeks of intense negotiations at the Paris climate conference, 195 countries finally adopted the Paris Agreement and a Decision to limit “the increase in the global average temperature to...more
Late in the day on Tuesday, February 9, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed, for at least a year and possibly longer, the implementation of the Clean Power Plan (CPP), the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s)...more
The United States Supreme Court ("Supreme Court"), in a rather surprising and unprecedented move, issued a ruling staying the Environmental Protection Agency's ("EPA") implementation of the Clean Power Plan. As you know, the...more
On February 9, 2016, the United States Supreme Court granted a stay of EPA's 111(d) Clean Power Plan rule imposing emissions limits on existing power plants. This stay effectively blocks the implementation of this highly...more
Environmental and Policy Focus - Nationwide stay of EPA/Army Corps "Waters of the U.S." rule issued by Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals: Allen Matkins - Oct 9: The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals today issued a nationwide...more