The Vital Importance of Pipeline and Transmission Infrastructure to Decarbonization - Energy Law Insights
Eminent Domain: First Principles, Kelo, and In Service of Infrastructure Buildout
On-Demand Webinar | Linear Infrastructure Redux: Adapting Your Projects to Meet the New Regulatory Climate
Nota Bene Episode 97: The Seismic Changes Renewables Are Bringing to Energy Transmission and Its Infrastructure with Mark Sundback
Policy Minute: TSA Cybersecurity Roadmap for Pipelines
On March 28, 2025, the D.C. Circuit denied a joint petition for review brought by Healthy Gulf and Sierra Club (together, “Petitioners”) challenging FERC’s grant of a certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN) to...more
In a series of recent orders, the D.C. Circuit has renewed its prodding of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ("Commission" or "FERC") to strengthen its environmental reviews of proposed pipeline projects. On July 30,...more
On July 30, 2024, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (“D.C. Circuit”) issued an opinion vacating and remanding FERC’s order approving Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company’s (“Transco”)...more
Unitex WI LLC v. CT Land and Cattle Company LLC rejected the surface owner’s effort to force the mineral lessee to bury a pipeline below plow depth. Surface owner CT’s claim was based on a mineral lease signed by former owner...more
On October 23, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an order that will permit Trailblazer Pipeline Company LLC (Trailblazer) to convert its approximately 400-mile-long natural gas pipeline system to...more
On April 6, 2022, by a 5-4 vote in the case of Louisiana, et. al. v. American Rivers, et. al., the Supreme Court temporarily resurrected a Trump-era rule that sought to stop the practice of many states and tribes from...more
German Regulator Puts Brake on Nord Stream 2 in Fresh Blow to Gas Pipeline - "First flows through the pipeline look very unlikely in the first half of 2022, he added." Why this is important: It is estimated that Russia...more
California oil and gas regulators delay health and safety rules - Associated Press – June 22 - It has been a year and a half since Governor Gavin Newsom directed oil regulators to consider new health and safety...more
Linear infrastructure projects, including oil and gas pipelines, electric transmission lines and transportation, have faced a number of regulatory challenges over the last year. Some of these challenges stem from changes in...more
Environmental groups sue Army Corps of Engineers over pipeline permitting - The Hill – May 3 - A coalition of five environmental groups on Monday sued the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) in federal court in...more
Why the U.S. isn't in Desperate Need of the Keystone XL Pipeline - "U.S. President Joe Biden fulfilled a campaign promise by scuttling the 1,897-kilometre pipeline." Why this is important: While the rescission of the...more
It’s been a difficult several days for the oil industry. First, the Biden administration revoked the border-crossing permit for the Keystone XL pipeline on January 20. Another executive order, among other things, directed the...more
On October 29, 2020, the federal government announced the launch of a $750-million Emissions Reduction Fund to reduce methane and GHG emissions. Administered through Natural Resources Canada, the Fund provides up to $675...more
Update: On September 15, 2020, the Army Corps published a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register (85 FR 57298) for the reissuance and modification of its Nationwide Permits....more
As discussed previously in Pierce Atwood’s Energy Infrastructure Blog, on June 3, 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit vacated an air permit issued by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection...more
On July 9, 2020, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in McGirt v. Oklahoma, ruling that most of the eastern half of Oklahoma is an Indian reservation. While the decision ostensibly resolves a jurisdictional challenge to a...more
Linear infrastructure projects, including oil and gas pipelines, electric transmission lines and transportation, have faced a number of regulatory challenges in recent months. Some of these challenges stem from changes in...more
Supreme Court reinstates streamlined permitting for pipelines, but not for Keystone XL project - Bullet Bloomberg Law – July 6 - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday reinstated a streamlined permitting program, known as...more
The Supreme Court’s decision on July 6 allows the Corps of Engineers to resume using Nationwide Permit 12 (NWP 12) to authorize certain types of utility line construction impacts to wetlands and waters of the United States in...more
Fossil Fuels Still Supply 84 Percent of World Energy — and Other Eye Openers from BP’s Annual Review - "China was responsible for three quarters of the world’s energy consumption growth, followed by India and Indonesia....more
Supreme Court says pipeline may cross underneath Appalachian Trail - Bullet NPR – June 15 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that a new 600-mile natural gas pipeline can cross underneath the Appalachian Trail on...more
EPA Issues Final Rule to Narrow Scope and Timelines for State Water Quality Certifications - The Environmental Protection Agency released it final “Clean Water Act Section 401 Certification Rule” this week, which limits...more
EPA limits states' power to stop oil and gas pipelines - Bullet NPR – June 1 - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday issued a new rule intended to expedite the approval process for pipeline...more
The latest battlefield in the American pipeline wars is one of the most celebrated, venerable and scenic places in the United States - the Appalachian Trail. Stretching about 2,200 miles from Maine to Georgia, the Appalachian...more