The Securities and Exchange Commission proposed – by a 3-1 vote – a comprehensive new set of rules (the “proposals”) in an effort to enhance and standardize the climate-related disclosures provided by public companies.[1] According to SEC Chair Gary Gensler, the proposals come in the wake of increasing investor demand for more
Recent developments in the challenge to an executive order from the Biden Administration in Louisiana v. Biden suggest that the “major questions” doctrine may begin to play a large role in the future of environmental law and regulations. While the existence of this doctrine is nothing new, its relevance in the realm of environmental law
Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) projects involve various legal issues. Like traditional exploration and development, CCUS projects require the operator to secure both the necessary private property rights from landowners as well as regulatory approval from the appropriate administrative agency in order to proceed. This article focuses on the latter.
Regulatory approval for CCUS
On February 11, 2022, the Biden Administration’s climate change agenda sustained a major blow as Judge James D. Cain of the Western District of Louisiana enjoined a Biden administration executive order that charged federal agencies with considering the “social cost of carbon” in their decision making. The injunction could have far reaching impacts on the
On December 3, 2021, the Department of Justice published a notice in the Federal Register of a settlement between Federal and State Trustees and Kirby Inland Marine, LP (“Kirby”) to resolve natural resource damages from a 2014 oil release. On March 22, 2014, a bulk carrier collided with an oil tank barge owned by Kirby
The Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (the “Act”), which was passed into law on November 15, 2021, included key amendments to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (“OCSLA”) that pave the way for carbon sequestration in offshore federal waters.
Prior to the Act’s passage, OCSLA (as amended by the Energy Policy Act of 2005) authorized
On September 30, 2021, the EPA once again signaled a policy change on what provisions a state can include in its Clean Air Act State Implementation Plan (“SIP”) for exemptions and affirmative defenses during periods of startup, shutdown, and malfunction (“SSM”). This most recent action revokes the EPA guidance issued nearly a year earlier in
Governor Edwards’ Climate Initiatives Task Force, charged with making recommendations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions originating in Louisiana, recently took another step towards that goal.
Continue Reading Renewable Energy Efforts Highlighted in Draft Plan to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Louisiana
While much of the interest around sustainability and social responsibility has centered on larger public companies, private companies are set to make significant contributions to these efforts by integrating Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles. Modern businesses understand that sustainability and social responsibility are no longer niche interests and prioritizing a strong ESG proposition creates
On June 29, 2021, the United States Supreme Court, in a 5-4 vote, held that a natural gas company’s right to condemn property for a pipeline under the Natural Gas Act includes the right to condemn state-owned property. In PennEast Pipeline Co. v. New Jersey,[1] the divided Court held that a certificate from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) entitled PennEast Pipeline Company (PennEast) to use the federal government’s power of eminent domain to seize property owned by the State of New Jersey.
Continue Reading United States Supreme Court Blocks New Jersey’s Sovereign Immunity Challenge to FERC Certificate Holder’s Condemnation of State-Owned Land