In an updated rule released October 1, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set tighter limits on ozone – a compound regarded as a precursor to smog. In setting the new standard at 70 parts per billion (ppb) for...more
On September 29, 2015, EPA issued a final rule to regulate emissions from petroleum refineries in the United States. The rule requires monitoring for specific compounds that are emitted as part of the refining process of...more
The WOTUS rule is concerning to many industry sectors because it would significantly expand Clean Water Act (CWA) jurisdiction for the agencies. In particular, the rule would extend jurisdiction to broad definitions of...more
On August 18, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the first-ever proposal aimed at regulating methane emissions, as well as volatile organic compounds (VOC), from the oil and gas industry. EPA is...more
On August 3, 2015, President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a new set of final regulations aimed at reducing carbon output from power plants. The sweeping new Clean Power Plan (CPP) sets limits...more
8/14/2015
/ Barack Obama ,
Chevron Deference ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Power Plan ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
MATS ,
Power Plants ,
Renewable Energy ,
SCOTUS ,
SIP ,
Solar Energy ,
Tax Credits ,
Wind Power
After much anticipation, both the House and the Senate Committees passed their long awaited energy bills. Much is covered in the two packages, and many amendments have been tabled for when the bills hit the floor in the fall....more
On June 29, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered another warning to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) against overstepping its statutory authority under the Clean Air Act. In Michigan v. Environmental Protection...more
On May 29, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its long-awaited proposed volume obligations for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for 2014, 2015 and 2016, as well as volume obligations for...more
On Thursday, May 27, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers released the final rule defining “waters of the United States” (WOTUS), which the agencies have renamed the Clean Water...more
The Department of Energy released its Quadrennial Energy Review (QER) on April 21, 2015, which includes a series of recommendations to upgrade the country’s aging energy infrastructure (from our natural gas infrastructure to...more
The Department of Energy released its Quadrennial Energy Review (QER) on April 21, 2015, which includes a series of recommendations to upgrade the country’s aging energy infrastructure (from our natural gas infrastructure to...more
On January 29, 2015, the U.S. Senate passed S. 1, the Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Act, by a vote of 62-47, with all Republicans and eight Democrats voting for the legislation. ...more
In the wake of the U.S. House of Representatives' passage of legislation to approve the long-stalled Keystone XL pipeline, the Senate now stands poised to take up the measure beginning this week, opening the door to other key...more
On November 21, 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it would further delay finalizing the 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volumetric blending requirements until 2015. This announcement put the...more
While carbon dioxide emissions have garnered most of the attention in recent months, the Obama administration has also turned its focus to emissions of another greenhouse gas: methane. In March, the administration released a...more
On June 2, 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its first-ever proposal to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives,...more
8/4/2014
On June 23, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down the first decision to place limitations on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) authority to regulate greenhouse gases (GHG) under the Clean Air Act. In the...more
On June 2, 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a draft of its proposed rule that will, for the first time, limit carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions at existing fossil-fuel fired electric utility generating...more