Louisiana remains at the forefront of environmental justice activity. In just four days from January 19 to January 23, 2024, two courts in Louisiana offered interpretations to environmental justice efforts in the State of...more
2/16/2024
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Appeals ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Clean Air Act ,
Department of Environmental Quality ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Louisiana ,
NAAQS ,
NGOs ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Spending Clause ,
Title VI
The EPA’s External Rights Compliance Office recently released Interim Environmental Justice and Civil Rights in Permitting Frequently Asked Questions (“the FAQ”). Stressing “that it is time to use the full extent of its...more
9/21/2022
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Compliance Monitoring ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Review ,
NEPA ,
New Guidance ,
NGOs ,
Permits ,
Pollution Control ,
Title VI
Pressures from investors and other stakeholders, the wide range of ESG interests and issues, and the fluid nature of ESG can be overwhelming. The proposed rule serves as a reminder that companies should not overlook...more
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (“NOAA”) recently released an update to its Disaster and Risk Mapping Tool that now allows users to assess natural disaster risks at the community level.
NOAA’s...more
On January 25, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) reaffirmed its interpretation of ethylene oxide (“EtO”) requirements which may signal EPA’s increased scrutiny of chemical emissions generally and the...more
On November 23, 2021, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Director of the Office of Compliance requested that TCEQ approve a proposed rulemaking intended to respond to a series of industrial events occurring over...more
Emphasis on Environmental Justice and Climate Change -
The EPA's draft Strategic Plan provides the key to understanding the agency's priority goals and initiatives, including Climate Change and Environmental Justice...more
10/21/2021
/ CERCLA ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Water Act ,
Climate Change ,
Enforcement ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
NEPA ,
RCRA ,
Safe Drinking Water Act ,
Site Remediation ,
Strategic Planning ,
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
Advancing Environmental Justice (“EJ”) is a central pillar of the Biden Administration. Beginning with President Biden’s Executive Order “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,” signed during his first week in...more
Potential wide-ranging impacts on Engines, Energy, Infrastructure and Shipping -
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Executive Order N-79-20 seeks to address climate change concerns and significantly reduce greenhouse gas...more
10/5/2020
/ California ,
CARB ,
Carbon Capture and Sequestration ,
Climate Change ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Energy Sector ,
Executive Orders ,
Governor Newsom ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Infrastructure ,
Low Carbon Fuel Standard ,
National Highway Safety Administration ,
Renewable Energy ,
Shipping ,
Tax Credits ,
Utilities Sector ,
Zero-Emission Vehicles
OSHA issued new guidance on July 8, 2020, for the oil and gas industry as part of its ongoing series of industry-specific guidance for mitigating occupational exposure risks to COVID-19. This guidance supplements OSHA’s...more
7/14/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
HVAC Contractors ,
Interim Guidance ,
Manufacturers ,
Oil & Gas ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Social Distancing ,
Workplace Hazards
The Impact of COVID-19 on Nuclear Electricity Sales Contracts in France -
The electricity sector, like numerous others in France, has been heavily affected by the economic shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The...more
6/25/2020
/ Administrative Hearings ,
Amended Rules ,
CARB ,
Climate Change ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Construction Project ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Delays ,
Electricity ,
Energy Sector ,
FERC ,
Force Majeure Clause ,
France ,
Low Carbon Fuel Standard ,
Mexico ,
Natural Gas ,
Nuclear Power ,
OSHA ,
Petition For Rehearing ,
Pipelines ,
Power Companies ,
Power Grid ,
Public Nuisance ,
Removal ,
Renewable Energy ,
Sales Contracts ,
Solar Energy ,
State Law Tort Claims ,
Wind Power ,
Workplace Injury
Q: As I reopen my business, has COVID-19 impacted my business’s environmental, health and safety responsibilities?
A: Yes, COVID-19 has had a significant impact on companies’ environmental, health and safety obligations,...more
6/16/2020
/ Air Quality Standards ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Site Assessment ,
Hazardous Waste ,
Health and Safety ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Social Distancing ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
In a just-released air toxics rule for miscellaneous organic chemical manufacturing (“MON”) sources, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) retains its controversial risk value for ethylene oxide (“EtO”). In doing...more
A “Reasonable and Good Faith Inquiry” Checklist -
On May 19, 2020, the United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) issued “Revised Enforcement Guidance for Recording Cases of...more
On May 12, the United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) issued joint “interim” guidance for manufacturing and...more
The dramatic spread of the novel coronavirus—now commonly referred to as COVID-19—has raised troubling questions of shutdowns, cancellations, and alternative work arrangements for employers. Dealing with COVID-19, its...more
Ethylene oxide (“EtO”), one of the most widely used and effective substances for sterilizing medical products and devices, has come under intense scrutiny by the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), the Food and Drug...more
Action May Have Far-Reaching Impacts -
Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) announced a joint rule intended to substantially affect...more
9/20/2019
/ Automotive Industry ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Air Act ,
Deregulation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Motor Vehicles ,
National Emissions Standards ,
NHTSA ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Trump Administration
On Friday, August 31, 2018, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia unexpectedly granted a request to issue its mandate expeditiously following its decision regarding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s...more
On August 17, 2018, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia vacated an Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”)rule delaying the effective date of the Obama administration’s final rule updating EPA’s Risk...more
FERC Initiates Sweeping Reform of Ratemaking Treatment for Income Taxes -
On March 15, 2018, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) released a series of issuances intended to address the need to reflect the lower...more
4/18/2018
/ Aluminum Sales ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Bilateral Investment Treaties ,
Clean Air Act ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
EU ,
FERC ,
Income Taxes ,
Infrastructure ,
Member State ,
NAFTA ,
Section 232 ,
Steel Industry ,
Tariffs ,
Tax Reform ,
Trump Administration
There are recent, noteworthy developments affecting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (“EPA”) accidental release program. On March 16, EPA defended its decision to delay implementation of an Obama-era rule updating...more
Gas Market Reform in Asia: an Update on the Implementation of Third Party Access to LNG Import Terminals -
The rise of natural gas and LNG in Asia continues apace, fuelled by a convergence of plentiful global LNG supply,...more
1/16/2018
/ Asia ,
CERCLA ,
China ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Liquid Natural Gas ,
Mining ,
National Action Plan ,
Oil & Gas ,
OSHA ,
Petrochemicals ,
Silica
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently promulgated a new rule for respirable crystalline silica, with compliance obligations for the general industry beginning on June 23, 2018. Some industries...more