As a follow-up to our previous client alert, President Biden has signed the ADVANCE (Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy) Act into law. The ADVANCE Act is aimed at speeding up the...more
The U.S. Senate has passed a groundbreaking bill aimed at accelerating the deployment of nuclear energy capacity. The ADVANCE (Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy) Act seeks to expedite...more
Energy is the cornerstone of our society and its availability, or lack thereof, touches every corner of our lives and impacts every business, regardless of sector. The availability of affordable energy on-demand is essential...more
5/10/2024
/ Clean Energy ,
Climate Change ,
Construction Industry ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Energy Projects ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Information Reports ,
Infrastructure ,
Investment Opportunities ,
Manufacturers ,
Net Zero ,
Power Grid ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Renewable Energy ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Tax Credits ,
Transportation Industry
Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD)’s 2024 Energy Transition Outlook Survey Report points to a new phase in the multi-generational journey to Net Zero. While 56% of our respondents are deepening their focus on their transition...more
11/14/2023
/ Climate Change ,
Commodities ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Energy Information Association (EIA) ,
Energy Sector ,
Energy Storage ,
Information Reports ,
Net Zero ,
Oil & Gas ,
Popular ,
Power Grid ,
Renewable Energy ,
Solar Energy ,
Strategic Planning ,
Surveys ,
Wind Power
Although reliance on coal has been declining, even in 2021, coal still supplied over 10% of the United States’ energy consumption, according to the EIA. But, in a matter of approximately 15 years, many hope that Verne’s...more
Today, the White House and the U.S. Department of Energy announced the latest steps in a long-term plan to grow low-cost, clean hydrogen.
The joint announcement identified seven regional clean hydrogen hubs. These hubs...more
10/16/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
Clean Energy ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Federal Funding ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Hydrogen Power ,
Job Creation ,
Net Zero ,
Renewable Energy
Transitioning the global economy out of its current reliance on fossil fuels is a massive, complex and nuanced undertaking. Fossil fuels represent 80% of current global energy consumption. The market for them is more than $6...more
On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, paving the way for the largest investment in clean energy development and climate change mitigation in U.S. history. The Act will provide...more
8/25/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Clean Energy ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Tax Incentives ,
Federal Funding ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Investment Tax Credits ,
Production Tax Credit ,
Renewable Energy ,
Renewable Energy Incentives ,
Solar Energy ,
Tax Credits ,
Wind Power
Last week, we informed you about new federal efforts to measure and reduce PFAS contamination levels in drinking water. But there also are significant efforts to increase PFAS regulatory requirements at the state level,...more
The Biden Administration has made PFAS reduction a cornerstone of its environmental policy and with that goal in mind, the Environmental Protection Agency on June 15 announced new, lower lifetime Health Advisory Levels for...more
7/8/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Federal Grants ,
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) ,
PFAS ,
Public Health ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Wastewater ,
Water Quality
The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program ($5 billion) was enacted under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). On June 9, 2022, the...more
The Biden Administration has announced plans to ease restrictions on solar panel imports from Southeast Asia, a move prompted by U.S. solar industry concerns.
On June 6, the Administration declared a 24-month tariff...more
Congress and the Biden Administration recognize hydrogen’s potential to address the clean energy imperative. This past year, The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act appropriated $8B of spending to build out clean hydrogen...more
5/20/2022
/ Automotive Industry ,
Biden Administration ,
Clean Energy ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Electricity ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
FERC ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Hydrogen Power ,
Infrastructure ,
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) ,
Natural Gas ,
PHMSA ,
UK
Seven years after the first windmill was erected in Block Island, RI, most of the growth in US offshore wind has been focused on the Northeast and, increasingly, the Mid-Atlantic states. But North Carolina is beginning to...more
On March 14, 2022, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) issued a proposed and direct final rule, which amends the Standards and Practices for All Appropriate Inquiries (“AAI”) by referencing the ASTM...more
On January 7, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper issued Executive Order No. 246 affirming North Carolina’s commitment to a clean energy economy and directing next steps in the State’s plan to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas...more
1/20/2022
/ Clean Energy ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Sector ,
Executive Orders ,
Governor Cooper ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Public Policy ,
State Agencies ,
State and Local Government ,
Transportation Industry ,
Zero-Emission Vehicles
Starting a business in the United States can open doors for massive opportunity and success. Along the way, however, businesses will encounter a number of legal and regulatory hurdles.
This “Guide to Starting Business in...more
Few industries have the growth potential to match that of the offshore wind industry. A March 2020 report by the American Wind Energy Association found that by 2030, the US offshore wind industry is expected to account...more
7/24/2020
/ BOEM ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Energy ,
Economic Growth ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
NEPA ,
Offshore Wind ,
Popular ,
Public Utility ,
Renewable Energy ,
Wind Power
The August 9, 2019 decision to require a supplemental environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Vineyard Wind Project sent shock waves through the nascent US offshore wind industry. The initial EIS had been scoped years...more
On March 23, 2020, on behalf of its members and U.S. industry, the American Petroleum Institute (“API”) sent a letter to the EPA requesting a temporary waiver of non-essential compliance obligations, including recordkeeping,...more
In a decision which seems likely to inject yet more uncertainty into whether the introduction of pollutants to surface waters via groundwater triggers the permitting requirements of the Clean Water Act (“CWA”), a majority of...more
4/28/2020
/ Appeals ,
Clean Water Act ,
Direct Discharge ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Functional Equivalent ,
Groundwater ,
Hawaii Wildlife Fund v County of Maui ,
Navigable Waters ,
Permits ,
Point Sources ,
Remand ,
SCOTUS ,
Vacated ,
Waters of the United States
The Trump Administration has proposed the first major changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in more than three decades. These proposed changes (announced in a Jan. 10, 2020 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking)...more
The US Supreme Court may be poised to review two 2018 decisions in the Fourth and Ninth Circuits, both of which applied the so-called ‘hydrological connection” theory to extend jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act (“CWA”) to...more
1/7/2019
/ Clean Water Act ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Groundwater ,
Jurisdiction ,
Navigable Waters ,
Point Sources ,
Split of Authority ,
Statutory Authority ,
Water ,
Waters of the United States
Earlier this week, on August 21, President Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) proposed a rule pursuant to Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act (“CAA”) intended to replace the embattled Clean Power Plan (“CPP”)...more
8/24/2018
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Power Plan ,
Comment Period ,
Deregulation ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Oil & Gas ,
Power Plants ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Trump Administration