On April 7, the Office of Policy for U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published a Request for Information (RFI) seeking input from industry professionals, grid operators, local communities, Tribal governments, and other...more
On March 20, 2025, the Trump administration invoked emergency powers in an Executive Order (EO) entitled Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production, aiming to accelerate domestic mineral mining and processing....more
3/27/2025
/ Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of the Interior ,
Energy Sector ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Funding ,
Investment ,
Mineral Extraction ,
Minerals ,
Mining ,
National Security ,
Permits ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Supply Chain ,
Trump Administration
Critical minerals are the backbone of modern technologies and national security, powering everything from advanced semiconductors and electric vehicle batteries to missile guidance systems and renewable energy infrastructure....more
3/14/2025
/ China ,
Clean Energy ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Energy Sector ,
Executive Orders ,
International Trade ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Mineral Extraction ,
National Security ,
Renewable Energy ,
Semiconductors ,
Supply Chain ,
Trump Administration
By one count, worldwide there were some 11,800 data centers in early 2024. Within that census are facilities so small that they fit in office building closets, while others are among the largest manmade structures on the...more
2/28/2025
/ Cloud Computing ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Centers ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Electricity ,
Energy Sector ,
Information Technology ,
Infrastructure ,
Innovative Technology ,
Renewable Energy ,
Technology Sector
As we covered previously, President Trump has made clear that the U.S. is focused on increasing investments into building, scaling and speeding the development of AI infrastructure and data centers in the U.S., and Big Tech...more
2/28/2025
/ Apple ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Big Tech ,
Data Centers ,
Energy Sector ,
Infrastructure ,
Innovation ,
Innovative Technology ,
Investment ,
Machine Learning ,
Manufacturers ,
Renewable Energy ,
Technology Sector
In just over a week, the second Trump administration has already announced initiatives that could lead to major shifts in the legal landscape for artificial intelligence (AI) and associated energy sources. What is more, the...more
Critical materials—the collective term for metals and minerals essential for all kinds of advanced technology and clean energy—are vital to the growth of artificial intelligence (AI), which has become pervasive in everyday...more
With a renewed focus on domestic energy production and regulatory reform, the incoming administration signals significant shifts in U.S. energy and climate priorities.
The incoming Trump Administration will prioritize...more
12/19/2024
/ China ,
Clean Energy ,
Climate Change ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Energy Costs ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Energy Storage ,
Export Bans ,
Geothermal Energy ,
Grants ,
Hydrogen Power ,
Incentives ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Infrastructure ,
Keystone XL Pipeline ,
Liquid Natural Gas ,
Minerals ,
Nuclear Power ,
Oil & Gas ,
Paris Agreement ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Renewable Energy ,
Renewable Fuel ,
Solar Energy ,
Tax Credits ,
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ,
Trump Administration ,
UNFCCC ,
Wind Power
The decision signals potential new scrutiny for co-located energy generation and data center projects as concerns grow about grid impacts.
Although decided primarily on procedural grounds, the Federal Energy Regulatory...more
On October 3, 2024, the Department of Energy Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to fund up to $400 million for clean energy projects in rural and remote areas via its Energy...more
Traditional and social media are thick with reports and predictions of the remarkable increase in size, power consumption and significance of data centers. Not only technology companies but real estate and energy developers,...more
Artificial intelligence, data centers, carbon removal and zero-emission power may sound like a winning line (plus the Free Space) on a 2024 Buzzword Bingo card. But the concepts have come into dramatic real-world tension as...more
9/12/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Data Centers ,
Electricity ,
Energy Sector ,
Energy Storage ,
Green Energy ,
Infrastructure ,
Innovative Technology ,
Renewable Energy ,
Technology Sector
The subsidence risk in geothermal projects needs to be effectively managed by careful review of site conditions and legal and permitting precedents.
Production of geothermal fluids can lead to subsidence of the land...more
If all goes as planned, solar, wind and other clean energy technologies will help us abandon carbon emissions for good. But many green power sources perform their best only when nature cooperates, so an important (and...more
The energy demands of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are growing significantly, with the Department of Energy (DOE) forecasting a tenfold increase in data center energy demand due to the rise of AI applications and...more
6/11/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Clean Energy ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Energy Sector ,
FERC ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Infrastructure ,
Investment ,
National Security ,
Power Grid ,
Renewable Energy ,
Technology Sector
Hydrogen, solar, wind—and even microwave beams from outer space—are a few of the alternative energies being explored as the world strives to cut the cord on carbon emissions. Recently, advancements in geothermal energy...more
Whether by land, by sea or through human innovation, carbon sequestration is likely coming to (or already happening in) a destination near you. As our planet, overdosed on greenhouse gases, battles climate disasters, a...more
Louisiana is the third state granted authority to permit and regulate Class VI underground injection control (UIC) wells, marking a significant step forward for these projects.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)...more
With the success of the Chandrayaan-3 this August, India became the fourth country to land a spacecraft on the moon. Improved fabrication methods like 3D printing, plus larger-scale production of essential materials for...more
Two major forces are combining to create extraordinary opportunities for infrastructure project participants in the United States. One is the long pent-up demand for overhaul of the nation’s roads, ports, dams and other civil...more
Scientists have long proposed that solar electricity generation in space could be an integral component of the world’s carbon-free future. In the 1970s, a U.S. Navy experiment showed that it might be possible to capture solar...more
The 88th regular session of the Texas Legislature saw an unusually high number of proposed bills with a stated focus of ensuring reliability of the Texas grid and favoring “dispatchable generation” (having output within human...more
6/15/2023
/ Corporate Taxes ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Grants ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
Popular ,
Power Grid ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Renewable Energy ,
Texas
California has tremendous offshore wind resources and ambitious offshore power goals, but the uncertain rules and regimes for development have delayed implementation of projects.
The California Energy Commission (CEC)...more
6/15/2023
/ BOEM ,
Bureau of Safety and Envirnonmental Enforcement ,
California ,
CEQA ,
Clean Energy ,
Coast Guard ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Historic Preservation ,
National Marine Fisheries Service ,
NEPA ,
Offshore Lease ,
Offshore Wind ,
Outer Continental Shelf ,
Renewable Energy ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service ,
Wind Power
It is not every day that the rough-and-tumble “giga” world of mining and mineral refining interacts with the rarefied and metaphysical “nano” realm of quantum physics. The lawyers at Pillsbury and other law firms engaged in...more
As demand increases for low-carbon technologies to power the energy transition, the acquisition of critical materials—so-called given their integral role in the transition of energy activities—is becoming increasingly...more