Context is Crucial in Examining BLM’s Proposed Rule for Fracking On Federal Land
Defenders of Wildlife (“Defenders”) announced on March 13th its release of a document titled: 2024 Conservation Report Card for the 118th Congress (“Report Card”). Defenders says the Report Card assesses the...more
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has recently introduced a significant policy shift aimed at streamlining the permitting process for mineral projects on public lands....more
On February 11, 2025, the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Federal Lands, held an Oversight Hearing on “Restoring Multiple Use to Revitalize America’s Public Lands and Rural Communities.”...more
On the President’s first day in office, January 20, the White House released Executive Order 14153, titled “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential” (the “Alaska EO”). The Alaska EO states that: The State of...more
Newly-appointed U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a memo this Wednesday that the Justice Department will reverse a Biden-era directive to prioritize enforcement of environmental laws in disadvantaged and low-income...more
On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14154, “Unleashing American Energy,” which requires all agencies to identify actions that potentially burden deployment of domestic energy resources and develop...more
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has recently introduced a significant policy shift aimed at streamlining the permitting process for mineral projects on public lands. With the launch of the new “pre-plan coordination”...more
On December 17, 2024, President Biden signed into law the bipartisan Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2024 (Public Law No. 118-155) (the “Act”). The Act is a response to ongoing environmental...more
We have previously discussed the State of Alaska’s challenge to the Bureau of Land Management’s Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, also known as the “Public Lands Rule.” Seeking to defend the rule, which treats...more
New high capacity transmission lines are set to open up large parts of western and northern Nevada for solar development. Last month, the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approved construction of...more
California officials have joined a legal effort to restore water to the Kern River after an abrupt shutoff of water dried up the river and killed thousands of fish in Bakersfield....more
The Biden administration is proposing to speed up the process of approving geothermal energy projects by exempting them from early-stage environmental reviews....more
A recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in Earthworks v. U.S. Department of the Interior has important implications for mining companies operating on public lands. This ruling upholds the Bureau of...more
Under the Bureau of Land Management’s recently promulgated Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, 43 C.F.R. §§ 6100-6103.2, the BLM must seek to achieve “ecosystem resilience,” which encapsulates an ecosystem’s ability to...more
SEIA proposes solar supply chain traceability standard - The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has released a draft solar supply chain standard that aims to help companies comply with U.S. Customs and Border...more
A bill that would enable schools, shopping centers, and landlords of multi-unit residential buildings to use the electricity they collect with their own rooftop solar systems has passed the California Legislature....more
Earlier this summer, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals issued a decision affirming the lower court’s decision that the Mining Law of 1872 does not impose a limit on the number of mill sites that a mining claimant may...more
California will solicit up to 2 GW of long-duration energy storage resources as part of a 10.6 GW centralized procurement for emerging clean energy technologies to be deployed between 2031 and 2037, the California Public...more
According to the Department of the Interior, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is proceeding with nine solar projects on public lands to potentially power nearly 2 million homes with clean energy. Among the projects, the...more
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
In May 2024, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM or the Agency) issued a final rule updating its renewable energy and right-of-way (ROW) policies. BLM is one of the largest landholders in the United States, with significant...more
On July 1, 2024, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued a final rule to adjust location and maintenance fees for federal unpatented mining claims, mill sites, and tunnel sites. The Mining Law of 1872, 30 U.S.C. § 28j(c)...more
A U.S. district judge has dismissed claims by Native American tribes and environmentalists who sought to halt construction along part of a $10 billion energy transmission line that will carry wind-generated electricity from...more
Below is this week’s congressional update by BakerHostetler’s Federal Policy team. We’ll continue to post in weeks when both chambers of Congress are in session....more
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Monday approved a long-awaited rule to make it easier to transmit renewable energy such as wind and solar power to the electric grid — a key part of President Joe Biden’s goal to...more