News & Analysis as of

Climate Change Municipalities

ArentFox Schiff

Heated Efforts to Decarbonize Cities Continue After Berkeley Settlement

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Regulators at all levels are seeking to advance climate-change related policies. Of late, municipalities have increasingly sought to “decarbonize” buildings and related infrastructure through changes to building codes and...more

ArentFox Schiff

Mega-Trends Impacting Municipal Market

ArentFox Schiff on

We are at the initial stages of a major paradigm shift that has significant implications for the municipal market over the next five to 10 years. A number of societal mega-trends will present material challenges for the...more

Bowditch & Dewey

Leading the Way to a Greenhouse Gas Limited Future, 29 Massachusetts Cities and Towns Opt in to the Commonwealth’s Specialized...

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As of November 19, 2023, twenty-nine cities and towns have opted in to the Specialized Energy Code by local legislative action. The towns include Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville, Watertown (effective July 1, 2023); Acton,...more

Bowditch & Dewey

Massachusetts Cities Seek to Enact Prohibitions on Gas Hookups for New and Existing Construction

Bowditch & Dewey on

Last year, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources promulgated regulations at 225 CMR 24.00 for the Municipal Fossil Fuel Free Building Construction and Renovation Demonstration Project as authorized by St. 2022, c....more

Holland & Knight LLP

Cities Are Going Green Through Sustainable Real Estate

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Individual property owners are not alone in their ability to develop sustainable real estate. Community-driven green initiatives seek to improve the health of both the planet and its inhabitants. The United Nation's (U.N.)...more

Foley Hoag LLP - Environmental Law

DOER Issues an Updated Stretch Code – Are Net-Zero Energy Buildings Really Coming Soon?

Massachusetts will soon see significant updates to the energy codes that govern the construction and alteration of buildings throughout the Commonwealth.  As required by the 2021 climate bill, the Massachusetts Department of...more

Holland & Knight LLP

The Inflation Reduction Act: Provisions and Incentives for Local Governments

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President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) into law on Aug. 16, 2022, following its passage along party lines in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. The comprehensive legislation is the...more

K&L Gates LLP

HUB Talks: Sustainable Outlook: Managing Climate Risk Through Intelligent Engineering Controls and Infrastructure with Erin...

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Urban flooding is one of the most economically damaging impacts of climate change on metropolitan areas, and is only increasing in degree and frequency. On this episode of Sustainable Outlook, host Molly Barker is joined by...more

Foley Hoag LLP - Environmental Law

State Law Climate Damage Cases (Still) Belong in State Court

In the first appellate decision to decide the issue since the Supreme Court decision in BP P.L.C. v. Mayor & City Council of Baltimore, the 10th Circuit ruled this week that climate damage claims brought by several Colorado...more

Pullman & Comley, LLC

Increased Investor & Rating Agency Interest in Cybersecurity and Climate Change Disclosure in Municipal Bond Issuances

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The topics of Cybersecurity and Climate Change disclosure are generating increased investor and rating agency interest in municipal bond issuances. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has expressed concerns about the...more

Holland & Knight LLP

Massachusetts Municipalities Pursue Building Code Revisions While Awaiting State's Next Steps

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Much of the recent news about climate-influenced building codes has come out of California, where the California Energy Commission announced adoption of revisions to its Building Energy Efficiency Standards, also known as the...more

Holland & Knight LLP

Massachusetts Communities Think Globally, Act Locally on Climate Change: Massachusetts Climate Change Adaptation Initiatives: What...

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The previous alerts in this Holland & Knight series have focused on state level initiatives from the Massachusetts Legislature, Governor's Office and the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) Office related to climate...more

Holland & Knight LLP

City of Boston Releases Draft Emissions Performance Standard Policy

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The City of Boston has taken the next step in its ongoing efforts to amend and strengthen its Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance, or BERDO, by releasing a draft Summary of policy elements on Jan. 27, 2021, for...more

Holland & Knight LLP

The Road to Net Zero is Paved With Numerous Policy Initiatives

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While the presidential transition has focused attention on the energy and environmental policy initiatives that likely will be undertaken by the Biden-Harris Administration, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts continues to...more

Pullman & Comley, LLC

2020 Environmental Legislative Update No. 3, "Social Distancing" Edition

Pullman & Comley, LLC on

Throughout Connecticut’s legislative session, these updates highlight developments concerning environmental law and policy. The author prepares updates as Legislative Liaison of the Connecticut Bar Association’s Environmental...more

Pullman & Comley, LLC

2020 Environmental Legislative Update No. 1, "Stream of Consciousness" Edition

Pullman & Comley, LLC on

Welcome back to the Environmental Legislative Updates for the 2020 Connecticut General Assembly’s “short session.” Since all is well with the Rule of Law in general, let’s see what new Rules and Laws our legislators have in...more

Bilzin Sumberg

Opinon: Zoning can be a Cost-Effective Tool for Confronting Climate Change

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As a coastal region confronting the impacts of climate change, South Florida must continue to advance urban resiliency and sustainability innovations through public investments, regulations, and private sector incentives that...more

Harris Beach PLLC

Five Issues Municipalities May Face in 2020

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As a resource for municipalities and school districts, the MuniBlog has explored evolving issues including changes in technology, finance, and recovering from natural disasters. These issues have confronted municipalities in...more

Foley Hoag LLP - Environmental Law

Louisiana Takes Adaptation Seriously — Evidence of a Tipping Point in Belief in Climate Change?

The public-private partnership Louisiana Strategies for Future Environments just released a report so stark in its conclusions that, were it not for all of the maps and figures its contains, one would have assumed that it had...more

Harris Beach PLLC

New York State Announces $300,000 for Municipalities for Zero-Emission Vehicles Purchase or Lease

Harris Beach PLLC on

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the availability of $300,000 in rebates from the state's Environmental Protection Fund to municipalities for the purchase or lease of...more

Robinson+Cole Manufacturing Law Blog

Climate Change Nuisance Lawsuit Dismissed

This week, a California federal court dismissed a lawsuit brought by two cities against a number of large oil companies seeking to force the companies to fund the cities’ climate change adaptation efforts. The Court held...more

Harris Beach PLLC

Changing Times and Climate Change

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As recently reported in The Washington Post and The New York Times, among other news outlets, the City of New York has sued the five (5) largest publicly traded oil companies for their contributions to climate change and the...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

New York’s Local Waterfront Revitalization Programs (“LWRPs”) And Climate Change

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Now more than ever, climate resiliency along our coastlines is an important aspect of long range municipal planning. Back in 1981, the New York State Legislature enacted the Waterfront Revitalization of Coastal Areas and...more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Farrell Fritz Land Use Blog- 2016 Year in Review

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Before we blog our way into 2017, we wanted to take a moment to review the topics that we blogged about in 2016 and to remind our readers that the land use practice group at Farrell Fritz is a diverse group of attorneys,...more

Foley Hoag LLP - Environmental Law

More on the Adaptation Front: Comprehensive Climate Planning Is Coming To Boston

If you are still wondering whether municipalities are serious about planning for climate change, the Boston Redevelopment Authority’s announcement this week of its new draft Guidelines for the inclusion of planning for...more

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