The Continuing Impact of Coal Ash - Energy Law Insights
Litigating During COVID: What You Need to Know
New Executive Orders and Proclamation - On April 8, 2025, President Donald J. Trump issued three significant executive orders (“EOs”) and a fourth proclamation consistent with his pledge to “Unleash American Energy.” These...more
The Colstrip Power Plant in Montana is now one of the early applicants to the new EPA exemption application process which we have previously discussed here. Specifically, the Colstrip plant has requested a two-year exemption...more
President Trump’s energy-focused ambitions will generate work for regulators at all levels of the government....more
President Donald Trump signed an executive order (EO), "Reinvigorating America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Industry and Amending Executive Order 1424," on April 8, 2025, that places coal at the center of the administration's...more
President Donald Trump's April 8, 2025, proclamation extends the compliance deadline for the EPA's Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) by two years, from July 8, 2027 to July 8, 2029, asserting national security concerns...more
On April 9, 2025, President Trump announced a slew of executive actions seeking to bolster the coal industry. One of the three executive orders is directly targeted at procedures to increase coal mining and production, which...more
Last week, President Trump signed over 10 executive orders related to efforts to strengthen America’s defense industry, bolster coal production and electric grid management, and roll back other regulations it views as...more
On April 8 and 9, 2025, President Donald Trump issued five Presidential Actions (four Executive Orders and one Proclamation, collectively “Presidential Actions”) for the purposes of ensuring adequate and reliable energy...more
On April 8, 2025, the President of the United States signed a suite of executive orders designed to extend the aims of the January 31, 2025 Executive Order (“EO”) Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation. The implementation...more
The coal production Executive Order expands upon previous mineral production Executive Order 14241 to (a) designate coal as a critical mineral entitled to federal funding and deregulation and (b) declare its availability and...more
Talks (Koalitionsverhandlungen) between the centre-right CDU/CSU and centre-left SPD to form a new German government concluded in a coalition agreement reached on April 9, 2025. In our previous coverage of the German...more
On April 7, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released two memoranda on revised policies for the federal government’s acquisition and adoption of AI, pursuant to President Trump’s January AI Executive...more
The Trump Administration is leveraging the U.S. Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office (LPO) as a strategic tool to catalyze private sector investment in energy infrastructure. This approach aims to enhance U.S....more
President Donald Trump’s second inaugural address identified making America “energy dominant again” as one of four America First Priorities. Having issued several statements and executive orders in January that focused on...more
The president’s actions aim to bolster coal production and exports and coal-fired power generation, highlighting the importance of coal to US economic and national security....more
The executive order calls for the removal of federal regulatory barriers that hinder coal production. This will likely involve significant work to navigate and implement these changes, ensuring compliance while maximizing the...more
In a significant turn of events for the coal mining sector, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has announced a temporary enforcement pause on its stringent respirable crystalline silica regulation. This...more
The below article is a summary of the Energy-related Executive Orders that have been issued this week by the Administration. Vinson & Elkins will provide a detailed substantive analysis of the Orders for clients in the coming...more
Declares coal essential to U.S. economic and national security, designates it as a critical mineral for energy purposes, and directs agencies to remove regulatory barriers, prioritize coal leasing on federal lands, and...more
Grants a two-year exemption from the EPA's updated Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule for certain stationary sources, citing the lack of commercially viable emissions-control technology needed to meet the rule’s...more
On March 12, 2025, EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (“OECA”) issued a memo outlining new national enforcement and compliance initiatives (“NECIs”). ...more
On Tuesday, February 11, 2025, Senate President Pro Tempore Bill Reineke (R-Tiffin) unveiled the Senate’s energy legislation, S.B. 2. As expected, there are similarities to H.B. 15, introduced by Rep. Roy Klopfenstein...more
Welcome to our first Issue of Currents 2025, our energy e-newsletter. While our energy practice is constantly changing and evolving, we too have expanded our focus for 2025 with some new editors involved with this...more
In the environmental space, 2024 has been a memorable year with regulatory efforts and court decisions touching on every aspect of environmental and energy regulation, capped out by a closely divided election....more
In December 2022, planning permission was granted by the secretary of state for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities ("SoS") to extract coal from a coal mine in Whitehaven, Cumbria, England. The project would have been the...more