On December 18, 2024, the Montana Supreme Court ruled in the case of Held v. Montana, finding that the Montana Environmental Policy Act ("MEPA") violated the state's constitution. In the midst of great change to the federal...more
In welcome news for developers and stakeholders in new carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) and fossil-fueled energy transition projects, on 22 May 2025, England’s Court of Appeal dismissed an application for...more
U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi is expected to release a report any day detailing the Justice Department’s upcoming plans to combat “state overreach,” which is seen as impeding the Trump administration’s energy dominance...more
Key Takeaways - - Pursuant to President Trump’s executive order seeking to maximize the secretary of energy’s emergency authority under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, the secretary’s two new orders have halted the...more
The RUPTL carries significant strategic implications and offers substantial opportunities for investment. As Indonesia advances its energy transition, the RUPTL will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of its national...more
The first few months of the new US administration have brought sweeping changes to the country’s environmental regulatory landscape. Through a spate of executive orders, agency directives, and staffing restructurings, the...more
On May 29, 2025, the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, No. 23-975, 605 U.S. ___ (2025), sharply limiting the scope of environmental review obligations under the...more
The SEC’s mandatory climate disclosure rule remains stayed pending the outcome of the current litigation in the Eighth Circuit. Recently, however, Republican SEC Commissioner Mark Uyeda suggested that the Trump administration...more
On May 28, 2025, the Higher Regional Court in Hamm, Germany, sided with the defendant energy company in a landmark climate change litigation case brought by a Peruvian farmer. The farmer wanted the energy company to pay (in...more
In the latest NEPA news, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) published a notice in the Federal Register announcing the withdrawal of its interim guidance on “Consideration of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate...more
Following up on our previous posts on United States energy policy under the Trump Administration, we are writing with an update on recent State Attorney General (AG) action in response to the Trump Administration’s climate...more
“Energy security,” the principle that when you flip a light switch the lights will turn on, is something that most Americans take for granted. But the mechanics behind it incorporate both century-old transmission towers and...more
A local state court in Pennsylvania recently dismissed an array of climate tort claims brought against major fossil fuel companies by a local government--in this case, Bucks County. Among the three dozen or so climate tort...more
Executive and legislative actions impacting renewable energy at the federal, state, and local levels have arisen at an unprecedented rate since President Donald Trump took office. In January, we outlined in this legal update...more
Welcome to our fifth issue of Currents 2025. We are covering a multitude of issues in this edition, but we want to pass along an announcement and an event notice first. Again, thank you for reading! Tapping Into Common...more
Even as the Trump administration moves to block state and local climate liability efforts, states and municipalities continue to advance lawsuits seeking to hold fossil fuel companies liable for harms associated with climate...more
In recent years, states and municipalities have attempted to hold fossil fuel companies liable for their alleged impacts on climate change. Numerous states and municipalities have sued fossil fuel companies, alleging that...more
On May 12, 2025, in a 5-2 decision, the Colorado Supreme Court held that the tort claims brought by local governments in Colorado against major fossil fuel companies concerning damages stemming from climate change could...more
As we have noted previously, a number of states have enacted legislation and/or brought claims against fossil fuel producers seeking payment for damages resulting from climate change. Legislative efforts include New York...more
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a series of federal lawsuits against four states—New York, Vermont, Michigan and Hawaii—alleging that recent legislative and enforcement efforts to hold fossil fuel companies...more
The U.S. Department of Justice filed lawsuits against New York and several other states, challenging their newly enacted state Superfund laws (Superfund lawsuits). The laws aim to address the environmental damages attributed...more
A group of 24 Republican AGs, along with several trade associations, sued Vermont over the state’s Climate Superfund Act, which authorizes the state to levy billions of dollars in fines on fossil fuel companies for alleged...more
President Donald Trump on May 2, 2025, released his fiscal year (FY) 2026 discretionary budget request outlining his administration's high-level spending priorities for the coming year. Known informally as the "skinny...more
On May 1, 2025, the federal government brought separate suits against both New York and Vermont alleging that these state’s “climate Superfund” statutes are unconstitutional on multiple grounds. In two nearly identical...more
Recently, both the State of Hawaii and the State of Michigan had announced that they would be pursuing litigation against fossil fuel companies concerning alleged damages stemming from the companies' contribution to climate...more