On April 8, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14260, Protecting American Energy From State Overreach. Framed as part of the Administration’s broader strategy of unleashing American energy, the Order directs...more
President Trump’s energy-focused ambitions will generate work for regulators at all levels of the government....more
In the twelve weeks since Inauguration Day, President Trump has issued dozens of executive orders, a number of which are designed to reverse the nation’s momentum on clean energy and climate action. He has sought to upend...more
President Donald Trump on April 9, 2025, issued an executive order (EO) titled "Protecting American Energy from State Overreach." The EO aims at "unleashing American energy" by removing legal restrictions imposed by state...more
On April 8, 2025, President Trump issued a series of executive orders directing the federal government to analyze state-level climate policies targeting fossil fuel consumption and environmental regulations. This action...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
Public companies can face significant liability based on past operations. While most industrial companies have long-term experience evaluating potential remediation obligations imposed by laws such as the federal...more
A Peruvian farmer's climate action lawsuit against a German energy company was continued recently before the Higher Regional Court in Hamm, Germany....more
The amount of climate-related litigation has tripled in the past decade and includes greenwashing claims against some of the largest fossil fuel companies in the world. New York state and its localities have brought some of...more
Among the 37 executive orders signed by President Trump in his first week in office, there are several that address the regulation of energy and the environment. While it may be too soon to know the lasting effect of these...more
On December 26, 2024, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Climate Change Superfund Act (“CCSA” or the “Act”) into law. The law requires certain fossil fuel producers and refiners with sufficient connections to New York...more
“At the heart of President Trump’s effort to expansively redefine the power of the presidency is a struggle for control of the government’s purse strings, underscoring the aphorism that money is power.” — Howard Schweitzer,...more
A coalition of industry associations and 22 state attorneys general (AG), led by West Virginia AG JB McCuskey, filed a lawsuit against the State of New York in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York...more
From the outset, key goals of the incoming Trump Administration have been: supporting fossil fuel development, ending incentives for renewable energy and energy transition, removing burdensome environmental regulations and...more
In California's continuing war on businesses, a legislator recently introduced a bill to enact the "Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act of 2025", AB 1243 (Addis). This bill would establish the a program to be administered by...more
In December 2024, the State of New York enacted the “Climate Change Superfund Act,” which would impose retroactive fines on fossil fuel producers for greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. (New York was...more
Minnesota AG Keith Ellison has obtained an order denying in large part motions to dismiss filed by defendants ExxonMobil Corp., the American Petroleum Institute, Koch Industries, Inc., Flint Hills Resources LP, and Flint...more
As climate adaptation and mitigation costs escalate, a wave of state climate superfund legislation is emerging across the United States. This novel approach to climate accountability, pioneered by Vermont and New York,...more
In a decisive shift from the prior administration’s energy policies, President Trump has enacted a series of executive orders aimed at bolstering domestic fossil fuel production and overhauling the permitting process for...more
A group of 22 Republican AGs, along with several coal, oil, and gas companies and industry trade associations, sued New York over the state’s Climate Superfund Act, which authorizes the state to levy billions of dollars in...more
Our Environment, Land Use & Natural Resources Group rounds up President Trump’s initial volley of Executive Orders focusing on the environment and energy....more
On January 27, 2025, California state senators introduced Senate Bill 222 as part of the Affordable Insurance and Climate Recovery Act, aimed to improve insurance affordability in the state. The Bill, if signed into law,...more
On December 26, 2024, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law S02129B, also known as the New York Climate Change Superfund Act (Act). This law is modeled after the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response,...more
A number of the new administration’s executive actions are intended to implement a significant shift in energy and environmental policy, including the following, all issued on January 20, 2025. “Unleashing American Energy”...more
To nobody’s surprise, it is already evident that President Trump’s second term will mark a significant shift in environmental regulation and policy from the Biden Administration. This article marks the first in a where we...more