On April 16, 2025, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued a formal director’s order instructing Empire Offshore Wind LLC to cease
Continue Reading When Is a Final Approval Not the Final Word? Empire Wind Halt Raises Questions About Managing Risk for Previously Approved Infrastructure Projects
On April 8, 2025, President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order titled Protecting American Energy From State Overreach. The order directs the U.S. attorney general to identify and take action against state and local laws “burdening” domestic energy development, especially laws addressing climate change, environmental, social, and government (ESG) initiatives, and environmental justice.
Continue Reading Executive Order Targets State Climate Laws, But Existing GHG Permit Requirements Remain Enforceable
On March 12, 2025, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the agency’s intention to reconsider 31 environmental regulations, describing the effort as the “single most impactful day of deregulation in EPA history.” While the scope of this initiative spans air, water, and climate regulations, the most consequential actions—legally and practically—center on a handful of cross-cutting programs and sector-specific rules.
Continue Reading EPA Launches Historic Deregulatory Initiative: Key Legal Risks and Strategic Takeaways
On Jan. 29, 2025, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) proposed amendments to its State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) (6 NYCRR Part 617) and the Uniform
Continue Reading NY DEC Proposes Environmental Justice-Focused Amendments to SEQRA and UPA—Potential Impacts on Project Permitting
Connecticut is transitioning to a new approach to environmental cleanup and property transactions. The Release-Based Cleanup Regulations (RBCRs) will replace the Transfer Act[1], which impacted property
Continue Reading Considerations for Connecticut’s New Environmental Cleanup Rules
On July 30, 2024, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Jersey Conservation Foundation, et al. v. FERC vacated FERC’s order approving Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company (Transco)’s Regional
Continue Reading DC Circuit Remands and Vacates FERC’s Order Approving the Transco Project
In the recent case of Fresh Air for the Eastside, Inc. v. State of New York (decided July 26, 2024), the plaintiffs sought to compel enforcement of the state’s newly
Continue Reading Clarifying the Scope of New York’s Green Amendment
New York’s Climate law, the Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act (CLCPA), set a bold target to achieve 70% of its electric generation capacity from renewable sources by 2030. That
Continue Reading New York to Miss 2030 Renewable Energy Target Despite Making Substantial Progress Following Adoption of Its Climate Law
Two recent cases, Food & Water Watch et al. v. FERC, decided June 14, 2024, and Healthy Gulf et al. v. FERC, decided July 16, 2024, illustrate both
Continue Reading Recent NEPA Cases May Create Uncertainty for LNG Project Sponsors
On May 23, 2024, the Supreme Court of Illinois rendered a judgment in Rice v. Marathon Petroleum Corp., which involved important considerations for both environmental law and personal injury
Continue Reading Navigating the Illinois Environmental Protection Act Through Rice v. Marathon Petroleum Corp.