October 21, 2019
by Nick Gill
Energy
Fossil Fuels
Natural Resources
Renewable Energy
Although net metering has incentivized residential customers to switch from fossil fuel to solar energy, its pricing model confuses customers and shifts costs, making it untenable in the long-term.
March 22, 2019
by Isabelle Smith
Air
Climate change
Fossil Fuels
International
Litigation
Natural Resources
As the global community confronts the reality that a rapid reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is urgently required, a new class of climate change litigation is emerging. But what impact are these proceedings having?
March 1, 2019
by Sara Divett
Energy
Fossil Fuels
Natural Resources
Regulations
The Trump administration issued oil and gas drilling permits during the most recent shutdown without approval or appropriations by Congress and without following procedures for public participation. Can the administration really do this? If not, how do environmentalists prevent this from happening in future shutdowns?
February 28, 2019
by Lynn Phan
Air
Chemicals
Climate change
Fossil Fuels
Litigation
Whenever faced with the decision to declare a “healthful environment” or freedom from harmful contaminants as fundamental rights, federal courts have invariably rejected those claims.
February 21, 2019
by Kathryn Priester
Air
Energy
Federal Rollbacks
Fossil Fuels
Litigation
Regulations
Environmental groups and the State of California are up in arms over an EPA memo scrapping a decades-old Clean Air Act policy. Will the DC Circuit weigh in on the EPA’s use of “guidance” to drastically shift US regulatory policy?
February 13, 2019
by Robert Adler
Air
Climate change
Energy
Fossil Fuels
Regulations
Renewable Energy
While some companies celebrate the EPA’s deregulation efforts, other companies are starting to understand that economic and environmental efficiencies can run hand-in-hand. The Carbon Disclosure Project helps companies see the connection.
January 24, 2019
by Scott Novak
Climate change
Energy
Fossil Fuels
International
Litigation
Natural Resources
Water
Whereas the Refugee Convention does not provide relief for climate change refugees like Teitiota, the Alien Tort Statute (ATS) might.
November 5, 2018
by Alex D. Pappas
Energy
Fossil Fuels
International
Proposals to reform an emergency storage repository for crude oil known as the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (“SPR”) abound as President Trump and lawmakers react to changing oil market dynamics. As the policy goals and technical utilization of the SPR are evaluated, policymakers could benefit from additional assessment of the costs and benefits of SPR modifications that could imperil an essential national security asset.
October 9, 2018
by Spencer Shweky
Air
Fossil Fuels
Litigation
Regulations
It has now been just over 3 years since the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) first informed the public that Volkswagen, at the time the world's largest automaker, had installed ‘cheat devices’ designed to evade U.S. regulators in hundreds of thousands of their cars. Ultimately, the automaker paid a $2.8 billion criminal fine, and 9 executives and employees were charged with violating the Clean Air Act (“CAA”) and Title 18 of the United States code (the main criminal code of the federal government). Interestingly, though, no one was actually held criminally liable for the pollution itself.