February 2014
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Green Climate Fund Board Makes Key Decisions On Operations
By Keri L. Holleb Hotaling Last week, the Board of the Green Climate Fund (the "Fund") met in Bali, Indonesia. The Fund was designated as an operating entity of the financial mechanism of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ("UNFCCC"). The Fund's purpose is to promote, within the context of sustainable development, the "paradigm… Continue reading
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More Keystone Pipeline Woes
By: E. Lynn Grayson In Thomson v. Heineman, a Nebraska court has struck down 2012 legislation that paved the way for state regulatory approval of the Keystone XL pipeline proposed route in Nebraska. The Nebraska District Court granted plaintiffs' request for an injunction barring the state from enforcing LB 1161 – regulation which created an expedited… Continue reading
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Center for Biological Diversity Serves 60-Day Notice on Coast Guard and EPA for Violations of the Endangered Species Act
By: Genevieve Essig This week the Center for Biological Diversity (“CBD”) served a sixty-day notice of intent to sue the U.S. Coast Guard (“USCG”) and U.S. EPA (EPA) for “ongoing and imminent violations of the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”) . . . resulting from the development and implementation of the New York and New Jersey Area Contingency… Continue reading
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2015 Paris Climate Change Accord
By: E. Lynn Grayson The U.S. was the first nation to submit its recommended outline of the global accord to be adopted at the Paris climate conference. The 2015 agreement will have to bring together the current patchwork of binding and non-binding arrangements under the UN climate convention and will be effective in 2020. Key… Continue reading
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EPA Evaluating Regulation of Impacts to Water from Fracking Activities
By: Seth J. Schriftman In a February 5, 2014 memorandum to Nancy Stoner, U.S. EPA’s Acting Assistant Administrator for Water, the EPA’s Office of the Inspector General (“OIG”) stated that it is starting preliminary research on the EPA’s and the States’ ability to manage potential threats to water resources from hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”). The memorandum’s… Continue reading
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Environmental & Energy Cert. Petition Watch
By: Alexander J. Bandza As part of the “Environmental & Energy Cert. Petition Watch” project, in the past week, the following EHS-related petitions have been filed, denied, or granted. For a full list of EHS-related cert petitions submitted from August 2013 through the present (as of February 16, 2014), click here. I. FILED State of… Continue reading
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Environmental & Energy Cert. Petition Watch
As part of the “Environmental & Energy Cert. Petition Watch” project, in the past week, the following EHS-related petitions have been filed, denied, or granted. For a full list of EHS-related cert petitions submitted from August 2013 through the present (as of February 9, 2014), click here. Continue reading
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Jenner To Host CBA Seminar On The Future Of Environmental Law
On Tuesday, February 25, 2014, from 3-6 pm, Jenner & Block will host a seminar presented by the Chicago Bar Association Young Lawyers Section Environmental Law Committee. The seminar is titled “The Future of Environmental Law” and will address substantive changes on the horizon and how they will impact the future of environmental law. Jenner… Continue reading
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EPA 2013 Enforcement Results: Higher Penalties With Fewer Enforcement Proceedings
U.S. EPA recently released its 2013 enforcement report, which highlights the $5.6B in criminal fines, restitution and court-ordered environmental projects that U.S. EPA obtained in civil and criminal enforcement proceedings in 2013 (as compared to $200M in 2012). However, the Deepwater Horizon events which by themselves accounted for $5 of the $5.6B collected by U.S.… Continue reading
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EPA Releases Revised UIC Permitting Guidance for Fracking Operations Using Diesel – Follow-up
As a follow-up to yesterday’s post regarding EPA’s revised UIC permitting guidance for fracking operations using diesel, the official Notice of Availability has now been published in the Federal Register: 79 Fed. Reg. 8451 (Feb. 12, 2014). Continue reading