At the start of today’s Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) open meeting, Chairman Donna Nelson announced that May 15, 2017 will be her final day at the commission. This is a month before she was speculated to be leaving the commission. In order to fill her vacant space, the Governor must appoint a replacement.
While the…
Fulfilling repeated campaign pledges to roll back the Obama administration’s climate change initiatives, President Trump signed a sweeping executive order yesterday targeting key Obama-era regulations, including the Clean Power Plan and emission standards for the oil and gas industry. The executive order states that it is in the interest of the nation to promote development of energy resources “while at the same time avoiding regulatory burdens that unnecessarily encumber energy production, constrain economic growth, and prevent job creation.” The multi-faceted approach taken by the order makes it clear that this Administration views any regulation of climate change or carbon pollution as “unnecessary.”
In a four-part series recently published in Law360, Husch Blackwell’s energy regulatory group analyzed the significant aspects of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) most recent installment of the Quadrennial Energy Review (QER). The first article focused on the QER’s discussion of the critical role that the nation’s electricity industry plays in supporting the country’s economy and national security. The second installment examined the QER’s emphasis on grid security. The third focused on
The Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) requires disclosure relating to social and environmental performance if the information would be “material” to the reasonable investor. Climate change issues may need to be disclosed with respect to the costs of environmental compliance, material legal proceedings, risk factors, management’s discussion and analysis of financial conditions and results of operations,…
During his confirmation hearing to become Secretary of Energy, former Texas Governor Rick Perry sensibly walked back his 2011 recommendation that the Department of Energy (DOE) be eliminated. After a few weeks on the job, it is now apparent that the secretary not only thinks the DOE should continue to exist but recognizes it’s an essential element of our national security.
President Trump’s inaugural address called for an “America First Energy Plan.” Although admittedly short on details, the Trump plan seems to
I’m Adam Sachs, a partner in Husch Blackwell’s energy practice and a registered DC lobbyist. I will be joined in these semi-regular blog posts by my colleague and longtime Washington lawyer, Bob Horn. Bob served in the Ford administration, ran Detroit Edison’s federal affairs operations, co-founded the Republican National Lawyers Association, and most recently served as a member of the Trump transition team. I have extensive Capitol Hill experience, having served in senior policy and legal positions since the mid-1980’s. My most recent Hill gig was serving as committee counsel to now assistant Democratic leader James Clyburn of South Carolina.
On January 20, 2017, President Trump’s Chief of Staff, Reince Priebus, issued a memorandum to the heads of executive departments and agencies implementing a “regulatory freeze” on new regulations. The memorandum requires departments and agencies to:
Last week, OSHA published its new “Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs,” which advises employers to establish comprehensive internal safety and health programs and provides extensive guidelines and resources for doing so. In releasing the updated recommendations, OSHA argues that employers adopting such programs could reduce injuries and illnesses and promote sustainability.
