Your Guide to Emerging Issues in Environmental Regulation and Litigation.
On March 13, 2026, the federal government directed Sable Offshore Corp. to restart operations of the Santa Ynez Pipeline off the coast of Santa Barbara, which was suspended by California in 2015 following the Refugio Oil Spill. The purpose of the recent directive, according to U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, is to “address supply disruption …
The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) last week approved the required permits for the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline project. The approval paves the way for the Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Company to build a new, 37-mile addition to the Williams Transco natural fracked gas …
Late last month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, in New Jersey Conversation Foundation, et al. v. FERC, unanimously vacated the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) approval of the Transcontinental (Transco) Gas Pipe Line Company Regional Energy Access Expansion Project. The roughly $950 million gas pipeline project involves the construction …
On July 27, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a three sentence order that vacated the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit’s orders staying the construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. The pipeline is being built through Virginia and West Virginia and is being constructed to provide additional natural gas for winter in the South …
On June 3, 2023, President Biden signed into law the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (FRA). The FRA was the result of an agreement between White House and congressional GOP negotiators. While the centerpiece of the agreement is the two-year suspension of the debt ceiling, the FRA surprisingly includes significant environmental provisions. Specifically, the FRA …
In April, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report recommending the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) take actions to further develop, finalize, and implement updated pipeline regulations to address limitations regarding the BSEE’s ability to ensure the integrity of offshore oil and gas pipelines—and to address safety and …
Previously, we reported that that the United States District Courts for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and the District of New Jersey granted a consortium of natural gas companies the right of eminent domain to take steps toward building the PennEast pipeline to connect natural gas sources in Pennsylvania to parts of New Jersey. We then reported that the Third Circuit Court of Appeals …
The United States Federal Energy Regulation Commission (FERC) has issued an order holding that the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) waived its authority under the Clean Water Act to issue or deny a water quality certification for the proposed Constitution Natural Gas Pipeline because DEC failed to act in a timely manner. Entities …
In a split decision, a bipartisan four-commissioner panel of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved an application by Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co. LLC for a construction certificate. Transco plans to upgrade several portions of a pipeline that serves the northeast region of the country, including parts of New York City and New Jersey. …
On April 10, 2019, the Trump administration published Executive Order 13868, “Promoting Energy Infrastructure and Economic Growth,” which directs the EPA Administrator to, “consult with states, tribes, and relevant executive departments and agencies in reviewing section 401 of the Clean Water Act and EPA’s related regulations and guidance to determine whether any provisions thereof should …