Joseph Hezir Confirmed as Chief Financial Officer WASHINGTON – Joseph Hezir was confirmed by the Senate on December 4, 2014 as the Department of Energy’s Chief Financial Officer. “Joe’s experience in the energy, environmental and budgetary realms and his strategic approach to challenges make him a great fit as Chief Financial Officer for the agency,”… Keep reading →
The following article was originally published in the San Francisco Daily Journal on December 3, 2014. Copyright 2014 Daily Journal Corporation, reprinted with permission.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is poised to readopt the Low-Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) regulation in early 2015. With its readoption, CARB hopes to put to rest challenges that required a redo of the environmental analysis supporting the LCFS regulation. If all goes as planned, transportation fuel suppliers operating in California will face a regulatory environment in 2015 that is at once both more certain — with legal challenges to the LCFS largely resolved — and more daunting, as transportation fuels come under the “cap” on greenhouse gas emissions imposed by California’s cap-and-trade program.
On Tuesday, November 18, 2014, the Guarini Center at NYU Law convened a roundtable discussion on utility regulation in the United Kingdom, focusing on its new “RIIO” model. The event brought together American regulators, NGOs, utilities, and academics to exchange thoughts and ideas with presenters from the analogous spheres in Britain. A roundtable report will follow in… Keep reading →
New vehicle average fuel economy in the US was unchanged in November from the previous month – it remained at 25.3 mpg – which is likely due to countervailing forces. “The unchanged average fuel economy is likely a net consequence of two opposing trends: less demand for fuel efficient vehicles because of the decreasing price… Keep reading →
Dr. Franklin Orr Confirmed as Under Secretary for Science and Energy WASHINGTON – Dr. Franklin (Lynn) Orr was confirmed by the Senate on December 4, 2014 as the Under Secretary for Science and Energy at the Department of Energy. “Lynn Orr is an outstanding scientist and has successfully led a major multidisciplinary program on energy… Keep reading →
The temporary and limited changes to U.S. and European Union (“EU”) sanctions policy for Iran, as agreed under the interim nuclear deal reached by Iran and the P5 + 1 countries, have been extended until June 30, 2015. Most U.S. and EU sanctions on Iran remain in place and will continue to be enforced. Until June 30, 2015, non-U.S. individuals and companies (unless U.S. owned or controlled) will not face U.S. sanctions enforcement if they engage in specified transactions relating to: (a) the export of Iranian petrochemical products, (b) the provision of goods and services for Iran’s auto industry, (c) the sale of gold and precious metals to or from Iran, and (d) the provision of insurance and transport services associated with sales of Iranian oil to six specified countries. The U.S. government has continued the favorable licensing policy for the provision of goods and services to Iran’s civil aviation industry by U.S. persons, U.S. owned/controlled foreign entities and non-U.S. persons. The U.S. also is taking steps to facilitate certain humanitarian and medical trade with Iran, payment of UN dues and support for Iranians studying abroad.
The ensuing Republican majority in both Houses of Congress following the 2014 Mid-Term election leaves President Obama in a precarious position regarding healthcare reform, foreign policy and economic recovery. But it is U.S. energy policy that could have the most tangible long-term effect on American society. Since securing re-election in 2012, Obama has taken significant… Keep reading →
Although the NC General Assembly adjourned last summer it is customary to allow some laws that require lead time for implementation to go into effect on December 1st. The following is a list of NC laws that are new today:
Republicans are vowing to try to derail the Obama administration’s proposed rules for reducing carbon emissions for existing power plants, but on the last day for public comment on the Environmental Protection Agency plan, the organizations that support it weren’t giving any ground – in fact, they offered analysis and argument pressing the EPA to… Keep reading →
Implementing a nuclear agreement will be no easier than reaching one, and Washington will have little influence over what Iran decides to do over time about the deal. Reaching a nuclear deal with Iran is proving to be tough, as evidenced by the seven-month extension of talks agreed to on Monday. But negotiating an agreement… Keep reading →
