EPA’s current estimate of the completion time for a draft of its study of the risks posed by hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) to drinking water is now projected by the agency to be developed in early 2015. This is based on comments in a letter originating from EPA’s Region 8 office stating that the study on the risks posed by fracking to drinking water won’t reach draft final form until “early 2015”. [Region 8 Letter]
WASHINGTON – As a part of the President’s Climate Action Plan, the Department of Energy released plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and preparing for climate change impacts such as flooding, sea level rise, severe weather and temperature extremes. These Sustainability Plans and Climate Change Adaptation Plans coincide with the fifth anniversary of President Obama’s… Keep reading →
With the election on Tuesday, the wind industry’s attention is particularly focused on the prospects for the extension of the production tax credit (PTC). There have been four interesting developments related to the extension of the PTC.
Energy Wins The Hill (Jack Gerard): With zero precincts reporting, we can confidently project American energy is a landslide winner in the 2014 midterm elections. In many races, both Republican and Democratic candidates have gone out of their way this year to embrace pro-energy policies – to the point that it’s been almost impossible to tell… Keep reading →
As our nation prepares to vote in the 2014 midterm elections, it’s important we identify which issues are most important to us and whether our candidate(s) of choice represent us well. Is energy policy an issue that resonates with you? Do you know where your candidates stand as you cast your ballot on November 4?… Keep reading →
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Monday, November 3, 2014, U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz released the following statement regarding the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s final Synthesis Report: “The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s final Synthesis Report reiterates many of the critical takeaways from the last three reports. Leading climate scientists from many countries have… Keep reading →
Introduction
The UK is set to become the first EU member state to transpose the most recent EU directives on accounting and transparency rules in an effort to satisfy growing demands for a European-wide strategy to fight corruption in relation to substantial payments that oil and gas companies are often required to make to government entities by way of signing bonuses, taxes or royalties.
The UK has kick-started with Directive 2013/34/EU (the “EU Accounting Directive”) which, among other things, provides in its Chapter 10 for new reporting obligations for certain types of companies. By doing so, UK registered companies operating in extractive industries such as oil, gas and mining will be required to disclose certain payments made to governments in the various countries they operate in, on a country-by-country or project-by-project basis. The draft UK regulations, referred to as “The Reports on Payments to Governments Regulations 2014”, have not yet been passed by Parliament, however are proposed to come into force on 1 December 2014, more than 7 months ahead of the deadline imposed by the EU Accounting Directive.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released what it calls the Synthesis Report on Sunday, which incorporates findings from the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report produced by over 800 scientists and released over the past 13 months. The latest report confirms the serious risks that climate change poses, indicates climate change impacts are already occurring… Keep reading →
A federal appeals court has lifted the stay of EPA’s Cross-State Air Pollution Rule which addresses interstate transport of air pollution that affects downwind states’ ability to meet air quality standards. On October 23, 2014, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit granted the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) motion to lift… Keep reading →
“I’m not a scientist,” has emerged as go-to republican messaging on climate change in the run-up to midterm elections. Essentially, the response means “I’m not going to talk about this issue,” but climate change has already come up in several political debates around the US. “It’s got to be the dumbest answer I’ve ever heard,”… Keep reading →
