GHG Emissions
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of December 1, 2025
GHG Emissions: Pennsylvania Repeals RGGI as Part of FY2025-2026 Budget Signing ⚡
On November 12, 2025, Governor Josh Shapiro announced he was signing the FY2025-2026 budget into law. As a part of this, Shapiro signed House Bill 416. This bill abrogates or repeals 25 Pa. Code Chapter 145, removing Pennsylvania from RGGI. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is a program that limits carbon dioxide emissions from large fossil-fuel power plants and requires generators to hold allowances equal to their emissions. Participating RGGI states establish an individual CO2 Budget Trading Program, where generators may purchase allowances for […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of September 29, 2025
Infrastructure: PA PUC Issues Order to Speed Up Identification of Old, At-Risk Pipes ⚡
On September 11, 2025, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PA PUC) issued a final order aimed at speeding up the identification of older, “at-risk” plastic pipes used to transport natural gas. Starting in 1998, and then again in 1999, 2002 and 2007, the National Transportation Safety Board issued reports that plastic pipes installed between the 1960s and the 1980s were at a higher risk of cracking and leaking, and as such should be replaced. In 2024, the PA PUC issued a tentative order accelerating the process […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of August 11, 2025
Community Impacts: PA Attorney General Files Charges Against Equitrans for Well Leak ⚡
On July 24, 2025, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday released a statement indicating that criminal charges have been filed against the energy company Equitrans, LP, concerning a natural gas leak that occurred in 2022. The charges, which include 14 counts of unlawful conduct and pollution, stem from an investigation by the Office of the Attorney General. It was found that a gas well at the Rager Mountain Storage Field in Cambria County leaked for 14 days due to what the 51st Statewide Investigating Grand Jury cited […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of June 30, 2025
National Energy Policy: Department of Interior Proposes Rescission of 2024 Alaska Petroleum Reserve Regulations ⚡
On June 2, 2025, the Department of the Interior (DOI) proposed rescinding a May 2024 Biden-era rule restricting development of oil and gas resources in the Alaska Petroleum Reserve. The DOI conducted a review and concluded that the rule titled “Management and Protection of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska” violated the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976, and imposes barriers to development. This is another step in carrying out an earlier Executive Order issued by the White House, aimed at accessing […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of March 3, 2025
Water Quality: EPA Approves Class VI Primacy Application for West Virginia ⚡
On February 18, 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced their approval of West Virginia’s Class VI primacy application for injecting CO2 into “deep rock formations.” The EPA approved the application under the Safe Drinking Water Act, finding that West Virginia is “best positioned to protect underground sources of drinking water while bolstering energy independence and dominance.” According to the announcement, West Virginia is the fourth state to receive Class VI primacy since 2018. Additionally, the announcement stated that the EPA Administrator will begin “fast-track[ing]” Class VI primacy […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of January 27, 2025
Climate Change: New York Court Dismisses Climate Change Suit Against ExxonMobil, Shell, and BP ⚡
On January 15, 2025, the Supreme Court of the State of New York in the County of New York dismissed a suit brought by the City of New York (“the City”) against ExxonMobil, Shell, and BP. The City of New York v. ExxonMobil Corp., et al, Doc. No. 232 (Supreme Court of New York, County of New York, Commercial Division Part 45, 2025). The City brought two causes of action against the three defendant companies: “(1) violation of the [City’s Consumer Protection Law (CPL)] by […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of December 16, 2024
Electricity Generation: Department of Energy Announces Funding for Marine Energy and Offshore Wind Research and Development ⚡
On December 4, 2024, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced over eighteen million dollars in funding for select research and development projects on marine energy and offshore wind. The projects are being run at seventeen universities including Oregon State, Rutgers, The University of Michigan, and Boston University. The projects focus on marine energy development, especially relating to data collection, testing, device efficiency and device design.
Environmental Impact Study: FAA Asks D.C. Circuit Court to Reconsider NEPA Decision
On November 27, 2024, Respondents, the Federal Aviation […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of August 5, 2024
National Energy Policy: Circuit Court Upholds EPA Regulation of Biogas Producers ⚡
On July 19, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld EPA regulations on biogas producers after challenges from the Coalition for Renewable Energy. Coal. for Renewable Nat. Gas v. EPA, No. 23-1248, 2024 BL 246802 (D.C. Cir. July 19, 2024). The Coalition challenged the EPA’s recent regulation of renewable biomass, claiming the EPA’s regulations were arbitrary and lacked proper authority, claiming that 42 USC 7545: Regulation of fuels does not allow for regulation of biogas producers. The Court found in the EPA’s […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of July 22, 2024
GHG Emissions: DC Court Denies Challenge to EPA’s Recent Emissions Rule ⚡
On July 9, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia denied a motion filed by twenty-four states to stay the recent rule promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulating greenhouse gases (GHGs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions by oil and gas companies. State of Texas v. EPA, No. 24-1054. In the original complaint, the plaintiff states argued that EPA’s rule, which went into effect on May 7, 2024, was “onerous” and that it would cost states millions of dollars to […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of June 24, 2024
GHG Emissions: Department of Energy Publishes Guidance for Zero Emissions Buildings ⚡
On June 6, 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published a document titled “National Definition of a Zero Emissions Building.” The guidance document provides a standardized definition by identifying the minimum criteria for a building to be considered zero-emissions as the following: “(1) energy efficient, (2) free of on-site emissions from energy use, and (3) powered solely from clean energy.” In its announcement, DOE states that this standardized definition “will help advance next-generation clean energy solutions, drive innovation, and tackle the climate crisis, while supporting […]
