GHG Emissions
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of October 23, 2023
Infrastructure: DOE Announces Phase 1 Award Winners in Buildings UP Program ⚡
On October 11, 2023, the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficient and Renewable Energy (EERE) announced $22 million in awards through its Buildings Upgrade Prize (Buildings UP). The Building Up program awards groups developing building upgrades focusing on energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction, among other goals. These most recent awards were distributed under Building Up Phase 1 which identified groups, governments, and businesses developing “building energy upgrades.” Phase 1 winners were designated to either Equity-Centered Innovation or Open Innovation groups and will move on […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of September 25, 2023
GHG Emissions: California Senate Passes New Emissions Disclosure Requirements for Billion-Dollar Businesses ⚡
On September 11, 2023, the California Senate approved Senate Bill 253, which will require all private and public companies operating in California with a total revenue of $1 billion or more to comply with new disclosure requirements that reflect the emissions disclosure standards outlined in the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol). SB-253 seeks to enforce the “globally recognized GHG accounting and reporting standards” of the GHG Protocol, a system of guidance developed by the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Beginning in […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of August 7, 2023
Methane Emissions: White House Holds Methane Summit ⚡
On Wednesday, July 26, 2023, the White House released a fact sheet describing the White House Methane Summit, which was held that day. The Summit focused on strategies to reduce methane emissions and with a focus on methane leaks from the oil and gas industry. The fact sheet also announced the creation of a Cabinet-level White House Methane Task Force, which will aid in the implementation of the U.S. Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan. The Summit examined the following topics: “Detecting Emissions Using Innovative Technology,” “Taking Common-Sense Actions to Mitigate Methane […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of May 15, 2023
Pipelines: DOT Proposes New Pipeline Leak Detection Rules ⚡
On Friday, May 5, 2023, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration proposed a new rule aimed at improving the detection and repair of leaks from old gas pipelines. The rule will take advantage of the $196 million in grants that were provided on April 5, 2023, to create the necessary jobs to repair, replace, and rehabilitate over 2.7 million miles of pipelines. As explained in the most recent announcement, if the actions proposed in rule are finalized, an approximate $2.3 billion in annual benefits […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of May 01, 2023
LNG Infrastructure: FERC Approves Two LNG Projects in Brownsville, Texas ⚡
On Friday, April 21, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) authorized the construction and operation of two major liquid natural gas projects proposed by LNG companies in Brownsville, Texas. In their first order, FERC found the LNG project proposed by Rio Grande LNG to be consistent with the public interest and in compliance with the commission’s analysis of environmental justice impact. Similarly, in their second order, FERC found that the project proposed by Texas LNG, after taking into account the social cost of carbon and the potential […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of April 24, 2023
GHG Emissions: EPA Announces New Standards with Vehicle Emissions Reduction Goals ⚡
On Wednesday, April 12, 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced new emissions standards for light-duty and medium-duty vehicles manufactured from 2027 to 2032. As proposed, these standards would become increasingly stringent across the six-year period, both for light- and medium-duty vehicles. The new standards also include revisions to other programs concerned with greenhouse gas emissions (GHG emissions), including carbon credits, zero-emissions and hybrid vehicles, and other vehicle compliance measures. Emissions resulting from the refueling of incomplete medium-duty vehicles are also subject to new standards, as well as […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of April 10, 2023
GHG Emissions: EPA Rubber-stamps New California Regulations for Heavy-duty on Road Vehicles and Engines ⚡
On March 30, 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted two waiver requests sought by the California Air Resource Board (CARB) pertaining to the regulation of heavy-duty on road vehicles and engines. Specifically, CARB sought a waiver of the federal preemption of motor vehicle emissions regulation under Section 209(b) Clean Air Act. In its decision, the EPA first granted CARB’s 2018 HD Warranty Amendments, which extends the emissions warranty period for heavy-duty diesel vehicles and engines over 14,000 pounds manufactured in 2022 or later. […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of March 27, 2023
GHG Emissions: European Parliament Adopts Draft Measures to Achieve Zero-emission Buildings by 2050 ⚡
On Tuesday, March 14, 2023, Members of the European Parliament adopted a proposed amendment to the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, which now calls for the total decarbonization of buildings in all members states by 2050. In addition to buildings, the revision 55 percent reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the European Union (EU) by 2030. The proposal recommends that Member States should move away from fossil fuels for heating and suggests that tax incentives should be adopted to encourage renewable energy sources instead. The […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of March 20, 2023
Methane Emissions: DOE Offers $47 Million to Fund Methane Emissions Reduction Technologies ⚡
On Monday, March 13, 2023, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced $47 million in funding that will be made available for 22 new projects focused on methane emissions reduction. These projects will develop technologies to detect, quantify, and reduce methane emissions in regions of the United States that are oil and natural gas producing. The technologies being developed are categorized into five areas, which involve the mitigation of emissions from oil and gas machinery, monitoring and measuring of emissions from oil and gas facilities, investigation of methane […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of March 13, 2023
Pipelines: US Fish and Wildlife Service Finds Mountain Valley Pipeline Unlikely to Threaten Existence of Five Regional Species ⚡
On Monday, March 1, 2023, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) published a revised impact assessment for the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline, a 304-mile natural gas pipeline that will span from the Wetzel County region of West Virginia to the Pittsylvania County region of Virginia. In their assessment, the FWS’s conducts jeopardy analyses for five particular species of plant and animals that inhabit the region across which the pipeline will be constructed. The overall “rangewide status” of the species […]
