Legal Planet

APRIL 8, 2025

New methane satellites provide a powerful data capability for governments who want to demonstrate leadership in climate policy. The report is intended to help policymakers harness satellite data to improve their climate policies, enforce emissions regulations, and accelerate methane reduction efforts.

Carbon Dioxide

Enviromental Defense

NOVEMBER 28, 2024

While the Alberta Energy Regulator has the ability, and responsibility, to hold companies that break the law to account, it has repeatedly demonstrated an unwillingness to enforce its own laws when it comes to industry rulebreakers — leaving Albertans to bear the costs and clean up the mess. billion Q2 profits from 2024.

Regulations

Legal Planet

DECEMBER 12, 2024

Circuit, the statute governing new railroad lines required the agency to consider a wide range of environmental impacts in deciding whether to approve the line. Agencies need not consider impacts that are remote in space and time, if those impacts are regulated by someone else. According to the D.C. It has two major flaws.

Clean Air Act

Law Columbia

MARCH 27, 2025

City of New York , plumbing and building trade groups challenged New York Citys Local Law 154 of 2021 , a piece of legislation that prohibits fossil fuel combustion in most new buildings. This blog post discusses Local Law 154, unpacks Judge Abrams decision, and ends with a refresher on California Restaurant Association v.

Law

Enviromental Defense

NOVEMBER 8, 2024

It’s the government’s job to protect us and the environment from harmful chemicals in plastic…and they need to get on it While the plastics industry claims its products are sanitary and safe, the truth is much more complicated. Governments around the world, including in Canada, are caught up in the powerful plastics industry.

Fossil Fuels

Legal Planet

OCTOBER 21, 2024

UCLA Law students in the California Environmental Legislation Clinic were fortunate to get to do some research work to assist in the development of the bill.) PROs are industry organizations, and PRO-based EPR laws task industry with coming up with their own plans to manage waste, subject to certain conditions and state oversight.

Waste

Legal Planet

NOVEMBER 11, 2024

In addition, the impact statement was governed by the 1970 version of NEPA and the 1978 White House NEPA regulations. It was a surprise that the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case. The facts are quite unusual. Neither of those is in effect today. Thus, the relevance of any ruling to future agency actions is unclear.

Climate Change

Law Columbia

JANUARY 31, 2025

The Sabin Center has previously discussed the regulation of OAE here and here. A new Sabin Center report continues the conversation by focusing on the regulation of OAE in Washington State. OAE projects conducted in near-shore areas off the Washington coast may be subject to regulation at the federal, state, tribal and local levels.

Ocean

Enviromental Defense

APRIL 30, 2025

Ontarios government is proposing a new law that would give Mayors in 169 small towns and villages Strong Mayor powers. This law could lead to widespread corruption, continued housing shortages, and the destruction of the provinces remaining farmland. This sudden rezoning is now being challenged in court.

Government

Enviromental Defense

APRIL 23, 2025

Nearly 90 per cent of respondents want the federal government to get toxic chemicals out of products, while 86 per cent support federal action on plastic pollution. People in every part of the country recognize the threat that runaway use of unnecessary plastics poses to our health and the environment, and want our government to tackle it.

Government

Law Columbia

APRIL 10, 2025

A new Sabin Center report explores the laws governing seaweed cultivation and sinking for CDR in Alaska. Seaweed cultivation and sinking are regulated by a number of different laws at the state and federal levels. The ADF&G regulates seaweed cultivation, providing aquatic farm operation permits.

Carbon Dioxide

Union of Concerned Scientists

JULY 7, 2025

Stakeholders including utilities, regulators, governments, and communities are grappling with these questions in forums across the world, and UCS is currently closely involved in one such conversation playing out in Michigan. Siddique opened by explaining Michigan’s climate law passed in 2023.

Clean Energy

Law Columbia

MAY 23, 2025

As such, although EU and EEA law are distinct, their substance is identical with respect to the core rules of the internal market. In this sense, the EFTA Court also provides for an authoritative judicial clarification of EU law. The EEA Agreement aims to extend the core of the EU internal market to EEA/EFTA States (art.

Fossil Fuels

PA Environment Daily

DECEMBER 5, 2024

He will describe how the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, new programs have been established to inventory and properly close orphaned wells. The law allocates $4.7 billion for plugging, remediation, and restoration activities on federal, Tribal, state, and private lands.

Natural Gas

Law Columbia

DECEMBER 23, 2024

At issue in the case is whether New York Citys Local Law 97 of 2019 , the Citys building performance standards aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from its largest buildings, is preempted by New York States Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). City of New York. Field preemption can be express or implied.

Law

Law Columbia

NOVEMBER 4, 2024

Crucially, the funding would also go towards social science, governance, and systems research – an acknowledgment from the NASEM committee that public engagement on emerging technologies, and whether we can govern them effectively, must be an integral part of assessing whether they should move forward.

Atmosphere

Legal Planet

OCTOBER 21, 2024

UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy, & Environment (CLEE) is sponsoring a series of papers evaluating aspects of Project 2025, The Heritage Foundation publication, entitled “Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise,” which has received attention in the Presidential election campaign.

2025

Enviromental Defense

JUNE 24, 2025

Canada’s leading environmental law and policy organizations are calling on the Senate to make essential amendments to Bill C-5 before it becomes law. We support responsible national interest projects,” said Theresa McClenaghan, Executive Director and Counsel, Canadian Environmental Law Association.

Law

Legal Planet

MARCH 13, 2025

But the federal government in the United States has failed to address it so far. Opponents will undoubtedly argue that such state-based initiatives conflict with federal law. Aviation is a significant and growing source of greenhouse gas emissions.

Clean Air Act

PA Environment Daily

JUNE 12, 2025

2,070 conventional wells-- 66% of those abandoned wells were not required to have a well plugging bond by law. 2,070 conventional wells-- 66% of those abandoned wells were not required to have a well plugging bond by law. 753 well owners covering 81,396 wells did report. 4,946 well owners were required to report. Read more here.

Waste

Law Columbia

MAY 30, 2025

Last Thursday, May 22, the New York State Court of Appeals the States highest court issued a decision upholding New York Citys Local Law 97 of 2019. Local Law 97 is one of the countrys most ambitious municipal climate policies, requiring the Citys largest buildings to comply with increasingly stringent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions limits.

Law

Law Columbia

OCTOBER 16, 2024

Recognizing this, federal and state bodies have adopted a number of laws and regulations aimed at ensuring geologic carbon storage proceeds in a safe and responsible way. A number of new state laws focused on geologic carbon storage have been enacted in 2024. Several states are stepping up to the plate.

Carbon Dioxide

Law Columbia

OCTOBER 24, 2024

Department of the Interior (“DOI”) the authority to issue and regulate mineral leases on the Outer Continental Shelf (“OCS”), an area of submerged land typically extending 3 to 200 nautical miles from the U.S. The post Enforcing Legacy Environmental Liabilities for Offshore Oil and Gas Infrastructure first appeared on Climate Law Blog.

Fossil Fuels

PA Environment Daily

AUGUST 12, 2025

Environmental Approvals "Data center development in Pennsylvania typically requires a range of environmental authorizations from the Department of Environmental Protection to be compliant with state and federal laws and regulations. Click Here for a copy of DEP's testimony.

Cooling

Law Columbia

DECEMBER 20, 2024

Over the last five years, at least 25 states have expressly preempted local governments from enacting requirements , or even incentives, to construct new buildings that do not rely on natural gas as a fuel source. On December 6, 2024, two local governments finally fought back in court. of Washingtons November 2024 voters.

Natural Gas

Law Columbia

FEBRUARY 18, 2025

The Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School, together with New York Sea Grant, is pleased to announce a writing competition for law students interested in writing on legal and policy issues associated with marine carbon dioxide removal. Articles should be 15,000 words in length.

Carbon Dioxide

Enviromental Defense

APRIL 24, 2025

This is a shocking abdication of responsibility from Canadas financial regulators. Mandatory climate-related disclosure rules are essential for financial regulators to meet their mandates to ensure the stability of the financial system and reduce systemic risk.

Climate Change

Enviromental Defense

NOVEMBER 27, 2024

The groups, backed by several university scientists, sent a letter to Health Minister Mark Holland on Friday, asking him to put safeguards in place to ensure that impartial PMRA scientists can do their job in service of the public interest and prevent inappropriate industry influence in pesticide regulation.

Regulations

Law Columbia

JULY 2, 2025

This suggests that courts should afford substantial deference to agencies in the context of standalone NEPA claims that do not implicate the agency’s obligations under the substantive statutory framework governing the action. Most of these NEPA decisions entail mixed questions of law and fact.

Fossil Fuels

Circle of Blue

MAY 20, 2025

They dont cover government or enterprise data centers. In 2024, the Joyce Foundation examined groundwater governance in the U.S. In 2023, Michigan vowed to source 100% of its utility scale energy from renewables by 2040, although some environmentalists say new laws encouraging data centers could thwart that goal.

Cooling

Vermont Law

APRIL 9, 2025

The two are not mutually exclusive; effective environmental regulations that protect disadvantaged communities can coexist with job preservation and creation. Studies conducted in New Jersey indicate that many residents believe the government is not doing enough to regulate. However, theres always a but.

Ozone

Law Columbia

JANUARY 21, 2025

Factoring climate impacts and obligations into government decision-making : Courts assessing how government actions account for the impacts climate change will have and governmental obligations to mitigate and respond to climate change.

2024

PA Environment Daily

JUNE 13, 2025

Shapiro [PaEN] Lead Counsel On Court Cases Striking Down Provisions In Act 13 To Preempt Local Regulation Of Oil & Gas Operations Raises Concerns About Proposed Legislation Establishing A RESET Board To Site Large Energy Projects [PaEN] Gov.

Fossil Fuels

Vermont Law

DECEMBER 24, 2024

Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy in the Green Mountain State Written by Kathryn Keener and Diana Csank Cannabis laws are loosening, and recent legislative measures in some U.S. states and local governments indicate increased receptivity around psilocybin use, too. Today, cannabis is poised for rescheduling. As Hadas Alterman, Esq.,

Law

Law Columbia

DECEMBER 18, 2024

These include zoning and building codes, procurement policies, comprehensive plans, green stormwater infrastructure regulations, and more. Click here to learn more about the Smart Surfaces Coalition, and here to view more information on the Sabin Centers large library of other trackers and databases on climate change law topics.

Climate Change

Vermont Law

NOVEMBER 27, 2024

Railroading State Environmental Law: The Surface Transportation Board Preempts All By Benjamin Albertson The Surface Transportation Board (“STB”) has exclusive authority over railroads in the United States and has since the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act of 1995 (“ICCTA”). This means such laws will not be preempted by ICCTA.

Law

Law Columbia

MAY 6, 2025

These pressures are further compounded by social tensions , as Indigenous communities are frequently excluded from decision-making processes, raising concerns about environmental justice and the equitable governance of natural resources. Since 1979, Decree Law No.

Politics