Energy & Sustainability

In Washington this week, the energy and climate front was packed with hearings, proposals, and negotiations in preparation for several happenings at the end of the year.

On September 29, 2015 the Department of Energy released the 2014-2015 Offshore Wind Technologies Market Report, assessing the nation’s offshore wind potential and planned projects through June 30, 2015.

Tom Burton, Chair of Mintz Levin’s Energy Technology Practice, will publish a weekly installment providing insight into the challenges and possible solutions that, if implemented, promise a bright future as clean energy moves America forward. In this series, Tom will include one challenge per week and the potential solution(s). This is the fifth installment of the series.

Curious what the future holds for global energy? Stay tuned for an upcoming blog post with highlights from Paul Dickerson’s speech at the 40th Annual Interarab Cambist Association (ICA) Conference taking place on October 22-24 at the JW Marriot in Cairo, Egypt. Paul is the former Chief Operating Officer at the US Department of Energy, a current attorney with Mintz Levin, and a contributor to our Energy Technology Matters blog.

As Congress comes back into session next week, tax provisions are at the top of the agenda from now through the end of the year. While Republicans are looking to make some tax extenders permanent and eliminate others, Democrats are negotiating hard to make renewable energy credits permanent or at least secure long sunsets.

Are you looking to attend a clean tech event packed with lectures, workshops and networking opportunities? Join the Mintz Levin team at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) Cleantech Global Showcase, GloSho’15, on October 21 – 22, 2015 in downtown Los Angeles.

Tom Burton, Chair of Mintz Levin’s Energy Technology Practice, will publish a weekly installment providing insight into the challenges and possible solutions that, if implemented, promise a bright future as clean energy moves America forward. In this series, Tom will include one challenge per week and the potential solution(s). This is the fourth installment of the series.

Tom Burton, Chair of Mintz Levin’s Energy Technology Practice, will publish a weekly installment providing insight into the challenges and possible solutions that, if implemented, promise a bright future as clean energy moves America forward. In this series, Tom will include one challenge per week and the potential solution(s). This is the third installment of the series.

Regulation A+ went into effect in June 2015 to allow private US and Canadian based companies to raise equity — up to $20 million under Tier I and up to $50 million under Tier II from both accredited and nonaccredited investors, subject to certain limitations.

After meetings last week with Pope Francis and Xi Jinping, this week President Obama continued his environmental push with a visit to the UN General Assembly and an interview in Rolling Stone. On Capitol Hill, Senators and Congressmen are dealing with energy tax extenders among a host of other issues, including avoiding a government shutdown.

Tom Burton, Chair of Mintz Levin’s Energy Technology Practice, will publish a weekly installment providing insight into the challenges and possible solutions that, if implemented, promise a bright future as clean energy moves America forward. In this series, Tom will include one challenge per week and the potential solution(s). This is the second installment of the series.

This week, two highly anticipated visits have captivated the attention of the nation’s capital and the world. President Obama welcomed both Pope Francis and Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington, with climate change concerns on top of each agenda.

Although there are a variety of barriers to expanding clean technology’s reach across the United States, there are also numerous ways to optimize policy that will streamline renewable energy and cleantech at ever greater scales.

This week, the House had hearings on several energy policy issues, including the crude oil export ban, the electric grid, and a broad bipartisan energy package. Also in D.C., President Obama continues his busy fall climate agenda as he prepares for Pope Francis’ visit, which will partly center on the Pope’s environmentally focused encyclical Laudato Si.

On Thursday, September 10, The New England Clean Energy Council (NECEC) hosted its third annual Legislative Roundup. The event brought together clean energy advocates and technology developers from around the Northeast to discuss the region’s latest policies and their impact on residents, businesses, and other key entities.

Mintz attorney Kristin Gerber garnered recognition in a Huffington Post article last week for her work in the social entrepreneurship sector.  Kristin was highlighted as one of the Hult Prize Foundation’s “Great Partners” – people who have engaged directly with teams competing for the Hult Prize to create value – for the services she has provided to Hult Prize competitors over the past few months. 

Interested in upcoming events in the energy technology industry? Look no further! Our blog features an events page dedicated to listing happenings around the globe. Click here to view it – and feel free to add this page to your favorites list!

Congress is officially back in session, and several important energy-related issues loom on the horizon, including TSCA reform and a tax extenders package that could potentially impact renewable energy tax credits. 

With Congress out of session over the past few weeks, President Obama continued to make climate change and clean energy a key part of his agenda. In addition to visits to New Orleans and Alaska focused on climate change, the president also announced a number of key initiatives designed to incentivize and reward innovators in the clean technology sector.   

On August 24, President Obama directed the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to allow homeowners to purchase and refinance properties with Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) loans when those loans are subordinated to an FHA-insured mortgage.