Energy & Sustainability

As Congress resumes after the Independence Day recess, the House debates several energy related funding measures, while the Senate awaits the broad Murkowski - Cantwell energy package.

U.K. Trade & Investment and the British Consulates General’s 3rd annual GREAT Tech Awards kicked off in June with the opening of this year’s application and - for the first time ever - New England start-ups will have an opportunity to participate.

On June 26, Mintz Levin and E2: Environmental Entrepreneurs celebrated E2’s 15th Anniversary with a program titled “Revitalizing America's Middle Class in a Clean Energy Economy.”

In the final full week before the July 4 recess, energy policy is taking center stage in both the legislative and executive branches. The Senate continues to piece together a broad bipartisan energy package, while the House takes on the EPA's funding, the Clean Power Plan, and listens to officials on advanced battery storage.

Yesterday, the White House hosted a Clean Energy Investment Summit where Vice President Biden highlighted more than $4 billion in pledges from major foundations and long -term investors to fund climate change solutions.

On Tuesday, June 2, New England Economic Partnership, The Massachusetts Business Roundtable, and the Brandeis International Business School held a conference at the Boston Federal Reserve titled “Building the Backbone of Energy Efficiency.”

In the Winter 2015 issue of the ABA’s Natural Resources & Environment magazine, John Barkett retraced the Supreme Court’s treatment of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) from Key Tronic to Waldburger and, looking back over that history, he makes the unassailable observation that the Court’s decisions have been, and will continue to be, guided by the plain meaning of CERCLA’s text.

Mintz Levin recently hosted an Energy Tech 10 Year Anniversary Celebration at District Hall in Boston. To mark over a decade of helping energy innovators succeed, our Energy Technology Practice Group would like to thank our more than 250 clients nationwide for aiding in our success.

On Thursday, June 23, the New England Women in Energy and Environment is hosting its first annual “Women in Energy and the Environment Shaping the Agenda” Panel Series from 5:30-8:30pm at the MIT Sloan School of Management. National Grid, Robinson and Cole, NextEra Energy, and Mintz Levin are sponsoring the event.

While much of the focus in Congress is on the National Security Agency, fiscal year 2016 appropriations, and the trade promotion authority, energy and environmental policy also made headlines both before and after the Memorial Day Recess.

On Tuesday, June 2, CleanEdge, in association with Wells Fargo and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center among others, released its annual U.S. Clean Tech Leadership Index.

In an ambitious and unprecedented move, Hawaii is aiming to increase its current renewable energy output of 21% to a 100% quota by 2045. The state, which carries some of the U.S.’s highest electricity costs, is riding the momentum of decreasing renewable energy prices.

On Tuesday, May 19, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz announced the release of Enabling Wind Power Nationwide. The report is a comprehensive look at wind power potential across all 50 states and considers the impact of next generation wind turbines.

In recent weeks, Senators have put forth a variety of energy and environment initiatives, hoping to get their ideas included in a forthcoming broad bill from Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA).

In the run up to the Memorial Day recess, the House and Senate have had an eventful week, with even more on tap. Although Senator Portman and Shaheen recently passed their energy efficiency bill, several energy and environment hearings continue to keep Congressmen and Senators focused on this policy area.

On Tuesday May 5th, members of state government, clean energy advocates, and business representatives assembled at the Massachusetts State House for the New England Clean Energy Council’s (NECEC’s) fourth annual Clean Energy Day.

In its first step towards regulating nanoscale materials, EPA plans to impose a one-time electronic reporting and recordkeeping requirement under TSCA on manufacturer (“manufacturer” is defined to include importers) and processors of particles ranging from 1-100 nanometers and exhibiting unique characteristics due to their size.

On April 6, 2015, EPA published a long-awaited Proposed Rule imposing one-time electronic reporting and recordkeeping requirements on manufacturers and processors of certain nanoscale materials under Section 8(a) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

While the potential Iran nuclear deal, the budget, and spending bills dominate Congress’ attention leading up to the Memorial Day recess, committees in both chambers have not forgotten about energy policy, with several hearings on the docket.

Despite downward pressure on oil and gas prices in recent years, solar, wind, and other alternative energy forms have maintained their popularity. In a recent article on FuelFix.com, Mintz Levin’s Tom Burton and Paul Dickerson discuss where this energy market trend stems from.