Insights

  • Blog A picture of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission building

    Musical Chairs at FERC

    Here is a quick set of questions and answers about what the recent naming of James Danly as Chairman of FERCmeans at this once-lesser-known federal agency.

  • Blog Electricity meters

    Another Swing for Demand Response at FERC

    A short explainer about the participation of demand response resources in wholesale electricity markets, given that FERC is being asked to reconsider whether state authorities can prevent these resources from playing in the wholesale market.

  • Blog The "Scream" face

    Health and Environmental Horrors

    In this Halloween edition of “Legally Spooking,” it seems appropriate to address those big, scary health and environmental disasters that strike once or twice in a generation.

  • Blog A "no" symbol in front of an illustration of an fossil fuel facility.

    Compliance? Optional

    While recent examples confirm that federal enforcement of our environmental laws has reached new lows, the administration’s pernicious, wide-ranging attack on the culture of environmental compliance that our nation built up over the past fifty years is of even greater concern.

  • Blog A smoke stack and a hand of cards, showing an Ace of Hearts.

    A Weak Hand: ACE Rule's Day in Court

    Next week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will hear oral arguments on challenges to the repeal the Clean Power Plan (CPP) and consider the Trump administration’s replacement, the Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule.

  • Blog Solar panels, viewed from below

    FERC’s Distributed Energy Resource Rule Explained

    An explainer on FERC’s Distributed Energy Resources rule, Order No. 2222, an important step in allowing for and promoting the participation of a diverse set of clean energy resources in wholesale markets.

  • Blog A mother bear and her two cubs

    When Our Forests Are Gone

    States must understand how actions happening outside of their borders might impact the environment and health of their own residents.

  • Blog A construction vehicle at a mining site; a broken heart.

    It's Not NEPA, It's You

    The Trump administration recently finalized a destructive overhaul of National Environmental Policy Act regulations that would exempt many projects from environmental reviews and restrict how courts can enforce the law, among other consequences.

  • Blog A worker installing solar panels.

    State AGs' Advocacy for a Cleaner, Fairer, Healthier Energy System

    COVID-19 magnifies the importance of state AGs’ advocacy for a cleaner, fairer, healthier energy system.

  • Blog A statue of Lady Justice

    'Tired of Winning' Yet?

    Last week, the Trump administration suffered two more major losses on important energy and climate issues, identifying a litany of legal errors in a regulatory rollback and rejecting an attack on states’ energy rights.

  • Blog Three pipelines extend into the distance; a sunset on the horizon

    Pipeline Platitudes

    The recently canceled or delayed Atlantic Coast, Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines all had fatal flaws, borne largely from poor decisions made by their sponsors, despite what the oil industry claims.

  • Blog A picture of Hazel Johnson

    Juneteenth & the Pursuit of Environmental Justice

    This moment in time — as communities take to the streets in protest in the midst of a pandemic — should be the time that government officials take stock of their decision-making processes and demonstrate that they are listening.