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About Us:
Welcome to the S&W Environmental, Natural Resources, Oil and Gas Law Blog. This blog is a resource for the regulated community to stay current on new developments impacting the environmental, natural resources and energy sectors. It provides timely updates on a broad range of federal, state and local environmental topics — including proposed legislation and government rulemakings — that impact regulated industries throughout the southwest and the nation as a whole.
Topics
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Recent Posts
- Rare Rulemaking Initiated by Arizona Department of Water Resources
- What Will EPA Do with Its New Superfund Money?
- Reclamation Declares Tier 1 Shortage on Colorado River for 2022
- Bipartisan Infrastructure Package Passes the Senate
- Arizona Manufacturers Council’s Environmental & Sustainability Summit Lite 2021
Impact of COVID–19 on Energy and Infrastructure Projects in Arizona and the West: Disruption, Slowdowns, Uncertainty and Virtual Open Houses
by Matt Derstine With states now modifying their stay-at-home orders and social distancing restrictions, the long-term effects of the Coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic on energy and infrastructure projects remains unclear. But there have been several immediate impacts ranging from supply chain … Continue reading
Tagged coronavirus, COVID-19, energy, renewable energy, solar
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President Declares National Emergency: Foreign Adversaries Creating Vulnerability in U.S. Electric Grid
by Kelly A. Daly On May 1, 2020, President Trump declared a national emergency relating to threats facing the bulk-electric power system in the United States. Specifically, the President issued Executive Order on Securing the United States Bulk-Power System, which … Continue reading
Tagged electric grid, Executive Order, national emergency, trump
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FERC Issues COVID-19 Response to Address Filing Deadlines and Conferences
by Kelly A. Daly In an effort to ensure Americans have access to reliable energy during this unprecedented time, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) has identified a COVID-19 point of contact and instituted additional procedures to make sure regulated … Continue reading
Tagged coronavirus, COVID-19, FERC, NERC
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PHMSA Issues COVID-19 Notice Relaxing Enforcement Actions for Gas and Liquids Pipelines, Gas Storage Facilities and LNG Facilities
by Kelly A. Daly In response to the Declaration of a National Emergency relating to the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19), the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Office of Pipeline Safety issued an important notice to operators … Continue reading
Tagged coronavirus, COVID-19, PHMSA, pipeline
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The NRC Responds to Nuclear Plant Work-Hour Concerns Prompted by COVID-19
by Kelly Daly The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that it is prepared to grant temporary exemptions from work-hour controls when the COVID-19 virus adversely impacts staffing levels at nuclear plants such that the applicant can no longer meet the work-hour … Continue reading
Tagged coronavirus, COVID-19, nuclear power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission
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The COVID-19 Impact on Renewable Energy Projects
by Patrick J. Paul The COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on a host of industries worldwide and the renewable energy market is not exempt. In the U.S., the renewable market is likely to be impacted by supply chain and … Continue reading
Tagged coronavirus, COVID-19, lenders, renewable energy, tax equity investor
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FERC Adopts Favorable Buckeye XPress Environmental Assessment; Greenhouse Gas Emissions Not A Prohibitive Factor
By Kelly Daly, Farris Gillman, and Fabian Eichentopf On January 23, 2020, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) adopted the Office of Environmental Projects’ (OEP) Environmental Assessment (EA) of Buckeye XPress, concluding that the project will have “no significant impact” … Continue reading
Tagged Environmental Assessment, FERC, natural gas, NEPA, pipeline
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FERC Asserts Authority: Declaratory Order Says Eminent Domain Exempted From State Sovereign Immunity
By Kelly Daly, Farris Gillman, and Fabian Eichentopf In a recent declaratory order, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) asserted the right of its certificate holders to “exercise eminent domain authority over state-owned land.” The Natural Gas Act (“NGA”) provides … Continue reading
Tagged eminent domain, federalism, FERC, natural gas, Natural Gas Act, pipeline, state sovereign immunity
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Bird Trouble: Trump Administration Plans for Greater Sage Grouse Shot Down by Federal Court; States Take a Shot Too
by John W. Andrews The greater sage-grouse is a chicken-like bird that is currently found in 11 western states. For more than 25 years, there has been considerable controversy concerning whether to list the greater sage-grouse for protection under the … Continue reading
Tagged Endangered Species Act, ESA, sage grouse, Western Watersheds Project
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Are Smart Grids Smart Enough to Prevent Cyber Attacks?
by Raymond Heyman As electric utilities move towards the implementation of smart grid software and hardware, an area of interest is potential exposure to cyber attacks. The electric grid generally refers to the network of transmission lines, substations, transformers and … Continue reading
Tagged Cyber Attack, Smart Grids
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