Today, the Supreme Court rightsized the scope of National Environmental Policy Act reviews by an 8-0 decision. It could well be a landmark ruling for lower courts because it decides…
The new administration’s term hit its 100-day mark today. Here’s a recap of some of the administration’s major actions related to energy and environmental policy: While promising, these major executive…
The Trump administration has singled out the most crucial electrification metal, copper, as a focus of its domestic minerals policy. Last week, an executive order was released “addressing the threat…
The Trump administration this week signaled that it may roll back almost 50 years of regulations that created the lengthy and litigious permitting process in the U.S. That would be welcome news…
D.C. is in a titter about permitting reform these days, but what is just as important to most businesses is achieving the permits needed to operate on the state level.…
The U.S. Energy Department, under the leadership of Secretary Chris Wright, announced its priorities last week in a Secretarial order. The order reads, in part: 1. Advance Energy Addition, Not…
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) examined Minnesota’s permitting woes in a new study, “Feeling Minnesota: A cautionary tale for permitting reformers.” While the federal permitting process is a severe obstacle…
Over the weekend, permitting reform failed to make the cut in Congress’s year-end spending and disaster legislation. While it’s disappointing that the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) will continue to…
More exciting news on the permitting front! The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments yesterday in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County. It’s a case that has significant implications…
The U.S. District Court of Appeals for North Dakota has heard Iowa v. Council on Environmental Quality, which challenges a new rule that transforms permitting “into a substantive set of…
The House passed H.R. 8790, the “Fix Our Forests Act,” which intends to reduce the risk of wildfires and promote forest health. Projects proposed to thin overgrown forests of fuel…
Minnesota Public Radio reports that Minnesota’s environmental review process will now require developers of new highways, industrial plants, livestock feedlots, and significant housing developments to calculate their project’s greenhouse gas…
The state of Minnesota is currently conducting a “sweeping” rewriting of its permitting rules to force state agencies like the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to consider the greenhouse gas impact…
Last year, I wrote about how the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA), a group that opposes mining and reliable natural gas and coal-fired power plants, sued the Minnesota Pollution…