Topics discussed this week include
On June 4, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (“D.C. Circuit”) offered non-binding advice to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) on how it should perform environmental reviews of greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions when it considers new natural gas pipeline projects. While the opinion in Birckhead v. FERC ultimately upheld FERC’s order permitting a new natural gas compressor station near Nashville, Tennessee, the court devoted several pages of dicta on what upstream and downstream GHG emissions data FERC should be gathering to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”).
Topics discussed this week include:
Topics discussed this week include:
This update covers:
Sidley Environmental Partner Heather Palmer was named a finalist in the Euromoney LMG’s 2019 Americas Women in Business Law Awards for “Best in Environment.” The awards commend the achievements of women trailblazers in the legal profession. The Americas Women in Business Law Awards will be presented on June 6, 2019 in New York.
Heather’s practice focuses on onshore and offshore oil and gas regulation, solid and hazardous waste, oil and gas waste, coal combustion residual (coal ash), environmental remediation, water quality, water rights, wetlands, endangered species, Superfund litigation and compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act.
On Monday, May 13, China proposed to increase the current tariff of 10% to 25% on liquefied natural gas (LNG) exported from the United States. The proposed increase would go into effect on June 1 in response to the proposed increase on certain Chinese goods imported into the U.S. While this may have limited immediate impact on LNG exports from the United States for LNG plants that have already been constructed (there have been only two cargos of LNG sold to China from the United States this year), it has the potential to slow the growth of LNG exports, including reduced LNG off-take and equity investments in the United States from Chinese entities. China is currently the largest importer of LNG in the world, having surpassed Japan in 2018. The U.S. is projected to be the third-largest LNG exporter, with much of those exports forecasted to go to China.
