The United States has seen a surge of activity from key federal environmental regulators, notably from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), various federal departments, and the Council on Environmental Quality. Even the Department of Agriculture has grappled with the challenge of managing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions within its remit over agricultural operations and national forests. This information is based on a recently published regulatory recap.
The last few months have experienced a massive uptick in regulatory actions taken or proposed, particularly in the energy industry. These regulatory efforts are coming in response to the increasingly pressing need to address environmental issues, including but not limited to Greenhouse Gas emissions, an issue high on the global agenda.
Working tirelessly to cap these emissions, the EPA, and other collaborating federal departments have tabled a host of regulations and guidelines aimed at curbing the rate of GHG emissions. These measures, spanning a wide array of sectors, extend to agricultural practices and forestry management regulated by the Department of Agriculture.
With the current pace of regulatory activity, it’s clear these departments are prioritizing environmental safety and taking significant steps to contribute to the global fight against climate change. The impact of these recent regulatory changes on the energy sector as well as other sectors will undoubtedly influence ongoing debates about federal involvement in environmental protection.
The specifics of each recently proposed regulation provide insight into the future direction of American environmental policy and will be of significant interest to legal professionals working in corporate settings, and particularly those working within the energy industry.
For detailed analyses of the recent rulemaking actions impacting the energy industry, full federal regulatory recaps like this example published by Pillsbury’s Gravel2Gavel Construction & Real Estate Law Blog offer invaluable resources.