Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure

On Tuesday, June 2, New England Economic Partnership, The Massachusetts Business Roundtable, and the Brandeis International Business School held a conference at the Boston Federal Reserve titled “Building the Backbone of Energy Efficiency.”

In the Winter 2015 issue of the ABA’s Natural Resources & Environment magazine, John Barkett retraced the Supreme Court’s treatment of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) from Key Tronic to Waldburger and, looking back over that history, he makes the unassailable observation that the Court’s decisions have been, and will continue to be, guided by the plain meaning of CERCLA’s text.

Mintz Levin recently hosted an Energy Tech 10 Year Anniversary Celebration at District Hall in Boston. To mark over a decade of helping energy innovators succeed, our Energy Technology Practice Group would like to thank our more than 250 clients nationwide for aiding in our success.

On Thursday, June 23, the New England Women in Energy and Environment is hosting its first annual “Women in Energy and the Environment Shaping the Agenda” Panel Series from 5:30-8:30pm at the MIT Sloan School of Management. National Grid, Robinson and Cole, NextEra Energy, and Mintz Levin are sponsoring the event.

While much of the focus in Congress is on the National Security Agency, fiscal year 2016 appropriations, and the trade promotion authority, energy and environmental policy also made headlines both before and after the Memorial Day Recess.

On Tuesday, June 2, CleanEdge, in association with Wells Fargo and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center among others, released its annual U.S. Clean Tech Leadership Index.

In an ambitious and unprecedented move, Hawaii is aiming to increase its current renewable energy output of 21% to a 100% quota by 2045. The state, which carries some of the U.S.’s highest electricity costs, is riding the momentum of decreasing renewable energy prices.

On Tuesday, May 19, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz announced the release of Enabling Wind Power Nationwide. The report is a comprehensive look at wind power potential across all 50 states and considers the impact of next generation wind turbines.

In recent weeks, Senators have put forth a variety of energy and environment initiatives, hoping to get their ideas included in a forthcoming broad bill from Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA).

In the run up to the Memorial Day recess, the House and Senate have had an eventful week, with even more on tap. Although Senator Portman and Shaheen recently passed their energy efficiency bill, several energy and environment hearings continue to keep Congressmen and Senators focused on this policy area.

On Tuesday May 5th, members of state government, clean energy advocates, and business representatives assembled at the Massachusetts State House for the New England Clean Energy Council’s (NECEC’s) fourth annual Clean Energy Day.

In its first step towards regulating nanoscale materials, EPA plans to impose a one-time electronic reporting and recordkeeping requirement under TSCA on manufacturer (“manufacturer” is defined to include importers) and processors of particles ranging from 1-100 nanometers and exhibiting unique characteristics due to their size.

On April 6, 2015, EPA published a long-awaited Proposed Rule imposing one-time electronic reporting and recordkeeping requirements on manufacturers and processors of certain nanoscale materials under Section 8(a) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

While the potential Iran nuclear deal, the budget, and spending bills dominate Congress’ attention leading up to the Memorial Day recess, committees in both chambers have not forgotten about energy policy, with several hearings on the docket.

Despite downward pressure on oil and gas prices in recent years, solar, wind, and other alternative energy forms have maintained their popularity. In a recent article on FuelFix.com, Mintz Levin’s Tom Burton and Paul Dickerson discuss where this energy market trend stems from.

The first energy bill of the 114th Congress is heading toward the President’s desk for signature.

If you have an idea for the next great company, but can’t quite figure out how to communicate it, listen up! On Thursday, May 7th at 5pm, Mintz Levin is hosting a panel discussion on how emerging companies can craft compelling stories that hook consumers and investors.

The value of a company’s NOL carryforward may be one of its most valuable assets, particularly for energy technology companies that have funded long and expensive development cycles to get to market.

Fraunhofer USA and Greentown Labs are teaming up with Shell GameChanger to bring Boston a startup acceleration program for Wireless Sensor-Actuator Network (WSAN) prototype development.

The April 2015 edition of Pratt’s Energy Law Report features an article from ML Strategies’ Jordan Collins on the Department of the Interior’s Five Year Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2017-2022.