Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure

This issue of Energy & Sustainability Connections includes features on key considerations for international venture capital investments and technology company Pascal, plus energy policy news from Washington, litigation updates, a roundup of recent M&A activity, and information on upcoming industry events.

In energy-related litigation news, Governor Newsom proposed delaying California’s mandatory climate disclosures by two years, the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo has influenced the Fifth Circuit to vacate a ruling upholding an ESG-focused Department of Labor rule, and state and local lawsuits against major fossil fuel companies are expanding.

Our August Energy & Sustainability Washington Update covers the new bipartisan Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024, the introduction of the DOE’s AI Act to advance American leadership and Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence for Science, Security, and Technology (FASST) initiative, a funding opportunity for solar and battery storage in Puerto Rico, and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and IRA opportunities.

Read about President Biden’s recent withdrawal from the 2024 presidential election and his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee, including her stance on technology, climate change, health care, and tax policy.

Learn about upcoming energy industry events, including the EnergyBar Summer Rooftop Party.

Read about GroGuru, a company applying machine learning and artificial intelligence to assist farmers, and its successful commercial launch of the first fully integrated wireless soil sensor probe for continuous root zone monitoring.

Learn about upcoming energy industry events, including the Dynamo Summer Summit.

Read about Alternative Power Partners acquisition of Renewable Construction Services.

This issue of Energy & Sustainability Connections includes features on emerging trends in ESG-focused securities litigation and agricultural production company GroGuru, plus energy policy news from Washington, litigation updates, a roundup of recent M&A activity, and information on upcoming industry events.

In energy-related litigation news, a number of Congressional Democrats urged SEC Chairman Gensler to enforce SEC climate disclosure-related guidance, the Treasury Department and other federal agencies issued a joint statement on principles for voluntary carbon markets, recent legal decisions addressed ESG issues, and Republican state attorneys general petitioned the US Supreme Court to block the lawsuits from liberal states against fossil fuel companies.

Our July 2024 Energy & Sustainability Washington Update covers the IRS’s final rules on wage and registered apprenticeships at clean energy projects, the new set of supply chain cybersecurity principles released by the DOE, upcoming funding opportunities for small modular reactor technologies and methane emissions reduction, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and IRA opportunities.

Read about Quaise Energy, a trailblazer in the terawatt-scale geothermal energy space, and its recent $21 million Series A1 financing round, which will help Quaise accelerate its field operations and secure its supply chain.

Learn about upcoming energy industry events, including ClimaTech, a global climate tech conference that brings together thinkers, leaders, and innovators from around the world to Boston.

Read about advanced fission power plant developer Oklo’s acquisition of AltC Acquisition Corporation.

This issue of Energy & Sustainability Connections includes features on Treasury Department guidance on round two of the §48C Advanced Energy Tax Credit Program and geothermal energy company Quaise Energy, plus energy policy news from Washington, litigation updates, a roundup of recent M&A activity, and information on upcoming industry events.

In energy-related litigation news, a Federal Acquisition Regulation amendment now requires agencies to prioritize the procurement of sustainable products and services, Florida adopted a law seeking to minimize climate change efforts, numerous recent legal decisions have addressed ESG issues, and the European Parliament approved the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive.

Our June 2024 Energy & Sustainability Washington Update covers the IRA’s $8.8 billion Home Energy Rebates program, the Treasury’s guidance on Advanced Energy Project Tax Credits, new federal opportunities related to transmission expansion and critical minerals, hot EPA issues, and new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and IRA opportunities.

Read about the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Order No. 1920, a Final Rule relating to long-term regional planning and regional cost allocation, and how it could impact those developing, owning, and investing in clean energy generation and electric storage resources.

Read about environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ratings, including a discussion of their utility, methodologies used to calculate them, and key takeaways for executives, financial professionals, and other market participants concerning the use of ESG scores.

Read about AtmosZero, a company whose mission is to decarbonize steam through the commercialization of its industrial scale heat-pump boiler technology, and its $21 million Series A funding round co-led by The Engine Ventures.