Environmental and Natural Resources

The Law of the Colorado River:  An Opportunity for Change

The Department of Interior announced on Monday, May 22, 2023 an agreement with the Lower Basin states to conserve 3 million acre-feet (“MAF”) of water in Lake Mead for the next four years, with 2.3 MAF paid for with funding from the Inflation Reduction Act.  The balance of 700,000 acre-feet will need to be conserved […]

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Associate
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Biden Administration Considers Interrupting the “Law of the River” Status Quo

by Fred Breedlove The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has released its Near-term Colorado River Operations Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, analyzing three paths forward for managing the Colorado River in light of the potentially dire consequences if they fail to act.  The Draft SEIS describes three potential choices without making a specific recommendation: (1) do […]

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EPA Orders Derailment Clean Up

by Patrick J. Paul On February 21, 2023, less than three weeks after a Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, less than a mile from the Pennsylvania border, EPA issued a 77 page Unilateral Order to the company requiring it to remediate the chemicals spilled.  EPA had previously sent the railroad a letter […]

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DOE Seeks Input on How to Spend $2.5 billion on Transmission Projects

By Matt Derstine On May 6, 2022, the Department of Energy issued a notice of DOE’s intent to implement the Transmission Facilitation Program (TFP) and to request input regarding the solicitation and qualification process for TFP funding.  The TFP is “one of the first down payments on over $20 billion of investments” DOE has committed […]

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FERC Seeks Over $508 Million to Accomplish 2023 Strategic Priorities

by Kelly A. Daly Yesterday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) submitted its Fiscal Year 2023 Congressional Justification. This document, which is submitted annually, consolidates the Annual Performance Plan with the Performance Budget Request for the primary purpose of communicating the agency’s accomplishments in the prior fiscal year and establishing goals to pursue its mission […]

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The Geopolitics of Energy

by Raymond S. Heyman Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has brought to the forefront the key role that energy policy plays in international relations.  Many countries sympathetic to Ukraine, but not wanting to escalate the conflict by sending troops, have discussed or actually imposed economic sanctions on Russia.  One obvious target area for sanctions is Russian […]

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RH
Former Partner

Bipartisan Infrastructure Package Passes the Senate

by Amanda A. Reeve Arizona’s Senior U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema is credited as being instrumental in negotiating the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package, H.R. 3684, entitled “Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act (“INVEST in America Act”), as amended, that passed with bipartisan support (69-30) in the U.S. Senate on […]

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Environmental & Regulatory Policy Advisor

More Biogas Projects Set for Arizona

by Patrick J. Paul Avolta, a renewable energy company focused on originating, developing, owning and operating renewable natural gas (RNG) projects, along with its regional development partner, Atlas Global Holdings, LLC, recently broke ground on a RNG project at the Butterfield Dairy in Buckeye, AZ – the first of several such new biogas projects planned in […]

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The Utah Legislature Chooses “All of the Above” for a Reliable Electric Grid

by Denise A. Dragoo During the recent General Session, the Utah Legislature enacted several major energy bills which confirm the State’s continued investment in, and support of, both conventional and renewable energy sources. The Legislature consistently chose to promote “all of the above” as the energy mix for a more reliable electric grid. Following austerity […]

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Coal Communities’ Transition in Arizona Getting More Attention

by Michael W. Patten The local economies of many communities in the southwest are tied to the operations of large coal-fired power plants.  As those plants start closing, the communities can face significant disruption in their local economies through loss of jobs, tax revenues and other impacts.  How to address those impacts involves both federal […]

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