The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has issued a new general permit for remediation contractors, known as the General Permit to Act as a Contractor to Contain or Remove or Otherwise Mitigate the Effects of Certain Releases (Registered Existing Release Response Contractor) (Remediation GP). This new Remediation GP supplements the well-established

This Week:

Local Agricultural Policy: Pennsylvania Legislature Passes 2025–26 State Budget, Governor Signs into Law
On November 12, 2025, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro approved the 2025–26 State Budget, consisting of

Pipelines: FERC Releases Environmental Assessment for the Heartland Project
On October 10, 2025, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) released an environmental assessment prepared for ANR Pipeline Company’s Heartland Project in Wisconsin. The proposal aims to supply up to 473,000 dekatherms per day of additional firm transportation capacity and involves approximately 68.9 miles of new

California is positioning itself to help run a unified, independently governed electricity market across the West. With AB 825 signed on September 19, 2025, the California Legislature authorized the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) to transfer certain market functions to a new Independent Regional Organization (IRO). The IRO will oversee CAISO’s Western Energy Imbalance Market (WEIM) and upcoming Extended Day-Ahead Market (EDAM), while CAISO will retain grid-balancing operations, resource adequacy and reliability, transmission planning, and policy implementation.

Some companies that do business in California are facing rapidly approaching compliance deadlines under California’s climate disclosure laws, SB 253 and SB 261, the first of which will occur on Jan. 1, 2026. On Nov. 10, a number of plaintiffs, led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, filed an Emergency Application for Injunction Pending Appeal

Employers with sophisticated safety programs implement overarching Safety and Health Management Systems (“SHMS”, also called Injury and Illness Prevention Plans and Accident Prevention Plans) to ensure that they properly assess hazards, select appropriate safety controls, evaluate safety performance, and engage employees. Federal OSHA recommends an SHMS and routinely demands the development of an SHMS to

On Nov. 10, 2025, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the New York State Office of the Attorney General (OAG) entered into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to streamline the land acquisition process in New York. This blog post provides background information regarding the existing land acquisition process and discusses the