On 19 March 2024, GRESB – an investor-led organisation that provides standardised and validated data to assess the sustainability-related performance of real estate assets and portfolios – announced the upcoming launch of “REAL Solutions“. REAL Solutions is a new suite of tools designed to provide real asset managers and investors with more granular ESG
Conservation Programs: Fish and Wildlife Service Publishes Three Endangered Species Act Final Rules 
On April 5, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) published in the Federal Register three final rules revising regulations for “Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants.” The first rule, “Listing Endangered and Threatened Species and
On April 8, 2024, the EPA Administrator signed the final rule establishing drinking water standards, also known as MCLs, for six PFAS (PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, GenX (HFPO-DA), PFHxS, and PFBS). The final MCLs for PFOA and PFOS are the same as the level set forth in the proposed rule, 4 ppt. The final rule also
The UK Government launched a Consultation on the introduction of a UK CBAM on 21 March 2024. The Consultation closes on 13 June 2024. This follows the announcement, in December 2023, that the UK would implement a UK CBAM similar to the EU CBAM which came into effect on 1 October 2023.
In this update,
On Tuesday, in Ohio v. EPA, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals denied several challenges to EPA’s decision to restore California’s authority under § 209(b) of the Clean Air Act to regulate emissions from motor vehicles. It’s definitely a win for EPA. And while I’m leery of my ability to predict what this Supreme
On 26 March 2024, the European Securities and Markets Authority (“ESMA”) published a consultation on its first set of regulatory technical standards (“RTS”) under the EU Green Bond Standard Regulation (the “Consultation”). The Consultation addresses mandates relating to the registration and supervision of external reviewers and aims to clarify the criteria used for assessing an
The Eighth Circuit is poised to determine the fate of the SEC’s final climate regulation, potentially by the end of the year.
By Paul A. Davies, Sarah E. Fortt, and Betty M. Huber
On March 21, 2024, the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit was selected as the court that will
On April 4, 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published an Order Issuing Stay of rules promulgated on March 6, 2024 requiring registrants to provide certain climate-related information in future registration statements and annual reports (Final Rule). The stay responds to litigation filed in the Fifth and Eighth Circuit Courts of Appeals seeking
This is a big deal because versions of the IECC are in use in 48 states
Federal Lands: Interior Department Finalizes BLM Rule to Reduce Natural Gas Waste from Oil & Gas Production on Federal and Tribal Lands 
On Wednesday, March 27, 2024, the Department of the Interior published a final rule to the Federal Register that was originally proposed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on November 30, 2022.