Pipelines: DOT Proposes New Pipeline Leak Detection Rules
On Friday, May 5, 2023, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration proposed a new rule aimed at improving the detection and repair of leaks from old gas pipelines. The rule will take advantage of the $196 million in grants that were provided…

Animal Welfare: U.S. Supreme Court Finds California’s Proposition 12 Swine Confinement Standards Constitutional as Applied to All California-Retailed Pork Regardless of State of Origin
On May 11, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in the case of National Pork Producers Council, et al. v. Ross, et al., No. 21-468, affirming the decision…

Conservation Programs: USDA Begins Implementation Phase of Climate-Smart Commodities Program Projects
On April 27, 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the beginning of the implementation phase of projects funded through the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program. With the implementation phase, USDA is launching the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Learning Network (Partnerships Network). This…

Pipelines: Supreme Court Reopens Landowner Eminent Domain Case Against Mountain Valley Pipeline
On Monday, April 24, 2023, the Supreme Court granted an appeal filed by six landowners in their case brought against the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for a statute that has allowed private companies, like Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC, to exercise eminent domain…

LNG Infrastructure: FERC Approves Two LNG Projects in Brownsville, Texas
On Friday, April 21, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) authorized the construction and operation of two major liquid natural gas projects proposed by LNG companies in Brownsville, Texas. In their first order, FERC found the LNG project proposed by Rio Grande LNG…

WOTUS: Sixth Circuit Grants Administrative Stay of WOTUS Rule in Kentucky Until May 10, 2023
On April 22, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued an order granting an administrative stay of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) January 2023 WOTUS final rule (WOTUS). KY v. EPA, No. 23-5343. The…

GHG Emissions: EPA Announces New Standards with Vehicle Emissions Reduction Goals
On Wednesday, April 12, 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced new emissions standards for light-duty and medium-duty vehicles manufactured from 2027 to 2032. As proposed, these standards would become increasingly stringent across the six-year period, both for light- and medium-duty vehicles. The new…