On Jan. 21, 2026, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) finalized revisions to its existing regulations governing deep seabed mining in areas beyond the national jurisdiction of the United States.
All environmental practitioners have encountered situations in which they have been convinced that an executive agency is making a decision—a rulemaking, a permit grant or denial, a remedy selection—based on an expressed rationale that does not seem like the real reason.
1. New General Water Law and Reform of the National Water Law — Recent changes in water legislation will give rise to potential impacts on the investment landscape and opportunities for infrastructure and water efficiency initiatives. However, regulatory challenges may also arise, potentially affecting operating costs, increasing investment risks, or even impacting the viability of
During the week of Jan. 12, 2026, three federal judges granted preliminary injunctions in three separate cases filed by offshore wind developers challenging a Dec. 22, 2025, stop-work order that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued to all five offshore wind projects under construction in federal waters: Revolution Wind, offshore New England; Sunrise
Since its inauguration in January 2025, this federal administration has been engaged in a broad effort to change course on many fronts, including environmental and energy policy. Two district court decisions and a decision by the Secretary of the Interior involving development of offshore wind energy provide an opportunity to consider whether any law constrains
The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has proposed revisions to the price cap structure in Japan’s balancing market that may materially impact the economics of battery energy storage system (BESS) projects in Japan.
Under proposals presented to METI’s System Review Working Group in late October 2025 (the METI proposal), from April 2026
On Dec. 18, 2025, the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission (Commission) adopted new, state-specific rules to regulate methane emissions from municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills. The Commission originally considered Regulation 31 during a two-day hearing in August 2025 and adopted an extensively revised proposal last week. In the months between the Commission’s hearings, several parties
On Dec. 11, 2025, the head of the Federal Executive Branch, Claudia Sheinbaum, published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) the Decree enacting the General Water Law (LGA) and amending, adding to, and repealing various provisions of the National Water Law (LAN), derived from the initiative submitted on Oct. 9, 2025.
The issuance
On Dec. 10, 2025, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced the following new and updated policies, final guidance for publicly owned treatment works, and a rural background study, all related to the State’s efforts on addressing Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and their effects. Over the last several years, New York has been
On December 8, 2025, in the case of New York v. Trump, the federal district court for the District of Massachusetts vacated orders from several federal agencies that implemented a moratorium on permitting and approvals for wind energy projects in response to one of the current administration’s “day one” executive actions. The court vacated