Legislation + Regulation

  On inauguration day, President Trump issued an executive order to halt disbursements of funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), causing uncertainty for numerous climate and infrastructure projects. This “Unleashing American Energy” order directs federal agencies to pause and review funding processes for these acts. Scope and [...]

  For weeks, court cases across the United States have resulted in several reversals of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) requirement for Reporting Businesses to file Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) to comply with the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). In the latest reversal, on January 24, 2025, FinCEN issued new guidance on the CTA. The guidance [...]

The new presidential administration has brought Trump’s proposed tariff policies into sharp focus. Trump’s campaign promised broad tariffs on imports from various countries, and now global attention is turning to how he might implement these policies. Potential Tariff Strategies Trump’s tariff agenda appears to be more expansive than his first term, with plans for: A [...]

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and 15 state attorneys general have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) over new energy efficiency standards for certain single-family homes and multifamily housing programs. The lawsuit, filed on January 2, 2025, in the [...]

  Brazil is reconsidering its decision to eliminate daylight saving time (DST) due to climate change-related energy challenges. In 2019, former President Jair Bolsonaro ended the practice, promising a “permanent” solution to clock confusion. However, recent energy emergencies and the prospect of more to come have prompted a reevaluation of this decision. The elimination of [...]

New York City’s efforts to promote greener buildings are yielding significant results, particularly among large buildings over 25,000 square feet. According to recent research by the Urban Green Council, these buildings have shown consistent decreases in energy use for five consecutive years. The analysis of the city’s 2023 water and energy use data reveals impressive [...]

  The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced a large investment of $970 million to be distributed among 125 U.S. airports across 46 states, as well as Guam and Palau. This funding is part of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and represents a shift in focus for FAA investments. Traditionally, the FAA has concentrated on [...]

On October 23, 2024, two significant bills were introduced aimed at protecting New York City’s bird population. These initiatives are part of a legislative package known as “Flaco’s Laws,” named after Flaco the owl, who died after flying into a building window following his escape from the Central Park Zoo in 2023. Details of the [...]

  The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a pre-publication Federal Register notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) pertaining to test procedures for general service lamps (GSLs) proposing several clarifications. Specifically, DOE proposes:  to clarify that GSLs must not be tested as colored lamps, GSLs that can operate at multiple correlated color temperatures (CCTs) be tested at [...]