The 10 Latest Energy, EPA, Climate & Environmental Law News Articles

Venezuela's Return to the Global Energy Market- What Recent U.S. and Venezuelan Energy Agreements May Mean for the Oil and Gas Industry

Foley & Lardner LLP — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 16:12:59 -0500

Recent announcements by the United States and Venezuelan governments signal what could become one of the most significant shifts in Western Hemisphere energy policy in decades. After years of sanctions, political tensions, and declining production, Venezuela appears poised to potentially attract renewed international investment into its oil and natural gas sector. Government actions taken recently, including the publication on July 7, 2026 of the regulations to the Venezuelan Organic Hydrocarbons Law, suggest a growing recognition that Venezuela’s vast hydrocarbon resources may play an increasingly important role in both regional energy security and global energy markets. While much of the early attention has focused on expanded opportunities for companies such as Chevron (which maintained its original license to operate in Venezuela notwithstanding increased U.S. sanctions on Venezuela), the more consequential development is the United States government’s reported acquisition of an… Read the complete article here... © 2026 Foley & Lardner LLP

Trump Administration Issues Executive Order Regarding Bulk Power System Equipment; DOE Requests Further Information

Bracewell LLP — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 13:54:07 -0500

On August 26, 2026, President Trump signed Executive Order 14421[1] (the “EO”), declaring a national emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”) and National Emergencies Act (“NEA”) to address foreign-produced equipment used in the U.S. bulk-power system. Along with an accompanying fact sheet, and following other recent orders regarding cybersecurity and grid security, the EO revives and significantly broadens the architecture of President Trump’s 2020 bulk-power system order, covering transformers and transmission equipment but also inverters, battery energy storage systems (“BESS”), generators, industrial control systems, software, firmware, and remote access capabilities. The DOE’s implementing regulations under the EO, to be issued within 120 days, could have profound consequences for a broad spectrum of participants across the power sector. On September 9, 2026, DOE’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response published a… Read the complete article here... © 2026 Bracewell LLP

TSCA Reform, Ten Years Later — Panel 3- New Chemical Review [Podcast]

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 12:09:08 -0500

The bipartisan 2016 Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (Lautenberg) Amendments enacted extensive changes to the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that many hoped would set the law on a new course, address its widely recognized challenges, and accelerate U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) actions to address public health threats. Since then, four administrations have put their mark on implementation of the amended law. The past ten years have seemed like a roller coaster of competing legal interpretations of some of the Lautenberg Amendments’ most significant provisions, scientific debate and analyses, rulemakings, delays in meeting TSCA deadlines, and major milestones. To celebrate Lautenberg’s ten-year anniversary, the Environmental Law Institute, the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, and B&C convened an all-day conference: TSCA Reform — Ten Years Later. The podcast you are about to hear is the panel… Read the complete article here... ©2026 Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.

Tar Heel State Secures $590M from DuPont for PFAS – Why Everyone Should Pay Attention

CMBG3 Law — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 11:38:07 -0500

Key Takeaways $590 million is North Carolina’s highest settlement for environmental damages, but it is not the highest settlement for such damages for PFAS issues nationally The settlement does not completely end DuPont’s liabilities stemming from its PFAS facility in North Carolina. Other significant cases remain pending with significant liability concerns for the company Using this settlement for predictive purposes to determine future settlements with other states on PFAS issues may be limited due to the facts at play What Is DuPont Settling? On September 10, 2026, the state of North Carolina announced a $590 million settlement with DuPont and a few of its spinoff entities. The settlement applies to the state and 11 communities in the vicinity of DuPont’s Fayetteville Works PFAS manufacturing facility. For over 50 years, the facility manufactured various PFAS and discharged effluent into the adjacent Cape fear River. North Carolina has previously pursued DuPont through… Read the complete article here... ©2026 CMBG3 Law, LLC. All rights reserved.

All Things Chemical | Why Oregon’s EPR Law Could Set the Rules for Every State — A Conversation with Karen R. Harned [Podcast]

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 09:18:35 -0500

This week, I had the pleasure of speaking with Karen R. Harned, Director of Litigation and Legal Policy for the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW), to discuss the hot off the press decision in National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors v. Feldon, the federal challenge to Oregon’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) law. We discuss NAW’s mission, the role of NAW’s Legal Policy Center, which Karen, as Director of Litigation and Legal Policy, leads, the reasons NAW sued the state of Oregon, and what Judge Michael H. Simon determined in his ruling of August 27, 2026. ©2026 Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.

The Reliability Premium: What's Driving Energy M&A in 2026

Foley & Lardner LLP — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 08:51:33 -0500

Energy, utilities, and resources M&A produced an unusual result in 2025. According to PwC, overall deal value increased 27 percent even as the number of transactions declined 2 percent. PwC also identified 20 transactions valued at more than $5 billion, compared with just six in 2024. Fewer deals were completed, but the dollars committed to the largest transactions increased dramatically. That divergence points to a broader trend emerging across the sector: investors are increasingly willing to pay a premium for assets that offer reliability, predictable cash flow, and a clear path to meeting growing power demand. PwC’s mid-year 2026 outlook suggests that buyers are directing capital toward assets that can deliver energy today rather than projects that may not come online for years because of permitting, construction, or interconnection delays. Where Capital Is Flowing The energy industry often describes today’s environment as an all-of-the-above strategy, but that phrase only… Read the complete article here... © 2026 Foley & Lardner LLP

EPA Releases Glyphosate Human Health Open Literature Search Document for Public Comment

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 17:02:56 -0500

On August 25, 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of an open literature search document and the opening of a comment period on the results of a comprehensive open literature search in support of the ongoing registration review of glyphosate. This open literature search is intended to inform the upcoming hazard assessment for the updated glyphosate human health risk assessment, currently scheduled to be completed in late 2026. EPA is soliciting comments on the completeness of the Agency’s glyphosate open literature search, with comments due on September 24, 2026. 91 Fed. Reg. 5487. EPA Action Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the pesticide reevaluation process — called registration review — EPA is required by law every 15 years to reevaluate glyphosate to ensure that it continues to meet the statutory standard for registration as scientific data evolves. Because of the large and growing body of publicly… Read the complete article here... ©2026 Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.

Industry Requests USDA to Delay Food Aid Stocking Requirements

Keller and Heckman LLP — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 16:03:22 -0500

On August 31, 2026, more than 250 food retailers signed a letter to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to delay its implementation of its final rule on Updated Staple Food Stocking Standards for Retailers in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by six months. If no action is taken, USDA’s new policy is set to go into effect on November 4 and key changes include: Increase in required varieties: Retailers must now stock at least seven varieties in each of the four staple food categories, up from three. Updated definition of “variety”: USDA has issued detailed guidance regarding what constitutes a distinct variety within each staple food category. For example, different dairy products such as milk, yogurt, cheese, and infant formula may count as separate varieties, and certain categories have been further subdivided. Perishable food requirement: Retailers must offer at least one perishable variety in at least three of the four staple food categories.… Read the complete article here... © 2026 Keller and Heckman LLP

Federal Agencies Propose Additional Revisions to the Definition of ‘Waters of the United States’

Bracewell LLP — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 15:58:02 -0500

Introduction On September 9, 2026, the US Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (the EPA) released a Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that proposes further revisions to the regulatory definition of “waters of the United States” — a key phrase determining the Clean Water Act’s reach—beyond the changes already proposed in the November 2025 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (the November 2025 NPRM). These newly proposed revisions reflect the agencies’ engagement with over 220,000 comments received on the November 2025 NPRM and what the agencies explain as their intent to more closely align regulations for Clean Water Act jurisdiction with statutory text and the US Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Sackett v. EPA. Proposed Changes In the Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (the SNPRM), the agencies propose changes that would provide additional detail regarding what waters constitute “relatively permanent” waters and what constitutes a “… Read the complete article here... © 2026 Bracewell LLP

Energy Arbitration Requires Clarity: The Strategic Value of Visual Advocacy

IMS Legal Strategies — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 15:45:57 -0500

It is no surprise that disputes related to energy, oil, and gas are complex. They often involve technical terminology, engineering concepts, project timelines, operational decisions, and damage theories. In such matters, the challenge is rarely the tribunal’s ability to understand complex evidence. It is whether counsel has organized and presented that evidence in a way that is easy to remember and apply. That is where strategic visual communication becomes a competitive advantage. Sophisticated Arbitrators Still Need a Clear Structure A common mistake I have seen attorneys make is assuming graphics are less important before an arbitrator than before a jury. That assumption can leave even strong evidence without the clear structure arbitrators need to evaluate and remember it. The most experienced arbitrators familiar with the energy industry can still benefit from a logical framework for assessing technical evidence, competing expert opinions, and the sequence of events that led to… Read the complete article here... © Copyright 2002-2026 IMS Legal Strategies, All Rights Reserved.