Commercial landlords and tenants have less than five months to go until the first major change comes into force following the government implementing the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) in 2018. Currently, a commercial landlord cannot grant a new lease of a property that has an energy performance rating of less than E - unless an exemption applies ...
November 15, 2022 By: Gwenneth O’Hara, Lillian Rafii, and Jonathan Kendrick On November 10, 2022, the CPUC issued its long-awaited and reworked net energy metering (NEM) “3.0” proposed decision on a successor tariff. The origin of California’s NEM tariff was to incentivize Californians to install on-site renewable energy resources such as rooftop solar to serve part or all of their own electrical requirements ...
A recent decision by a federal court of appeals found a New Orleans’ city code limiting short-term rentals of residential properties (such as AirBnB, Vrbo, Vacasa, etc.) to only landlords who lived inside the city was unconstitutional.In Hignell-Stark v. City of New Orleans, 46 F.4th 317 (5th Cir. Aug. 22, 2022), the Court held the city ordinance was an undue burden on interstate commerce ...
ESG The Guernsey Financial Services Commission (GFSC) ran its Sustainable Finance Week in September and announced three initiatives that came into force from 20 September. The Natural Capital Fund Regime was launched and allows a regulatory designation for biodiversity and natural capital projects that positively contribute and/or reduce harm to the natural world. The regime has arguably more stringent criteria than those for the Guernsey Green Fund Regime ...
President Joko Widodo has just issued Presidential Regulation No. 112 of 2022 on the Acceleration of Renewable Energy Development for the Supply of Power which came into effect on 13 September 2022. The PR on Renewable Energy introduces key major provisions which may significantly affect the electric power industry, especially with the phasing out of coal-fired power plants, and urges prioritizing the development of renewable energy power plants. These advisory highlights the key provisions ...
Asters' Counsel and pro bono legal advisor of the Committee on Industrial Ecology and Sustainable Development of the European Business Association (EBA) Anzhelika Livitska contributed to EBA White Paper "Deregulation of environmental legislation in a time of war and reforms aimed for European integration" ...
Kudun and Partners successfully represented Energy Absolute Public Company Limited (“EA”), one of the leading producers of alternative energy products using modern technology, in connection with the disposition of 100% investment in E Transport Holding Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of EA, consisting of nine subsidiaries and an associate company, via a highly complicated process of Entire Business Transfer (EBT) to Thai Smile Bus Co., Ltd ...
Republic Act No. 9003, also known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, is a landmark environmental legislation designed to meet the country’s waste management problems. It requires local government units to achieve 25% waste reduction through re-using, recycling, and composting activities and other resource recovery activities. However, two decades after its enactment, solid waste management remains to be a major challenge ...
Under the Renewable Energy Act (Republic Act No. 9513) (the “RE Act”), it is a policy of the state to increase the utilization of renewable energy (“RE”) by institutionalizing the development of national and local capabilities in the use of RE systems ...
The Philippine Department of Justice (“DOJ”) has issued an opinion to the effect that the exploration, development and utilization (“EDU”) of solar, wind, hydro and ocean or tidal energy sources is not subject to the forty percent (40%) foreign equity limitation under Article XII, Section 2 of the Philippine Constitution ...
October 20, 2022 By: Gwenneth O’Hara and Samir Hafez On September 21, 2022 the California Energy Commission (CEC) issued its draft report of the Lithium Valley Commission, which includes 44 recommendations concerning the opportunities and challenges associated with the expansion of geothermal energy production and lithium extraction in the Salton Sea region ...
The world’s energy shortage crisis immensely affects the fluctuation of prices of natural gas and fuel, as well as the global economy. Many leading countries have encouraged and promoted the development and use of clean and renewable energy for sustainability ...
With an ingrained focus on community, connectivity and sustainability, the build to rent (BTR) sector is helping to transform modern living habits in the UK. With the total number of BTR homes completed, under construction or in planning at Q2 2022 up 13% from 2021 to 237,000, and with regional cities growing at double the pace of London, the sector has a huge opportunity to act as a flagbearer for the ESG agenda ...
As a part of conversations with clients webinar series, Jonathan Lipman, Group General Counsel of Mercedes-Benz UK, joined Sebastian Price to discuss what IHL team can do to help deliver ESG goals. What does environmental, social and governance (ESG) mean? ESG is about in-house lawyers (IHLs) wanting to do the right thing, together whilst driving the wider goals of the business ...
After more than 10 years, the Department of Finance has finally issued Revenue Regulations (RR) 7-2022, which provides "the policies and guidelines for the availment of tax incentives under the Renewable Energy Act of 2008" ...
Separate ownership of mines and minerals poses a risk for developers that must be assessed and mitigated as appropriate. The basic rule of property ownership is that the owner of land owns up to the heavens and down to the centre of the earth. Following this common law presumption, mines and minerals are presumed to be owned by the surface landowner, unless it is shown that they have been severed and therefore in separate ownership ...
The 2022 Chambers Global Practice Guide: Oil & Gas Law and Practice The Simonsen Vogt Wiig Oil & Gas team, has contributed to the Chambers 2022 Global Practice Guide: Oil & Gas Law and Practice by writing the Norway chapter. It describes the legal framework for the upstream petroleum sector in Norway in addition to the most important developments of the framework during the past year ...
As African countries grapple with the measures necessary to meet their nationally determined commitments (“NDCs”) under the Paris Agreement, it is critical to be primed to attract sustainable finance, and for central banks and regulators in each country to create a fertile environment for this redirection of capital ...
In August 2022, the House of Representatives’ Committee on Ways and Means approved a bill proposing a new fiscal regime for the Philippine mining industry, following the previous proposal of the Department of Finance (DOF)and which will cover existing and prospective large-scale metallic mine, regardless of location ...
On April 14, 2021, then President Rodrigo Duterte issued Executive Order (EO) No. 130 (EO No. 130), which amends Section 4 of EO No. 79, s. 2012 (EO No. 79), lifting the moratorium on the grant of new mineral agreements. Section 4 of EO 79 had imposed a moratorium on the granting of new mineral agreements “until a legislation rationalizing existing revenue sharing schemes and mechanisms shall have taken effect.” The whereas clauses of EO No. 130 noted that Republic Act No ...
The present government is looking to the mining industry to aid in the country’s economic recovery. Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno has stated that the Marcos administration seeks to create an enabling environment for the growth of the mining industry while adhering to responsible and sustainable mining practices ...
What is driving the imperative for ESG alignment? There has been a cultural shift in society as more and more individuals commit to leading sustainable lives. Those individuals – whether as consumers, employees or other stakeholders in industry – now expect the businesses operating in their communities to function in a more sustainable manner too ...
