Earlier this year, the National Agency of Waterway Transports (ANTAQ) published Normative Resolution No. 20, which approves new rules for the authorization for the construction and exploration of private-use terminal (TUP), cargo transhipment station (ETC), small-size public port facility (IP4) and tourism port facility (IPTur), revoking Resolution No. 3,290. The new rules aim at adjusting the requirements and proceedings applicable by ANTAQ to the changes introduced by Decree No ...
With Administrator Scott Pruitt at its helm, cooperative federalism is the frequently recited principle underlying recent EPA enforcement efforts. As the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulatory oversight in areas like the Clean Water Act is delegated to the states, the agency is relying more upon state and local authorities to enforce the laws. There are shortcomings associated with this approach, which were raised in the recent U.S ...
Many California courts, politicians and regulators seem intent on attacking trucking and transportation companies. The California Supreme Court‘s, Dynamex Operations West Inc. v. Superior Court (Case No. S222732) decision is the latest example of this assault on the industry ...
The Administrative provisions that set forth the guidelines for comprehensive management of waste requiring special management in the hydrocarbons sector (the “Guidelines”) were published in Mexico’s Federal Official Gazette on May 2, 2018 and became effective the following day ...
The National Hydrocarbons Commission (“CNH”) announced on April 26, 2018, the so-called “farmout” bid process CNH-A-C6-7 Asociaciones/2018. This new bid round comprises seven onshore conventional blocks for exploration and production that are located in the states of Veracruz, Tabasco and Chiapas, covering collectively 4,580.8 km2. CNH estimates these blocks have conventional prospective resources of approximately 405.1 million barrels of crude oil equivalent ...
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Theresa May said the government wanted to, “secure broad energy cooperation with the EU”, including by, “exploring options for the UK’s continued participation in the EU’s internal energy market” ...
EPA Administrator Pruitt recently issued another policy to help streamline the New Source Review (NSR) Program. After receiving comments from many industry sources that the NSR Program should be reformed given its heavy time and cost burden, the Trump EPA has made reforming the NSR Program a priority ...
On April 12, 2018, President Trump issued a memorandum to Administrator Pruitt to promote domestic manufacturing and job creation through policies intended to streamline implementation of national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) ...
Earlier this year, revisions to the requirements for new and existing indirect heat exchangers contained in 401 KAR 59:015 and 401 KAR 61:015 became effective. Indirect heat exchangers with a heat input capacity greater than one million Btu/hour (MMBtu/hour) are subject to either 401 KAR 59:015 (new sources) or 401 KAR 61:015 (existing sources). The classification as new or existing depends upon when the indirect heat exchanger was installed ...
Earlier this year, Mexico´s Senate approved the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (“CPTPP”) formerly known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership ("TPP"). The CPTPP will enter into force once six of its members ratify the Treaty pursuant to their internal legal procedures. Mexico is the first member to ratify the Treaty ...
Autonomous vessels are generating increasing interest in the shipping industry, both due to novelty and promising commercial benefits. However, despite all the buzz actual investments in projects involving autonomous vessels remain few and far between. This article will take a closer look at the commercial and legal realities explaining why there is no imminent sea change in sight ...
An increased number of corporate transactions and mergers have been observed in the oil and gas sector on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) in recent years. Several oil majors and traditional utilities and downstream companies have reduced their presence and, to some extent, been replaced by smaller companies, including start-ups backed by private equity ...
When a half-mile from the nearest body of water, must you obtain a federal permit when discharging treated wastewater to groundwater? According to a recent Ninth Circuit decision, the answer may be yes.[1] This alarmed many because the Clean Water Act regulates discharges to navigable waters from "point sources" like pipes or ditches ...
On January 3, 2018, San Francisco’s State Senator Scott Wiener introduced a bill (SB 827) that would all but abolish the city’s famously strict land use controls—and those of virtually all California’s urban neighborhoods. It is considered the most radical of all the pro-housing legislation introduced during the last year in California ...
Population growth has become the be-all and end-all for economic prosperity, but how on Earth can we cope with the extra billions of people? While “leafing” – or should I instead say “scrolling” in today’s need to sound tech savvy – through the news websites, the two subjects seemed to have captured the media’s attention: immigration and plastic ...
H.B. 4270 Passed - March 10, 2018 Signed by Governor - March 27, 2018 Effective - June 8, 2018 The Information Reporting and Payments to Owners bill (H.B. 4270) is a companion bill to the Cotenancy Modernization bill ...
On March 15, 2018, the National Center for Energy Control (“CENACE”) announced the fourth long-term auction for the purchase and sale of power, capacity, and clean energy certificates. The term of the contracts for power and capacity will be 15 years while the term for clean energy certificate contracts will be 20 years. The standard commercial operation date of the power generation projects awarded under the auction is scheduled for January 1, 2021 ...
On February 12, 2018 the Mexican Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (“SCT”) published the draft of Mexican Environmental Standard PROY-NOM-036-SCT3-2017 in the Official Daily Gazette, which sets forth the maximum allowable limits of noise generated by aircraft. Within the next 60 calendar days, any interested party may provide comments to the National Consultation Committee of Air Transportation Standardization ...
On February 22, 2018, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) sent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) a notice of intent to sue letter for failure to approve Kentucky’s air quality plan for limiting fine particulate (PM2.5) emissions in the Louisville, Kentucky area. Kentucky’s Energy and Environment Cabinet submitted a revision to the Jefferson County portion of the Kentucky State Implementation Plan (SIP) to EPA December 21, 2016 ...
On February 13, 2018, Mexico’s Federal Electricity Commission (“CFE”) announced the bidding process for its Ixtepec Potencia – Yautepec Potencia Transmission Line in Oaxaca (“Project”). The transmission lines will cross the following states: State of Mexico, Morelos, Puebla, Oaxaca, Mexico City and Veracruz. The estimated investment is US$1.7 billion and it will have a transmission capacity of 3,000 MW at a voltage level of 500 kV ...
Earlier this year, and five years after being presented before the National Congress, Law 21,064 that “Introduces modifications to the regulatory framework that rules water on inspection and sanctions matters”, was enacted and published in the Official Gazette (Bulletin 8149-09) (the Law). The main modifications introduced by the Law to the current regulatory framework are the following: 1 ...
On February 9, 2018, the Ministry of Energy (“SENER”) published in the Official Federal Gazette the “Guidelines for Interconnection of Power Plants and Connection of Load Centers” (Manual para la Interconexión de Centrales Eléctricas y Conexión de Centros de Carga) ...
