In response to a court order, EPA has announced proposed rules that would establish new source performance standards (“NSPS”) applicable to greenhouse gas emissions from new, fossil fuel-fired power plants (“power plants”). The proposal is a highly controversial one, which will effectively prohibit the construction of coal-fired power plants that do not capture carbon ...
On March 26, 2012, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals (“the Court”) vacated and remanded EPA’s disapproval of Texas’s request for approval of the minor source standard permit for pollution control projects (“PCP”) as part of its air quality state implementation plan (“SIP”). The Court’s reasoning may also affect other pending disputes between EPA and Texas regarding air quality permitting and other issues ...
On Wednesday, March 22, the United States Supreme Court ruled that a compliance order issued under EPA’s Clean Water Act enforcement authority to individuals for allegedly filling part of their property without the necessary “dredge and fill” permit could be challenged in federal district court. The ruling marks a major loss for EPA’s enforcement practices under the Clean Water Act ...
On March 13, 2012, the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development issued recommendations for improving the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA) process (click on Print Format for the complete report). The recommendations focus on: improving timeliness; decreasing duplication with provincial processes; improving aboriginal consultation processes; and improving outcomes ...
On March 21, 2012, the United States Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in the much-publicized case of Sackett v. EPA (No. 10-1062), less than three months after oral argument, holding that the Sacketts were not precluded from judicially challenging EPA’s issuance of an administrative compliance order ...
The Government issued Law No. 2 of 2012 on Land Procurement for The Public Interest (“Law”) on 14 January 2012. The Law does not revoke Presidential Regulation No. 36 of 2005 (as amended). Accordingly, the former Presidential Regulation remains valid as long as they do not contradict the Law. The Law sets out clear procedures for acquiring plots of land for public purposes and therefore is intended to provide legal certainty and expedite the acquisition process ...
On February 24, 2012, two years after oral argument, the Texas Supreme Court issued its watershed decision in Edwards Aquifer Authority (the “Authority”) v. Day. The Court’s long-awaited decision included two significant pronouncements on groundwater that are likely to have ripple effects throughout the water community and could open the flood gates to a wave of litigation ...
Serbia - Delays in Issuance of Regulations Necessary for Implementation of the New Energy Law As we reported back in August 2011[1], the Serbian Parliament adopted the new Energy Law in July 2011 introducing very important changes in the area of renewable energy sources (RES) ...
On November 15, 2011, existing facilities subject to the federal Spill Pollution Control and Countermeasure Rule (“SPCC Rule”), 40 C.F.R. Part 112, were required to finalize and implement a plan—known as an “SPCC plan”—detailing the equipment, workforce, procedures and steps to be taken to prevent, control and provide adequate countermeasures to a discharge of oil to navigable waters of the United States or adjoining shorelines ...
Article 41 of the Queretaro Treasury Law for Municipalities regulates the procedure to calculate the real estate tax and providesan annual rate based on the following criteria: Under such Article, the municipalities will determine which of the two rates may apply each year, incorporating the relevant rateto their respective Revenue Law ...
2011 saw significant developments in the courts in relation to the issue of directors’ liability for the costs of remediation of waste sites, an issue which is particularly crucial where the company which disposed of the waste is not in a position to pay ...
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EPA recently made an announcement of interest to those in the oil field services sector as well as in the energy sector itself. On November 23, the agency announced that it was granting in part a petition by Earthjustice to initiate rulemaking under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), relating to chemical substances and mixtures used in oil and gas exploration or production ...
The Breach of a Promise to Purchase – Liability of the Third Party Purchaser - The sale of real estate assets usually starts with a preliminary contract, more specifically, a promise to purchase signed by the seller and the purchaser, which sets out most of the terms and conditions of the deed of sale to be entered into. However, it may happen that an owner will go back on his word and choose to sell to a third party whose offer for the assets is more favourable ...
Under the Hungarian Civil Code, neighbours are required to refrain from any conduct that would needlessly disturb others, especially their neighbours, or jeopardize the exercise of their rights. Well-established judicial practice lies behind the above-cited provision of the Civil Code, the most important features of which we briefly summarize in the following ...
Many commercial property owners and occupiers whose businesses have been destroyed or impacted during this summer's riots are just beginning to come to terms with the true cost of the damage caused. A number of individuals whose homes have been affected also face the severity of the impact ...
In order to comply with a court-ordered schedule, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson on July 28 signed a 604-page package that proposes to subject additional oil and gas operations to regulation under the New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) and National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPS) programs and to impose new and amended requirements under both programs. This proposed rulemaking has significant ramifications for the oil and gas industry ...
On 1 October 2011 changes to the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 will come into force. The changes will apply to any construction contract entered into on or after that date. Construction contracts entered into before this date will continue to be governed by the old rules ...
When things go wrong in a construction project, multiparty contractual relationships almost inevitably increase the difficulty of achieving a negotiated settlement. On the other hand, the motivations for settlement may remain strong, often in the hope of avoiding significant legal costs, saving time and preserving existing business relationships ...
Market Overview As the timeshare market continues to recover from the dramatic contraction of the tourism industry and overall decline in consumer discretionary spending, Western Reserve believes a “dose of equity” is needed to aid this recovery and recapitalize this highly leveraged industry Significant consolidation is expected among smaller private operators, which do not possess critical mass to pursue public equity and are too small
On June 20, 2011, Justice Ginsberg delivered the unanimous opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court in American Electric Power Company, Inc. v. Connecticut, holding that the Clean Air Act and EPA action under it displaced the federal common law nuisance claims against CO2 emitters that plaintiffs sought to pursue. Plaintiffs had sued four private power companies and the TVA, asking for a decree setting CO2 emission limitations at defendants’ power plants, with the limitations to be reduced annually ...
On May 11, 2011, the Supreme Court of Canada released its reasons for judgment in Sharbern Holding Inc. v. Vancouver Airport Centre Ltd, 2011 SCC 23. While the case was decided under the now repealed Real Estate Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 397, the findings are nonetheless of interest to real estate developers governed by the Real Estate Development Marketing Act, S.B.C. 2004, c. 41 (“REDMA”) ...
Latest news on Italian Investment Funds: Italian Government withdraws proposed regulatory changes affecting real estate and private estate equity funds and adopts new taxation scheme for investors in real estate funds ...
As of 6 April 2011 the property sector will be subject to the full application of competition law. Until now, restrictions on competition contained in land agreements have benefited from a specific exemption. This exemption has been withdrawn so that from 6 April 2011 the rules on restrictive agreements apply in full to existing and new agreements ...
On February 23, 2011, IOGA hosted a comprehensive day-long informational and training seminar on the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (“USEPA”) mandatory greenhouse gas (“GHG”) reporting rule for the oil and gas industry, Subpart W of 40 C.F.R ...
