phttps://www.hartenergy ...
On 16 December 2019, the European Commission approved under EU State aid rules, five schemes to support maritime transport in Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Poland and Sweden. As far as Cyprus is concerned, the Commission approved the prolongation of a tonnage tax and seafarer scheme in Cyprus. The Commission found that the schemes comply with the rules limiting tonnage taxation to eligible activities and vessel ...
Key Points: U.S. EPA is continuing to regulate and prevent sham COVID-19 products and devices from entering the market under FIFRA. EPA's distinction in regulating pesticide substances versus pesticide devices can cause confusion, but can be addressed if companies take proactive steps to ensure their product's compliance with the requisite legal framework, and self-report when in doubt. As noted in our prior alerts, available here and here, U.S ...
Key Points U.S. EPA is continuing to regulate and prevent sham COVID-19 products and devices from entering the market under FIFRA. EPA's distinction in regulating pesticide substances versus pesticide devices can cause confusion, but can be addressed if companies take proactive steps to ensure their product's compliance with the requisite legal framework, and self-report when in doubt. As noted in our prior alerts, available here and here, U.S ...
Entities that file disclosures with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) should be aware of recent actions by regulators and shareholders questioning the sufficiency of opinion statements made in environmental-related disclosures. Most recently, on March 31, 2016, the SEC announced a settlement with Navistar International Corp ...
The race to achieve net zero emissions has played a significant role in pushing forward the fight against climate change. Key stakeholders are becoming alive to the opportunity presented by a decarbonised economy and those who do not get on board now risk being left behind. What chrnet zero? Simply put, net zero is premised on attaining a balance between greenhouse gas emissions produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere ...
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted every sector of the economy in multiple ways. For businesses whose operations are subject to environmental requirements, including waste management, storage, and disposal laws, these coronavirus-related disruptions may impact a facility’s ability to comply with mandatory reporting and submission deadlines or waste storage time limits ...
The lack of detail in the Budget speech on investment in renewable energy (nothing on hydrogen for example) was disappointing, and surprising to many given the timing of the Autumn Budget with COP26. However, the Comprehensive Spending Review did give a bit more detail. Whether it goes far enough or fast enough to meet ambitious targets is still up for debate ...
On June 14, 2023, the National Congress approved the bill that creates the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Service and the National System of Protected Areas (the "Bill"). The purpose of the Bill is the conservation of biological diversity and the protection of the national natural heritage through the preservation, restoration and sustainable use of genes, species, and ecosystems ...
On March 27, 2020, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The $2 trillion bipartisan legislation serves as a third round of federal government support in the wake of the economic fallout from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Among other things, the Act provides significant relief to air carriers and aviation employees. We outline some of the key provisions below ...
The provisions of the Environment Quality Act (“EQA”) regarding contaminated land require a person intending to change the use of a parcel of land to perform a site characterization study1 if certain specific industrial activities have been carried on there. If this study reveals the presence of contaminants in excess of the limit values prescribed by regulation 3, a notice of contamination must be registered in the land register against the property in question ...
On 24 November 2021 Shoosmiths hosted a webinar exploring recent developments and forthcoming changes in environmental regulation – the COP26 climate change conference, the Environment Act 2021 and trends in sentencing for environmental offences. COP26 David Symons, director of sustainability at WSP UK outlined the three main messages from the COP26 conference: The 1 ...
On June 11, 2020, Resolution No. 29/2020 (“RES 29”) of the Chilean Economic Development Agency (“CORFO”), which approved the regulations that will govern the “Green Credit” program, was published in the Official Gazette. The RES 29 aims to endorse the investment in renewable energy projects during the economic contingency arising post Covid-19. (https://www.corfo.cl/sites/cpp/sala_de_prensa/nacional/10_06_2020_corfo_crea_credito_verde) ...
In connection with the coronavirus, prices for transport services have increased, in some cases very considerably, such as when a reduction in freight space necessitates rebooking and rescheduling. Not everyone, and not even all commercial customers, may be aware of these price increases. It is also questionable whether corona-related additional costs may always be deemed usual remuneration (Section 632 German Civil Code) ...
A range of legislative and legal initiatives have been taken in recent days to control the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus epidemic. How will temporary closing of borders and mandatory hospitalisation impact carriers’ liability in international transport of goods by road? Legal solutions adopted Faced with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus epidemic, the Polish government has decided to take drastic legal measures ...
Coronavirus Digest no. 4 Patents and other intellectual property rights 1. Patents Moderna reveals that it may not hold the patent rights for the vaccine against Covid-19, because it was not the first to file the patents. This came after the US National Institute of Health claimed co-ownership of the rights to this vaccine. Read more here ...
The European Commission has released the long-awaited proposal for a directive on corporate sustainability due diligence. As expected following the resolution approved by the European Parliament on 10 March 2021, the implications for companies are many and will have an impact on their organisation and the way they conduct themselves. The directive also affects the companies and other organisations they have commercial relations with ...
That’s the question Shoosmiths and Cornwall Insight’s recent report sought to answer, investigating the role the Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) model could play as part of the UK’s electric vehicle charging network. In a new video, Jonathan Smart, partner and head of mobility at Shoosmiths, discusses the BaaS model, which enables electric vehicle owners and business fleets to swap out depleted batteries for fully charged ones at a service station via a subscription service ...
New biodiversity net gain (BNG) requirements are set to be enforced in November 2023, giving developers and the wider real estate industry less than 12 months to prepare. The legislation will require all new developments in England, bar a few exceptions, to deliver at least 10 per cent BNG – impacting commercial and residential developers. The requirements form part of the Environment Act 2021, which received Royal Assent in November 2021 ...
The U.S. Supreme Court creates a test for when discharges to groundwater trigger NPDES permitting requirement, but its failure to include a bright line will make it difficult to predict whether a particular situation meets that test ...
Many environmental impact reports and negative declarations will breeze through analyses of a development project’s impacts on cultural resources ...
Key Points The Third Appellate District in Stanford Vina Ranch Irrigation Co. v. State found that the State Board could promulgate emergency drought regulations and issue curtailment orders necessary to protect threatened fish ...
On the 4th March 2021, the Seventh Chamber of the Court of Justice of the European Union issued its decision on an important matter related to the breach of ambient air quality legislation by the UK government (European Commission v. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, c-664/18). This case is only one among several others filed by the Commission against EU Member States, including France, Italy, Bulgaria and Hungary ...
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 ...
