
Inflation Reduction Act
Congress Amends NEPA in Effort to Reform Federal Permitting
On June 3, 2023, President Biden signed into law the Fiscal Responsibility Act. The law increased the debt ceiling and, among other things, amended the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). NEPA is a bedrock environmental law that has not seen...
Treasury Department and IRS Release Guidance on the New Domestic Content Bonus Credit
The domestic content bonus credit (the DC Bonus), which was introduced by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the IRA), provides an enhanced tax credit for renewable energy and storage projects constructed with sufficient US-sourced materials and components (the Domestic...
EPA’s Proposal to Grant Class VI Primacy to Louisiana – Availability of Application Documents
On May 4, 2023, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published its proposal to approve revision of Louisiana’s Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Underground Injection Control (UIC) program to add Class VI injection well primary enforcement responsibility (primacy) for Class...
Treasury Department and IRS Update Energy Community Bonus Guidance
On April 10, 2023, the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), without a formal announcement, released a revised version of Notice 2023-29 (the Revised Notice) on the IRS website. The Treasury Department and the IRS released the initial...
Treasury Department and IRS Release Guidance on the Energy Community Bonus Credit
The energy community bonus credit (the EC Bonus), which was introduced by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the IRA), provides a bonus credit for projects located in Energy Communities. The EC Bonus is available for projects that qualify for...
Treasury Department and IRS Release Initial Guidance on the New Low-Income Communities Bonus Credit Program
The low-income communities bonus credit (the LIC Bonus), which was introduced by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the IRA), provides an enhanced tax credit for renewable energy projects located in designated low-income communities. The LIC Bonus is available for...
The New UAE Commercial Agencies Law
The longstanding UAE Commercial Agency Law (Federal Law No. 18 of 1981 Regulating Commercial Agencies, as amended) (the “Current Law”) is set to be replaced by the newly issued UAE Commercial Agency Law (Federal Law No. 3 of 2022 Regulating...
Texas "Two-Step" Forward, Three Steps Back for Mass Tort Debtors in the Third Circuit After LTL
In a decision that may provide much-needed boundaries around the permissibility of debtors created from “out-of-the-box” prepetition corporate transactions, on January 30, 2023, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit issued a unanimous opinion dismissing Johnson &...
Performance Bonds – Call Me?
On-demand performance bonds are commonly used in international energy construction projects. They take the form of an undertaking by an issuing bank or financial institution, on behalf of an obligor, typically the contractor, to pay on demand a specific amount to a named beneficiary, typically the employer. Read the factors that an employer should consider when deciding whether to call a bond.
Department of Energy Seeks Public Input on Implementation of $760 Million Transmission Siting Grant Program
On January 13, 2023, the Department of Energy (“DOE”) launched its Transmission Siting and Economic Development (“TSED”) Grants program, which will provide $760 million in investment authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act (“IRA”) to support states and local communities in...
Treasury Department and IRS Release Guidance With Respect to the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Credit
On December 19, 2022, the Treasury Department and the IRS released Notice 2023-6 (the Notice), which provides guidance with respect to the credit for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the IRA) enacted Section 40B of...
BOEM Proposes to Modify its Offshore Renewable Energy Regulations
On January 12, 2023, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (“BOEM”) announced a proposed rule (the “Modernization Rule”) to modernize its regulations for renewable energy development on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (“OCS”). The announcement...
Co-location, Co-location, Co-location
UK grid constraints and delays to new grid connections are forcing sponsors to look at maximizing existing grid connections via BESS and renewables project co-location. Bracewell’s Ro Lazarovitch, Nicholas Neuberger and Sam Phillips outline the corporate structures being employed in co-located projects and their pros and cons to bankability.
New Protections for Pregnant and Nursing Workers in 2023
On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) and the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act (PUMP Act), expanding federal protections for both pregnant and nursing workers. Pregnant Workers Fairness Act...
IRS and Treasury Department Release Initial Guidance for Labor Requirements Under Inflation Reduction Act
On November 30, 2022, the IRS and the Treasury Department published Notice 2022-61 (the Notice) in the Federal Register. The Notice provides guidance regarding the prevailing wage requirements (the Prevailing Wage Requirements) and the apprenticeship requirements (the Apprenticeship Requirements and...