Spotlight on Public Finance, Fall 2020
Featured Articles: The Impact of 2020 on the 2021 Legislative Session; Revisiting Force Majeure and Other Contractual Considerations Amid COVID-19
Revisiting Force Majeure and Other Contractual Considerations Amid COVID-19
In addition to the tragic human toll that it has caused, the coronavirus pandemic has also wreaked havoc on businesses throughout world, leaving countless companies and individuals unable to perform their contractual obligations. While many businesses have reopened since our...
U.S. Chemical Safety Board Issues Factual Update on TPC Group Port Neches Facility
Energy Legal Blog®
Today, the CSB issued an interim factual update on its investigation of the November 27, 2019 explosion at TPC Group's Port Neches facility in Texas. The November 2019 explosion resulted in millions of dollars of estimated loss, shut down the area for several days, and a fire...
The 2020 Election: Previewing the Potential for Shifts in Labor & Employment Law
As Election Day approaches, employers nationwide consider the changes that may come with a victory by Senator Joseph Biden in the Presidential race and/or shift in representation in the U.S. Senate. While we cannot be certain of what the future...
10th Circuit Expands PSM Coverage
Energy Legal Blog®
The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals (covering Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah) issued an opinion on Tuesday (10/27/2020) that expands the applicability of OSHA’s process-safety-management standard to interconnected processes—even when the interconnected process does not contain any highly hazardous...
FERC Issues Settlement Order Reaffirming “Gaming” Prohibition in Power Markets
Energy Legal Blog®
Last week the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an Order Approving Stipulation and Consent Agreement involving High Desert Power Project, LLC (High Desert) and Middle River Power LLC. (Middle River) to resolve allegations of market manipulation in the...
UAE Ultimate Beneficial Ownership Regulations
As part of a series of legislative change aimed to improve corporate transparency, the UAE Cabinet issued Cabinet Resolution no (58) of 2020 concerning regulation of the real beneficiary procedures (“UBO Regulations”). The UBO Regulations came into force on 28...
IRS and Treasury Department Release Last Set of Final Regulations on Bonus Depreciation
On September 21, 2020, the IRS and Treasury Department released the last set of final regulations (the 2020 Final Regulations) under the bonus depreciation rules of Section 168(k) of the Internal Revenue Code (the Code). Background Code Section 168(k) entitles...
The COVID-19 Vaccine: An In-Depth Discussion Exploring Emerging Legal Issues for Consideration by Employers
In a time where employers face scrutiny with respect to the obligation to provide a safe working environment, the approval of a COVID-19 vaccine is certain to present employers with difficult decisions regarding workplace policies. Please join partners Becky Baker...
TCEQ Accepting Comments on Proposed Changes to Penalty Policy
Join Whit Swift to discuss the proposed changes in greater detail and provide some real-world examples of how the proposed changes might increase administrative penalties for members of the regulated community in Texas. We will also discuss the changes that...
FERC Proposes Policy Statement Encouraging RTOs/ISOs to Develop Rules Incorporating State Determined Carbon Prices
Energy Legal Blog®
On October 15, 2020, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or the “Commission”) issued a Proposed Policy Statement regarding carbon pricing in organized wholesale...
Sustainable Finance: Green Loans and Sustainability-Linked Loans
Bracewell Legal Bites
Fernando Rodriguez Marin, a partner in Bracewell’s New York office, provides insight on two of the newest sustainable finance products in the market: green loans and sustainability-linked loans...
Update on State of Texas NPDES Application to Issue Federal Discharge Permits for Oil and Gas Facilities
Energy Legal Blog®
On October 12, 2020, Region 6 of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) received a delegation request from the State of Texas seeking authority to issue federal permits for discharges of produced water, hydrostatic test water and gas plant effluent...
Environmental Essentials: Citizen Suits
Increasingly, opponents of pipelines and other projects are using environmental citizen suit mechanisms to create obstacles to development. This month, Bracewell’s Environmental Essentials webinar will provide a tour through the various citizen suit authorities, identify valuable defenses, especially with respect...
TCEQ Accepting Comments on Proposed Changes to Penalty Policy
Energy Legal Blog®
At a September 24, 2020 Work Session, TCEQ Executive Director Toby Baker sought approval from the TCEQ Commissioners to propose changes to the TCEQ’s Penalty Policy (RG-253) that will give the agency discretion to significantly increase administrative penalties for...