By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP On May 16, 2011, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released a report that found that greenhouse gas emissions from residential, commercial and public buildings, which currently... Read More
By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP Hydraulic fracturing (fracking), a process used by the oil and gas industry for more than 60 years, has attracted the national spotlight. By injecting fluids and other materials... Read More
By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP On June 22, 2011, the New York State Legislature passed The Power NY Act of 2011 (A. 8510/S. 5844) (PNY Act).[1] Governor Cuomo is expected to sign it. The new law, once enacted... Read More
By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP Recently, the Preservation Green Lab of the National Trust for Historic Preservation issued a report that confirms the environmental benefit of building reuse. The report concludes... Read More
By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP A federal court in California recently issued a decision, California ex rel. Harris v. Fed. Hous. Fin. Agency, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 96235 (N.D. Cal. Aug. 26, 2011) , partially... Read More
By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP The Department of Energy recently published two final determinations that will require states to review and possibly update their residential and commercial building energy efficiency... Read More
By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP On August 18, 2011, the Department of Energy said in a policy statement (Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products and Certain Commercial and Industrial Equipment: Statement... Read More
By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP On December 27, 2011, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed into law three bills that enacted recommendations of the New York City Green Codes Task Force. The bills are... Read More
By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP On December 2, 2011, President Barack Obama directed federal agencies to enter into at least $2 billion worth of contracts over the next two years to improve government buildings'... Read More
By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP On July 25, 2011, the Department of Energy (DOE) and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) announced that they had signed a memorandum... Read More
By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP In March, The Rockefeller Foundation and DB Climate Change Advisors released a research paper entitled United States Building Energy Efficiency Retrofits: Market Sizing and Financing... Read More
By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP This blog has been following the controversy surrounding Property Assessed Clean Energy, more commonly referred to as PACE. Here's an update: Background In the last... Read More
By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP On May 2, 2011, EPA announced the Battle of the Buildings , a competition among commercial, medical, educational, and public buildings to reduce energy use. The competition... Read More
By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP On June 30 th , the Department of Energy announced the Better Buildings Challenge , a public-private partnership that seeks to solicit large-scale commitments and provide financing... Read More
By J. Cullen Howe, Environmental Law Specialist, Arnold & Porter LLP There is a continuing controversy over Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing, which provides loans for improving energy efficiency in buildings. Property Assessed Clean... Read More