Vincent Nolette

14 posts
Vincent M. Nolette is the Sabin Center's Equitable Cities Climate Law Fellow.

Appropriated, but Unobligated: Impounding Climate Funds

The Trump administration has undertaken a comprehensive effort to prevent the distribution of mandatory federal funding, including billions for climate programs. Attempts to cancel already-obligated federal funding awards have been among its most notable actions and have been met with a slew of lawsuits by aggrieved grantees, states, and other […]

Four Solar For All Lawsuits: Two Distinct Forums and Legal Theories

In 2022, the United States Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), appropriating an unprecedented amount of money for climate spending programs. One of the IRA’s flagship investments was the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), a $27 billion program comprised of the National Clean Investment Fund (NCIF), the Clean Communities […]

Supreme Court Signals Challenges to Federal Grant Terminations are Contract Disputes

*This is the first post in a blog series that examines the impact of federal grant termination litigation on the Inflation Reduction Act’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). At the time of this post, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has just issued a decision in Climate […]

Sabin Center Files Amicus Brief to Support States and Local Governments in Federal Funding Freeze Case

Last Friday, July 25, the Sabin Center filed an amicus brief on behalf of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) in support of the Plaintiff States in the case New York v. Trump. The case, brought by twenty-two states and the District of Columbia in the U.S. District Court for […]

Examining the Remarkable Rise of Ultra Vires Claims Against the Executive Branch

Since 2016, presidents and their administrations have increasingly drawn lawsuits arguing that they are overstepping their authority. In these ultra vires claims, litigants contend that presidential actions—including, for example, executive orders, proclamations, or memoranda, as well actions by executive agencies done at the President’s behest—exceed the scope of the authority […]

In Final Ruling, New York Court of Appeals Greenlights New York City’s Building Performance Standards

Last Thursday, May 22, the New York State Court of Appeals – the State’s highest court – issued a decision upholding New York City’s Local Law 97 of 2019. Local Law 97 is one of the country’s most ambitious municipal climate policies, requiring the City’s largest buildings to comply with […]

Solar for All Implementation in 2025

Solar for All Implementation in 2025 Following his inauguration on January 20, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order directing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to freeze the $7 billion Solar for All (SfA) program created via the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). SfA represents a massive investment in residential solar […]

New York City’s Building Electrification Law Wins in District Court

Last week, building electrification secured an important victory in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. In Association of Contracting Plumbers of The City of New York, Inc. et al v. City of New York, plumbing and building trade groups challenged New York City’s Local […]