Environment & Land Use

206 posts

DOE Proposes to Expand the Fast-Track Lane for Certain Clean Energy Projects–But Excludes Wind

On November 16, 2023, the Department of Energy (DOE) published a proposed rule to expedite the environmental review process for certain renewable energy infrastructure projects through the use of categorical exclusions. DOE’s proposal would apply to: (1) installing, operating, modifying, or decommissioning solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on buildings or other […]

Climate Attribution and the Willow Project: Federal Obligations to Evaluate the Effects of Fossil Fuel Leasing on Endangered Species

In November, a judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska dismissed two lawsuits filed by environmental organizations and an indigenous Iñupiat group seeking vacatur of the Biden administration’s approval of the Willow oil and gas project. As we have detailed in previous blog posts, the Willow project […]

Pipeline crossing wetlands. Photo by Steve Hillebrand, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Permitting CO2 Pipelines: Overcoming State and Federal Barriers to CO2 Pipeline Networks

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 directed the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to support the development of four regional “direct air capture hubs” (DAC Hubs)—networks that connect direct air capture projects with sequestration facilities and commercial users of captured carbon dioxide (CO2). To support these DAC Hubs, […]

The Willow Project Heads to Court: Sabin Center Files Amicus Brief in Support of Plaintiffs Challenging BLM’s Approval of the Project

Last Wednesday, July 26, the Sabin Center filed an amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs in Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic v. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Center for Biological Diversity v. BLM – two lawsuits challenging BLM’s approval of the so-called “Willow Project” on the North […]

Model Environmental Justice Bills Released by WE ACT for Environmental Justice and the Sabin Center

In an effort to advance environmental justice solutions across the United States, the Sabin Center has partnered with WE ACT for Environmental Justice to launch a suite of model state environmental justice bills for legislators and advocates to introduce and adopt in their state’s 2024 legislative sessions.

Using Attribution Science to Evaluate the Effects of Oil and Gas Emissions on Endangered and Threatened Species

  Earlier this year, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) was sued for its approval of a major oil drilling operation known as the “Willow project”. The project is controversial due to its contribution to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and its location on the North Slope of Alaska, which happens […]

New York Home Buyers Deserve the Right to Know Their Flood Risk

The New York Senate has an opportunity to ensure home buyers have the ability to protect their families from flooding by passing Senate Bill 5400, which would give home buyers the right to know a property’s flood risk. The Assembly has already passed a companion bill (A1967) granting home buyers […]

Sabin Center Files Amicus Brief in Support of New GHG Vehicle Emissions Standards

Following the 2007 landmark Supreme Court case Massachusetts v. EPA, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has regulated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from motor vehicles under the Clean Air Act. These emissions standards were significantly loosened in the last year of the Trump Administration. In 2021 the Biden Administration […]