FERC Proposes Reforms to Speed-Up Approval of Interstate Transmission Infrastructure

By Romany M. Webb Last Thursday, December 15, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) seeking comments on proposed changes to its regulations governing the siting of interstate electric transmission lines. FERC is proposing the changes to implement section 40105 of the 2021 Infrastructure […]

Staff News: Ilmi Granoff Joins the Sabin Center as a Senior Fellow

Ilmi Granoff has joined the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law as a Senior Fellow. Ilmi is an attorney and climate and sustainable finance expert with over two decades of experience—spanning public, private, and third-sector institutions—working on the policy and financing of the transition to a net-zero greenhouse gas, sustainable economy. […]

RELDI Files Amicus Brief in Support of New York State’s Renewable Energy Siting Regulations

On December 2, 2022, the Renewable Energy Legal Defense Initiative (RELDI), in collaboration with the law firm Sidley Austin LLP, filed an amicus brief on behalf of five New York farmers and three community groups urging a New York appellate court to uphold the State’s new regulations for siting renewable […]

Sabin Center’s Amy Turner Tapped for NYC Mayor’s Sustainability Advisory Board

On December 8, New York City Mayor Eric Adams appointed 26 board members to the New York City Sustainability Advisory Board to guide the city’s long-term resiliency and sustainability goals. Sabin Center senior fellow Amy Turner is among the new board members. The board will advise Chief Climate Officer and […]

Sabin Center files third-party intervention in the Klimaseniorinnen case at the European Court of Human Rights

On Monday, December 5, the Sabin Center filed written observations as a third-party intervener at the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Verein KlimaSeniorinnen and others v Switzerland. The case was brought in November 2020 by a group of senior women who allege that their health is threatened by […]

New Article Examines How Plaintiffs Can Establish Causation in Fossil Fuel Disinformation Lawsuits

  Over the past five years, there has been significant growth in litigation aimed at holding fossil fuel companies accountable for their contributions to climate change. In the U.S., dozens of state and municipal governments have filed tort and consumer protection lawsuits seeking equitable relief as well as financial compensation […]

Municipalities of Puerto Rico v. Exxon: a unique class action against fossil fuel companies presses for climate accountability in the United States

By Korey Silverman-Roati and Maria Antonia Tigre On November 22, 2022, sixteen municipalities of Puerto Rico filed a lawsuit in the federal district court in Puerto Rico seeking to hold coal, oil, and gas companies liable for losses resulting from storms during the 2017 hurricane season and ongoing economic losses […]

DOL Rule Clarifies that ESG Analysis is Consistent with Fiduciary Duty. Will it Preempt State Anti-ESG Laws?

  The federal Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued a final rule on Tuesday, November 22, allowing plan fiduciaries to consider climate change and other environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) characteristics when they choose investments and exercise shareholder rights, reversing a Trump-era rule that sought to constrain this type of risk […]