Energy

23 posts

Photo of Offshore Oil and Gas Facility

Decommissioning Offshore Oil and Gas Infrastructure in the Face of Climate Change and the Energy Transition

On August 31, 2023, the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law and the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI), as part of their broader Climate Law and Finance Initiative, published two reports analyzing legal and contractual regimes governing decommissioning of offshore oil and gas infrastructure projects and identifying decommissioning-related risks […]

Beyond troubled waters? Unprecedented cross-border transportation and injection of carbon dioxide (CO2) for offshore storage shows promise

March 8, 2023, marked the start of the demonstration phase of  Project Greensand, shipping carbon dioxide (CO2) from Belgium for storage in a depleted oilfield in the North Sea off the coast of Denmark. This blog post highlights three ways in which this pioneering carbon capture and storage (CCS) operation […]

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation Denies an Air Quality Permit to a Cryptocurrency Mining Facility, Citing Sabin Center White Paper

By Jacob Elkin On June 30, 2022, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation denied Greenidge Generation LLC’s application to renew a Title V air quality permit for the Greenidge Generating Station. The facility, previously permitted as a natural gas-fired “peaker” plant, has recently ramped up its power generation to […]

Defending Renewable Energy Against Local Opposition in Ohio and New York

To avoid the worst impacts of climate change, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has found that, by 2030, the world needs to be installing four times more wind and solar energy per year than the record-breaking levels set in 2020. This will require an immense mobilization of resources. Reaching the […]

New Sabin Center White Paper Assesses the New York State Executive Branch’s Authority to Enact a Moratorium on the Permitting of Consolidated Proof-of-Work Cryptocurrency Mining Facilities

By Jacob Elkin As cryptocurrency has increased in popularity and cryptocurrency mining facilities have expanded their energy consumption, some fossil fuel power plants in New York have ramped up energy generation to provide behind-the-meter power to cryptocurrency miners. Increased power generation to fuel cryptocurrency mining has significant environmental impacts, leading […]

Local Government Associations File Brief to the Supreme Court in Support of EPA’s Clean Air Act Authority

By Jacob Elkin Today, the Sabin Center filed an amicus brief on behalf of the National League of Cities and the U.S. Conference of Mayors in West Virginia v. EPA, a case that is currently before the United States Supreme Court. The case concerns the scope of the United States […]

Preparing the Electricity System for Future Hurricanes and Other Extreme Weather Events

By Romany Webb Two days after making landfall in the Florida Panhandle, Hurricane Michael has now moved out to sea, leaving behind damage that could take years to repair. In Florida’s Mexico Beach, where Michael first hit as a category four storm, entire blocks of homes and businesses have been […]

The Legal Basis for Staying Methane Regulations: Sabin Center Files Comments Disputing EPA’s Authority to Issue 2 Year Stay

By Romany Webb It’s no secret the Trump Administration opposes federal regulation of methane emissions. In his Energy Independence Executive Order, President Trump directed the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reconsider Obama-era regulations, aimed at reducing emissions from oil and gas production. Both BLM […]