Read the LawFlash prepared by our antitrust lawyers providing tackling questions regarding industry coordination in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Power & Pipes
FERC, CFTC, and State Energy Law Developments
Following the increased spread of COVID-19 within the United States, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) issued a Level 2 Alert on March 10 to all users, owners, and operators of the bulk-power system, outlining a series of recommendations and requiring certain responses from each entity about their plans for continued reliable operation under pandemic circumstances.
A cyberattack on a single gas compression facility resulted in the shutdown of a natural gas pipeline for two days, according to a recent alert from the US Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) will hold a two-day public meeting on February 26–27, 2020, to discuss with pipeline safety stakeholders the implementation of two final rules published in the Federal Register on October 1, 2019: the Safety of Gas Transmission Pipelines final rule (published at 49 CFR Parts 191–192) and the Safety of Hazardous Liquid Pipelines final rule (published at 49 CFR Part 195). PHMSA has made available for comment and discussion in Docket PHMSA-2019-0225 the meeting agenda draft, frequently asked questions (FAQs), and answers for both rules.
Our colleagues in the tax practice prepared a LawFlash examining the Internal Revenue Service’s new guidance on the federal income tax credit for carbon capture projects under Section 45Q of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit resolved a question of first impression on February 11 on when the statute of limitations period commences for civil enforcement claims brought by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) under the Federal Power Act (FPA or the Act) when the alleged violator opts for adjudication in federal district court instead of an administrative proceeding.
To help guide companies through this multifaceted public health crisis, Morgan Lewis has launched Responding to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus to keep on top of developments as they unfold.
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA’s) long-awaited final rule on the minimum safety standards for underground natural gas storage facilities (UNGSFs) was published in the February 12 Federal Register.
A declaratory order issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (the Commission) on January 30 in Docket No. RP20-41-000 grants pipeline developers greater certainty in planning and siting construction. The order was issued after a split 2-1 vote.
In November 2019, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy issued Executive Order 92 increasing the state’s offshore wind generation goal from 3,500 MW by 2030 to 7,500 MW by 2035. To date, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) has approved only one 1,100 MW offshore wind project, but is expected to conduct additional solicitations in 2020 and 2022 and approve approximately 2,400 MW of additional offshore wind generation.