Insights

Washington, D.C.-based senior counsel in the firm's Environment & Natural Resources Group, Robert Meyers, talks with Law360 regarding Congress' approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, which is likely going to be vetoed by President Obama. With a veto looming, Meyers offers that Congress may look at other areas, such as transmission siting and grid reliability, that don’t have the political history of Keystone and could have some reasonable prospect of success in 2015. "I imagine the House will reach out in a bipartisan manner on the type of economic issues where you can get that, as opposed to those that boil down to environmental issues," Meyers said.

Robert Meyers, Washington, D.C.-based senior counsel in the firm's Environment & Natural Resources Group, discusses potential new fuel economy regulations after record Clean Air Act fines were levied last year for greenhouse gas emission and fuel economy reporting violations. "In broad brush, I think this is a signal of increasing scrutiny, and I would attribute some of it to the fact of the suggested rulemaking," Meyers said.

Washington, D.C.-based partner and steering committee member of the Environment & Natural Resources Group, Kirsten L. Nathanson, discusses a challenge to a federal rule cutting toxic emissions from power plants, which is one of the issues facing the Supreme Court this term. The federal rule in question limits toxic pollution, such as mercury, from coal- and oil-fired power plants, and is being appealed but 23 states and industry groups. Nathanson argues that, "The regulated community believes it was completely irrational and inappropriate for EPA to ignore the high cost," adding, "we will see if the Supreme Court latches onto it."

Washington, D.C.-based Environment & Natural Resources Group partner and steering committee member, Kirsten L. Nathanson, speaks with Law360 regarding the U.S. Supreme Court's decisions last term upholding much of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's cross-state air pollution and greenhouse gas regulations. Nathanson notes that while this year's term doesn't have as many environment-specific cases, the non-environment cases of Perez v. Mortgage Bankers Association and Nickols v. Mortgage Bankers Association would have an impact across federal agencies including the EPA, the Army Corps of Engineers, and others. "The key issue in the case involves an agency's ability to change its mind — and to change its mind on the interpretation of its own regulations, and to do so without having to go through notice and comment," Nathanson said.