Endangered Species Law & Policy

Please join us for a complimentary webinar on July 30, 2020 from 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. PT, where we will discuss the path for energy providers to move forward and reduce the risk that projects may be delayed or scrapped down the road. We will examine some of the recent court rulings and regulatory developments that have significant impacts on energy infrastructure and provide some insight into how companies may consider managing risk during these uncertain times. Linear infrastructure projects, including oil and gas pipelines, electric transmission lines and transportation, have faced a number of regulatory challenges in recent months. Some of these challenges stem from changes in regulatory schemes or adverse court holdings, while others stem from uncertainty of pending Endangered Species Act (ESA) listing decisions and other actions. 

Topics to be covered include:

• Revisions to regulations governing implementation of the ESA and consultation processes (all of which are under litigation);
• Revisions to National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) implementing regulations;
• Suspension of enforcement of alleged Migratory Bird Treaty Act violations and lawsuits challenging the same;
• Potential listing of wide-ranging species and potential changes in listing status to other species;
• The impact of recent court rulings on the construction of oil and gas pipelines and other linear projects;
• Brief overview of revisions and challenges to the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule;
• Potential applicability of the Executive Order encouraging use of emergency approval processes in connection with environmental permitting for infrastructure projects; and
• A recent decision invalidating a transmission line ESA permit that has NEPA and National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) implications.

We invite you to submit your questions during registration so that we may address your top concerns during the session, and for anyone in need of CLE credit, this activity is approved for 1.5 hours of general credit.

We look forward to discussing this important topic with you later this month!