Inside Energy & Environment

Developments in law and policy of energy, commodities and environment

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Thank you for joining us at Covington during New York Climate Week. We were delighted to welcome more than 625 attendees to our New York office for 20 events and meetings, convening leaders from government, business, civil society, and the legal and policy communities. The breadth of the week was reflected in the conversations held…

On September 21, 2026, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of seven data center-focused bills into law that introduce new energy and water use reporting requirements, modify environmental review requirements, and direct regulators to address electricity infrastructure, interconnection, and cost allocation for certain data centers. The California legislation comes at a time of increasing…

On July 14, 2026, U.S. District Judge William Q. Hayes granted a motion for preliminary injunction barring California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the State of California from enforcing SB 343, California’s “Truth in Recycling” law, while the litigation proceeds. The order is significant not merely because it pauses a major labeling regime shortly…

On July 13, 2026, the European Commission (“Commission”) adopted two new Regulations that will shape the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2023/1115, “EUDR”). The EUDR will start applying to large and medium-sized operators and traders at the end of this year (i.e., December 30, 2026).

This post provides a high-level…

On June 12, 2026, the European Commission (“Commission”) launched its public consultation on guidelines (“Guidelines”) that will significantly shape the implementation of the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (“CSDDD;” more details about the CSDDD available here). The consultation, presented in the form of a detailed questionnaire, is open until July 24, 2026. The…

The European Commission (“Commission”) has launched a four-week feedback period — open until June 3, 2026 — on a draft delegated act to revise the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (“ESRS 2.0”).  Ultimately, EU companies in scope of the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (“CSRD”) will have to draft their annual sustainability statements in accordance with…

In April 2026, EPA released a proposal that, if finalized, would begin the process to potentially regulate the presence of pharmaceuticals in drinking water, by designating them as “Candidate Contaminants.”  This proposal is likely to be of significant interest to pharmaceutical manufacturers, given that it entails EPA evaluating, in detail for the first time, potential…

A coalition of 21 trade associations and commodity groups has filed a complaint seeking to enjoin enforcement of portions of California’s SB 343, also known as the “Truth in Recycling” law, which sets restrictions on how manufacturers and sellers can communicate recyclability information in California.  Among other things, the statute prohibits the use of the…

On March 23, 2026, the California Air Resources Board (“CARB”) held a public, “pre-rulemaking” workshop to introduce regulatory approaches for reporting greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions under the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act (“SB 253”).  SB 253 requires U.S.-based entities with more than $1 billion in annual revenue doing business in California to report emissions annually. …

The UK is moving forward with its ambition to become a “world leader for sustainable finance” with two connected projects designed to increase the availability of “high‑quality, decision‑useful” sustainability‑related information for investors and other users of financial statements and sustainability reports.  First, the UK government has officially endorsed new voluntary standards for sustainability reporting.  Second,…