marika
2009-05-03 23:17:46 UTC
Minerals Management Service Finalizes Offshore Leasing Regulation. The
Minerals Management Service (MMS), which recently obtained exclusive
jurisdiction over wind farm leases on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS)
under an agreement with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), has
released a final rule governing the offshore development of renewable energy
projects. The rule provides for 25-year commercial leases, as well as 5-year
limited leases for data collection and equipment testing. State governments
would share revenue from leases executed in neighboring areas of the OCS.
The American Wind Energy Association welcomed the rule, arguing that
regulatory uncertainty over offshore wind leases had deterred development.
The rule is available at:
http://www.federalregister.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2009-09462_PI.pdf.
Minerals Management Service (MMS), which recently obtained exclusive
jurisdiction over wind farm leases on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS)
under an agreement with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), has
released a final rule governing the offshore development of renewable energy
projects. The rule provides for 25-year commercial leases, as well as 5-year
limited leases for data collection and equipment testing. State governments
would share revenue from leases executed in neighboring areas of the OCS.
The American Wind Energy Association welcomed the rule, arguing that
regulatory uncertainty over offshore wind leases had deterred development.
The rule is available at:
http://www.federalregister.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2009-09462_PI.pdf.
Update on Administration Nominations and Appointments. Harvard Law School
professor Cass Sunstein was nominated to direct the Office of Information
and Regulatory Affairs at the White House Office of Management and Budget
(OMB). A well-known constitutional scholar and strong advocate of the use
of cost-benefit analysis in regulatory design, Prof. Sunstein will play a
key role in evaluating draft environmental regulations submitted to OMB
for review. Sunstein and his wife, Samatha Power, also a White House
staffer, announced the birth of their first child this past week.
President Obama nominated William Brinkman, a Princeton University physics
professor and former Vice President of Bell Laboratories, to serve as
Director of the Office of Science at the Department of Energy. Agriculture
Secretary Tom Vilsack appointed Robert Bonnie to serve as Senior Advisor
to the Secretary for Environment and Climate. Bonnie is currently Vice
President for Land Conservation and Wildlife at the Environmental Defense
Fund. Lastly, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
approved the nominations of eight appointees for positions at the White
House, the Department of Commerce (Commerce), and the Department of
Transportation (DOT). The nominees are: Sherburne Abbott, for Associate
Director of Environment at the White House Office of Science and
Technology; Roy Kienitz, for Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy;
Peter Appel, for Administrator of the Research and Innovative Technology
Administration of the DOT; Joseph Szabo, for Administrator of the Federal
Railroad Administration; Dana Gresham, for Assistant Secretary of the
Office of Government Affairs at DOT; Robert Rivkin, for General Counsel of
DOT; and, at Commerce, Cameron Kerry, for General Counsel, and April Boyd,
for Assistant Secretary for Legislative and Governmental Affairs.
professor Cass Sunstein was nominated to direct the Office of Information
and Regulatory Affairs at the White House Office of Management and Budget
(OMB). A well-known constitutional scholar and strong advocate of the use
of cost-benefit analysis in regulatory design, Prof. Sunstein will play a
key role in evaluating draft environmental regulations submitted to OMB
for review. Sunstein and his wife, Samatha Power, also a White House
staffer, announced the birth of their first child this past week.
President Obama nominated William Brinkman, a Princeton University physics
professor and former Vice President of Bell Laboratories, to serve as
Director of the Office of Science at the Department of Energy. Agriculture
Secretary Tom Vilsack appointed Robert Bonnie to serve as Senior Advisor
to the Secretary for Environment and Climate. Bonnie is currently Vice
President for Land Conservation and Wildlife at the Environmental Defense
Fund. Lastly, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
approved the nominations of eight appointees for positions at the White
House, the Department of Commerce (Commerce), and the Department of
Transportation (DOT). The nominees are: Sherburne Abbott, for Associate
Director of Environment at the White House Office of Science and
Technology; Roy Kienitz, for Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy;
Peter Appel, for Administrator of the Research and Innovative Technology
Administration of the DOT; Joseph Szabo, for Administrator of the Federal
Railroad Administration; Dana Gresham, for Assistant Secretary of the
Office of Government Affairs at DOT; Robert Rivkin, for General Counsel of
DOT; and, at Commerce, Cameron Kerry, for General Counsel, and April Boyd,
for Assistant Secretary for Legislative and Governmental Affairs.
United States: Weekly Climate Change Policy Update - April 27, 2009
29 April 2009
Article by Kyle Danish, Shelley Fidler, Kevin Gallagher, Megan Ceronsky
and Tomás Carbonell
Commentary
Four days of legislative hearings on the complex and lengthy House energy
and climate bill with over 50 witnesses concluded last Friday and the
talks to nail down the details of the legislation - and the necessary
number of votes to pass it - heated up in preparation for the
subcommittee mark-up that is expected the week of May 4. Negotiations
occurred throughout the weekend between Chairmen Waxman and Markey and
moderate agriculture- and industrial-state Democrats on the Subcommittee
on Energy & Environment. The Democrats sought to resolve key differences
about the draft American Clean Energy and Security Act behind closed
doors before they move to the subcommittee mark-up next week. The
Democrats were working to find common ground on a renewable electricity
standard, offsets, and other issues.
Executive Branch
* US Climate Envoy Calls Domestic Legislation "Cornerstone" of
International Strategy. Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, Todd Stern, the lead U.S. climate change negotiator, called
the passage of domestic climate change legislation in the U.S. essential
to international efforts to negotiate a successor treaty to the Kyoto
Protocol in Copenhagen, Denmark this December. Stern said that domestic
legislation is necessary to bolster U.S. credibility during the
negotiating process and that without the committed involvement of the US
the international negotiations would fail.
29 April 2009
Article by Kyle Danish, Shelley Fidler, Kevin Gallagher, Megan Ceronsky
and Tomás Carbonell
Commentary
Four days of legislative hearings on the complex and lengthy House energy
and climate bill with over 50 witnesses concluded last Friday and the
talks to nail down the details of the legislation - and the necessary
number of votes to pass it - heated up in preparation for the
subcommittee mark-up that is expected the week of May 4. Negotiations
occurred throughout the weekend between Chairmen Waxman and Markey and
moderate agriculture- and industrial-state Democrats on the Subcommittee
on Energy & Environment. The Democrats sought to resolve key differences
about the draft American Clean Energy and Security Act behind closed
doors before they move to the subcommittee mark-up next week. The
Democrats were working to find common ground on a renewable electricity
standard, offsets, and other issues.
Executive Branch
* US Climate Envoy Calls Domestic Legislation "Cornerstone" of
International Strategy. Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, Todd Stern, the lead U.S. climate change negotiator, called
the passage of domestic climate change legislation in the U.S. essential
to international efforts to negotiate a successor treaty to the Kyoto
Protocol in Copenhagen, Denmark this December. Stern said that domestic
legislation is necessary to bolster U.S. credibility during the
negotiating process and that without the committed involvement of the US
the international negotiations would fail.
United States: The FTC Issues A Revised Anti-Manipulation Rulemaking For
The Petroleum Markets
29 April 2009
Article by Anthony M. Mansfield, Paul J. Pantano Jr., Athena Velie and
Gregory G. Mocek
Comments to the FTC's Revised Notice of Proposed Rulemaking are due by
May 20, 2009.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a Revised Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking (RNPRM) on April 16, 2009, seeking public comment on a
revised anti-manipulation rule for the wholesale crude oil, gasoline and
distillates markets. The FTC also has asked commenters to reply to
several specific questions set forth in the RNPRM. The FTC promises to
move quickly to conclude the rulemaking proceeding after a 30 day
comment period, which closes on May 20, 2009.
The RNPRM is expected to be the last step in what has become an extended
rulemaking in response to Congress' grant to the FTC of
anti-manipulation authority in the Energy Independence and Security Act
of 2007 (EISA). The FTC first published an Advance Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking (ANPR) on May 7, 2008, followed by a Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking (NPRM) on August 19, 2008. FTC staff also held a one-day
public workshop on the proposed rule in November.
The FTC's rulemaking has generated a tremendous amount of interest, as
indicated by the 155 comments filed by market participants, federal
agencies and consumers in response to the ANPR, and the 34 comments
filed in response to the NPRM. Many market participants commented, among
the SEC's anti-fraud model is not the most appropriate to police the
physical, wholesale petroleum markets and may cause confusion as to what
conduct is prohibited; and
the FTC should require proof of specific intent and market effects to
find a violation of the rule.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) also filed comments on
both the ANPR and the NPRM asking the FTC to respect the CFTC's
exclusive jurisdiction over the futures markets and noting that, as
drafted, the proposed rule would impose contradictory requirements on
futures market participants.
The Revised Proposed Rule
In response to the comments it received, the FTC acknowledged that it
should modify its SEC Rule 10b-5 approach to "better focus [the proposed
rule] on wholesale petroleum markets, which differ significantly from
securities markets." It also noted that it believes that some provisions
of the original proposed rule "could discourage legitimate business
provide some additional insight into what conduct is prohibited;
----- Original Message -----
Newsgroups: alt.autos.volvo,alt.usenet.legends.lester-mosley
Sent: Sunday, May 03, 2009 7:09 PM
Subject: Re: Tips For Raising Your Car's Fuel Economy
The Petroleum Markets
29 April 2009
Article by Anthony M. Mansfield, Paul J. Pantano Jr., Athena Velie and
Gregory G. Mocek
Comments to the FTC's Revised Notice of Proposed Rulemaking are due by
May 20, 2009.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a Revised Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking (RNPRM) on April 16, 2009, seeking public comment on a
revised anti-manipulation rule for the wholesale crude oil, gasoline and
distillates markets. The FTC also has asked commenters to reply to
several specific questions set forth in the RNPRM. The FTC promises to
move quickly to conclude the rulemaking proceeding after a 30 day
comment period, which closes on May 20, 2009.
The RNPRM is expected to be the last step in what has become an extended
rulemaking in response to Congress' grant to the FTC of
anti-manipulation authority in the Energy Independence and Security Act
of 2007 (EISA). The FTC first published an Advance Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking (ANPR) on May 7, 2008, followed by a Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking (NPRM) on August 19, 2008. FTC staff also held a one-day
public workshop on the proposed rule in November.
The FTC's rulemaking has generated a tremendous amount of interest, as
indicated by the 155 comments filed by market participants, federal
agencies and consumers in response to the ANPR, and the 34 comments
filed in response to the NPRM. Many market participants commented, among
the SEC's anti-fraud model is not the most appropriate to police the
physical, wholesale petroleum markets and may cause confusion as to what
conduct is prohibited; and
the FTC should require proof of specific intent and market effects to
find a violation of the rule.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) also filed comments on
both the ANPR and the NPRM asking the FTC to respect the CFTC's
exclusive jurisdiction over the futures markets and noting that, as
drafted, the proposed rule would impose contradictory requirements on
futures market participants.
The Revised Proposed Rule
In response to the comments it received, the FTC acknowledged that it
should modify its SEC Rule 10b-5 approach to "better focus [the proposed
rule] on wholesale petroleum markets, which differ significantly from
securities markets." It also noted that it believes that some provisions
of the original proposed rule "could discourage legitimate business
provide some additional insight into what conduct is prohibited;
----- Original Message -----
Newsgroups: alt.autos.volvo,alt.usenet.legends.lester-mosley
Sent: Sunday, May 03, 2009 7:09 PM
Subject: Re: Tips For Raising Your Car's Fuel Economy
leave your car parked in the driveway.......that saves a ton of $
$.....
Gas
Emission Reporting Rules: Comments Due June 2009
Related Information
29 April 2009
Article by Adam P. Kahn , Mary Beth Gentleman , Amy E. Boyd and Seth D.
Jaffe
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has officially opened the
60-day
comment period on a proposed rule that would impose greenhouse gas
emissions
reporting requirements on industrial facilities that emit more than
25,000
tons of CO2 equivalents per year. The proposed rule (.pdf) was released
March 10 ( see our Client Alert for more information), but was not
published
in the Federal Register until April 10.
The proposed rule affects some 13,000 facilities, which collectively
account
for 85% to 90% of greenhouse gases emitted in the U.S. In addition to
facilities that annually emit 25,000 metric tons of CO2e, the proposed
rule
requires suppliers of fossil fuels and industrial greenhouse gases, as
well
as manufacturers of vehicles and engines, to submit annual reports to
EPA,
which catalogue the potential emissions from the downstream use of
their
products for all greenhouse gases, i.e., carbon dioxide (CO2), methane
(CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), perfluorocarbons
(PFC), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), and other fluorinated gases,
including
nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) and hydrofluorinated ethers (HFE). The
proposed
rule does not require control or caps on emissions, but only that the
sources monitor and report greenhouse gas emissions. EPA will use the
data
gathered from this reporting process to formulate and assess the
impacts of
future policies.
EPA is holding public hearings on the proposed rule in April, and is
now
accepting comments. Comments on the proposed rule should be labeled
with
docket identification number EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0508 and must be submitted
before June 9.
$.....
Five Tips For Raising Your Car's Fuel
Economyhttp://automotive-industry-news.50webs.com/Car%5C%27s_Fuel_Economy.htm
United States: EPA Opens Comment Period On First Nationwide GreenhouseEconomyhttp://automotive-industry-news.50webs.com/Car%5C%27s_Fuel_Economy.htm
Gas
Emission Reporting Rules: Comments Due June 2009
Related Information
29 April 2009
Article by Adam P. Kahn , Mary Beth Gentleman , Amy E. Boyd and Seth D.
Jaffe
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has officially opened the
60-day
comment period on a proposed rule that would impose greenhouse gas
emissions
reporting requirements on industrial facilities that emit more than
25,000
tons of CO2 equivalents per year. The proposed rule (.pdf) was released
March 10 ( see our Client Alert for more information), but was not
published
in the Federal Register until April 10.
The proposed rule affects some 13,000 facilities, which collectively
account
for 85% to 90% of greenhouse gases emitted in the U.S. In addition to
facilities that annually emit 25,000 metric tons of CO2e, the proposed
rule
requires suppliers of fossil fuels and industrial greenhouse gases, as
well
as manufacturers of vehicles and engines, to submit annual reports to
EPA,
which catalogue the potential emissions from the downstream use of
their
products for all greenhouse gases, i.e., carbon dioxide (CO2), methane
(CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), perfluorocarbons
(PFC), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), and other fluorinated gases,
including
nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) and hydrofluorinated ethers (HFE). The
proposed
rule does not require control or caps on emissions, but only that the
sources monitor and report greenhouse gas emissions. EPA will use the
data
gathered from this reporting process to formulate and assess the
impacts of
future policies.
EPA is holding public hearings on the proposed rule in April, and is
now
accepting comments. Comments on the proposed rule should be labeled
with
docket identification number EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0508 and must be submitted
before June 9.