Gravel2Gavel Construction & Real Estate Law Blog
This week’s round-up features virtual land marketplaces, proposed sanctions from the European Commission against Russia, ESG reporting and transparency in the real estate industry, and more.
Articles Posted in Energy
Proposed Rule to Designate Two PFAS Chemicals as Hazardous Substances Stands to Up the Ante for Site Remediation
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On Friday, August 26, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a pre-publication notice of a long-awaited proposed rule to designate two of the most-studied per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)—as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). In an accompanying statement, EPA indicated that the proposed rule will be published in the Federal Register within the next few weeks. That publication will commence a 60-day public comment period, and EPA appears to be targeting final rule promulgation by Summer 2023. The addition of PFOA and PFOS to the hazardous substances list may significantly expand CERCLA liability, thus increasing the number of responsible parties, expanding investigatory costs and duration, remediation, and where applicable, natural resource damages liability.
Click here to read the full client alert from Pillsbury’s Reza Zarghamee, Amanda Halter, Mark Plumer, and Ashleigh Myers
Real Estate & Construction News Round-Up (09/07/22) – Futuristic Cities, Shifting Housing Demand, and Rent Control
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This week’s round-up addresses the shift in housing demand, efforts of apartment complexes to become more eco-friendly, plans for “cities of the future,” and more.
Green Hydrogen in the Suez Canal Economic Zone
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As green hydrogen production becomes a global endeavor, many countries are vying to become hubs for the production of clean-burning fuel. Among them, Egypt has signed a number of agreements over the last year with international companies to establish green hydrogen production facilities in its Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone), a self-sustaining industrial development corridor established in 2016 that consisting of 461 square kilometers and six maritime ports with the stated goal of “transforming the region from a traditional oil and gas shipping route into the world’s longest ‘green’ canal.”
Real Estate & Construction News Round-Up (08/24/22) – Local Law 97, Clean Energy, and IRA Tax Credits
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This week’s round-up features the intersection of real estate and energy efficiency, including state efforts surrounding clean energy legislation, Inflation Reduction Act tax credits, hotel & hospitality sectors creating sustainable initiatives to reduce carbon emissions, and more.
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Critical Materials for the Energy Transition: Of “Rare Earths” and Even Rarer Minerals
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As the world pursues ambitious net-zero carbon emission goals, demand is soaring for the critical materials required for the technologies leading the energy transition. Lithium may be the most well-known of these inputs due to its usage in batteries for vehicles and consumer electronics, but roughly 50 other minerals are central to energy transition technologies. During the coming years, producers, manufacturers and end-users will be increasingly exposed to the roles played by “rare earth” elements (roughly, atomic numbers 57 to 71), platinum group metals, and other materials.
Historic $280 Billion Investment in Domestic Semiconductor Manufacturing and STEM Research and Development to Be Signed into Law
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Recently, the U.S. Senate and House agreed to and passed the CHIPS Plus legislative package, which will provide $52.7 billion dollars in federal funding for U.S. Government agencies to distribute to U.S. semiconductor manufacturers to build new plants, increase manufacturing capacity, and support research and development.
Click here to read the full article from Pillsbury’s Elizabeth Vella Moeller, Nancy Fischer, Gurpreet Bal, Aimee Ghosh, and Johnna Purcell.
Real Estate & Construction News Round-Up (07/27/22)
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Europe’s energy infrastructure struggles under record heat waves, Wall Street tightens commercial real estate lending, blockchain technology and NFTs (non-fungible tokens) continue to transform real estate ownership, and more.
Real Estate & Construction News Round-Up (06/15/22)
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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) turns its focus to clean hydrogen hubs, key real estate players announce a new round of layoffs, Local Law 97 faces pushback in New York, and more.
The G2G Mid-Year Roundup (2022)
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Our mid-year roundup highlights the top-read Gravel2Gavel posts from 2022 so far. Our authors provided deep industry insights and summarized hot topics that addressed various legal implications and disruptions that affected the market, ranging from topics like investing in real estate metaverse to the clean hydrogen transition.