Click here to download a complete pdf version of E&E Legal Letters Issue V. Click on headlines for the full article.

The Big Green Bust of 2014
by Clifford Smith, FME Law Counsel

When someone has a lucky streak in Las Vegas, there comes a moment where some will decide to throw caution to the wind and put all their chips on the table. This past election cycle, the radical environmentalist crowd did just that. Typical of a manic gambler on a risky binge, instead of increasing their winnings, they threw it all in and lost nearly everything.

The Fight to Curb Eminent Domain Abuse in Virginia
by Chaim Mandelbaum, FME Law Counsel

Eminent domain, the process by which a government “takes” an individual’s land or property for “public use,” has long been abused. This is especially true today in Virginia. Too many landowners in the Commonwealth are facing an impossible to win situation when Cities and Counties come calling. Some localities in the state are now finding new ways to abuse this long time doctrine.

Internal Affairs and Undue Influence at the EPA
by Clifford Smith, FME Law Counsel

In the blockbuster film “The Dark Knight,” Gotham City’s heroic District Attorney, Harvey Dent, first made his name as the head of the Office of Internal Affairs in the notoriously corrupt Gotham Police Department. In that position, he investigated corrupt payoffs and crooked cops, which made him a lot of enemies and some friends. In Dent’s case, his determination to fight wrongdoing earned him notoriety and respect, later propelling him to the DA’s office. Two organizations whose mission it is to fight for transparency, the Energy and Environmental Legal Institute (E&E Legal) and the Free Market Environmental Law Clinic (FMELC), are hoping to get the same kind of determination from EPA Inspector General Arthur Elkins investigating undue influence and conflicts of interest. E&E Legal and FMELC have written a letter to IG Elkins requesting that he investigate improper influence between various “green” lobby groups and EPA regulations concerning climate change.

E&E Legal, FME Law Forced to Again File Suit Against FERC to Compel them to Release FOIA’d Documents
by Craig Richardson, E&E Legal Executive Director

The 2014 midterm elections brought sweeping changes to Washington with the U.S. Senate switching parties, and the GOP expanding their majority in the U.S. House. Big changes on the energy and environment front were seen immediately as the lame duck session returned to the nation’s capital to attempt to finish up some old business. The Keystone XL Pipeline was the most visible of the energy issues, although other important legislation also saw significant congressional action.

Bills to Watch in Congress

The 2014 midterm elections brought sweeping changes to Washington with the U.S. Senate switching parties, and the GOP expanding their majority in the U.S. House. Big changes on the energy and environment front were seen immediately as the lame duck session returned to the nation’s capital to attempt to finish up some old business. The Keystone XL Pipeline was the most visible of the energy issues, although other important legislation also saw significant congressional action.

E&E Legal Letters is a quarterly publication of the Energy and Environment Legal Institute. The publication is widely disseminated to key stakeholders, such as our members, website inquiries, energy, environment, and legal industry representatives, the media, congressional, legislative, and regulatory contacts, the judiciary, and donors.