On November 22, 2024, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) updated the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List to add 29 companies based out of the Peoples Republic of China bringing the total number of listed companies to 107. As we previously posted here and here, companies included on the UFLPA Entity
Power & Energy
Solar Industry Group Releases New Standard for Solar Supply Chain Transparency
The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), a leading solar industry group, recently published a new supply chain traceability standard, Standard 101, for public comment. The standard is intended to provide “a rubric that manufacturers and importers can follow to trace product origins from raw materials to finished goods.” With Standard 101, SEIA seeks to…
Inflation Reduction Act Prevailing Wage and Apprenticeship Compliance: Treasury and IRS Issue Final Rule
On June 18, 2024, Treasury and the IRS released the final rule for compliance with the prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements (PWA requirements) pursuant to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA). This final rule is scheduled to be formally published on June 25, 2024.
The final rule includes important affirmations and clarifications of the…
Inflation Reduction Act Domestic Content Bonus Update: IRS Issues Updated Guidance with New Elective Safe Harbor
On May 16, 2024, the IRS released Notice 2024-41 (the “Notice”), modifying its preliminary guidance issued last May in Notice 2023-38 addressing the application of potential future rules that taxpayers must satisfy to qualify for the domestic content bonus tax credit amounts under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The IRA amended §§ 45 and 48…
Another Day on the Solar Coaster: Coalition of Domestic Module Manufacturers Seeks Imposition of Additional Duties Against Imported Photovoltaic Cells
On April 24, 2024, a coalition of domestic solar module manufacturers filed a petition for the imposition of antidumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD Petition) with the U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC) and the International Trade Commission (ITC) on imported crystalline silicon PV cells and modules from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The AD/CVD Petition alleges…
Court Sends Wind Farm Developer Spinning by Ordering Removal of Wind Turbines in Significant Mineral Rights Holding
Recently, in United States v. Osage Wind, LLC, the Northern District of Oklahoma awarded permanent injunctive relief in favor of the Osage Nation and the United States against wind turbine farm developers in the form of ejectment of the wind farm for continuing trespass. A trial to assess the amount of monetary damages due…
California Passes Legislation to Address Safety Concerns at Battery Energy Storage Facilities
In early October, California’s governor signed into law Senate Bill 38, which amends Section 761.3 of the California Public Utilities Code to address safety concerns with the booming battery energy storage (BESS) industry in the state. The new law requires that every battery energy storage facility located in California establish an emergency response and…
The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA): A Year into Enforcement, What Has the Solar Industry Learned?
In December 2021, President Biden signed the UFLPA into law to restrict the import of goods mined, produced, or manufactured, in whole or in part, using forced labor from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), which we discussed here. A key feature of the law was its focus on polysilicon imports as a high-priority…
Contextual “Construction” of Force Majeure Clauses
The Texas Supreme Court recently provided new guidance in interpreting force majeure language in an oil and gas drilling dispute. In Point Energy Partners Permian, LLC v. MRC Permian Company, the court held that the oil and gas lessee’s scheduling error linked to a well collapse 60 miles from the lease site at issue…
You Can Stand Under My Umbrella (by Clearly Manifesting It)
In Texas, many master service agreements (MSAs) related to the oil and gas industry typically contain provisions related to mandatory minimum insurance coverage and indemnity obligations. The Texas Supreme Court recently held the terms of an MSA may not be read into an insurance policy unless there is a “clear-manifestation” in the insurance policy the…