IRS Issues Annual Inflation Factor and Reference Prices for Section 45 Production Tax Credits

On August 22, 2011, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) issued an emergency rule outlining several new requirements governing the development of horizontal wells in the Marcellus Shale.

The U.S. Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels and Feedstocks Office plans to award up to $60 million for projects that expand domestic energy production through innovative chemicals, fertilizers, fuels, and feedstock technologies. The funding opportunity will focus on three key areas: biointermediate depots, refinery integration with alternative feedstocks, and hydrogen/natural gas blending pilot sites. Applications are expected to open in November 2026 for research, development, and scale-up projects l

California has enacted the nation's most comprehensive data center legislation, fundamentally reshaping how electricity costs, grid upgrades, and energy reporting obligations are allocated. The new laws require data centers to bear full transmission upgrade costs, comply with clean energy procurement mandates, and submit detailed operational disclosures to state regulators.

The Department of Energy has launched a rulemaking process to implement new restrictions on foreign-sourced bulk-power system equipment, seeking industry input on critical issues ranging from equipment scope...

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has directed state regulators to conduct a comprehensive audit of data center projects seeking grid access, while ERCOT has paused its Batch Zero interconnection process. This regulatory shift introduces immediate uncertainty for developers regarding timelines, financing, and project approvals, signaling that political engagement has become as critical as securing land and power in the Texas data center market.

California Governor Newsom signed seven data center bills into law on September 21, 2026, establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework that takes effect January 1, 2027. These bills create new tariff regimes administered by the California Public Utilities Commission, impose extensive reporting requirements on data center operators, and establish water disclosure mandates and CEQA treatment protocols.

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has issued Executive Order 658, establishing comprehensive permitting and regulatory standards for data centers exceeding 25 MW of peak electricity demand. The Order mandates community benefits agreements, clean energy procurement protocols, and coordination across multiple state agencies to ensure responsible development that protects ratepayers, communities, and the environment. This action positions Massachusetts alongside other states implementing stricter oversight o

The Act restores the ITC eligibility of qualified fuel cell property that begins construction after 2025. Under the IRA, qualified fuel cell property was required to have begun construction prior to 2025 in order to be eligible for the ITC.

As U.S. utilities commit record capital to grid expansion, equipment procurement has emerged as a critical constraint. Lead times for transformers now stretch beyond two years, while material scarcity, inflation, and labor shortages compound delays across conductor, switchgear, and substation components.

Colonial Pipeline, the largest gas pipeline in the United States, temporarily shut down its operations on Friday following a ransomware attack.

On March 27, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published a notice in the Federal Register seeking to restructure the calculation used to issue prevailing wages for employers seeking to hire temporary foreign employees...

The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control has implemented sweeping changes to Cuba sanctions, introducing a new regulatory framework that extends restrictions beyond U.S. persons to foreign entities and financial institutions. These measures eliminate key banking authorizations, expand transaction prohibitions to include intermediary payments, and significantly narrow travel permissions, creating new compliance challenges for businesses operating in or through Cuba-related channels.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has begun processing IEEPA tariff refunds through its CAPE system, but Phase III covering finally liquidated entries faces delays and requires court orders. With the Department of Justice appealing the universal refund order and class certification pending, importers with finally liquidated entries may need to file individual lawsuits at the Court of International Trade to preserve their claims before statutory deadlines expire.

New York's minimum wage will hold steady at current rates through early 2027, but Governor Hochul has proposed legislation that would tie future increases to inflation beginning March 1, 2027. Home care workers will see immediate wage increases to $19-$20 per hour starting January 1, 2027, while standard minimum wages remain at $16-$17 depending on location. Employers across the state should prepare now for potential legislative changes that could affect payroll systems and compensation structures.

On Aug. 30, AB-1883 received final legislative approval and now heads to California Governor Gavin Newsom for signature or veto. If enacted, AB-1883 would prohibit employers from using workplace surveillance tools that rely on artificial intelligence (AI) to recognize, infer, or predict an employee’s emotional state, or to collect “neural data.”

The federal courts have issued a landmark ruling declaring unlawful and vacating four USCIS policies that had placed indefinite holds on immigration benefit adjudications for nationals of 39 countries.

On June 8, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a decision in State of California et al. v. Mullin et al., Civil No. 25-13829-LTS, granting summary judgment in favor of 20...

California Governor Newsom has signed three bills that will require California employers to revisit their written policies and their training programs. On the policy side, SB 1149 widens who counts as a “family member” for bereavement leave. On the training side, AB 1803 adds an anti-hate speech component to mandatory harassment prevention training starting Jan. 1, 2028.

Effective September 6, 2025, DOS has announced that nonimmigrant visa (NIV) applicants must schedule their visa interviews at the U.S. embassy or consulate in their country of nationality or residence.

A federal district court has struck down the U.S. Department of State's prohibition on immigrant visa issuance to nationals of 75 countries, finding it violates federal immigration law and the Administrative Procedure Act. The ruling requires the Department to resume visa processing for affected individuals, though the decision remains subject to appeal or potential stay.