Brownfield Redevelopment Challenging, But Not Impossible, Say Experts

Governor Greg Abbott has ordered the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to immediately halt all environmental permits for data center projects, expanding a statewide regulatory freeze that now encompasses power, water, and environmental approvals. This directive establishes strict operational mandates requiring data centers to fully fund infrastructure costs, report all resource consumption...

Governor Abbott has ordered Texas environmental regulators to halt all data center permit issuance until grid operators complete a comprehensive audit in mid-December 2026. The sweeping directive affects not only grid-connected facilities but also fully islanded data centers relying on behind-the-meter generation, creating uncertainty for developers and their contractual obligations.

On September 21, 2026, Texas Governor Greg Abbott directed the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to halt issuance of permits to data centers until the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) completes an audit of impacts on the Texas electric grid and water resources.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has directed state agencies to halt all data center permits until comprehensive audits assess the projects' impacts on electric infrastructure, residential ratepayers, and water resources. The directive requires data centers to fully fund necessary electric infrastructure and comply with enhanced reporting requirements, while the governor signals potential legislative action to codify new protections and phase out certain tax incentives.

On September 30, Edgewell Personal Care Brands LLC was hit with a lawsuit in California superior court concerning its Carefree brand of menstrual liners.

California has enacted seven unprecedented bills targeting data center development, imposing sweeping new requirements for energy reporting, water consumption assessments, labor standards, and electricity rate structures. These laws fundamentally reshape the regulatory landscape for data centers, requiring detailed disclosures at multiple project stages while prohibiting categorical CEQA exemptions and establishing new interconnection rules that shift infrastructure costs directly to developers.

A federal district court has preliminarily enjoined the EPA from reclassifying California's Clean Air Act preemption waiver orders as "rules" subject to the Congressional Review Act. The court found that EPA's reclassification likely violated the Administrative Procedure Act and exceeded the agency's authority, though the order does not prevent Congress from proceeding with pending disapproval resolutions.

This decision is important because it allows a property owner to challenge Corps jurisdiction early in the Section 404 regulatory process

A federal court has struck down New York's Climate Change Superfund Act, which sought to recover $75 billion from fossil fuel companies based on historical emissions. The ruling found the Act preempted by the Clean Air Act, marking the first judicial decision on state climate superfund legislation and establishing that EPA's rescission of the endangerment finding does not alter preemption analysis.

The EPA has released decisions on 34 small refinery exemption petitions from 2025, granting full or partial exemptions that total 1.76 million RINs - significantly more than initially estimated. This discrepancy has prompted the agency to announce a new rulemaking that will reallocate 100 percent of exempted volumes to 2026 and 2027 renewable volume obligations, potentially increasing compliance burdens for nonexempt obligated parties.

Scott L. Vernick was quoted in The Legal Intelligencer article, "Did UPMC Data Breach Ruling Lock Plaintiffs Out of State Court?" on January 23, 2017.

Fox Rothschild was among three first-time entrants into the Am Law 100 this year, jumping up 10 spots from a year ago.

Christopher J. Pippett was featured in the Credit Union Times article, "Feds Uncover New Details in CFO Embezzlement."

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) just published its Health Products Compliance Guidance ("Guidance"), which it issued to replace an advertising guide from 1998 focused on dietary supplements.

Mossack Fonseca. Before April 2016, most of us had never even heard of a Panamanian law firm by that name.

Darrell D. Miller is featured in The Wrap's article, "Jamie Chung, ‘Deadpool' Actor Karan Soni Join Jennifer Aniston's ‘Office Christmas Party' (Exclusive)."

Joshua Horn's blog post, "Why The SEC Does Not Want The Free Lunch," originally posted the firm's Securities Compliance Sentinel, was mentioned as one of the top postings for October 19, 2015.

The annual State of the Union address fulfills an obligation of the Presidency set forth in Article II, Section 3 of the United States Constitution...

Anyone want to lay bets in favor of the individual athlete v. the corporate NCAA? That’s what we thought.

Brian McGinnis was featured in the Courier-Post article, "Norcross Calls for Congress to Act on Gun Safety."