Quebec has set ambitious energy transition and industrial decarbonization targets. The shift to greener practices has to be taken in a context where our energy consumption could rapidly grow under the combined effect of a number of factors, such as the reindustrialization of our economy, population growth, transport electrification and the potential for artificial intelligence to consume vast amounts of energy ...
The renewable energy industry in the United States has entered a new era of (relative) policy predictability and unprecedented economic incentives. From a legal perspective, the only certainty in a renewable energy practice is change. An industry founded by entrepreneurs within narrow regulatory exceptions that enabled private developers to experiment with different technology, renewables have often been relegated to the margins of the broader traditional energy industry. That, too, is changing ...
Renewable energy project developers and contractors must be prepared to negotiate novel risks in a quickly changing global market. Technological innovations in renewable energy equipment and decreasing procurement and construction costs have spurred renewable project development at unprecedented scale ...
The need to find mitigation mechanisms against climate change increases as time passes ...
Novel technologies that seek to improve quality of life or simplify complex processes offer great promise. For example, medical technologies that detect or cure disease or supply chain technologies that allow for real time understanding of the location or destination of a specific product — make our lives easier and safer. They also pose potentially unforeseen complications ...
Introduction By: David Balfour The Medical Board of California investigates physicians for potential violations of the Medical Practice Act. If an investigation results in findings of violations, the Board will refer the case to the Attorney General’s Office recommending the filing of an Accusation seeking disciplinary action against the physician’s license ...
On the 9th of August 2024, the Health and Safety at Work Act, Act XXXIII of 2024 (Chapter 646 of the Laws of Malta) (hereinafter referred to as the ”Act”) was published by Parliament. Upon coming into force, the Act shall repeal the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (“OHSA” or “Authority”) Act (Chapter 424 of the Laws of Malta) and its subsidiary legislation ...
The decision of the Supreme Court in R (Finch) -v- Surrey County Council and others [2024] UKSC 20 (Finch) has set a clear benchmark for the scope of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) undertaken in connection with carbon intensive developments in the UK. However, the Finch case is not just relevant to projects concerning fossil fuel extraction ...
August 14, 2024 By: Wendy Lee A little more than a year ago, on July 23, 2023, the Washington My Health My Data Act (WMHMDA) was passed into law. The law originally went into effect on March 31, 2024, however the compliance deadline for small businesses was June 30, 2024. This law was passed as a reaction to the Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court ruling and was designed to protect consumer health data ...
On August 1, 2024, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) rolled out its Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program after announcing the initiative in March. Described as “[s]upercharging DOJ’s corporate investigations and prosecutions,”[1] the Pilot Program dramatically expands the pool of would-be whistleblowers and underscores the importance of robust compliance and reporting programs ...
The much-anticipated revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was published for consultation on 30 July, with the consultation running until 24 September. The consultation document extends more widely than changes to the NPPF itself, centred around the three pillars of stability, investment and reform. This article looks at the proposed reform. It should be said at the outset that much in the NPPF remains as before and the reforms might be regarded as tweaks ...
Whilst the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) contains a number of potentially game changing new policy proposals, many of the changes aim to re-wind the clock to the pre-December 2023 version of the NPPF. This is to encourage short-term growth through restored stability in the planning system ...
Following the adoption of Greater Manchester's Places for Everyone strategy, Shoosmiths brought together real estate experts for a roundtable discussion on approaches to new development, redevelopment, renewable energy provision, and decarbonisation. Greater Manchester has raised the bar for new commercial and residential development in recent years, with cranes now a permanent fixture on a skyline famous for high-rises and construction projects ...
Effective July 29, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) has issued a final rule that expands the scope of its existing Health Breach Notification Rule (“HBNR”) to include health and wellness applications (“apps”) typically associated with wearable technologies such as smart watches ...
On July 1, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a final rule[1] outlining financial penalties, referred to as “disincentives” throughout the rule, for healthcare providers that engage in conduct that is considered “information blocking.” The 21st Century Cures Act defines information blocking as a “practice that interferes with, prevents, or materially discourages access, exchange, or use of electronic health information ...
On June 28, 2024, Exempt Resolution No. 1,160 of May 31, 2024 was published in the Official Gazette, which approved the “Technical Guideline of the Public Health Institute that establishes the requirements for the application for modifications to the sanitary registration of biological products (M-MOBI)” ...
The UAE recently amended its legal framework on abortion to expand the circumstances under which abortions are permitted and ease the rules regarding the circumstances under which abortions are permissible. Cabinet Decision No. 44/2024 (the Decision) came into effect on 21 June 2024 and progressively changed UAE’s law on abortion ...
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) recently cited Circles of Care, Inc., a Florida behavioral health company, for failing to provide a workplace free of recognized hazards. This citation followed an incident where a patient assaulted a mental health technician at a nurse work station ...
The much-anticipated Court of Appeal judgment in C.G.Fry & Son Ltd v SSLUHC [2024] EWCA Civ 730 was handed down on Friday 28 June 2024. It dismissed the appeal on all three grounds. The case was centred on the widespread issue of developments being required to demonstrate that they are ‘nutrient neutral’, so as not to add nutrient load on designated habitats ...
Recently, the Ohio General Assembly passed a bill, Substitute S.B. 40, which will enter Ohio as a party to the new Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact, and ultimately allow dentists and hygienists practicing in other compact states to practice in Ohio. This summer, the compact will form its commission, and will continue to work on operationalizing into 2025 before officially opening privilege applications ...
On June 17, 2024, the Chilean Comptroller General of the Republic ("Comptroller") approved DS No. 13 of 2022, of the Ministry of Energy ("Decree"), which (i) amends the regulation of gas installers; and (ii) approves the Safety Regulation of Hydrogen Installations (the "Regulation"). Following the approval by the Comptroller, the decree will enter into force once it has been published in the Official Gazette, notwithstanding the transitory provisions regulated therein ...
In a unanimous decision today, the Supreme Court rejected efforts to limit access to the abortion pill mifepristone, overturning an earlier decision by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court ruled that the physicians and medical associations who brought the case did not have the right to challenge the FDA's regulation of the drug. To have standing, plaintiffs must show they have a “personal stake” in the case ...
On May 30, 2024, the Comptroller General of the Republic (“Comptroller”) approved Supreme Decree No. 70 (“Decree”), which amends, mainly, (i) the Supreme Decree No. 62, of 2006, of the Ministry of Economy, Development and Reconstruction (“DS 62”), which approves the Regulation of Power Transfers between Generating Companies established in the General Law of Electric Services, and (ii) the Supreme Decree No ...
Our Energy practice group has been following the progress of the legislative project which aims to clarify the requirements and processes for offshore wind power in the Finnish exclusive economic zone ("EEZ"). On 23 May 2024, the Finnish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment ("Ministry") held a third stakeholder meeting to inform and discuss in detail the draft government proposal, which has just been submitted for consultation ...
