Biden Administration

Our January 2023 Energy & Sustainability Washington Update covers a letter from senators to the Department of Interior urging withdrawal of energy infrastructure guidance, a Biden administration guidebook on the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Treasury Department guidance on IRA labor requirements, proposed standards for energy-efficient distribution transformers, and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law opportunities.

Our December 2022 Energy & Sustainability Washington Update covers energy permitting reform legislation, the Renew America’s Schools grant program that focuses on energy improvements to reduce school energy costs and increase indoor air quality, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seeking public input on required volumes of biofuel in the future, and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law opportunities.

Our November 2022 Energy & Sustainability Washington Update covers Treasury Department and IRS announcements seeking public input on climate and energy tax incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a roundtable discussion on clean power generation, a GSA and DOE request for information on achieving net-zero carbon buildings, and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law opportunities.

Our October 2022 Energy & Sustainability Washington Update covers the ongoing rollout of IRA clean energy provisions, the status of the energy permitting bill, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law opportunities, and National Clean Energy Week.

Our September 2022 Energy & Sustainability Washington Update covers the initial rollout of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and recent Bipartisan Infrastructure Law opportunities issued by the US Department of Energy.

The second half of 2021 will be a busy stretch for Congress. In addition to the typical must-pass legislation, Democrats controlling both chambers and the White House are committed to several big spending bills, too. This preview is a rundown of these bills, what’s included in them, and how we can expect them to play out.

Last week, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions voted 18-4 to advance Boston Mayor Marty Walsh’s nomination for labor secretary. The bipartisan approval signals a non-controversial confirmation vote of the full Senate. When that occurs, Secretary-designate Walsh will take over a department that is front and center in the nascent Biden administration. Executing White House priorities including the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing the climate crisis, and reversing certain Trump era actions, will soon be Walsh’s responsibility. His experience in Massachusetts politics gives a sense of how Walsh will approach his new post.

With Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, Congress and President Biden’s new administration are working to quickly advance proposals to provide for economic relief as the nation continues to reel from the now nearly one-year pandemic. One area of emerging bipartisan focus is a long-sought measure to address the nation’s crumbling and outdated infrastructure, which could be paired with a required surface transportation reauthorization bill.

After what felt like one of the longest election seasons in history, Washington is preparing to welcome the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. What does this all mean for energy and sustainability?

With the Senate set to flip to Democratic control in the 117th Congress, albeit by a razor thin margin, the policy priorities for the upper chamber are likely to significantly change.  In so doing, the various Senate committees will have new chairs, and their agendas will likely vary at least in part on the partisan make-up of the committees.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had a busy 2020, as detailed in earlier blog posts. This blog post explores politics and a few policy activities we’ll be keeping an eye on in 2021 and how they might impact medical product manufacturers, particularly now that we know the U.S. Senate will be controlled, like the U.S. House of Representatives and the White House, by Democrats.

With the presidential transition underway, we now look forward to what the Biden administration will seek to accomplish, particularly in the realm of health care policy.

Read about the post-election impact on international trade matters and the incoming administration's influence on the Committee on Foreign Investments in the U.S. (CFIUS).