Regulatory Radar

REGULATORY RADAR - The Scottish government has announced a ban on fracking, which extends a moratorium that has been in place since 2015.

REGULATORY RADAR - New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that she plans to make the nation's electricity 100 percent renewable by 2035. New Zealand, a country of 4.7 million, already gets more than 80 percent of its electricity from green sources, making it an attainable goal.

REGULATORY RADAR - The United States introduced a tax reform bill on November 2, 2017 that would cut tax benefits applicable for the wind and solar industry by one-third.

REGULATORY RADAR - On November 9, 2017, European Union negotiators agreed to a compromise on carbon market reforms. The compromise would significantly boost carbon prices and adjust the market to meet more ambitious climate goals in the next decade.

REGULATORY RADAR - On October 18, 2017, the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act entered into force in Canada. The Act gives Canada the ability to impose sanctions against foreign nationals who are involved in corruption or gross violations of human rights.

REGULATORY RADAR - In a win for workforce labor laws and paid time off regulation, The European Court of Justice ruled that companies must pay employees for vacation time they were unable to use during the year.

REGULATORY RADAR - On December 12, 2017, Washington state and California joined a carbon pledge to combat climate change in our environment. Both states joined five nations to step up the use of a price on carbon dioxide emissions as an economic policy to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

REGULATORY RADAR - On December 14, 2017, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to dismantle net neutrality. The move is drawing criticism from data privacy and protection advocates, as net neutrality regulates the businesses that connect consumers to the internet.

REGULATORY RADAR - On November 23, 2017, the European Union and the Swiss government agreed to link their emissions trading systems in the first carbon trading agreement since the Paris climate accord. Linking emissions trading systems expands opportunities for cutting green house gas (GHG) emissions and improving energy efficiency and environmental sustainability.

REGULATORY RADAR - On January 9, 2018, the United Kingdom banned the manufacturing of products containing microbeads, often used in cosmetics and personal care products, as a step toward diminishing the amount of plastic washed into the ocean environment.

REGULATORY RADAR - Firing or discriminating against women who breastfeed at work is now prohibited in the state of New Jersey in the U.S. after a labor law passed on January 8, 2018.

REGULATORY RADAR - Iceland’s Equal Pay Standard, part of broader legislation that was passed in June, took effect on January 1, 2018. The law states that companies and institutions employing 25 or more workers on an annual basis will be required to obtain certification of both the creation and implementation of their equal pay systems.