North America: Energy and Natural Resources

Osler's Legislative Update is a bi-weekly listing of new legislation. This issue covers legislation for the period 04/09 to 04/22.

Maine's legislature has passed groundbreaking legislation that would temporarily halt construction of large data centers until November 2027, marking the first state-wide data center ban in the United States.

In this special Eyes on Washington miniseries, energy attorneys Elizabeth Craddock and Jim Noe provide insights on the potential trajectory of a second Trump Administration in relation to oil and gas policies.

Kentucky's Senate Bill 57 establishes a comprehensive Nuclear Reactor Site Readiness Pilot Program, offering grants up to $25 million to utilities and partners for securing federal permits to construct advanced nuclear facilities. The legislation creates a detailed framework for eligibility, cost recovery, and forfeiture provisions while positioning Kentucky to develop a nuclear energy ecosystem through strategic incentives and regulatory support.

The EPA’s Water Reuse Action Plan 2.0 (“WRAP 2.0”) is a non-regulatory federal initiative relaunched in April 2026. Its goal is to accelerate treated wastewater reuse across industries...

As utilities modernize their grids with distributed energy resources, digital operations, and IoT devices, cybersecurity has evolved from a technical concern into a strategic business risk that directly impacts operational reliability, regulatory compliance, and customer trust.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) will host a webinar on May 7, 2026, presenting the Risk Assessment Committee's final opinion and the Socio-Economic Analysis Committee's draft opinion on the proposed restriction of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The session will cover hazards, emissions, risks, alternatives, and socio-economic impacts, with a live Q&A period for stakeholders to engage with ECHA experts on this significant regulatory development.

The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) published for public comment its draft 2026 reissuance of the Upland Finfish Hatching and Rearing General Permit (Permit), which governs wastewater...

Alexandra Dunn, President and CEO of CropLife America, joins this discussion to explore critical challenges facing the crop protection industry.

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s recent approval of a federal Record of Decision (ROD) for the proposed Sites Reservoir Project is a major milestone for one of California’s most debated new water-supply proposals. This approval advances federal environmental review and signals a clearer federal role, but debate over the project’s permitting, financing, and operations continues. The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation’s January 23, 2026, ROD essentially approves the project environmentally and allows it to move forward in a meaningful way.

Grants a temporary exemption for U.S. Air Force jet fighter training operations in Idaho, Oregon, and Nevada from certain water pollution control requirements under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.

The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) published for public comment its draft 2026 reissuance of the Upland Finfish Hatching and Rearing General Permit (Permit), which governs wastewater...