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Gravel2Gavel Construction & Real Estate Law Blog

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Real Estate & Construction News Round-Up (09/14/22) – Smart Contracts, Rising Mortgage Rates, and a Railroad Strike

This week’s round-up examines rising mortgage rates and their effect on the housing market, the long-term impact of the Inflation Reduction Act on commercial real estate, a potential U.S. railroad strike, and more. Mortgage interest rates are expected to continue rising in response to high inflation, which could price many…

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Proposed Rule to Designate Two PFAS Chemicals as Hazardous Substances Stands to Up the Ante for Site Remediation

On Friday, August 26, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a pre-publication notice of a long-awaited proposed rule to designate two of the most-studied per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)—as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). In an accompanying statement,…

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Real Estate & Construction News Round-Up (09/07/22) – Futuristic Cities, Shifting Housing Demand, and Rent Control

This week’s round-up addresses the shift in housing demand, efforts of apartment complexes to become more eco-friendly, plans for “cities of the future,” and more. Home prices spiked an unprecedented 43% in just over two years since the pandemic began, but the increases in mortgage rates have resulted in a…

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Real Estate & Construction News Round-Up (08/31/22) – Proptech, Web3, and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)

This week’s round-up dives into the digitization of the real estate and construction industry, focusing on property technology, Web3 and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and more. With hybrid occupancy dictating current working patterns, property owners turn to smart technology to optimize digital connectivity and reinvigorate workspaces. (Commercial Observer) Contrary to the…

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Green Hydrogen in the Suez Canal Economic Zone

As green hydrogen production becomes a global endeavor, many countries are vying to become hubs for the production of clean-burning fuel. Among them, Egypt has signed a number of agreements over the last year with international companies to establish green hydrogen production facilities in its Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone),…

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Real Estate & Construction News Round-Up (08/24/22) – Local Law 97, Clean Energy, and IRA Tax Credits

This week’s round-up features the intersection of real estate and energy efficiency, including state efforts surrounding clean energy legislation, Inflation Reduction Act tax credits, hotel & hospitality sectors creating sustainable initiatives to reduce carbon emissions, and more. In New York City, building owners try to figure out how to pay…

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Real Estate & Construction News Round-Up (08/17/22) – Glass Ceilings, Floating Homes and the Inflation Reduction Act

This week’s round-up features the construction industry’s latest happenings: the Inflation Reduction Act, women shattering the glass ceiling, eco-friendly floating homes, and more. The Inflation Reduction Act contains approximately $5 billion for programs to accelerate the construction industry’s shift toward green building materials. (Julie Strupp, Construction Dive) According to a new analysis…

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Real Estate & Construction News Round-Up (08/10/22)

The Senate passes the Inflation Reduction Act, construction costs continue to rise across the U.S., commercial real estate advances the adoption of ESG strategies, and more. The recently-passed Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 leaves out the carried interest tax hike, much to the relief of real estate investors worldwide. (Taylor…

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The Administrative Procedure Act and the Evolution of Environmental Law

Enacted in 1946, the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) has provided a lasting framework for federal agency rulemaking and adjudication, as well as establishing the power of the federal courts to exercise judicial review over these actions of the federal bureaucracy. The APA is codified at 5 U.S.C. §§ 551–559, and…

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Critical Materials for the Energy Transition: Of “Rare Earths” and Even Rarer Minerals

As the world pursues ambitious net-zero carbon emission goals, demand is soaring for the critical materials required for the technologies leading the energy transition. Lithium may be the most well-known of these inputs due to its usage in batteries for vehicles and consumer electronics, but roughly 50 other minerals are…