Pillsbury’s Anne Idsal Austin moderated a Federal Bar Association (Houston Chapter) panel discussion with Erin Chancellor, Director of Legal Services at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), and Sam Gammage, General Counsel of the Texas Chemical Council (TCC), on Monday, April 18. The panelists brought to bear their regulatory, legislative, and legal expertise to discuss EPA’s increased emphasis on environmental justice (EJ) and Title VI, the TCEQ’s proposed compliance history rule, and the upcoming Sunset Review of the TCEQ
Proactive and Realistic: Anticipating ESG-Related SEC Scrutiny
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Though ESG has been around for a while, with roots that extend back to the environmental sustainability movement, the script for current ESG litigation and investigations is still being written. ESG efforts have expanded to include diversity within companies and an increased focus on compliance and governance within organizations. Regulatory oversight, especially from the SEC, has swiftly come to the fore to monitor those compliance efforts. As with many areas where the precise regulatory and enforcement regime is still coming into focus, it is crucial to recognize the importance of being both proactive and pragmatic.
Real Estate & Construction News Round-Up 04/27/22
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The Biden Administration plans to require U.S.-made steel and iron for American infrastructure, two major real estate players expand into the metaverse, robotics may be a solution to the construction industry’s labor shortage, and more.
Investing in Metaverse Real Estate: Mind the Gap Between Recognized and Realized Potential
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The Metaverse is an immersive world combining virtual reality and augmented reality, where users are represented by avatars and roam virtual spaces. It comprises a variety of platforms and environments that can be explored, experienced, and developed. Online social games like Second Life, Fortnite and Minecraft are among the first wave of successful Metaverse games. Now, Meta and Microsoft see the Metaverse as a place to play, live, and work. A JP Morgan white paper stated that opportunities in the Metaverse seem “limitless.” The bank predicted that virtual worlds will “infiltrate every sector in some ways in the coming years.” A March 31 report by Citi concluded that the Metaverse has the potential to become a $13 trillion opportunity by 2030, with total global users of between one and five billion. According to Citi, the Metaverse will become a significant part of the next iteration of the internet (referred to as Web3) enabled by a variety of existing and emerging technologies, including 5G connectivity, secure blockchain and payment platforms, crypto assets, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, 3D modeling tools and headset devices.
Real Estate & Construction News Round-Up 04/20/22
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Construction defects emerge in pandemic-era buildings, investor confidence is improving in China’s real estate market, the proptech field continues to show significant signs of growth, and more.
Real Estate & Construction News Round-Up 04/13/22
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Phishing schemes target the mortgage industry, housing prices rise in Europe as Ukrainian refugees flee from their home country, the SEC announces new climate change regulations that will impact commercial real estate, and more.
NEPA’s Evolution During the Biden Administration
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As our readers know, any construction project associated with a federal agency such as the Department of Transportation or Federal Transit Administration must comply with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). In Quicker But Less Dirty: The Biden Administration Both Streamlines and Seeks to Expand NEPA Environmental Review, written for the ABA Construction Forum’s Construction Lawyer journal, colleague Elaine Y. Lee provided a high-level overview of NEPA, its origins and current framework, criticisms, and prior administrations’ attempts to reform the law, before proceeding to examine two sets of changes to NEPA proposed by the Biden Administration that are arguably diametrically opposed.
Real Estate & Construction News Round-Up 04/06/22
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A growing proptech startup aims to pre-emptively identify needed home repairs, 3D-printed homes could become a workable solution to the housing shortage, and more.
Landlords Beware: When Tenants Are Sanctioned
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The listing of Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs) has the potential to impact any American doing business with a named party, including landlords who lease real estate to sanctioned persons. In “Specially Designated Nationals as Tenants: How Landlords Can Be Impacted by Sanctions Against Russian Nationals,” Nancy A. Fischer, Rachel B. Horsch, Anne C. Lefever, Zachary C. Rozen and Samantha Franks explain how sanctions designations may require U.S. persons involved with sanctioned individuals to terminate existing contracts, including leases, and why it is important for landlords to conduct thorough due diligence on prospective tenants and to negotiate language that enables them to quickly terminate a lease if a tenant becomes subject to sanctions.
Real Estate & Construction News Round-Up 03/30/22
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Office vacancy rates are on the rise, 3D printing technology will be used to build a portfolio of affordable homes, resources from the Biden Administration’s Infrastructure Bill are projected to speed up the creation of “smart cities,” and more.