Law360 Quotes Ethan Shenkman on Energy Impacts of EPA Shutdown

Ethan Shenkman, a partner in Arnold & Porter’s Environmental practice group and former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice official, was quoted in the recent Law360 article, “Energy Cos. Face Permit, Regulatory Delays Due To Shutdown,” discussing how U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) operations are shifting for energy permitting and regulation amid the ongoing federal government shutdown.

Ethan noted that the shutdown could slow the EPA’s work on major climate and emissions rules.

“If the furloughs start to roll in the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, and the divisions within OAR that are working on these big climate rules, there’s a significant risk that it will slow down the rulemakings,” he said. “Or they’ll have to finalize the rules without really having done all the necessary work to make them as defensible as they can be.”

He also emphasized the importance of companies factoring the shutdown into longer-term financial planning: “Just because you haven’t felt an effect yet doesn’t mean you won’t two to four weeks from now if this continues.”

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