On March 5, 2025, the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued six general licenses, all relating to the Ansarallah Organization present in Yemen. This follows President Trump’s March 4 designation of Ansarallah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The six general licenses permit transactions that concern food, medicine, diplomatic missions, telecommunications, petroleum, ports, and airports. Most of these transactions would otherwise be prohibited by the Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations, 31 CFR part 594 (GTSR), or the Foreign Terrorist Organizations Sanctions Regulations, 31 CFR part 597 (FTOSR).

On March 21, 2025, consistent with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s March 2, 2025, announcement, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) issued an interim final rule fundamentally revising the scope of implementation of the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”). U.S. companies and individuals are now exempt from beneficial ownership information (“BOI”) reporting requirements. Only foreign entities registered to do business in the U.S. are required to report, with new deadlines established.

On February 26, 2025, President Trump announced that his administration would be reversing authorizations previously granted to Chevron Corporation in response to a political agreement between the Maduro government and the Unitary Platform. (See our previous alert, U.S. Suspends Select Venezuela Sanctions Following Political Agreement, for more information).

In a case that looks at the requirements of California Assembly Bill 52 (Gatto) (“AB52”), the California First District Court of Appeal ruled that consultation on issues concerning tribal cultural resources is fundamental to the validity of a project’s environmental review. The Court found that the City of Clearlake failed in its duty to meaningfully consult with the Koi Nation of Northern California on issues concerning the impacts of a proposed hotel project on tribal cultural resources.

To underscore its 2025 energy policy goal of prioritizing fossil fuel development, the Trump administration has actively rolled back initiatives aimed at accelerating renewable energy growth.  One of the administration’s most direct actions in this regard is the recent imposition of a moratorium on offshore wind energy leasing.  Additionally, the administration has scaled back federal support for renewable infrastructure, cut funding for green energy projects, and dismantled regulations favoring renewables--all to refocus efforts on traditional energy sources.

The U.S. Supreme Court has restricted the Environmental Protection Agency’s options for controlling wastewater dischargers under the Clean Water Act in a decision issued March 4, 2025.  The somewhat narrow ruling prohibits the EPA from using nonspecific requirements in its permits which make the permittee liable for the resulting condition of the receiving body of water.

Washington State's lawmakers and courts were highly active in the labor and employment space in 2024 and early 2025