ArentFox Schiff Legal Podcasts

In Part 2 of 15 Minutes on Congress: Appropriations Edition, ArentFox Schiff Government Relations partner and podcast host Dan Renberg is joined by Bruce Evans, former Senate Appropriations Committee Minority Staff Director and Capitol Hill veteran with over three decades of experience, to discuss the complexities of the appropriations process in Congress and provide insight into subcommittee allocations and the continuing resolution (CR) process.

Highlights of the conversation include:

• Factors influencing subcommittee allocations: chairman's priorities, committee members' priorities, and minority party consultation;

• Coordinate challenges between the US Senate and House when setting 302B allocations;

• Stakeholders influencing 302B allocations by focusing on significant amounts or broader impact matters;

• House and Senate coordination during CR creation that keeps the government running when appropriations bills miss deadlines;

• The front matter, anomalies, add-ons, and communication with the White House and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) during CR creations;

• External lobbying for CR items, and additions that must be significant and fit the CR context.

The ArentFox Schiff’s Electric Mobility team was delighted to accept an invitation from the organizers of The Battery Show, billed as the largest advanced battery event in North America.

This year’s conference was in Novi, Michigan, a strategic suburb of Motor Town Michigan. The team’s Antonio Rivera was the featured speaker on a panel titled: "Winning the Global EV Race."

The conference attracted thousands of corporate representatives and over 800 exhibitors involved in the electric vehicle battery industry.

In their latest podcast, host Birgit Matthiesen is joined by team members David Hamill, Antonio Rivera, and James Kim who share key takeaways from the conference. As David, the Electric Mobility group chair, noted, "winning the Global EV Race means first winning the US EV race!”

Whether you attended the Battery Show or were unable to make it, this podcast provides a "you were there" summary, complete with up-to-date insights from the EV team.

In this installment of Five Questions, Five Answers, Birgit Matthiesen hosts David Hamill, the International Trade & Investment Practice Leader at ArentFox Schiff.

Later this month, David and the Electric Mobility Practice team head to Novi, Michigan, where they have been asked to speak to a corporate audience at the Battery Show, the largest advanced battery and H/EV event in North America.

As a lead up to that event, Birgit and David talk strategy and the sophisticated use of trade rules. Listen as they discuss critical policy and rule developments from Washington affecting the entire vehicle supply chain and how the next immediate years can be game changers for many companies.

The firm’s Electric Mobility Practice team will be well known to many listeners. Our alerts published on our website offer insight and analysis based on years of experience with business executives and association leaders.

This conversation brings that experience to bear and “untangles” the myriad of new US trade regulations affecting the ever-evolving and dynamic vehicle manufacturing sector.

In the latest installment of 15 Minutes on Congress, ArentFox Schiff Government Relations partner and podcast host Dan Renberg and former Senate Appropriations Committee Staff Member Andrew Newton explore the intricacies of the appropriations process in the US Senate and House.

In the inaugural edition of 15 Minutes on Congress, host Dan Renberg is joined by his colleagues, former Sen. Byron Dorgan, former Congressman Phil English, and Reed Freeman, as they delve into the complexities of artificial intelligence (AI) regulation in Congress, addressing the challenges posed and the far-reaching implications of AI development on a global scale.

Highlights of the conversation include:

• The increasing attention to the concept of AI regulation, with both Republicans and Democrats seeking to develop regulatory frameworks.

• Various approaches to AI regulation, such as creating a National Commission, an AI agency, and a Bill of Rights.

• The importance of stakeholders in AI working closely with Congress to guide regulatory approaches.

• Similarities between the rise of the internet and AI, emphasizing the challenges in comprehending the technology and its implications.

• A growing consensus on principles for AI regulation, focused on ensuring AI systems are safe, effective, and transparent.

• The challenge of balancing technological advancements with necessary regulations, considering the global aspect of AI development.

In this WorldSmart podcast, host Hunter T. Carter is joined by ArentFox Schiff Partner Sarah A. W. Fitts, as well as PPO Legal & Tax Partners Carlos Pinto and Pablo Ordonez, to discuss the lithium mining industry in Bolivia, its economic impact, and the role of the private sector. 

Bolivia is striving to balance the opportunities and risks associated with lithium mining, particularly given the global demand for lithium in electric vehicle batteries. Lithium production is expected to grow significantly in the next five years, with international companies investing in the country. The emphasis in the coming years will be on transitioning to a post-fossil economy in Bolivia, focusing on lithium and other mining sectors.

Highlights of the conversation include:

- Bolivia has a significant lithium resource that is currently underexploited.

- The country has shifted its policy from a purely state-owned approach to one involving joint ventures with private companies.

- Foreign investment is expected to increase as Bolivia is seen as a strategic location for lithium production.

- Political stability in the country is improving, making it more attractive for foreign investment.

Bolivia is aiming for a post-fossil economy, focusing on lithium and other mining sectors.

The AFS team traveled to Sacramento June 13th to participate at EVS 36, hosted this year by the Electric Drive Transportation Association. The conversation covers the formal presentation the team gave to EVS 36 attendees as well as the separate session we offered entitled The Tangle of US Trade Rules for the Electric Mobility Industry.

This podcast is moderated by Dan Deeb, partner and Energy & Cleantech Industry Group co-leader. Dan is joined by the team’s David Hamill, Antonio Rivera, James Kim, and Birgit Matthiesen.

If you attended this important global event or were unable to, this latest podcast is organized to give our listeners a “you were there” summary and with added up-to-date insights from our team. Listen and download the AFS presentation. “Smart in Your World” – for us at ArentFox Schiff, it’s more than a tag line.

In the inaugural episode of our Energy Podcast, join former US Senator Byron Dorgan, former US Congressman Phil English, and Amy Antoniolli as they discuss the intricacies of energy permitting reform, it’s critical role in the US’s clean energy transition goals, and the challenges arising under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Key issues include:

• infrastructure development

• bipartisan reform efforts in Congress

• litigation reform

• energy security transmission projects

In this episode of Five Questions, Five Answers, Birgit Matthiesen speaks with Dr. John D. Graham of the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Dr. Graham has authored or coauthored a number of works including his latest book - The Global Rise of the Modern Plug-In Electric Vehicle: Public Policy, Innovation and Strategy (Elgar House Publishing. UK, 2021). Dr. Graham will join Birgit on a panel at EVS 36 in Sacramento on June 13, 2023. 

This conversation is a preview of their panel and their insight into the challenges and opportunities ahead for the EV sector. Topics include the trade concepts introduced in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and the broader trade enforcement priorities launched by Washington in recent months.

In this podcast, Birgit Matthiesen speaks with Bob Kirke, the Executive Director of the Canadian Apparel Federation, who will share the very latest about Canada’s efforts to ban imports suspected of having been made with forced and child labor.

Given the nature of the North American apparel and textile market, how Canada will enforce S. 211, the Fighting Against Forced Labor and Child Labor in Supply Chains Act, will be important to watch. Canada’s direction does not precisely mirror Washington’s Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, leaving executives to decide whether the U.S. reporting and disclosure requirements should be adopted for their NA operations. Listen to Bob’s fascinating discussion of how S. 211 became law, what might be next on Ottawa’s agenda and the new Canadian Customs requirements beginning January 1, 2024.

The takeaway quote from Bob: “Most Canadian companies if they are able to deal with UFLPA, they can deal with anything that CBSA is going to do.”