On January 14, 2025, the Biden Administration issued an Executive Order on “Advancing United States Leadership in Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure” (the “EO”), with the goals of preserving U.S. economic competitiveness and access to powerful AI models, preventing U.S. dependence on foreign infrastructure, and promoting U.S. clean energy production to power the development and operation of AI. Pursuant to these goals, the EO outlines criteria and timeframes for the construction and operation of “frontier AI infrastructure,” including data centers and clean energy resources, by private-sector entities on federal land. The EO builds upon a series of actions on AI issued by the Biden Administration, including the October 2023 Executive Order on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy AI and an October 2024 AI National Security Memorandum.Continue Reading Biden Administration Releases Executive Order on AI Infrastructure

Jayni Hein
Jayni F. Hein co-chairs the firm’s Carbon Management and Climate Mitigation industry group.
Jayni joined Covington after serving as a senior political appointee in the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) during the Biden Administration, where she led clean energy, infrastructure, and federal permitting.
Jayni has extensive experience advising clients on climate and environmental laws and regulations, including the Clean Air Act, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and federal energy statutes. She draws on her significant government experience to help clients successfully advance clean energy and other infrastructure projects, including solar, semiconductor, domestic manufacturing, carbon removal, and carbon, capture, and sequestration (CCS) projects.
In addition, she advises companies and investors on compliance with California’s climate disclosure laws (SB 253, SB 261, and AB 1305), as well as ESG compliance and strategy in light of increased scrutiny of corporate climate and net-zero commitments. She frequently advises on sustainability reporting, environmental marketing, and carbon accounting.
She also counsels clients through government investigations, enforcement actions, and shareholder-driven assessments, and conducts corporate and investment due diligence.