Energy

  • November 18, 2024

    8th Circ. Set For Arguments In Oil Lease Termination Row

    The Eighth Circuit set arguments on Friday for Dec. 18 in an appeal over a North Dakota federal judge's decision to throw out Denver-based Prima Exploration Inc.'s lawsuit alleging the Bureau of Indian Affairs schemed with two rival companies to end its lease on land within the Fort Berthold Reservation.

  • November 18, 2024

    Brazil's Unigel Seeks Ch. 15 Nod For $810M Restructuring

    Several units of Brazilian petrochemical producer Unigel Group have urged a New York bankruptcy court to recognize their overseas bankruptcy plans to address roughly $810 million of debt, saying factors including the war in Ukraine and inflation have hampered the companies' liquidity.

  • November 18, 2024

    Former GE Exec Guilty Of Faking Docs In $1.1B Power Deal

    A Manhattan federal jury on Monday convicted a former GE Power executive of using forged documents, then taking a $5 million kickback, in what federal prosecutors called a corrupt effort to close a $1.1 billion energy deal in Angola.

  • November 18, 2024

    Ex-Utility Co. Worker Says OT Violations Were 'No Secret'

    A former employee of North Carolina-based utility services company Stake Center Locating LLC asked an Illinois federal judge to certify his proposed class of workers that were allegedly not paid proper overtime, stating that "it's no secret SCL uniformly requires its locators to work off the clock."

  • November 18, 2024

    Pa. AG-Elect Likely To Target AI, Robocalls And Opioids

    Pennsylvania Attorney General-elect Dave Sunday is likely to focus on cracking down on artificial-intelligence-related scams that prey on vulnerable populations, unwanted robocalls, and opioid makers, while being less inclined to hammer down on energy and fossil fuel companies, experts said.

  • November 15, 2024

    DC Circ.'s White House NEPA Upheaval Sends Shockwaves

    The D.C. Circuit's recent decision declaring the White House Council on Environmental Quality lacks the authority to issue legally binding regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act shocked environmental attorneys and has the potential to ignite federal agency chaos, experts say.

  • November 15, 2024

    Ex-GE Exec's Connection To Forged Docs Is Clear, Feds Say

    Prosecutors told a New York federal jury Friday that trial evidence clearly proves a former GE executive knowingly used forged documents to secure a $1.1 billion gas turbine deal in Angola and demanded millions of dollars for his troubles.

  • November 15, 2024

    Judge Doubts Wildfire Trial Plan Would Hurt Some Plaintiffs

    A Colorado state judge was skeptical Friday that a single liability trial for the thousands of plaintiffs suing Xcel Energy over a 2021 wildfire would deprive some people of a fair day in court, pressing lawyers for individual plaintiffs to explain why his plan would infringe on due process.

  • November 15, 2024

    GAO Says EPA Must Act On Waste Sites' Climate Risks

    Nearly 70% of the nation's hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal facilities are vulnerable to climate change impacts such as flooding, wildfires, storm surge and sea level rise, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency needs to be more proactive, a new federal report says.

  • November 15, 2024

    PetroQuest Gets Interim OK To Tap $847K In Del. Ch. 11

    A Delaware bankruptcy judge Friday granted interim permission for oil and gas company PetroQuest Energy Inc. to access $847,500 of new money financing from its lenders as it plans to sell its assets in East Texas.

  • November 15, 2024

    FERC Ignored Calif. Hydro Permitting Mischief, DC Circ. Told

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission turned a blind eye to clear evidence that California's water board gamed the permitting process in concluding that the state agency didn't waive its Clean Water Act permitting authority over two hydroelectric dams, the D.C. Circuit heard this week.

  • November 15, 2024

    EV Carmaker Lucid Sued In Del. For Inflated Biz Claims

    A stockholder who bought electric-car maker Lucid Group shares sued in Delaware's Chancery Court on Friday to recover derivative damages for the company tied to claims that the business raised billions on knowingly inflated production outlooks only to later drastically downsize its forecast.

  • November 15, 2024

    Wis. Agency Issues Permits To Reroute Enbridge Pipeline

    The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources approved permits needed for Enbridge Energy to move forward with a proposal to reroute a 12-mile portion of its controversial Line 5 pipeline around a Native American reservation and build a new 41-mile segment outside the area.

  • November 15, 2024

    FERC Can't Justify Pipeline Project Extension, DC Circ. Told

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's ability to extend pipeline construction deadlines simply cannot be applied to a wholesale revision of a proposed southern spur of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, opponents of the project told the D.C. Circuit Thursday.

  • November 15, 2024

    Oil Terminal Co. Offers $2M To End Falsified-Inspection Claims

    A Gulf Oil successor has offered to pay the state of Connecticut $2 million to settle accusations the company failed to secure new construction permits and spent years fabricating and falsifying inspection reports for existing bulk gasoline terminal tanks along New Haven Harbor in Long Island Sound, court filings show.

  • November 15, 2024

    4 Oil Giants Invest $500M To Boost Global Energy Access

    Four oil and gas industry giants — BP, Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies — announced a commitment Friday to invest a total of $500 million in support of a United Nations goal to ensure access to clean and affordable energy worldwide by 2030. 

  • November 15, 2024

    Taxation With Representation: Cravath, MoFo, Gibson Dunn

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, Cardinal Health takes a majority stake in GI Alliance and acquires Advanced Diabetes Supply Group, Just Eat offloads Grubhub to Wonder Group, Rivian Automotive and Volkswagen Group launch a joint venture, and Ovintiv Inc. buys Montney Basin assets from Paramount Resources Ltd.

  • November 15, 2024

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    This past week in London has seen Ocado file an intellectual property claim against an African fruit and vegetable importer, a claim filed against a Swiss bank founded by Indian billionaire Srichand Parmanand Hinduja and 300 individuals sue travel company TUI. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • November 14, 2024

    Trump Picks ND Gov. To Lead Interior Dept.

    President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday evening that he has chosen North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to lead the U.S. Department of the Interior, a Republican who has been a staunch supporter of the fossil fuel industry.

  • November 14, 2024

    DC Circ. Doubts Standing In Challenge To Grid Project Perk

    A D.C. Circuit panel expressed skepticism Thursday that a coalition of energy consumers have standing to challenge the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's grant of an abandonment incentive to the developer of an Iowa transmission project.

  • November 14, 2024

    Trade Groups Back Red States In EPA Water Rule Dispute

    A slew of trade groups have joined a dozen red states in urging a North Dakota federal judge to strike down a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule requiring all states in the nation to consider tribal treaty rights when they set their water quality standards.

  • November 14, 2024

    Biden Admin Backs Controversial Alaskan Land Swap, Road

    The Biden administration is backing a federal land swap that will allow a road to be built through Alaska's Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, while conservation groups and tribes say the move will cause major impacts to the area's migratory birds and cut off a food source for Indigenous communities.

  • November 14, 2024

    Family Sues Suncor, Honeywell Over Worker's Death

    The family of a refinery worker allegedly killed by exposure to toxic chemicals at a Suncor Energy oil refinery near Denver filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Colorado state court against Suncor, Honeywell and the contractor that employed him, claiming liability for the man's death.

  • November 14, 2024

    Split 5th Circ. Affirms SEC's Kroger Proxy Decision

    A divided Fifth Circuit on Thursday rejected a "purely theoretical" challenge brought by conservative shareholders unhappy that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission greenlighted the exclusion of a shareholder proposal from Kroger Co.'s 2023 ballot, noting that the case was moot since the company authorized a vote on the proposal anyway.

  • November 14, 2024

    XL Fleet SPAC Suit Tentatively Settled For $4.75M In Del.

    Investors in a December 2020 blank-check company merger that took hybrid-car retrofit venture XL Fleet public have preliminarily settled a four-count fiduciary duty breach suit in Delaware's Court of Chancery for $4.75 million.

Expert Analysis

  • Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.

  • New NHTSA Fuel Economy Rule Adds Compliance Complexity

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    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's recently announced final rule on new corporate average fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks will create challenges for manufacturers, which must also comply with the EPA's multipollutant rule and California's zero-emission vehicle programs, say Joanne Rotondi and Hannah Graae at Hogan Lovells.

  • Series

    Teaching Scuba Diving Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    As a master scuba instructor, I’ve learned how to prepare for the unexpected, overcome fears and practice patience, and each of these skills – among the many others I’ve developed – has profoundly enhanced my work as a lawyer, says Ron Raether at Troutman Pepper.

  • Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act

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    As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.

  • Series

    After Chevron: NRC Is Shielded From Loper Bright's Effects

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    While the U.S. Supreme Court's recent Loper Bright v. Relentless decision brought an end to Chevron deference, Congress' unique delegation of discretionary authority to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will likely insulate it from the additional judicial scrutiny that other federal agencies will face, say Ryan Lighty and Scott Clausen at Morgan Lewis.

  • How Loper Bright Weakens NEPA Enviro Justice Strategy

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    The National Environmental Policy Act is central to the Biden administration's environmental justice agenda — but the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo casts doubt on the government's ability to rely on NEPA for this purpose, and a pending federal case will test the strategy's limits, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • Navigating Antitrust Considerations In ESG Collaborations

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    The intersection of ESG goals and antitrust laws presents a complex challenge for businesses and their counsel — but by creating clear frameworks for collaboration, adhering to established guidelines and carefully considering the competitive implications of their actions, companies can work toward sustainability while mitigating legal risks, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market

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    Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.

  • Series

    Rock Climbing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Rock climbing requires problem-solving, focus, risk management and resilience, skills that are also invaluable assets in my role as a finance lawyer, says Mei Zhang at Haynes and Boone.

  • What Chevron's End Means For How Congress Does Business

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision, overturning the Chevron doctrine, will have a far-reaching impact across the entire public policy life cycle, beginning with how Congress writes its laws and extending through agency implantation and judicial review, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Dance The Legal Standard Two-Step

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    From rookie brief writers to Chief Justice John Roberts, lawyers should master the legal standard two-step — framing the governing standard at the outset, and clarifying why they meet that standard — which has benefits for both the drafter and reader, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • The Rise Of State And Local Environmental Leadership

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    While Congress is deadlocked, and a U.S. Supreme Court with a hostility toward the administrative state aggressively dismantles federal environmental oversight, state and local governments are stepping up with policies to shape a more sustainable future for all species, says Jonathan Rosenbloom at Albany Law School.

  • NYSE Delisting May Be The Cost Of FCPA Compliance

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    ABB’s recent decision to delist its U.S. depository receipts from the New York Stock Exchange, coupled with having settled three Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement actions, begs the question of whether the cost of FCPA compliance should factor into a company's decision to remain listed in the U.S., says John Joy at FTI Law.

  • CFTC Action Highlights Necessity Of Whistleblower Carveouts

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    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's novel settlement with a trading firm over allegations of manipulating the market and failing to create contract carveouts for employees to freely communicate with investigators serves as a beacon for further enforcement activity from the CFTC and other regulators, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • 5 Tips For Solar Cos. Navigating Big Shifts In US Trade Policy

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    Renewable energy developers can best mitigate new compliance risks from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s increased tariffs on imported solar cells, and simultaneously capitalize on Treasury Department incentives for domestic solar manufacturers, by following five best practices in the changing solar trade landscape, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

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