Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Energy
-
May 24, 2024
Biden's Judicial Impact And What's Left On The Wish List
President Joe Biden secured confirmation of his 200th federal judge Wednesday and has transformed the judiciary by picking more women and people of color than any other president. But the upcoming election season could derail his hopes of confirming many more judges.
-
May 24, 2024
Colo. Judge Hints Regulator May Face Oil Biz Contract Claims
A Colorado state judge seemed inclined to agree with an oil company's argument that a settlement with state regulators to resolve alleged violations was close enough to a contract to take to trial the company's claims that regulators later broke the deal.
-
May 24, 2024
Court Upholds Limit To Award In Ecopetrol, Texas Co. Dispute
An arbitration tribunal was within its authority to limit the number of years and the amount that a Houston-based oil company had to reimburse Colombia's state-owned entity, Ecopetrol, for the value-added tax liability of a subsidiary while owned by the company, a New York federal judge determined.
-
May 24, 2024
Union Carbide To Pay EPA $600K For Colo. Superfund Site
Union Carbide Corp. and the federal government filed a $600,000 proposed settlement in Colorado federal court, resolving claims the company and its subsidiary owed more than $1.2 million in reimbursement costs connected to the cleanup of hazardous chemicals at a former uranium and vanadium processing facility.
-
May 24, 2024
EPA Denies Ala. Coal Ash Management Program Application
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a final decision denying Alabama's application to run a federally approved permit program to manage coal ash landfills and impoundments, saying the state's permit program doesn't meet federal standards for protecting people and waterways.
-
May 24, 2024
No Private Suits Under State Enviro Law, Ill. Justices Say
The daughter of a woman badly burned in a condominium complex explosion cannot bring bodily injury claims against Marathon Petroleum Co. and others under Illinois' environmental protection laws because they do not provide private statutory rights of action, the Illinois Supreme Court has ruled.
-
May 24, 2024
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London
This past week in London has seen an IT engineer seek permission to search a landfill hiding a hard drive supposedly storing millions of pounds in bitcoin, Glencore take on legal action by American Century Investments, gold payment app Glint bring a breach of duty claim against FRP Advisory, and an ongoing dispute between a solicitor and the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
-
May 24, 2024
IRS Corrects Notice On Bonus Energy Tax Credit Safe Harbors
The Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a correction Friday to a notice providing additional safe harbors that clean energy project developers can use to qualify for bonus tax credits for domestically sourcing their steel and aluminum parts.
-
May 24, 2024
EQT's $35B Equitrans Gas Merger Goes Unchallenged
The waiting period for U.S. antitrust regulators to take action on EQT Corp.'s nearly $14 billion planned purchase of Equitrans Midstream Corp. has expired, putting one of the year's largest deals on the fast track to closing.
-
May 23, 2024
Feds Ask 5th Circ. To Weigh Highway GHG Rule Vacatur
The Biden administration has asked the Fifth Circuit to review a Texas district court's recent decision vacating a Federal Highway Administration rule that would've required states to set targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from federally funded highway projects.
-
May 23, 2024
Spain Says Energy Treaty Withdrawal Irrelevant In $386M Suit
Spain has told the D.C. Circuit that its announcement of withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty does not show it recognizes that it is still bound under the international agreement, contrary to what investors owed about $386 million argued earlier this week.
-
May 23, 2024
Alaskan Youth Sue State Over $43B Natural Gas Project
A group of children is suing Alaska to stop a $43 billion liquefied natural gas project, alleging the endeavor violates their rights under the state constitution to a climate system capable of sustaining human life, liberty and dignity.
-
May 23, 2024
Resignation Letter Bylaws Targeted In Five Del. Class Actions
General Motors Co. is among the latest targets of new bylaw-focused litigation from Abbott Cooper PLLC and Block & Leviton LLP, one of five companies in a series of lawsuits in Delaware's Chancery Court that seek to invalidate an "irrevocable resignation requirement" in company bylaws.
-
May 23, 2024
22 States Seek To Defend EPA Heavy-Duty Truck GHG Rule
A coalition of 22 Democrat-led states and four cities moved to intervene on Thursday in defense of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's final rule establishing greenhouse gas emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles, arguing that vacating the rule would lead to direct injuries to state lands and resources.
-
May 23, 2024
Feds Agree To Clean, Close Dump Site For Tribal Nations
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reached an agreement with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to properly clean and shut down a 70-year-old solid waste dump site on tribal lands in northern Arizona, saying federal law requirements for its closure haven't been followed since 1997.
-
May 23, 2024
Irma Power Outage Claims Must Be Brought To Fla. Regulator
A Florida state appellate court reversed the class certification in a multibillion-dollar lawsuit brought against Florida Power & Light Co. over extended electricity outages during Hurricane Irma, citing a new law requiring ratepayers to bring their claims before the state's Public Service Commission.
-
May 23, 2024
Ill. Justices OK $28M Tax Value Appeal Without Payment
A power company's property in Illinois was not required to pay disputed property taxes before appealing a valuation, the Illinois Supreme Court affirmed Thursday, upholding a reduction in the assessment of about $28 million.
-
May 23, 2024
Enbridge Says Tribe's Trespass Law Could Cost It Millions
Enbridge Energy told the Seventh Circuit that a Wisconsin tribe's recently publicized trespass ordinance could cause the company to pay millions of dollars in civil penalties if the appeals court rules that its 645-mile crude oil pipeline is trespassing on the tribe's land.
-
May 23, 2024
FERC Cements 1-Year Window For State, Tribal Water Permits
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday said it will give states and tribes one year to act on water quality certificate requests from developers of any energy project seeking agency approval, the maximum amount of time allowed under the Clean Water Act.
-
May 23, 2024
FirstEnergy Wants 6th Circ. To Shield Bribe-Probe Docs
FirstEnergy Corp. is pursuing the Sixth Circuit's input into its request to shield internal investigative documents from a class of investors and from two of its indicted former executives, saying the documents contain privileged legal advice given in the wake of a $1 billion bribery scandal.
-
May 23, 2024
Senate Chairs Seek Info On Trump Meeting With Oil Cos.
The chairs of the Senate's tax and budget committees said Thursday that they were investigating a meeting with former President Donald Trump, oil and energy companies, a trade association where Trump reportedly sought $1 billion in exchange for policy favors.
-
May 23, 2024
Split Ohio High Court Says Jury Must Mull Drilling Rights Row
A split Ohio Supreme Court unraveled a trial court ruling in favor of oil and gas rights owner Tera LLC that acted as the basis of a $40 million damages award against Gulfport Energy, reasoning Thursday that there is a "genuine issue of material fact" over the meaning of certain terms in parties' lease agreement.
-
May 23, 2024
Deals Rumor Mill: NY Yankees, Abu Dhabi Bank, Int'l Paper
Yankees’ minority stake could hit the market, First Abu Dhabi could pay $8 billion for a stake in an Istanbul-based lender, and Suzano could sweeten its $15 billion bid for International Paper. Here, Law360 breaks down the notable deal rumors from the past week.
-
May 22, 2024
Activist Investor Must Face Exxon's Suit Over Proxy Proposal
A Texas federal judge Wednesday refused to dismiss an Exxon Mobil Corp. lawsuit against a U.S.-based activist investor over a now-withdrawn shareholder proposal concerning climate change, saying it isn't certain they won't refile their proposal in the future.
-
May 22, 2024
Founders Of BP's Archaea Looted From Own Co., Suit Says
A group of fraternity brothers who founded waste management company Noble Environmental Inc. and later sold a venture called Archaea Energy to BP has been hit with a shareholder derivative suit in Delaware Chancery Court alleging the fraternity brothers stole billions of dollars from the company and breached their fiduciary duties to minority shareholders.
Expert Analysis
-
After Watershed Year, Clean Hydrogen Faces New Challenges
Clean hydrogen is on the verge of taking off — but over the course of 2023, it became clear that the regulatory landscape will be more stringent than expected, and the cost and timing of major projects will depend on a number of key developments anticipated in 2024, say attorneys at Weil.
-
A Potential Proactive Tool For Public-Private Joint Ventures
In the current environment of heightened antitrust enforcement, the National Cooperative Research and Production Act seems tailor-made for the collaborative work among competitors encouraged by the Biden administration's infrastructure and green energy funding legislation, say Jeetander Dulani and Susan Ebner at Stinson.
-
Will Justices Settle Decades-Old Split On Arbitrator Conflicts?
Whether an arbitrator's failure to disclose a potential conflict of interest is sufficient grounds to vacate an arbitration award is the subject of an almost 60-year-old circuit split that the U.S. Supreme Court is positioned to resolve if it grants cert in either of two writs pending before it, say attorneys at Norton Rose.
-
FERC Actions Signal Concern Over Investors' Utility Stakes
Two recent orders and a notice of inquiry from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on the subject of whether large investors are asserting control of public utilities signal increasing regulatory scrutiny of the investment community's influence over the electric power industry, say attorneys at Day Pitney.
-
3 Areas Of Focus In Congressional Crosshairs This Year
Companies must prepare for Congress to build on its 2023 oversight priorities this year, continuing its vigorous inquiries into Chinese company-related investments, workplace safety and labor relations issues, and generative artificial intelligence, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
-
Protections May Exist For Cos. Affected By Red Sea Attacks
Companies whose ships or cargo have been affected by the evolving military conflict in the Red Sea, and the countries under whose flags those ships were traveling, may be able to seek redress through legal action against Yemen or Iran under certain international law mechanisms, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.
-
What's On Tap For Public Corruption Prosecutions In 2024
All signs point toward another year of blockbuster public corruption prosecutions in 2024, revealing broader trends in enforcement and jurisprudence, and promising valuable lessons for defense strategy, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.
-
Global Cartel Enforcement Looks Set To Intensify In 2024
The cartel enforcement winds may strengthen this year, with the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as regulators in other countries, placing a renewed focus on pursuing international cartels and more traditional, hard-core cartel conduct, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.
-
Series
Baking Bread Makes Me A Better Lawyer
After many years practicing law, and a few years baking bread, I have learned that there are a few keys to success in both endeavors, including the assembly of a nourishing and resilient culture, and the ability to learn from failure and exercise patience, says Rick Robinson at Reed Smith.
-
Federal Courts And AI Standing Orders: Safety Or Overkill?
Several district court judges have issued standing orders regulating the use of artificial intelligence in their courts, but courts should consider following ordinary notice and comment procedures before implementing sweeping mandates that could be unnecessarily burdensome and counterproductive, say attorneys at Curtis.
-
The 5 Most Important Bid Protest Decisions Of 2023
Attorneys at Bradley Arant discuss noteworthy 2023 bid protest decisions from the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and U.S. Government Accountability Office, offering perspectives on standing, document production, agency deference, System for Award Management registration requirements and mentor-protégé joint venture proposal evaluations.
-
7 E-Discovery Predictions For 2024 And Beyond
The legal and technical issues of e-discovery now affect virtually every lawsuit, and in the year to come, practitioners can expect practices and policies to evolve in a number of ways, from the expanded use of relevancy redactions to mandated information security provisions in protective orders, say attorneys at Littler.
-
Securities Class Actions Show No Signs of Slowing In 2024
Plaintiffs asserted securities class actions at elevated levels in 2023 — a sign that filings will remain high in the year ahead — as they switched gears to target companies that allegedly have failed to anticipate supply chain disruptions, persistent inflation, rising interest rates and other macroeconomic headwinds, say attorneys at Skadden.
-
Consider A Key Insurance Tool For Environmental M&A Deals
Transactional liability insurance can be a useful risk allocation tool for completing mergers and acquisitions in the renewable energy and climate and clean technology sectors, though policies must be structured carefully to achieve maximum coverage, say Joseph Castelluccio and Paul de Bernier at Mayer Brown.
-
ESG Concerns Can No Longer Be Ignored In 2024
While the long wait for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's ESG rule continues, government attention to regulations, increased litigation efforts and shareholder resolutions seeking transparency highlight the importance of placing an emphasis on ESG considerations, say attorneys at Wollmuth Maher.