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Energy
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September 20, 2024
Womble Bond Hires New Head Of Int'l Disputes From Dechert
Womble Bond Dickinson has hired a former Dechert LLP partner as the head of its international disputes practice, who will be based in the firm's Washington, D.C., office and will double as a partner in its business litigation practice group, Womble Bond recently announced.
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September 20, 2024
Charges On Spain's Airport Stake Lifted Amid Arbitration Fight
An English court on Friday lifted charges over a Spanish public airport company's interest in a London airport as part of a U.S. renewable energy company's battle to enforce a multimillion-dollar arbitration award against Spain.
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September 20, 2024
DOE Picks 25 Battery Projects For $3B Of Awards
The U.S. Department of Energy on Friday said it has selected 25 projects across 14 states for negotiations for $3 billion of federal funding aimed at boosting the domestic production and recycling of batteries and key materials.
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September 20, 2024
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London
The past week in London has seen crypto exchange Binance face a new claim from the co-founder of SO Legal, a U.S. immersive art company take on a Bristol venue for copyright violations and Blake Morgan LLP hit with a pension schemes claim by The Trust for Welsh Archeology. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
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September 20, 2024
Steel Biz Investors Sue Atty Over 'Father-Son'-Like Conflict
A Pennsylvania couple have filed a malpractice suit accusing a lawyer of helping a steel distribution company induce them into investing about $800,000 and defrauding them, saying the attorney didn't disclose his relationship with the company's owners and "father-son"-like bond with one of them.
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September 19, 2024
Chancery Fast-Tracks Suit Over Renewable Energy Co. Buyout
Delaware's Court of Chancery on Thursday expedited a lawsuit accusing a Repsol SA subsidiary of breaching an agreement requiring it to buy out the remaining shares in a Chicago-based renewable energy venture the Repsol unit co-owns.
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September 19, 2024
Texas Judge Seeks More Info In $150M Ukrnafta Award Feud
A Texas magistrate judge on Thursday ordered Ukraine's largest oil company to turn over bank statements as he grapples with a bid by U.S.-based Carpatsky Petroleum Corp. to bar the Ukrainian company from draining those accounts, part of Carpatsky's long-running effort to enforce a $150 million arbitral award.
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September 19, 2024
Florida Banker Denies Laundering Money For Father
A Florida banker pled not guilty Thursday to federal charges connected to laundering money for his father, who was convicted for his role in a corruption scandal involving canceling fines for a defective hydroelectric dam in exchange for millions in bribes while he served as Ecuador's comptroller.
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September 19, 2024
Gold Mine Operator Agrees To Pay $3M In Water Pollution Row
The operator of the controversial Buckhorn Mountain Gold Mine has agreed to pay more than $3.1 million and take a variety of steps to investigate and remediate water pollution, under a proposed consent decree filed in Washington federal court on Thursday.
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September 19, 2024
EPA Urges DC Circ. Not To Block Coal Ash Rule Implementation
A Kentucky electric utility is "misleading" the D.C. Circuit about how clean former coal ash pits are once the material is removed, and should not be allowed to block implementation of a new coal ash rule, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday.
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September 19, 2024
Calif. Port's Approval Of Hydrogen Project Challenged
Two conservation groups filed a California state court lawsuit challenging the Port of Stockton's review and approval of a hydrogen production and distribution facility, arguing it conducted an inadequate environmental review and failed to ensure project impacts are mitigated.
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September 19, 2024
FERC Must Heed DC Circ. 'Shift' On Gas Reviews, Chair Says
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Willie Phillips said Thursday that the D.C. Circuit wrongly wiped out the agency's approval of a Northeast pipeline expansion project, but acknowledged that recent court decisions will force FERC to rethink how it reviews gas infrastructure projects.
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September 19, 2024
Judge Blocks Manhattan Project Waste From Mich. Landfill
A state judge barred a southeast Michigan landfill from accepting shipments of radiological material Wednesday, issuing a temporary restraining order days after surrounding communities sued over planned deliveries of contaminated soil and debris left over from the development of the first atomic bomb.
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September 19, 2024
Quinn Emanuel Challenges Oro Negro Execs' Discovery Bid
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP is pushing back against a bid for firm documents from its former client, Oro Negro Drilling Pte. Ltd., saying the company that provides oil services in Mexico and its subsidiaries are "weaponizing" the firm's party status to gain a tactical advantage in related legal battles.
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September 19, 2024
BakerHostetler Adds Ex-Baker Botts Accident Response Duo
Months after hiring former Baker Botts attorney Greg Dillard to lead its catastrophic accident response team, BakerHostetler has announced the hire of two more attorneys from the firm as counsel in Washington, D.C., and Houston.
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September 19, 2024
Tax Or Fee, Utility Rates Beyond Review, Ga. Justices Hear
A Georgia city told the state Supreme Court on Thursday that its use of utility fees to bolster city coffers was not an illegal tax, despite a sports bar owner's claims to the contrary, and that a trial court rightly said it could not decide the matter.
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September 19, 2024
3 Firms Lead Vistra's $3B Buy Of Leftover Stake In Nuclear Biz
Retail electricity and power generation company Vistra Corp. has agreed to acquire the remaining 15% equity stake in its subsidiary Vistra Vision LLC, which owns nuclear generation facilities, from minority investors Nuveen Asset Management LLC and Avenue Capital Management II LP in a deal valued at more than $3 billion and built by three law firms.
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September 18, 2024
Waste Mgmt. Sued For $3.8M Over Renewable Energy Credits
A Constellation Energy Corp. unit slapped Waste Management Inc. with a complaint in Texas federal court on Tuesday, saying the company has refused to cough up more than $3.8 million for renewable energy credits Constellation paid for but never received.
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September 18, 2024
Split 5th Circ. Upholds Oxy's $38M Win Over Wells Fargo Bank
A split Fifth Circuit panel upheld a $38 million judgment against Wells Fargo in a published opinion Wednesday, affirming that the bank breached its trustee duties by failing to timely sell Occidental Petroleum Corp. stock and is judicially estopped from arguing that the trust agreement was not a contract.
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September 18, 2024
FBI Dismantles Chinese Botnet, Urges Victims To Seek Aid
FBI Director Christopher Wray announced Wednesday that the law enforcement agency has knocked out a botnet operated by a Chinese government-sponsored hacker group that was stealing confidential data by infecting internet-connected devices.
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September 18, 2024
EPA Retaliated Against Three Scientists, Watchdog Says
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's internal watchdog said Wednesday that agency officials pushing for faster progress on a backlog of chemical reviews retaliated against several scientists for raising differing scientific opinions on chemical assessments.
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September 18, 2024
Wash. Court Won't Ax Testimony In Tribes' River Pollution Suit
A Washington federal judge issued a slew of orders Tuesday refusing to limit expert testimony in the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation's lawsuit against a smelter operator over pollution in the Upper Columbia River, saying the testimony will help the jury make a decision at trial.
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September 18, 2024
Loper Bright Undercuts SEC Climate Rule, Fracking Cos. Say
Two fracking companies suing the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over its climate disclosure rules have again urged the Eighth Circuit to vacate the measures, offering a diverging interpretation of how the U.S. Supreme Court's decision axing Chevron deference should apply.
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September 18, 2024
9th Circ. Won't Revive Gas Price-Fixing Suit Over Trump Pact
The Ninth Circuit upheld the dismissal of a proposed class action alleging price fixing between major oil producers as part of the Trump Administration's 2020 deal with Russia and Saudi Arabia to cut production, saying that subjecting the pact to judicial review would be inappropriately "second-guessing" executive branch foreign policy.
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September 18, 2024
Feds Oppose Bid To Block EPA Mercury Rule At High Court
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, several blue states and a coalition of green groups on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reject an effort to reverse the D.C. Circuit's decision allowing the EPA to implement a mercury air pollution rule.
Expert Analysis
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'Energy Communities' Update May Clarify Tax Credit Eligibility
A recent IRS notice that includes updated lists of locations where clean energy projects can qualify for additional tax credits — based 2023 unemployment data and placed-in-service dates — should help provide clarity regarding project eligibility that sponsors and developers need, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing
When a lawyer presents their case with the right propulsive structure throughout trial, there is little need for further argument after the close of evidence — and in fact, rehashing it all may test jurors’ patience — so attorneys should consider other strategies for closing arguments, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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How A Bumblebee Got Under Calif. Wildlife Regulator's Bonnet
A California bumblebee's listing as an endangered species could lead to a regulatory quagmire as California Department of Fish and Wildlife permits now routinely include survey requirements for the bee, but the regulator has yet to determine what the species needs for conservation, says David Smith at Manatt.
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Wiretap Use In Cartel Probes Likely To Remain An Exception
Although the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division has recently signaled interest in wiretaps, the use of this technology to capture evidence of antitrust conspiracies and pursue monopolization as a criminal matter has been rare historically, and is likely to remain so, say Carsten Reichel and Will Conway at DLA Piper.
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Series
Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer
There are many ways that chess skills translate directly into lawyer skills, but for me, the bigger career lessons go beyond the direct parallels — playing chess has shown me the value of seeing gradual improvement in and focusing deep concentration on a nonwork endeavor, says attorney Steven Fink.
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State Procurement Could Be Key For Calif. Offshore Wind
A recent ruling from the California Public Utilities Commission highlights how the state's centralized electricity procurement mechanism could play a critical role in the development of long lead-time resources — in particular, offshore wind — by providing market assurance to developers and reducing utilities' procurement risks, say attorneys at Wilson Sonsini.
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Patent Lessons From 7 Federal Circuit Reversals In May
A look at recent cases where the Federal Circuit reversed or vacated decisions by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board or a federal district court provide guidance on how to succeed on appeal by clarifying the obviousness analysis of design patents, the finality of a judgment, and more, say Denise De Mory and Li Guo at Bunsow De Mory.
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Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians
Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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A Deep Dive Into The Evolving World Of ESG Ratings
Attorneys at Mintz discuss the salience of environmental, social and governance ratings in corporate circles in recent years, and consider certain methodologies underlying their calculation for professionals, as well as issues concerning the ESG ratings and products themselves.
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Updated Federal Rules Can Improve Product Liability MDLs
The recent amendment of a federal evidence rule regarding expert testimony and the proposal of a civil rule on managing early discovery in multidistrict legislation hold great promise for promoting the uniform and efficient processes that high-stakes product liability cases particularly need, say Alan Klein and William Heaston at Duane Morris.
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Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent
As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.
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Adopting 7 Principles May Improve Voluntary Carbon Markets
The Biden administration's recently issued joint policy statement on improving the integrity of voluntary carbon markets may help companies using carbon credits to offset their emissions withstand scrutiny by government agencies, the public and investors, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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How Act 126 Will Jump-Start Lithium Production In Louisiana
Louisiana's recent passage of Act 126, which helps create a legal and regulatory framework for lithium brine production and direct lithium extraction in the state, should help bolster the U.S. supply of this key mineral, and contribute to increased energy independence for the nation, say Marjorie McKeithen and Justin Marocco at Jones Walker.
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Debate Over CFPB Definition Of Credit Is Just Beginning
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has recently worked to expand the meaning of credit, so anyone operating on the edges of the credit markets, or even those who assumed they were safely outside the scope of this regulatory perimeter, should pay close attention as legal challenges to broad interpretations of the definition unfold, says John Coleman at Orrick.
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An Insurance Coverage Checklist For PFAS Defendants
With PFAS liability exposures attracting increased media attention, now is a good time for companies that could be exposed to liability related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances to review existing and past insurance policies, and consider taking proactive steps to maximize their likelihood of coverage, say attorneys at Nossaman.