Energy

  • August 16, 2024

    Voters' Bid To Revive Ga. Election Suit Slammed As Hail Mary

    Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is asking a federal judge to "make clear" a case alleging a biased system to elect Georgia Public Service Commission members "is over," as Black voters behind the suit fight to keep it alive.

  • August 16, 2024

    V&E Can Advise Wood Pellet Co. Enviva In Ch. 11, Court Says

    Months after a Virginia bankruptcy court blocked Vinson & Elkins LLP from representing Enviva in the wood pellet maker's Chapter 11 case due to a possible conflict of interest, the court has reversed course, permitting the law firm to serve as special counsel after it pledged to narrow the scope of its work.

  • August 16, 2024

    6th Circ. Nixes Union Local's Win In Steel Co. Benefit Row

    The Sixth Circuit has reversed a judgment that a reinforced-steel contractor owes about $2 million in unpaid fringe benefit contributions to journeymen who traveled from other states to work on a project in Michigan, finding there was insufficient evidence to support the award.

  • August 16, 2024

    DC Circ. Rolls Back Pipeline Safety Rules

    The D.C. Circuit on Friday threw out a handful of new safety standards for gas transmission pipelines set by the U.S. Department of Transportation, ruling that federal regulators failed to explain why their benefits outweighed their costs.

  • August 16, 2024

    Kentucky Couple Sue Progressive Over Coal Mine Subsidence

    A couple told a Kentucky federal court that Progressive denied coverage for coal mine subsidence damage to their home in bad faith, saying the insurer did so despite having access to records showing that the state authorized a $1.8 million project to help fix that very subsidence.

  • August 16, 2024

    Pa. Energy Fund Ducks Class Claims Over Data Breach

    A federal judge trimmed most of the claims from a data breach lawsuit against Dollar Energy Fund Inc., including those of a plaintiff seeking to represent similarly situated customers whose personal information was stolen but not yet used.

  • August 16, 2024

    DC Circ. OKs Energy Cos.' $395M Spain Award Suits

    The D.C. Circuit on Friday ruled that district courts have jurisdiction to enforce some $395 million in arbitral awards issued against Spain after the country rolled back economic incentives for renewable energy projects, but took no position on the awards' ultimate enforceability.

  • August 16, 2024

    Connecticut Legislation Passed In 2024: A Midyear Report

    While Connecticut workers may rejoice over a major expansion of paid sick leave that will begin to roll out next year, businesses will need to spend some time and effort getting ready to implement the new law, attorneys told Law360.

  • August 15, 2024

    DC Circ. Explains Toss Of EPA's Biofuel Exemptions Denial

    The Environmental Protection Agency's narrow interpretation of what defines an economic hardship wrongly shut dozens of small oil refineries out of receiving federal renewable fuel blending requirement exemptions, according to a per curiam D.C. Circuit opinion unsealed this week.

  • August 15, 2024

    Judge Rejects GE's Bid To Pull Plug On Contamination Suit

    A Louisiana federal judge on Wednesday refused to let General Electric escape a lawsuit alleging it is liable for widespread environmental contamination caused by a now-closed pressure valve manufacturing facility that GE used to own.

  • August 15, 2024

    Pa. Utility Regulator Insists It Can Reject Grid Project

    The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is urging the Third Circuit to reinstate its denial of a transmission project regional grid operator PJM Interconnection approved, saying the Federal Power Act and PJM's tariff can't be used to override its rejection of a "wasteful and counterproductive project."

  • August 15, 2024

    Interior Department Grants $775M To Plug Oil And Gas Wells

    The U.S. Department of the Interior said it's making up to $775 million available for 21 eligible states to plug orphaned oil and gas wells to curb harmful methane leaks and reduce risks to the environment and public health.

  • August 15, 2024

    Deals Rumor Mill: Paramount, Blackstone, Starbucks

    The heir to Canadian liquor purveyor Seagram is preparing a bid for Paramount's parent company, Blackstone explores a potential $2.6 billion sale of Clarion Events, and activist investor Starboard sets sights on Starbucks. Here, Law360 breaks down these and other notable deal rumors from the past week.

  • August 15, 2024

    Connecticut Watchdog Calls For Action On Utility 'Rate Shock'

    A Connecticut consumer rights watchdog agency has asked the state's utility regulator to reverse rate hikes that it recently approved for major energy companies or to take other actions to prevent future "rate shock" for state residents.

  • August 15, 2024

    Gas Co. Tells Chancery Texas Settlement Spikes Pipeline Duty

    A settlement and Texas court's direction to vacate an earlier arbitration award has revived an Energy Transfer LP subsidiary's bid to scuttle a Delaware Court of Chancery order requiring it to build costly, high-pressure natural gas pipelines for free.

  • August 15, 2024

    Levi & Korsinsky To Lead Hertz EV Cost Shareholder Suit

    Levi & Korsinsky LLP will represent a proposed class of investors in car rental giant Hertz Global Holdings Inc. in litigation alleging it exaggerated demand for electric cars, then took a $200 million earnings hit as it worked to offload those cars.

  • August 15, 2024

    Colorado, Suncor Back EPA In Denver Refinery Permit Fight

    Colorado and Suncor Energy USA Inc. told the Tenth Circuit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was right to refuse to object to a series of permit changes state regulators approved for the company's Denver-area oil refinery, as fights over the facility's emissions are heating up.

  • August 15, 2024

    Carrier Wraps Strategic Exit Plan With $3B Sale Of Fire Units

    Carrier Global Corp. said Thursday it has inked an agreement to sell its commercial and residential fire units to an affiliate of Lone Star Funds at an enterprise value of $3 billion, completing the company's strategic plan to sell off several business units and focus on its core ventilation business.

  • August 14, 2024

    3rd Circ. May Nix $10M Venezuela Award Transfer Suit

    The Third Circuit appeared poised to decline jurisdiction over appeals challenging a Delaware judge's decision to send litigation enforcing some $10 million in arbitral awards against a subsidiary of Venezuela's state-owned oil company to federal court in Washington, D.C.

  • August 14, 2024

    Exxon Can't Beat Investor Suit Over Permian Basin Claims

    A Texas federal judge kept a proposed investor class action against Exxon Mobil intact, saying in an opinion that the investors' allegations claiming Exxon overvalued its Permian Basin holdings by billions of dollars and fudged its public statements were strong enough for the case to move forward.

  • August 14, 2024

    Sanctioned Ghanaian Co. Says Law Firm's Fees Too High

    An African energy company has slammed international arbitration specialty law firm Three Crowns LLP in Texas federal court for claiming nearly $200,000 in fees after the company was sanctioned for lying to a Ghanaian court.

  • August 14, 2024

    BP Unit Can't Escape Truck Stop Suit, Developers Claim

    Companies suing a BP subsidiary for terminating their truck stop franchise agreement and leaving them stuck with unrecoverable development costs hit back against its "shotgun approach" to have their suit seeking more than $300 million in damages thrown out, telling an Ohio federal judge that their complaint is grounded in compelling claims.

  • August 14, 2024

    Fuel Co. Can't Halt Fund's Contributions Dispute, Judge Says

    An airplane fueling services company can't escape claims from a Teamsters benefit plan seeking more than $150,000 in unpaid contributions and other costs, a New York federal judge ruled, finding ambiguities with provisions in an agreement about contribution obligations preclude dismissal.

  • August 14, 2024

    CFTC Hits Vitol With First-Of-Its-Kind Position Limits Fine

    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued its first-ever fine Wednesday against a trader exceeding position limits by holding the same contract across multiple exchanges, penalizing Swiss energy and commodities company Vitol SA for its positions on cattle and crude oil futures.

  • August 14, 2024

    10th Circ. Wipes Out Fight Over Obama-Era Methane Rule

    The Tenth Circuit has thrown out a lower court ruling partially invalidating an Obama-era rule limiting venting and flaring from oil and gas wells on federal land, saying a new rule crafted by the Biden administration moots the entire case.

Expert Analysis

  • Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity

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    The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • 3 Areas Of Enforcement Risk Facing The EV Industry

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    Companies in the EV manufacturing ecosystem are experiencing a boom in business, but with this boom comes increased regulatory and enforcement risks, from the corruption issues that have historically pervaded the extractive sector to newer risks posed by artificial intelligence, say attorneys at MoFo.

  • Ambiguity Ruling Highlights Deference To Arbitral Process

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    A New York federal court’s recent ruling in Eletson v. Levona, which remanded an arbitral award for clarification, reflects that the ambiguity exception’s analysis is not static and may be applied even in cases where the award, when issued, was unambiguous, says arbitrator Myrna Barakat Friedman.

  • Keeping Up With Carbon Capture Policy In The US And EU

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    Recent regulatory moves from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the European Commission in the carbon capture, sequestration and storage space are likely to further encourage the owners and operators of fossil fuel-fired power plants to make decisions on shutdowns or reconfiguration to meet the expanding requirements, say Inosi Nyatta and Silvia Brünjes at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • New State Climate Liability Laws: What Companies Must Know

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    New legislation in Vermont and New York creating liability and compliance obligations for businesses deemed responsible for climate change — as well as similar bills proposed in California, Massachusetts and Maryland — have far-reaching implications for companies, so it is vital to remain vigilant as these initiatives progress, say Gregory Berlin and Jeffrey Dintzer at Alston & Bird.

  • EU Investor-State Dispute Transparency Rules: Key Points

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    The European Union's recent vote to embrace greater transparency for investor-state arbitration will make managing newly public information more complex for all parties in a dispute — so it is important for stakeholders to understand the risks and opportunities involved, say Philip Hall, Tara Flores and Charles McKeon at Thorndon Partners.

  • Despite Calif. Delays, Climate Disclosure Rules Are Coming

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    Progress continues on state, federal and international climate disclosure regimes, making compliance a key concern for companies — but the timeline for implementation of California's disclosure laws remains unclear due to funding and timing disputes, says David Smith at Manatt Phelps.

  • Decoding Arbitral Disputes: Intra-EU Enforcement Trends

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    Hungary recently declared a distinct stance on the European Court of Justice's 2021 ruling in Moldavia v. Komstroy on intra-EU arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty, highlighting a critical divergence in the bloc on enforcing investment awards and the complexities of balancing regional uniformity with international obligations, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.

  • Opinion

    Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism

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    As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.

  • What Happens After Hawaii Kids' Historic Climate Deal

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    Implications of the Hawaii Department of Transportation's first-of-its-kind settlement with youth plaintiffs over constitutional climate claims may be limited, but it could incite similar claims, says J. Michael Showalter and Robert Middleton at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Series

    Serving In The National Guard Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My ongoing military experience as a judge advocate general in the National Guard has shaped me as a person and a lawyer, teaching me the importance of embracing confidence, balance and teamwork in both my Army and civilian roles, says Danielle Aymond at Baker Donelson.

  • Big Business May Come To Rue The Post-Administrative State

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    Many have framed the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions overturning Chevron deference and extending the window to challenge regulations as big wins for big business, but sand in the gears of agency rulemaking may be a double-edged sword, creating prolonged uncertainty that impedes businesses’ ability to plan for the future, says Todd Baker at Columbia University.

  • A Midyear Forecast: Tailwinds Expected For Atty Hourly Rates

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    Hourly rates for partners, associates and support staff continued to rise in the first half of this year, and this growth shows no signs of slowing for the rest of 2024 and into next year, driven in part by the return of mergers and acquisitions and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, says Chuck Chandler at Valeo Partners.

  • Series

    After Chevron: 7 FERC Takeaways From Loper Bright

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    Following the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of the Chevron doctrine, it's likely that the majority of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's orders will not be affected, but the commission has nonetheless lost an important fallback argument and will have to approach rulemaking more cautiously, says Norman Bay at Willkie Farr.

  • California Adds A Novel Twist To State Suits Against Big Oil

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    California’s suit against Exxon Mobil Corp., one of several state suits that seek to hold oil and gas companies accountable for climate-related harms, is unique both in the magnitude of the alleged claims and its use of a consumer protection statute to seek disgorgement of industry profits, says Julia Stein at UCLA School of Law.

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