Energy

  • October 22, 2024

    Madigan Ally's Favors Were '100% Legal,' Not Bribes, Jury Told

    Counsel for an ex-lobbyist standing trial on public corruption charges alongside former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan told an Illinois federal jury Tuesday that the government is treating legal lobbying activity as bribery, and that his client did "100% legal favors" for Madigan to establish trust and maintain access to the powerful politician.

  • October 22, 2024

    FCC Expands FirstNet Spectrum Use In 4.9 GHz Band

    The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday unveiled a controversial plan to expand spectrum rights for AT&T's FirstNet emergency response network in the 4.9 gigahertz airwaves set aside for a wide range of public safety uses.

  • October 22, 2024

    How Law Firms Get And Keep Elite Status

    For decades, a handful of New York-based law firms thoroughly dominated the national consciousness when it came to power, profitability and prestige. But in today's legal market, increased movement of partners and clients from one firm to the next has begun to shake things up and create opportunities for go-getters to ascend the ranks.

  • October 22, 2024

    The 2024 Prestige Leaders

    Check out our Prestige Leaders ranking, analysis and interactive graphics to see which firms stand out for their financial performance, attractiveness to attorneys and law students, ability to secure accolades and positive legal news media representation.

  • October 22, 2024

    UK Probes Iberdrola's €5B Electric Power Co. Deal

    Britain's antitrust authority said Tuesday that it has decided to investigate Spanish utility company Iberdrola's proposed acquisition of an 88% stake in Electricity North West to examine whether it could weaken competition in U.K. markets.

  • October 21, 2024

    EV Charging Co. Defeats Investor Suit Over Merger Statements

    A California federal judge on Monday threw out, for good, an investor suit accusing electric-vehicle charging company Volta Inc. of making false and misleading statements around the time of its merger, finding once again that the investors failed to show how the statements were actually false and misleading.

  • October 21, 2024

    Rio Grande LNG, Texas LNG Want DC Circ. FERC Ruling Redo

    Backers of liquefied natural gas projects on Texas' Gulf Coast are asking the D.C. Circuit to revisit a panel ruling that vacated their Federal Energy Regulatory Commission reauthorization orders, with Rio Grande LNG LLC saying that the flawed ruling threatens to halt its $18 billion project and put its future at "grave risk."

  • October 21, 2024

    Madigan Part Of 'Corruption At The Highest Levels,' Jury Told

    Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and his loyal right hand Michael McClain engaged in an eight-year "campaign of bribery," leveraging his public office and leadership roles to steer business to Madigan's property tax law firm, enrich his allies with do-nothing jobs and maintain his considerable political power, prosecutors told an Illinois federal jury Monday.

  • October 21, 2024

    Rule Aims To Give Geothermal Energy Projects A Boost

    The U.S. Department of the Interior said it's pitching a new categorical exclusion that's intended to speed up geothermal resource discovery efforts on public lands, with a proposed rule slated to be published Tuesday.

  • October 21, 2024

    Russia Says Stay Needed In $208M Ukraine Utility Award Fight

    The Russian Federation has once again asked a D.C. federal judge to pause litigation filed by a Ukrainian utility to enforce a nearly $208 million arbitral award, saying it is ignoring the potential impact of Dutch annulment proceedings on the award's confirmation.

  • October 21, 2024

    11 House Dems Back DOI In Offshore Lease Challenge

    A coalition of House Democrats are supporting the U.S. Department of the Interior in a petroleum industry challenge to a 2024-2029 offshore oil and gas leasing program, telling the D.C. Circuit the federal government isn't required to "make decisions with blinders on."

  • October 21, 2024

    DC Circ. Unsure Right Law Used To Challenge Alaska LNG Project

    Two conservation groups faced a skeptical D.C. Circuit panel on Monday in their challenge to the U.S. Department of Energy's reapproval of a $44 billion liquefied natural gas project in Alaska.

  • October 21, 2024

    Judge Says Wind Turbine Co. Can't Base H-2B App On 1 Deal

    A U.S. Department of Labor judge refused a wind turbine company's request to hire seasonal workers for a contract, saying the project wasn't enough to prove the company was experiencing a labor shortage, when it regularly takes on contract work.

  • October 21, 2024

    Gov't Seeks To End Most Presumptive 'Buy American' Waivers

    The White House said Monday the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council will remove most items from its list of presumptive exemptions to the "Buy American" requirements for federal acquisitions, including crude oil, furthering the Biden administration's efforts to boost domestic manufacturing.

  • October 21, 2024

    Judge Hints 'Contract' Key To Utility Cleanup Enforcement

    An Avangrid Inc. unit's responsibility or lack thereof for cleaning up a contaminated former power plant hinges on whether a partial consent order from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, or DEEP, is legally a contract, a state court judge signaled Monday. 

  • October 21, 2024

    V&E Helps EnCap Amass $5.25B For Latest Energy Fund

    Houston, Texas-based EnCap Investments LP, advised by Vinson & Elkins LLP, on Monday announced that it wrapped its 12th energy-focused fund after securing $5.25 billion from investors.

  • October 21, 2024

    High Court Will Review Clean Air Act Jurisdiction Cases

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to review Tenth Circuit and Fifth Circuit rulings that reached different conclusions about whether legal challenges to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency air pollution rules belong in the D.C. Circuit.

  • October 18, 2024

    Law360 MVP Awards Go To Top Attys From 74 Firms

    The attorneys chosen as Law360's 2024 MVPs have distinguished themselves from their peers by securing hard-earned successes in high-stakes litigation, complex global matters and record-breaking deals.

  • October 18, 2024

    Colo. County, Enviros Back DC Ruling In High Court Rail Fight

    Conservation groups and a Colorado county are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm a D.C. Circuit ruling that overturned federal approval of a rail project proposed to haul crude oil out of Utah's Uinta Basin, as justices set arguments for a challenge to that ruling for Dec. 10.

  • October 18, 2024

    States, Public Health Groups Defend EPA Power Plant Rule

    A group of 21 states and the District of Columbia called on the D.C. Circuit on Friday to reject myriad challengers' attempts to unravel the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's plan to control greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.

  • October 18, 2024

    US Fights PetroSaudi Bid To Limit $380M Seizure

    The U.S. on Friday slammed a PetroSaudi company's request for a California federal court to clarify that officials can only seize 5% of a $380 million award, calling the request an improper attempt at revisiting a 3-year-old court ruling.

  • October 18, 2024

    Judge Blasts Feds' 'Utter Failure' To Quantify Climate Impact

    A Colorado federal judge has ruled the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated the Clean Water Act and other federal guidelines in approving a dredging permit for a Denver dam project, calling out the agency's "utter failure" to study the impacts of climate change and alternatives that would avoid impacting wetlands.

  • October 18, 2024

    Natural Gas Producer Will Pay $9.4M For Excess Air Pollution

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and New Mexico Environment Department have reached a $9.4 million settlement with Hilcorp Energy Co., resolving claims the company failed to reduce emissions during well completion operations, in violation of the Clean Air Act and New Mexico state law.

  • October 18, 2024

    Ore. Water Rights Issues Grounded In State Law, 9th Circ. Told

    The Klamath Irrigation District is asking the Ninth Circuit to certify two questions to the Oregon Supreme Court concerning the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's authority to use and control the use of water under Oregon law.

  • October 18, 2024

    SunPower Corp. Gets OK For Chapter 11 Plan

    A Delaware bankruptcy judge Friday approved residential solar technology company SunPower Corp.'s plans to distribute the proceeds of its asset sales to the creditors in its Chapter 11 case after hearing all objections had been resolved or put off.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Series

    Being A Luthier Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    When I’m not working as an appellate lawyer, I spend my spare time building guitars — a craft known as luthiery — which has helped to enhance the discipline, patience and resilience needed to write better briefs, says Rob Carty at Nichols Brar.

  • Half-Truths Vs. Omissions: Slicing Justices' Macquarie Cake

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Macquarie v. Moab provides a road map for determining whether corporate reports that omit information should be considered misleading — and the court baked it into a dessert analogy that is key to understanding the guidelines, say Daniel Levy and Pavithra Kumar at Advanced Analytical Consulting Group.

  • 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.

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