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Energy
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July 11, 2024
Deals Rumor Mill: Saudi Aramco, Paramount Global, Carlyle
The Carlyle Group is considering acquiring Baxter International's kidney-care spinoff Vantive for about $4 billion, Aramco attracted more than $31 billion in orders for its $6 billion bond sale, and Paramount Global plans to cut more jobs before its merger with Skydance Media closes. Here, Law360 breaks down these and other notable deal rumors from the past week.
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July 11, 2024
Ex-BP Legal Head Joins HF Sinclair As General Counsel
HF Sinclair Corp. this week named the former head of legal at BP PLC its new general counsel, about four months after the energy company's most recent top law department leader resigned to pursue another opportunity.
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July 11, 2024
BP Deadline Denial Could Impact Mass Torts, 5th Circ. Told
A man suffering from a chronic health condition stemming from his work cleaning up Mississippi beaches after the Deepwater Horizon spill told the Fifth Circuit that a Louisiana judge's failure to yield to third-party discovery agreements could potentially impact a litany of mass litigation if upheld.
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July 11, 2024
Biden Floats $2B To Drive US Auto Industry's EV Pivot
The Biden administration on Thursday unveiled its latest initiative to bolster domestic automotive production by offering nearly $2 billion in grants to convert 11 auto manufacturing and assembly facilities that have been shuttered or are at risk of closing to build electric vehicles and related components.
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July 10, 2024
Texas Panel Tosses Electrocution Suit Against Oil Well Owner
A Texas state appeals court found that an oil field station owner wasn't responsible for a contractor's electrocution at the station, ruling Tuesday that the owner didn't owe any duty to the contractor under any negligence theory because it didn't direct the contractor's work.
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July 10, 2024
Energy Cos., States Seek Review Of Calif. Emissions Decision
Industry groups and a coalition of states led by Ohio are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a D.C. Circuit ruling upholding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's approval of a waiver letting California set greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles and run a zero-emission vehicles program.
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July 10, 2024
SEC Nabs $6.7M Over Fraud Scheme But Must Tweak Fines
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has secured a $6.7 million order against a retired attorney and a former broker accused of fraud tied to a purported energy company, but a Brooklyn federal judge has determined that the agency must recalculate the additional fines and other relief it wants imposed upon the two men.
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July 10, 2024
GOP Bombards Agencies With Demands After Chevron's End
Republican leaders of major congressional committees Wednesday demanded details from dozens of agencies on policies suddenly shrouded in uncertainty after U.S. Supreme Court conservatives overturned the so-called Chevron doctrine, which for 40 years gave regulators flexibility in rulemaking and advantages in related litigation.
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July 10, 2024
Utah Goes 'Too Far' In Seeking Order Clarity, Tribe Says
A Native American tribe asked a federal district judge Tuesday to deny a bid by Utah to clarify a June order that dismissed the tribe's racial-bidding scheme claims against several state officials, arguing that the state is using the request as a vehicle to ax all remaining allegations in the tribe's suit.
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July 10, 2024
Mont. High Court Weighs Youths' Right To Sue In Climate Case
The Montana Supreme Court on Wednesday wrestled with whether to revive state law provisions that bar the consideration of greenhouse gas emissions in permitting decisions that were struck down by a lower court judge, querying both sides whether the youth plaintiffs had standing to sue.
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July 10, 2024
Utility Locating Co.'s Ex-CEO Sues For Severance After Firing
The former CEO of a utility locating company in North Carolina is suing for severance after he was unexpectedly fired, saying he was never told the grounds for his termination and should be paid his base salary plus a bonus under the terms of his employment contract.
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July 10, 2024
Mich. County Fights To Keep $217M Edenville Dam Repair Tax
Homeowners attacking a localized tax to fund the reconstruction of four dams have already had a chance to contest the assessment and shouldn't get a second one, a Michigan county told a federal judge Tuesday.
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July 10, 2024
NC Utility's PFAS Suit Survives Dismissal Bid
A water utility suing the Chemours Co., Corteva Inc. and E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. Inc. over forever chemical contamination stemming from the Fayetteville Works plant in eastern North Carolina saw a number of claims survive their bid to have its suit thrown out.
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July 10, 2024
Kirkland, Skadden Steer $1.8B Honeywell Natural Gas Biz Deal
Kirkland & Ellis LLP-led Honeywell said Wednesday it has agreed to acquire Air Products' liquefied natural gas process technology and equipment business for $1.81 billion in an all-cash transaction, with Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP sitting on the other side of the bargaining table.
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July 10, 2024
DC Circ. Won't Block EPA Methane Rule
The D.C. Circuit rejected states and industry groups' efforts to block the implementation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's final rule establishing expanded methane emissions control requirements for oil and gas infrastructure.
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July 10, 2024
DOI Pledges $120M For Tribal Climate Resiliency Efforts
The Biden administration said Tuesday that it's making $120 million available to help Native American tribes plan and prepare for climate change threats.
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July 09, 2024
Ex-Shareholders Say Russia Can't Relitigate $50B Decision
Former shareholders of Yukos Oil Co. have asked the D.C. Circuit for permission to respond to Russia's latest arguments against enforcement of $50 billion in arbitral awards against it, saying the country can't relitigate its previous agreement before an international tribunal in The Hague to arbitrate.
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July 09, 2024
3rd Circ. Says Creditor Can't Get Privileges In Citgo Sale
The Third Circuit on Tuesday nixed a bid by a creditor owed some $260 million by Venezuela's state-owned oil company for special participation privileges as an auction looms for Citgo's parent company to satisfy billions of dollars in Venezuelan debt.
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July 09, 2024
Fuel Groups Ask Justices To Revisit Calif. Clean Air Act Waiver
Fuel producers and industry groups called on the U.S. Supreme Court to review the D.C. Circuit's decision to uphold the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Air Act waiver that allows California to set its own greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles and run a zero-emission vehicles program.
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July 09, 2024
'Plain English, Graphics, Pictures': Enviro Policy Post-Chevron
Environmental policymakers will have to start writing their rules using "plain English, graphics, pictures" and other tactics to make the rationale behind agency and congressional policy crystal clear to judges in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision striking down Chevron deference, attorneys told Law360.
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July 09, 2024
1st Circ. Revives Debt Harass Claims Against National Grid
The First Circuit on Tuesday revived a proposed class action against National Grid USA Service Company Inc. and two debt collection firms whose multiple calls per day to a Massachusetts customer in 2017 and 2018 allegedly violated the state's consumer protection law.
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July 09, 2024
Texas Refinery Says EPA Needs To Rule On CAA Exception
A small refinery based in Sugar Land, Texas, says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency did not meet its deadline to rule on whether the refinery can get an exemption to federal renewable fuel requirements, telling a Texas federal court Monday the agency was damaging its business.
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July 09, 2024
Experts Lose EPA Scientific Panel 'Echo Chamber' Lawsuit
The D.C. Circuit has tossed a lawsuit alleging that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency illegally created a scientific "echo chamber" by not selecting experts with an industry background to serve on an air quality advisory committee.
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July 09, 2024
House Dems Seek Info From DOI Over Alleged Shale Cartel
House Democrats sitting on the House Natural Resources Committee penned a letter Tuesday seeking information from the U.S. Department of the Interior concerning eight oil companies accused of colluding with the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Companies to artificially inflate gas prices.
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July 09, 2024
5th Circ. Skeptical Of Nixing ESG Rule Despite Chevron's End
A Fifth Circuit panel appeared unlikely Tuesday to knock out a Biden administration rule allowing retirement plan advisers to consider environmental, social and governance factors when choosing investments, although one judge seemed to support vacating a lower court's decision upholding the regulation in light of the Chevron doctrine's demise.
Expert Analysis
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To Make Your Legal Writing Clear, Emulate A Master Chef
To deliver clear and effective written advocacy, lawyers should follow the model of a fine dining chef — seasoning a foundation of pure facts with punchy descriptors, spicing it up with analogies, refining the recipe and trimming the fat — thus catering to a sophisticated audience of decision-makers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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EPA Heavy-Duty Vehicle GHG Rules Face Bumpy Road Ahead
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for owners and operators of heavy-duty vehicles are facing opposition from both states and the transportation industry, and their arguments will mirror two pending cases challenging the EPA's authority, says Grant Laizer at Adams and Reese.
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Circuit Judge Writes An Opinion, AI Helps: What Now?
Last week's Eleventh Circuit opinion in Snell v. United Specialty Insurance, notable for a concurrence outlining the use of artificial intelligence to evaluate a term's common meaning, is hopefully the first step toward developing a coherent basis for the judiciary's generative AI use, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.
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A Look At M&A Conditions After FTC's Exxon-Pioneer Nod
The Federal Trade Commission's recent consent decree imposing several conditions on Exxon Mobil's acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources helps illustrate key points about the current merger enforcement environment, including the probability of further investigations in the energy and pharmaceutical sectors, say Ryan Quillian and John Kendrick at Covington.
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Opinion
US Solar Import Probe's Focus On China Is Misguided
The U.S. Department of Commerce's recent anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigation focuses on the apparent Chinese ownership of solar device importers in four Southeast Asian countries — a point that is irrelevant under the controlling statute, says John Anwesen at Lighthill.
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3 Recent Decisions To Note As Climate Litigation Heats Up
Three recent rulings on climate-related issues — from a New York federal court, a New York state court and an international tribunal, respectively — demonstrate both regulators' concern about climate change and the complexity of conflicting regulations in different jurisdictions, say J. Michael Showalter and Robert Middleton at ArentFox Schiff.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: May Lessons
In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses four notable circuit court decisions on topics from automobile insurance to securities — and provides key takeaways for counsel on issues including circuit-specific ascertainability requirements and how to conduct a Daubert analysis prior to class certification.
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New TSCA Risk Rule Gives EPA Broad Discretion On Science
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent final amendments to its framework for evaluating the risks of chemical substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act give it vast discretion over consideration of scientific information, without objective criteria to guide that discretion, say John McGahren and Debra Carfora at Morgan Lewis.
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Perspectives
Trauma-Informed Legal Approaches For Pro Bono Attorneys
As National Trauma Awareness Month ends, pro bono attorneys should nevertheless continue to acknowledge the mental and physical effects of trauma, allowing them to better represent clients, and protect themselves from compassion fatigue and burnout, say Katherine Cronin at Stinson and Katharine Manning at Blackbird.
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Key Insurance Considerations After $725M Benzene Verdict
The recent massive benzene verdict in Gill v. Exxon Mobil will certainly trigger insurance questions — and likely a new wave of benzene suits — so potential defendants should study Radiator Specialty v. Arrowood Indemnity, the only state high court decision regarding benzene claim coverage, says Jonathan Hardin at Perkins Coie.
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Series
Playing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My deep and passionate involvement in playing, writing and producing music equipped me with skills — like creativity, improvisation and problem-solving — that contribute to the success of my legal career, says attorney Kenneth Greene.
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Contractors Must Prep For FAR Council GHG Emissions Rule
With the U.S. Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council expected to finalize its proposed rule on the disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related financial risk this year, government contractors should take key steps now to get ready, say Thomas Daley at DLA Piper, Steven Rothstein at the Ceres Accelerator for Sustainable Capital Markets, and John Kostyack at Kostyack Strategies.
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How Attys Can Avoid Pitfalls When Withdrawing From A Case
The Trump campaign's recent scuffle over its bid to replace its counsel in a pregnancy retaliation suit offers a chance to remind attorneys that many troubles inherent in withdrawing from a case can be mitigated or entirely avoided by communicating with clients openly and frequently, says Christopher Konneker at Orsinger Nelson.
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Opinion
We Need A Legislative Path To Power Plant Emissions Cuts
With the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's newest regulation targeting power plant carbon emissions likely to be overturned by courts or a future administration, it's time for bipartisan legislation to preserve affordable, reliable electricity while substantially decarbonizing the sector by midcentury, say Jeffrey Holmstead at Bracewell and Samuel Thernstrom at the Energy Innovation Reform Project.
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Using A Children's Book Approach In Firm Marketing Content
From “The Giving Tree” to “Where the Wild Things Are,” most children’s books are easy to remember because they use simple words and numbers to tell stories with a human impact — a formula law firms should emulate in their marketing content to stay front of mind for potential clients, says Seema Desai Maglio at The Found Word.