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Environmental
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February 19, 2025
Fla. Court Won't Revive Property Manager's COVID Claims
A Florida state appeals court on Wednesday said a lower court correctly ruled that a Miami property management company's insurance policy did not cover losses caused by COVID-19 closures because government shutdown orders were not specific to the business.
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February 19, 2025
Airlines Can Ask 9th Circ. To Consider Airport Pollution Suit
A Washington judge has cleared Delta Air Lines and Alaska Airlines to ask the Ninth Circuit to weigh in on whether federal regulations governing air travel or jet emissions prevent property owners and residents from suing over alleged flight-path pollution near Seattle's main commercial airport.
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February 19, 2025
Suit Targets USFS Approval For Stibnite Gold Project
Conservation groups asked an Idaho federal judge Tuesday to block a U.S. Forest Service approval for the Stibnite Gold Project on the Boise and Payette national forests, alleging that the agency failed to consider the project's impacts and ways to minimize harms.
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February 19, 2025
Fired Watchdogs 'Must Be Reinstated,' Senate Democrats Say
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and 28 other Senate Democrats have filed an amicus brief to support a lawsuit by eight of the inspectors general fired by President Donald Trump.
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February 19, 2025
Insurer Must Cover Trucking Co. In Fatal Fire Row, Judge Says
A trucking company's insurer cannot rely on a hydrofracking exclusion to avoid covering an underlying suit over a fire at a saltwater disposal facility that killed one of the company's employees, a Texas federal court ruled, rejecting the insurer's request for a new trial.
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February 19, 2025
Jenner & Block Lands Former EPA Senior Counsel In DC Shop
Jenner & Block LLP announced Tuesday it has hired a former senior counsel from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a partner in Washington, D.C.
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February 18, 2025
Trump Exec Order Expands Control Over Independent Agencies
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday to limit the autonomy of independent agencies such as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Federal Communications Commission by requiring them to submit draft regulations for presidential review.
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February 18, 2025
Limited FERC Pipeline Review Makes No Sense, DC Circ. Told
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission had no evidence to support its finding that the pipeline it chose to review only a 1,000-foot section of would transport only Texas-produced gas, the environmentalists trying to force a review of the full pipeline project told the D.C. Circuit.
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February 18, 2025
County Opposes Wash. Tribe's Bid To Weigh In On River Fight
A county dike district has opposed a Washington state-based tribe's bid to file a friend of the court brief in the district's suit against a U.S. government biological opinion finding that a proposed tide-gate project endangers salmon, arguing that the tribe doesn't provide a unique perspective.
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February 18, 2025
EPA Gives Congress A Chance To Sink Calif. Auto Waivers
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has offered Congress a chance to revoke Biden-era authorizations that allow California to issue its own vehicle emissions standards, something the Golden State said hasn't been done before and has unclear chances of success.
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February 18, 2025
Exxon, Koch Lose Bid To End Minn. Climate Change Suit
A Minnesota state judge on Friday largely preserved the state's lawsuit alleging Exxon Mobil Corp., Koch Industries Inc. and the American Petroleum Institute concealed the climate change risks of fossil fuels, rejecting arguments that the case was a matter of federal, not state, law.
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February 18, 2025
Lawmakers Say FEMA Must Accept Tribal Fire Declarations
A pair of U.S. senators have reintroduced legislation that would require the Federal Emergency Management Agency to accept requests from tribal governments to receive Fire Management Assistant Grant declarations that would make them eligible for U.S. government resources.
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February 18, 2025
Torrent Of Eaton Fire Suits Call For Organization, Judge Says
A Los Angeles judge said Tuesday that discovery into the cause of last month's devastating Eaton Fire should wait until dozens of related suits against Southern California Edison have been organized and can "proceed efficiently and fairly."
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February 18, 2025
Telecoms Hope New Ag Secretary Pushes Permit Reform
Builders of cable systems and cell towers called for the new secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help remove what they perceive as unnecessary hurdles to broadband deployment projects.
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February 18, 2025
Houston Energy Co. Settles Claims Over Utah Plant Turbines
Houston clean energy company Fervo Energy Co. has settled its claims with a geothermal equipment supplier it accused of threatening to file a patent infringement lawsuit if it didn't win a bid to supply turbines for Fervo's Utah power plant.
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February 18, 2025
Ancora Says US Steel CEO May Have Made Insider Trades
Ancora Holdings Group LLC is claiming that U.S. Steel CEO David Burritt "may have engaged in insider trading" tied to the company's proposed $14.9 billion merger with Japan's Nippon Steel, and the investor said it could bring related litigation, according to documents released Tuesday.
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February 18, 2025
State AGs Can't Yet Block Musk From Accessing Agency Data
A Washington, D.C., federal judge on Tuesday denied a motion from 14 state attorneys general for an emergency order to stop Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency from accessing data systems at seven federal agencies or enacting mass firings of those agencies' employees.
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February 18, 2025
Calif. Insurance Chief Asks State Farm To Justify Rate Hikes
California's insurance commissioner asked State Farm General Insurance Co. to appear for an in-person "informal conference" later this month over its request for emergency rate hikes in the wake of the deadly Los Angeles wildfires in January, saying the insurer has not yet justified the move.
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February 18, 2025
Diamondback Buys Midland Assets For $3B Cash Plus Stock
Kirkland & Ellis LLP-advised oil and natural gas company Diamondback Energy Inc. on Tuesday announced plans to buy Midland Basin assets from Vinson & Elkins LLP-led Double Eagle IV Midco LLC. in a cash-and-stock deal that includes a $3 billion cash payment.
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February 14, 2025
Loper Bright Doesn't Sink ESG Rule, Texas Judge Says
A Texas federal judge again upheld a Biden-era rule allowing retirement fiduciaries to consider issues like climate change and social justice when choosing investments, ruling that the rule was still valid despite the U.S. Supreme Court doing away with a decades-long approach to interpreting statutes.
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February 14, 2025
Feds Seek Stay Of States' Methane Suit, Citing Trump Order
The federal government has requested a pause on North Dakota and other states' challenge to a Bureau of Land Management methane waste rule, saying a stay is appropriate because the rule is under review following President Donald Trump's "Unleashing American Energy" executive order.
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February 14, 2025
States Move To Block Musk From Taking Over Gov't Agencies
Fourteen state attorneys general Friday sought an emergency order in D.C. federal court to stop Elon Musk and his U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization from exercising "unprecedented" authority over federal agencies, arguing that as an unelected, unconfirmed official, Musk has "taken the helm" of the federal government in violation of the U.S. Constitution.
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February 14, 2025
Demise Of Humphrey's Executor Could Sow Chaos At FERC
The Trump administration's quest to expand the president's firing authority over members of independent agencies paints a target on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that would create instability within the energy industry if at-will removal of commissioners becomes a reality.
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February 14, 2025
Murkowski Urges Senate To Shield Tribes From Trump Orders
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, has urged lawmakers to join her in responding to possible negative effects of President Donald Trump's executive orders on federal funding that Indigenous tribes receive.
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February 14, 2025
9th Circ. Judge Pauses At Forest Service's Project Revision
The U.S. Forest Service pushed back on Friday against a Ninth Circuit judge's point that a restoration project being challenged by a conservation group evolved "quite a bit" after a fire ripped through the area, contending the final plan ultimately prescribed the same changes — just to fewer acres.
Expert Analysis
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How Litigation, Supply Chains Buffeted Offshore Wind In 2024
U.S. offshore wind developers continue to face a range of challenges — including litigation brought by local communities and interest groups, ongoing supply chain issues, and a lack of interconnection and transmission infrastructure — in addition to uncertainty surrounding federal energy policy under the second Trump administration, say attorneys at Liskow & Lewis.
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What Bisphenol S Prop 65 Listing Will Mean For Industry
The imminent addition of bisphenol S — a chemical used in millions of products — to California's Proposition 65 list will have sweeping compliance and litigation implications for companies in the retail, food and beverage, paper, manufacturing and personal care product industries, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Note 3 Simple Types Of Legal Complexity
Cases can appear complex for several reasons — due to the number of issues, the volume of factual and evidentiary sources, and the sophistication of those sources — but the same basic technique can help lawyers tame their arguments into a simple and persuasive message, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Permitting, Offtake Among Offshore Wind Challenges In 2024
Although federal offshore wind development started to pick up this year, many challenges to the industry became apparent as well — including slow federal permitting, the pitfalls of restarting permits after changes in project status, and the difficulties of negotiating economically viable offtake agreements, say attorneys at Liskow & Lewis.
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Series
Gardening Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Beyond its practical and therapeutic benefits, gardening has bolstered important attributes that also apply to my litigation practice, including persistence, patience, grit and authenticity, says Christopher Viceconte at Gibbons.
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Litigation Inspiration: Reframing Document Review
For attorneys — new ones especially — there is much fulfillment to find in document review by reflecting on how important, interesting and pleasant it can be, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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The Fashion Industry Should Prep Now For State PFAS Bans
New York and California have each passed legislation regulating PFAS in apparel and other textiles, so retailers should consult with manufacturers and suppliers and obtain the requisite certification documents as soon as possible to avoid disruptions in supply chains, say attorneys at Venable.
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California Supreme Court's Year In Review
Attorneys at Horvitz & Levy highlight notable decisions on major questions from the California Supreme Court's last term, including voter initiatives, hostile work environment and the economic loss rule.
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DC Circ. Decision Opens Door To NEPA Regulation Litigation
A recent D.C. Circuit decision in Marin Audubon Society v. Federal Aviation Administration could open the door to more litigation over the White House Council on Environmental Quality's National Environmental Policy Act regulations, and could affect how many agencies conduct and interpret environmental assessments, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.
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Service Providers Must Mitigate 'Secondary Target' Risks
A lawsuit recently filed in an Illinois federal court against marketing agency Publicis over its work for opioid manufacturers highlights an uptick in litigation against professional service providers hired by clients that engaged in alleged misconduct — so potential targets of such suits should be sure to conduct proper risk analysis and mitigation, say attorneys at Dechert.
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Opinion
FTC Actions In Oil Cases Go Against Its Own Rulemaking
Two recent Federal Trade Commission actions concerning the oil and gas industry appear to defy its own merger guidelines, with allegations that fall far short of the commission's own standard — raising serious questions about the agency's current approach, say attorneys at Clifford Chance.
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How Global Data Center Regs May Influence US Policies
As regulators around the world react to the growth of data centers, and their increasing consumption of energy, water and land, international policies in this area may influence how the incoming U.S. administration regulates data centers in this country, say attorneys at HWG.
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Series
Flying Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Achieving my childhood dream of flying airplanes made me a better lawyer — and a better person — because it taught me I can conquer difficult goals when I leave my comfort zone, focus on the demands of the moment and commit to honing my skills, says Ivy Cadle at Baker Donelson.
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Post-Election Implications For The EPA's Methane Rules
Amid the U.S. Supreme Court's recent denial of requests to halt implementation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's methane rule in two suits, and given the outcome of the election, a complete reversal of the methane rule is expected, but state-level policymaking and enforcement will continue, says John Watson at Spencer Fane.
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Series
Circus Arts Make Me A Better Lawyer
Performing circus arts has strengthened my ability to be more thoughtful, confident and grounded, all of which has enhanced my legal practice and allowed me to serve clients in a more meaningful way, says Bailey McGowan at Stinson.