Environmental

  • August 27, 2025

    Water Law & Real Estate: A Special Report

    What's more summery than a trip to the shore? That's where Law360 Real Estate Authority has headed — not for a break, but for a special section looking at waterfront real estate, from coastal development challenges to big projects and the lawyers keeping them on course.

  • August 13, 2025

    Judge Blocks Trump Restrictions For $12B In Federal Grants

    A Washington federal judge temporarily blocked restrictions imposed by the Trump administration, such as an anti-gender ideology restriction, on access to more than $12 billion worth of federal grants, ruling in part that the federal government exceeded its authority.

  • August 13, 2025

    Should Judges Explain En Banc Votes? 6th Circ. Can't Agree

    Two Sixth Circuit judges clashed Tuesday over appellate judges writing opinions to explain their votes on en banc petitions, as one longtime judge called the practice "offensive to our system of panel adjudication."

  • August 13, 2025

    2nd Circ. Asked To Review Bid To Bar NYC Congestion Pricing

    The Second Circuit should review a federal court's decision to grant the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority's bid to dismiss a pair of lawsuits alleging Manhattan's congestion pricing tolls are discriminatory and trample on motorists' right to travel, a New York county argued Tuesday.

  • August 13, 2025

    SPAC Behind EV Maker Nikola, Shareholders Strike Settlement

    Stockholders and board members for the blank-check company that took electric-vehicle maker Nikola public said they reached a $6.3 million deal to end a Delaware Chancery Court lawsuit that accused the SPAC of misleading investors about Nikola's prospects.

  • August 13, 2025

    Rising Star: Beveridge & Diamond's Andrew Silton

    Andrew Silton of Beveridge & Diamond PC led a landmark Clean Water Act victory before the U.S. Supreme Court that reshaped how environmental permits are written nationwide, and he's helping cities, developers and tech firms navigate the next wave of environmental law enforcement — earning him a spot among the environmental law attorneys under 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • August 13, 2025

    US Threatens Retaliation For 'Global Carbon Tax' On Shipping

    The U.S. government has preemptively threatened to retaliate against countries that adopt a multilateral plan to shift the global shipping industry toward achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, claiming it's "a global carbon tax" that would disfavor liquefied natural gas and biofuels.

  • August 13, 2025

    Wind Blade Maker TPI Gets $7.5M Of New Money In Ch. 11 DIP

    A Texas bankruptcy judge on Wednesday granted an Arizona-based manufacturer of blades for wind turbines interim access to its postpetition financing package, which includes $7.5 million in new money upfront.

  • August 12, 2025

    Judge, Terumo Attorney Spar Over 'Final Judgment' Case

    A Colorado Appeals Court judge and an attorney for Terumo disagreed strongly on the interpretation of a Colorado Supreme Court ruling that could impact a now-dismissed class action against the medical equipment sterilization company in which a man alleges the district court incorrectly forbade him from filing an amended complaint.

  • August 12, 2025

    DOE Used Secret Group To Undermine GHG Finding: Suit

    The Trump administration secretly got together a group of client skeptics to figure out how to misrepresent the data to "manufacture a basis" to knock out the "overwhelming scientific consensus" that greenhouse gases endanger people's health, two environmental groups say in a new lawsuit.

  • August 12, 2025

    Tribes, Enviros Want In On Chuckwalla Monument Fight

    Environmental groups and five Native American tribes are asking a Michigan federal court to intervene in a challenge by a miner and the BlueRibbon Coalition to the establishment of the Chuckwalla National Monument, saying it's unclear if the federal government still shares their interests in its protection.

  • August 12, 2025

    Parker-Hannifin Seeks Toss Of $900M Trade Theft, Antitrust Suit

    Parker-Hannifin Corp. wants a Texas federal judge to dismiss a fiber optics companies' $900 million trade secrets theft and antitrust lawsuit, arguing in a filing made public Monday the case amounts to a contract dispute that should be handled in New York and the claimed trade secrets had been publicly disclosed.

  • August 12, 2025

    Daimler, Volvo Sue Calif. To Block Emission Regulations

    Daimler, Volvo and other heavy-duty truck manufacturers sued California on Monday aiming to block the state from forcing them to comply with emission regulations, following moves by the Trump administration and Congress to revoke the state's authority to impose them.

  • August 12, 2025

    Biden Coastal Drilling Ban Fight Is Moot, Enviro Groups Say

    Environmentalists say President Donald Trump's rescission of Biden-era memos closing off additional waters to oil and gas drilling moots a lawsuit brought by red states and industry groups that includes arguments that presidential withdrawal authority is unconstitutional or otherwise limited.

  • August 12, 2025

    4th Circ. Affirms Toss Of Last Claim In CSX Flooding Suit

    The Fourth Circuit affirmed summary judgment Tuesday to CSX Transportation Inc. on a remaining breach of contract claim in a suit by residents and businesses of Lumberton, North Carolina, who claim CSX wrongly prevented the city from sandbagging its railroad route to prevent flooding during storms in 2016 and 2018.

  • August 12, 2025

    Rising Star: Mayer Brown's Avi Kupfer

    Avi Kupfer of Mayer Brown LLP has used his unique governmental experience as a litigator and administrator to, as a private practitioner, help clients such as the U.S. Postal Service navigate the intricacies of administrative law, earning him a spot among the environmental law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • August 12, 2025

    Wind Blade Maker TPI Hits Ch. 11 In Texas With Over $1B Debt

    TPI Composites Inc., an Arizona-based manufacturer of blades for wind turbines, has filed for Chapter 11 protection in Texas bankruptcy court, listing between $1 billion and $10 billion in debt, including $600 million in funded debt, and plans to hand the company over to its senior lenders.

  • August 11, 2025

    Utah Gov. Cox Escapes Ute Tribe's Bidding Scheme Suit

    Utah's governor and other state officials won't have to face a challenge by the Ute Indian Tribe accusing them of a racist bidding scheme to prevent a land purchase, a federal judge ruled, finding the tribe failed to provide specific allegations tying them to the supposed conspiracy.

  • August 11, 2025

    GE, UNC Agree To $63M Uranium Mine Cleanup In New Mexico

    The United Nuclear Corp. and General Electric Co. agreed to a consent decree with the federal government, New Mexico and the Navajo Nation to spend $63 million on environmental cleanup at a decades-old uranium mine, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday.  

  • August 11, 2025

    Wash. AG Sues Feds For Pulling Climate Resiliency Grants

    Washington launched a lawsuit accusing the Trump administration of abruptly canceling grants awarded to the Evergreen State to address climate change impacts, including about $9.3 million approved last year for a collegiate-tribal partnership to prep more than 2,100 students for sustainability-focused careers.

  • August 11, 2025

    Over 2,000 Shrimpers Sue Hilcorp Over August 2022 Oil Spill

    More than 2,000 shrimpers and seafood business owners hit Hilcorp Energy Co. with a federal lawsuit over an August 2022 oil spill they say spoiled the opening day of shrimping season.

  • August 11, 2025

    Hawaiian Judge Vacates Letter Allowing Monument Fishing

    Commercial fishing cannot legally continue in the waters of the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument under a National Marine Fisheries Services letter that tribal and environmental groups claim authorized the endeavor, a Hawaii federal court judge said, arguing evidence shows that the directive harmed the plaintiffs in the dispute.

  • August 11, 2025

    Proxy Proposals Shift Away From Politics Under Trump

    Shareholder proposals on environmental, social and political topics faced headwinds in early 2025, with both the number of submissions and investor support falling amid Trump administration policy shifts and "dizzying" legal and regulatory changes, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP said in a Monday report. 

  • August 11, 2025

    EPA Cancels Union Contracts Under Trump Order

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has canceled its collective bargaining agreements in line with President Donald Trump's directive to dozens of agencies to stop recognizing their workers' unions, which he said was to protect national security.

  • August 11, 2025

    Rising Star: Keller Rohrback's Adele Daniel

    Adele Daniel of Keller Rohrback LLP has been helping her firm win big-money cases for clients alleging toxic pollution, facing determined opponents in court, working on every stage of the litigation and earning a spot among the environmental law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

Expert Analysis

  • Calif. Climate Superfund Bill Faces Legal, Technical Hurdles

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    California could soon join other states in sending the fossil fuel industry a massive bill for the costs of coping with climate change — but its pending climate Superfund legislation, if enacted, is certain to face legal pushback and daunting implementation challenges, says Donald Sobelman at Farella Braun.

  • $38M Law Firm Settlement Highlights 'Unworthy Client' Perils

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    A recent settlement of claims against law firm Eckert Seamans for allegedly abetting a Ponzi scheme underscores the continuing threat of clients who seek to exploit their lawyers in perpetrating fraud, and the critical importance of preemptive measures to avoid these clients, say attorneys at Lockton Companies.

  • Only Certainty About FAR Reform Order Is Its Uncertainty

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    The president’s recent order overhauling the Federal Acquisition Regulation, which both contractors and agencies rely on to ensure predictability and consistency in federal procurement, lacks key details about its implementation, which will likely eliminate many safeguards that ensure contractors are treated fairly and that procurements are awarded in a reasonable manner, say attorneys at Miles & Stockbridge.

  • Series

    Teaching Business Law Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Teaching business law to college students has rekindled my sense of purpose as a lawyer — I am more mindful of the importance of the rule of law and the benefits of our common law system, which helps me maintain a clearer perspective on work, says David Feldman at Feldman Legal Advisors.

  • Enviro Justice Efforts After Trump's Disparate Impact Order

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    The Trump administration's recent executive order directing the U.S. Department of Justice to unwind disparate impact regulations may end some Biden-era environmental justice initiatives — but it will not end all efforts, whether by state or federal regulators or private litigants, to address issues in environmentally overburdened communities, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • The Risks Of Trump's Plan To Fast-Track Deregulation

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    A recent memorandum issued by President Donald Trump directing the repeal of so-called unlawful regulations, and instructing that agencies invoke the good cause exception under the Administrative Procedure Act, signals a potentially far-reaching deregulatory strategy under the guise of legal compliance, say attorneys at GableGotwals.

  • Deregulation Memo Presents Risks, Opportunities For Cos.

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    A recent Trump administration memo providing direction to agencies tasked with rescinding regulations under an earlier executive order — without undergoing the typical notice-and-review process — will likely create much uncertainty for businesses, though they may be able to engage with agencies to shape the regulatory agenda, say attorneys at Blank Rome.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Mastering Discovery

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    The discovery process and the rules that govern it are often absent from law school curricula, but developing a solid grasp of the particulars can give any new attorney a leg up in their practice, says Jordan Davies at Knowles Gallant.

  • What New Study Means For Recycling Compliance In Calif.

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    Companies must review the California recycling agency's new study to understand its criteria for assessing claims of product and packaging recyclability under a law that takes effect next year, and then decide whether the risks of making such claims in the state outweigh the benefits, say attorneys at Keller & Heckman.

  • Opinion

    Proposals Against Phillips 66 Threaten Corporate Law

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    Activist investor Elliott Investment Management's latest attempted tactic — initiating a high-stakes proxy contest against Phillips 66 — goes too far and would cause the company to both violate Delaware law and avoid the legal exception to the shareholder proposal process, says J.W. Verret at George Mason University.

  • Balancing Deep-Sea Mining Executive Order, Int'l Agreements

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    President Donald Trump's recent executive order directing exploration and exploitation of deep-sea mineral resources appears to conflict with the evolving international framework regulating such activities, so companies and investors should proceed with care and keep possible future legal challenges in mind, say attorneys at Dentons.

  • Mitigating Import Risks Around Southeast Asian Solar Cells

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    The U.S. Department of Commerce's recent final determinations in its antidumping and countervailing duty investigations into solar cells produced in certain Southeast Asian countries make it important for U.S. purchasers to consider risk mitigation strategies, including modifying supply chains and contractually assigning import responsibilities, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Arbitral Ruling In EU Fisheries Clash Clarifies Post-Brexit Pact

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    The Permanent Court of Arbitration's recent ruling marks a pivotal moment in the evolving jurisprudence surrounding the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, concluded between the U.K. and the EU after Brexit, and sets an important precedent for interpretation and enforcement of trade and environment clauses in cross-border disputes, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.

  • Series

    Playing Guitar Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Being a lawyer not only requires logic and hard work, but also belief, emotion, situational awareness and lots of natural energy — playing guitar enhances all of these qualities, increasing my capacity to do my best work, says Kosta Stojilkovic at Wilkinson Stekloff.

  • Crisis Management Lessons From The Parenting Playbook

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    The parenting skills we use to help our kids through challenges — like rehearsing for stressful situations, modeling confidence and taking time to reset our emotions — can also teach us the fundamentals of leading clients through a corporate crisis, say Deborah Solmor at the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and Cara Peterman at Alston & Bird.

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