Environmental

  • September 08, 2025

    2 Firms Steer $540M IPO For Oilfield Water Infrastructure Co.

    Houston, Texas-based oilfield water management company WaterBridge Infrastructure said Monday that it is seeking to raise up to $540 million in an initial public offering guided by Latham & Watkins LLP and Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP.

  • September 08, 2025

    Groups' Exxon Plastic Recycling Nuisance Claims Can Proceed

    A California federal judge ruled Friday that environmental groups can move forward with their public-nuisance claims accusing Exxon Mobil Corp. of knowingly fueling the state's plastic pollution crisis, rejecting the energy company's contention that the suit is merely a disguised product liability case.

  • September 08, 2025

    Firefighters Say PFAS Economic And Health Harms Are Real

    Connecticut firefighters and unions hit back Friday at Honeywell, DuPont and other safety gear manufacturers trying to exit their federal proposed class action that alleges the companies sold gear with hazardous forever chemicals, saying they had alleged enough economic and health risks for their suit to proceed.

  • September 08, 2025

    GAO Flags Barriers In Tribal Energy Loan Program

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office said a federal agency program designed to support Indigenous nations in developing energy projects through loans is limiting its accessibility and effectiveness through high, unpredictable costs; unclear guidance; and a lack of tribal expertise.

  • September 08, 2025

    Idaho Developer Looks To Defend $2B Gold Mine Project

    The developer of a proposed $2 billion Idaho gold mine wants to intervene in a tribe's challenge that looks to block the project, saying it has already invested more than $400 million in the endeavor and has an interest in developing and moving the effort forward without delay.

  • September 08, 2025

    Lawmakers Push To Finalize Tribal Water Rights Settlements

    A bipartisan group of lawmakers is urging congressional leaders to make a move on several tribal water rights settlement bills that are pending before the U.S. Senate, saying that doing so will prevent costly litigation and ensure tribes and others have access to water.

  • September 08, 2025

    Steptoe & Johnson Adds Olympus Energy Atty In Pittsburgh

    Steptoe & Johnson PLLC has grown its Pittsburgh office with the addition of a senior counsel from oil and natural gas company Olympus Energy LLC.

  • September 05, 2025

    8th Circ. Vacates Biden-Era, Updated EV Fuel Economy Rules

    The Eighth Circuit Friday vacated the U.S. Department of Energy's updated method of calculating the fuel economy equivalent estimates for electric vehicles, finding that the DOE didn't have the authority to enact the 2024 rule, nor did it comply with the Administrative Procedures Act.

  • September 05, 2025

    Trump Admin Says Enviro Groups Can't Block GHG Report

    The Trump administration has told a Massachusetts federal judge that a lawsuit challenging its formation of a climate change science advisory panel is a misguided ploy to undermine the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's impending reconsideration of the harms of greenhouse gases.

  • September 05, 2025

    Sierra Club Looks To Secure Border Wall Settlement Funds

    The Sierra Club and a nonprofit ally asked a California federal judge to order the Trump administration to preserve at least $50 million of border wall construction funds to pay for environmental projects required by a settlement struck with the Biden administration.

  • September 05, 2025

    Miner Must Show Why Chuckwalla Suit Belongs In Mich.

    A Michigan federal judge has ordered a Michigan resident challenging the Chuckwalla National Monument's protected status to show why the lawsuit should remain in the Great Lakes State, suggesting that the case seems to fit better in California where the vast desert acreage is located.

  • September 05, 2025

    9th Circ. Affirms Irrigation Exemption For Calif. Water Project

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday rejected fishing industry groups' demand that the federal government require a Clean Water Act permit for a California agricultural water runoff project that's been operating without one for decades.

  • September 05, 2025

    8th Circ. Won't Revisit Crop Damage Arbitration Fight

    The Eighth Circuit has ruled that the existence of arbitration agreements for some farmland owners, who are suing over depressed crop yields in the aftermath of an Alliance Pipeline project, does not amount to grounds for the appeals court to review a decision reviving proceedings.

  • September 05, 2025

    How A 'Risky' Move Fueled Kobre & Kim's Win Over Phillips 66

    In the trial over Propel Fuels' claims that Phillips 66 stole trade secrets during due diligence for an acquisition, Kobre & Kim switched up standard witness order and convinced a jury to award $605 million.

  • September 05, 2025

    DC Circ. Revives Emergency Defense Rule For Air Polluters

    The D.C. Circuit on Friday restored air pollution-emitting facilities' right to defend themselves against alleged violations of the Clean Air Act by blaming emergency circumstances, finding that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's attempt to ban the practice was unlawful.

  • September 05, 2025

    Ørsted Investors Back $9.4B Rights Issue After US Order

    Ørsted AS said Friday that its shareholders have thrown their weight behind a 60 billion Danish kroner ($9.4 billion) rights issue, amid a legal battle against an order from the Trump administration to stop work on an offshore wind farm.

  • September 04, 2025

    11th Circ. Says 'Alligator Alcatraz' Can Stay Open For Now

    A split Eleventh Circuit Thursday paused a Florida federal judge's order that preliminarily ordered the federal government to begin winding down the immigration detention center dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," saying the government likely didn't need to prepare an environmental impact report for the facility built on the Florida Everglades.

  • September 04, 2025

    Chevron, Exxon Kick Off High Court La. Pollution Case

    Chevron and Exxon Mobil Corp. on Thursday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the Fifth Circuit's ruling that Louisiana state court, not federal court, is the proper venue for claims that their World War II-era oil production activities violated state law.

  • September 04, 2025

    Enbridge Asks High Court To Reverse Pipeline Remand Ruling

    Enbridge Energy has pushed the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a Sixth Circuit decision saying the company missed a deadline to transfer to federal court a suit by Michigan's attorney general seeking to block a pipeline, arguing the attorney general failed to show the removal process was untimely.

  • September 04, 2025

    EPA Touts 'Ambitious' New Deregulatory Agenda

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday laid out its regulatory agenda for the coming months, and said it intends to revisit or roll back Biden-era initiatives in several areas, including water, climate change and chemical regulations.

  • September 04, 2025

    Wash. PFAS Contamination Suit Sent Back To State Court

    A Washington federal judge has remanded to state court a refinery operator's suit alleging that firefighting foam containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, made and sold by The Chemours Co., Tyco Fire Products and others has contaminated the refinery.

  • September 04, 2025

    Atty Can't Duck TCPA Suit Over Camp Lejeune Calls

    A North Carolina federal judge will not trim a proposed class action accusing a plaintiffs firm of making unsolicited calls to a number on the National Do Not Call Registry in an effort to secure a client in the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune toxic drinking water case, saying it doesn't matter if the lead plaintiff "invited" later calls.

  • September 04, 2025

    Pollution Exclusion Bars Coverage For HOA Stormwater Suit

    An insurer has no duty to defend or indemnify a homeowners association against claims that its stormwater drainage system caused flooding and damage to nearby properties, a Georgia federal court ruled, saying a pollution exclusion bars coverage.

  • September 04, 2025

    Feds Don't Have Immunity In NM Wildfire Row, Court Told

    The U.S. Forest Service's failure to comply with a plan for the Santa Fe National Forest means it cannot avoid liability by invoking an "overarching discretionary enterprise" of prescribed burning that led to the destruction of nearly 43,000 acres, a New Mexico tribe, an electric cooperative and others argue.

  • September 04, 2025

    Solar Co. Meyer Burger Unit Gets OK For $29M Ch. 11 Sale

    The U.S. unit of Swiss solar-panel maker Meyer Burger secured a Delaware bankruptcy judge's approval Thursday to sell its assets for $28.7 million in Chapter 11, defeating an objection to the deal from unsecured creditors who charged that it benefits secured creditors but no one else.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Creating Botanical Art Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Pressing and framing plants that I grow has shown me that pursuing an endeavor that brings you joy can lead to surprising benefits for a legal career, including mental clarity, perspective and even a bit of humility, says Douglas Selph at Morris Manning.

  • Opinion

    PFAS Reg Reversal Defies Water Statute, Increasing Risks

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent moves delaying the deadlines to comply with PFAS drinking water limits, and rolling back other chemical regulations, violate the Safe Drinking Water Act, and increase the likelihood that these toxins could become permanent fixtures of the water supply, says Vineet Dubey at Custodio & Dubey.

  • Opinion

    The Legal Education Status Quo Is No Longer Tenable

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    As underscored by the fallout from California’s February bar exam, legal education and licensure are tethered to outdated systems, and the industry must implement several key reforms to remain relevant and responsive to 21st century legal needs, says Matthew Nehmer at The Colleges of Law.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Relevance Redactions

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    In recent cases addressing redactions that parties sought to apply based on the relevance of information — as opposed to considerations of privilege — courts have generally limited a party’s ability to withhold nonresponsive or irrelevant material, providing a few lessons for discovery strategy, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Opinion

    Section 1983 Has Promise After End Of Nationwide Injunctions

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court recently struck down the practice of nationwide injunctions in Trump v. Casa, Section 1983 civil rights suits can provide a better pathway to hold the government accountable — but this will require reforms to qualified immunity, says Marc Levin at the Council on Criminal Justice.

  • CEQA Reform May Spur More Housing, But Devil Is In Details

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    A recently enacted law reforming the California Environmental Quality Act has been touted by state leaders as a fix for the state's housing crisis — but provisions including a new theoretically optional traffic mitigation fee could offset any potential benefits, says attorney David Smith.

  • What EPA Chemical Data Deadline Extension Means For Cos.

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's extension for manufacturers and importers of 16 chemical substances to report unpublished health and safety studies under the Toxic Substances Control Act could lead to state regulators stepping into the breach, while creating compliance risks and uncertainty for companies, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Series

    Playing Soccer Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Soccer has become a key contributor to how I approach my work, and the lessons I’ve learned on the pitch about leadership, adaptability, resilience and communication make me better at what I do every day in my legal career, says Whitney O’Byrne at MoFo.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Learning From Failure

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    While law school often focuses on the importance of precision, correctness and perfection, mistakes are inevitable in real-world practice — but failure is not the opposite of progress, and real talent comes from the ability to recover, rethink and reshape, says Brooke Pauley at Tucker Ellis.

  • How Courts Are Addressing The Use Of AI In Discovery

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    In recent months, several courts have issued opinions on handling discovery issues involving artificial intelligence, which collectively offer useful insights on integrating AI into discovery and protecting work product in connection with AI prompts and outputs, says Philip Favro at Favro Law.

  • How Justices' Ruling On NEPA Reviews Is Playing Out

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    Since the U.S. Supreme Court's May decision in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, narrowing the scope of agencies' required reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act, the effects of the ruling are starting to become visible in the actions of lower courts and the agencies themselves, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.

  • Deep-Sea Mining Outlook Murky, But May Be Getting Clearer

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    U.S. companies interested in accessing deep-sea mineral resources face uncertainty over new federal regulations and how U.S. policy may interact with pending international agreements — but a Trump administration executive order and provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act should help bring clarity, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From ATF Director To BigLaw

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    As a two-time boomerang partner, returning to BigLaw after stints as a U.S. attorney and the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, people ask me how I know when to move on, but there’s no single answer — just clearly set your priorities, says Steven Dettelbach at BakerHostetler.

  • Tips For US Investors Eyeing Middle East Data Centers

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    While Middle East data center investment presents a compelling opportunity in light of renewed U.S.-Gulf cooperation on artificial intelligence and critical technologies, these projects require a nuanced understanding of regional legal and regulatory regimes, says Haykel Hajjaji at Covington.

  • New DOJ Penalty Policy Could Spell Trouble For Cos.

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    In light of the U.S. Department of Justice’s recently published guidance making victim relief a core condition of coordinated resolution crediting, companies facing parallel investigations must carefully calibrate their negotiation strategies to minimize the risk of duplicative penalties, say attorneys at Debevoise.

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