Environmental

  • September 18, 2024

    Fla. Judge Keeps Tribe's CWA Permitting Power Row On Hold

    A Florida federal judge on Wednesday further extended his pause of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians' lawsuit claiming the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency improperly granted Florida authority over a Clean Water Act permitting program, while the D.C. Circuit considers an appeal in a similar case.

  • September 18, 2024

    DOJ Says Ship Is Liable For $100M In Baltimore Bridge Collapse

    The U.S. Department of Justice is suing to recover $100 million from the owner and the manager of the cargo ship that slammed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge in March, alleging gross negligence on their part killed six people and destroyed a vital transportation corridor.

  • September 18, 2024

    No Rehearing For 10th Circ. Methane Rule Challenge

    A Tenth Circuit panel rejected a request to reconsider its decision to throw out a ruling that partially invalidated an Obama-era rule limiting venting, flaring and leaks from oil and gas wells on federal land.

  • September 18, 2024

    New Hampshire Residents Push To Save PFOA Class Action

    A class of New Hampshire residents seeking to hold the Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corp. liable for the contamination of their properties with a toxic forever chemical is fighting the company's bid for summary judgment.

  • September 18, 2024

    Treasury Floats Tax Credit Regs For EV Charging Property

    The U.S. Treasury Department proposed regulations Wednesday to define which electric vehicle charging ports, hydrogen fueling stations and other infrastructure that businesses, people and tax-exempt entities can build in underserved communities to qualify for a tax credit of up to 30% of installation costs.

  • September 18, 2024

    Avangrid Unit Defends Counterclaim In Cleanup Battle

    An Avangrid Inc. unit has urged a Connecticut state judge not to throw out its counterclaim against the state's commissioner of energy and environmental protection in her suit accusing the utility of moving too slowly on an ordered cleanup of a shuttered power plant site, arguing the government is acting outside its authority.

  • September 17, 2024

    EV Maker Lucid Illegally Fired Union Backers, Judge Finds

    An Arizona federal judge has granted a National Labor Relations Board official's petition for an injunction against electric vehicle manufacturer Lucid Motors, ordering the company to rehire two workers who were fired amid a United Auto Workers organizing campaign and to take other actions to remedy unfair labor practices.

  • September 17, 2024

    Scope Of High Court's Jarkesy Ruling Tested In H-2A Visa Suit

    A Kentucky business is testing the scope of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision restricting the power of administrative courts, alleging in a new lawsuit that a proceeding over findings of H-2A visa violations is infringing its constitutional right to a jury trial.

  • September 17, 2024

    US Growers Say Chilean Grapes A Threat Under Rule Change

    A group of California grape growers has hit the U.S. Department of Agriculture with a suit in California federal court alleging the agency's approval of a "systems approach" for importing Chilean grapes abandons traditional safeguards and exposes U.S. grape producers to significant risks and costs.

  • September 17, 2024

    Fla. Should Get CWA Permitting Back, State Tells DC Circ.

    Florida should be allowed to keep administering its own Clean Water Act permitting program for dredging, the Sunshine State told the D.C. Circuit in an opening brief that noted the state had successfully run the program for three years, and that taking away its ability to do so calls into question a congressional promise.

  • September 17, 2024

    VivoPower Plots $1.13B Merger After Unit's SPAC Deal Closes

    Sustainable energy solutions company VivoPower and hydrogen technology company FAST are mulling a combination valuing the pair at $1.13 billion, in a potential deal that would follow the departure of VivoPower's electric utility vehicle subsidiary through a special purpose acquisition company merger.

  • September 17, 2024

    GC Base Salaries At Big Companies On The Rise

    General counsel base salaries at companies making $5 billion or more in revenue has increased from last year, while their total compensation has decreased, according to a report released Tuesday by the Association of Corporate Counsel and Empsight International LLC.

  • September 17, 2024

    In-House Atty Brings Bias Suit Over Firing After Miscarriage

    A former in-house attorney at chemicals company Arxada has launched a discrimination lawsuit in New Jersey state court accusing the business of unlawfully terminating her in the days after she showed interest in going on leave to recover from a miscarriage.

  • September 17, 2024

    Univ. Can Expand Coastal Campus, Mass. Appeals Court Says

    A Massachusetts university has no obligation to preserve for public use 12 acres of land in a coastal town just north of Boston, the state's intermediate-level appeals court ruled.

  • September 17, 2024

    Competitiveness Outranks Climate In New EU Commission

    European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen shifted her focus from climate change to boosting competitiveness as she proposed her team of commissioners for the next five-year mandate Tuesday, handing out key jobs covering everything from competition enforcement to trade policy.

  • September 17, 2024

    US Utility AES Sells 30% Stake In Ohio Unit For $546M

    Power generation company AES Corp. said Tuesday that it has sold a 30% stake in its Ohio unit to Canadian investment group CDPQ for $546 million to help fund improvements to its infrastructure and meet a growing demand for data centers.

  • September 17, 2024

    Tribes Sue Over Oregon Offshore Wind Farm Leases

    The Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians have hit the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management with a lawsuit over its approval of lease sales for offshore wind energy development along the southern Oregon coast, arguing that the environmental analysis was insufficient and fails to consider potential impacts on tribal resources, cultural sites and tourism development.

  • September 17, 2024

    Conn. AG Balks At Avangrid's $2.55B Take-Private Deal

    Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and Consumer Counsel Claire E. Coleman want the state's utility watchdog to probe a Spanish energy firm's $2.55 billion proposal to take a Constitution State-based utility private, citing fears about reduced regulatory oversight amid soaring electricity and gas prices.

  • September 17, 2024

    PSEG's GC To Retire As Utility Co. Lines Up Her Successor

    The top attorney for Public Service Enterprise Group is retiring next year after more than three decades with the utility provider, the company announced Tuesday.

  • September 16, 2024

    Why A Tactic In The Youth Climate Change Battle Is Risky

    Young people suing the federal government for sweeping changes to climate policy are trying a new tactic, filing a mandamus petition in the U.S. Supreme Court in an effort to get their case to trial. But some lawyers are worried the tactic may backfire, limiting the opportunity for others to use the courts to wage climate battles, experts told Law360. 

  • September 16, 2024

    Biden Methane Rule Is Gov't Overstep, ND Judge Rules

    The Biden administration can't enforce a rule aimed at curbing methane gas emissions from federally held oil and gas leases in a coalition of Republican-led states led by North Dakota after a federal judge found the states had sufficiently shown the government may have overstepped its authority.

  • September 16, 2024

    Ex-Cadwalader Litigation Co-Head Among Duo Added By V&E

    Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP's former global litigation group co-chair is one of two ex-partners in New York bringing their practices to Vinson & Elkins LLP, according to a Monday announcement.

  • September 16, 2024

    Carlyle Commits $1B To Clean Real Estate Finance Co.

    Investment giant Carlyle said Monday that it has taken a stake in and committed $1 billion to real estate finance company North Bridge, which will be used toward green commercial upgrades.

  • September 13, 2024

    The 2024 Regional Powerhouses

    The law firms on Law360's list of 2024 Regional Powerhouses reflected the local peculiarities of their states while often representing clients in deals and cases that captured national attention.

  • September 13, 2024

    NJ Jury Puts $26M Price Tag On Land In Development Battle

    A New Jersey federal jury found that the owner of a 22-acre former Michelin Tire & Rubber Co. factory at the heart of a land-taking battle should get $25.6 million from a borough redevelopment agency that argued the parcel would fetch less than a third of that figure on the market.

Expert Analysis

  • Cos. Must Prepare For Calif. Legislation That Would Ban PFAS

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    Pending California legislation that would ban the sale or distribution of new products containing intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances could affect thousands of businesses — and given the bill's expected passage, and its draconian enforcement regime, companies must act now to prepare for it, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Opinion

    Seafarer Detention Under Ship Pollution Law Must Have Limits

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    The U.S. Coast Guard should reinstate limits on the number of days that foreign crew members may be forced to remain in the country while the U.S. Department of Justice investigates alleged violations of shipping pollution laws, in order to balance legitimate enforcement interests and seafarer welfare, say attorneys at Blank Rome.

  • 10 Tips For ESG Disclosure Compliance In Private Funds

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    As regulators increase scrutiny of misleading claims about environmental, social and governance investments, private fund sponsors should consider several practical tips for communicating accurately with potential investors, drafting comprehensive disclosures and establishing internal policies that can keep pace with evolving compliance requirements, says Jonathan Rash at Ropes & Gray.

  • Assigning Liability In Key Bridge Collapse May Be Challenging

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    In the wake of a cargo ship's collision with Baltimore's Key Bridge last month, claimants may focus on the vessel's owners and the agencies responsible for the design and maintenance of the bridge — but allocating legal liability to either private or governmental entities may be difficult under applicable state and federal laws, says Clay Robbins at Wisner Baum.

  • Macquarie Ruling Raises The Bar For Securities Fraud Claims

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision last week in Macquarie Infrastructure v. Moab Partners — holding that a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rule does not forbid omissions in company disclosures unless they render other statements false — is a major setback for plaintiffs pursuing securities fraud claims against corporations, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Series

    Whitewater Kayaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Whether it's seeing clients and their issues from a new perspective, or staying nimble in a moment of intense challenge, the lessons learned from whitewater kayaking transcend the rapids of a river and prepare attorneys for the courtroom and beyond, says Matthew Kent at Alston & Bird.

  • GSA's Carbon-Free Power Plan: Tips For Electricity Suppliers

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    The U.S. General Services Administration's recent request for information concerning its intent to acquire a large amount of carbon pollution-free electricity over the next decade in the PJM Interconnection region offers key insights for companies interested in becoming electric power suppliers to federal government agencies, say Shaunna Bailey and Nicholas Dugdale at Sheppard Mullin.

  • This Earth Day, Consider How Your Firm Can Go Greener

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    As Earth Day approaches, law firms and attorneys should consider adopting more sustainable practices to reduce their carbon footprint — from minimizing single-use plastics to purchasing carbon offsets for air travel — which ultimately can also reduce costs for clients, say M’Lynn Phillips and Lisa Walters at IMS Legal Strategies.

  • SEC Climate Rules Create Unique Challenges For CRE

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently adopted final rules concerning climate-related disclosures for public companies are likely to affect even real estate companies that are not publicly traded, since they may be required to provide information to entities that are subject to the rules, says Laura Truesdale at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Energy Community Tax Credit Boost Will Benefit Wind Sector

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    Recent Internal Revenue Service guidance broadening tax credit eligibility to more parts of offshore wind facilities in so-called energy communities is a win for the industry, which stands to see more projects qualify for a particularly valuable bonus in the investment tax credit context due to the capital-intensive nature of offshore wind projects, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • Circumstantial Evidence Requires A Pointillist Approach

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    Because complex cases with sophisticated defendants are unlikely to reveal much, if any, direct evidence, attorneys must aggregate many pieces of circumstantial evidence into a cohesive narrative — much like the painting technique of pointillism, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Traversing The Web Of Nonjudicial Grievance Mechanisms

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    Attorneys at Covington provide an overview of how companies can best align their environmental and human rights compliance with "hard-law" requirements like the EU's recently approved Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive while also navigating the complex global network of existing nonjudicial grievance mechanisms.

  • Exploring Patent Trends In Aerospace Electrification

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    As blue-chip companies lead the charge to power large-scale commercial airplanes with electricity, and startups advance the trend on a regional scale, patent applications directed at improving energy storage and electric motor efficiency are on the rise, say attorneys at Finnegan.

  • Opinion

    Federal MDL Rule Benefits From Public Comments

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    The new Federal Rule of Civil Procedure concerning multidistrict litigation that was approved this week by the Advisory Committee on Civil Rules incorporates ideas from public comments that will aid both plaintiffs and defense attorneys — and if ultimately adopted, the rule should promote efficient, merits-driven MDL case management, say Robert Johnston and Gary Feldon at Hollingsworth.

  • Practicing Law With Parkinson's Disease

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    This Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Adam Siegler at Greenberg Traurig discusses his experience working as a lawyer with Parkinson’s disease, sharing both lessons on how to cope with a diagnosis and advice for supporting colleagues who live with the disease.

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