Environmental

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • February 14, 2025

    Trump Aims To End Limits On President's Power To Fire

    President Donald Trump has his sights set on taking down a 90-year-old U.S. Supreme Court ruling that protects certain government officials from being fired, a U.S. Department of Justice letter confirms, and he plans to leverage his prior legal victories to deliver the precedent's death knell and expand presidential power.

  • February 14, 2025

    Old Permits Irrelevant To Pollution Controls, Texas Justices Say

    The Texas Supreme Court said that previous emissions permits have no bearing on the definition of the best available pollution control technology for new projects, weighing in on a Fifth Circuit dispute over a proposed liquefied natural gas terminal in Port Arthur, Texas.

  • February 14, 2025

    EPA Fires Hundreds Of Employees, Cuts Millions In Contracts

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday kept up the pace of cuts to staffing and spending, firing 388 probationary workers and canceling $60 million in contracts related to diversity, equity and inclusion and environmental justice programs.

  • February 14, 2025

    EPA, Energy Dept. Rush To Fulfill Trump's Appliance Order

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy said they're acting to comply with President Donald Trump's order — delivered via social media post — that they should undo Biden-era appliance efficiency standards.

  • February 14, 2025

    Houston Energy Co. Stiffed For Cleanup Costs, Court Told

    A Houston energy company refused to decommission a toppled oil and gas platform in the Gulf of Mexico and then failed to pay up when another party got stuck with the cleanup duty, an oil company has told a Texas federal court.

  • February 14, 2025

    Munger Tolles Gets $10M Retainer To Rep LA In Fire Litigation

    Munger Tolles & Olson LLP has signed a $10 million retainer agreement to represent the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power in a series of lawsuits alleging it irresponsibly left a local reservoir empty ahead of last month's devastating Palisades Fire.

  • February 14, 2025

    Enviro Groups Back EPA On Challenged PFAS Superfund Rule

    Conservation groups are urging the D.C. Circuit to deny a string of industry challenges to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's decision to designate two "forever chemicals" as hazardous substances under the federal government's Superfund law, arguing that they have no merit.

  • February 14, 2025

    Calif. Insurance Chief Backs Wildfire Mitigation, Recovery Bills

    California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced his support Friday for a slew of bills aimed at addressing wildfire mitigation and recovery, including measures to maximize insurance claim payouts and stabilize the state's insurer of last resort.

  • February 14, 2025

    Judges Suggest Withdrawal Was Optional In Dam Permit Spat

    D.C. Circuit judges Friday pressed a California water district on whether it was partly to blame for delays in recertifying two hydroelectric dams, suggesting it voluntarily agreed to the state board's requests that it refile the applications in order to avoid the Clean Water Act's certification time limit.

  • February 14, 2025

    Thompson Hine Partner Wants To Help You Find True Love

    Heidi B. Friedman, co-chair of Thompson Hine LLP’s environmental, social and governance collaborative, has a side gig playing Cupid. She talked to Law360 Pulse about her new book, "Love Lessons: 104 Dates and the Stories that Led Me to True Love."

  • February 14, 2025

    Judge Leaves Curbs On DOGE Treasury Access After Hearing

    A Manhattan federal judge left in place temporary curbs on sweeping powers handed by President Donald Trump to Elon Musk's government-slashing U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization, after 19 states challenged the organization's access to U.S. Treasury payment systems.

  • February 13, 2025

    9th Circ. Revives Air Force Guam Munitions Disposal Dispute

    The Ninth Circuit on Thursday revived a Guam community group's challenge to the U.S. Air Force's request for a renewed permit to explode expired munitions on the island, finding that the Air Force did not conduct a required environmental review.

  • February 13, 2025

    NC Biz Court Bulletin: Defaulted Notes, EB-5 Investor Fraud

    The North Carolina Business Court has been handed in the first half of February a receivership case involving a defaulted $17.5 million promissory note, a fraud suit by Chinese EB-5 investors and a request to depose the chief legal officer of Smithfield Foods Inc.

  • February 13, 2025

    Origin Investors Fixed 'Fatally Vague' Fraud Claim, Judge Says

    A California federal judge has ruled that investors' fraud claims against sustainable materials-maker Origin Materials and its co-CEO can move forward, saying the plaintiffs have provided additional details from a confidential witness the judge previously found to be "fatally vague."

Expert Analysis

  • Cos. Should Inventory Issues To Prep For New Congress

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    As the legislative and oversight agendas of the 119th Congress come into sharper focus, corporate counsel should assess and plan for areas of potential oversight risk — from tax policy changes to supply chain integrity — even as much uncertainty remains, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Conservation Easement Cases Weave Web Of Uncertainty

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    Much of the IRS and Justice Department’s recent success in prosecuting syndicated conservation easement cases can be attributed to the government’s focus on the so-called PropCo ratio, which could indicate treacherous waters ahead for participants and their advisers, even under the incoming Trump administration, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • Trump Fossil Fuel Focus Won't End Interest In Clean Energy

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    A second Donald Trump administration is expected to prioritize expanding oil and gas drilling and reducing regulations — but some clean energy investments, including energy storage, hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuel, will likely continue to garner bipartisan and market support, says Scott Segal at Bracewell.

  • EPA's New Lead Pipe Rule Leaves Key Questions Unanswered

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recently released update to its Lead and Copper Rule is a major step forward in the elimination of lead from drinking water systems, but it lacks meaningful guidance on alternative materials, jurisdictional concerns, cost allocation and other topics, say attorneys at Foley Hoag.

  • What To Expect From State AGs As Federal Control Changes

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    Under the next Trump administration, Democratic attorneys general are poised to strengthen enforcement in certain areas as Republican attorneys general continue their efforts with stronger federal support — resulting in a confusing patchwork of policies that create unintended liabilities for businesses operating in multiple jurisdictions, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?

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    Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.

  • In SF Water Case, Justices Signal How Loper May Be Applied

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    Skeptical questions from U.S. Supreme Court justices during oral argument in San Francisco v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offer hints of how the court intends to apply limits on agency regulatory autonomy established last term in Loper Bright, says Karen Cullinane at Goldberg Segalla.

  • Trump Rollback Of Biden Enviro Policies: What To Expect

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    Donald Trump's upcoming second presidential term will usher significant shifts in U.S. environmental and natural resource law and policy — and while the Biden administration is racing to secure its legacy, the incoming Trump administration is making plans to dramatically roll back most, if not all, of Biden's environmental initiatives, say attorneys at Beveridge & Diamond.

  • Why K-Cup Claims Landed Keurig In Hot Water With SEC

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent settlement with Keurig Dr. Pepper for making incomplete statements regarding the recyclability of K-cup pods highlights the importance of comprehensive corporate disclosures, particularly with respect to ESG matters, say attorneys at BCLP.

  • Legislation Most Likely To Pass In Lame Duck Session

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    As Congress begins its five-week post-election lame duck session, attorneys at Greenberg Traurig break down the legislative priorities and which proposals can be expected to pass.

  • Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Choosing neutrals from diverse backgrounds is an important step in promoting inclusion in the legal profession, and it can enhance the legitimacy and public perception of alternative dispute resolution proceedings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Series

    Playing Ultimate Makes Us Better Lawyers

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    In addition to being fun, ultimate Frisbee has improved our legal careers by emphasizing the importance of professionalism, teamwork, perseverance, enthusiasm and vulnerability, say Arunabha Bhoumik and Adam Bernstein at Regeneron. 

  • Dissecting New Circuit Split Over SEC's Proxy Adviser Rule

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    The Sixth Circuit recently upheld the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's partial rescission of enhanced conflict-of-interest disclosure requirements for proxy voting advice businesses, creating a circuit split over broader questions concerning the standard for assessing the legality of agency actions in general, say attorneys at Cahill Gordon.

  • The Unfolding Potential of Green Hydrogen In Brazil

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    A new federal law in Brazil establishing a legal framework for hydrogen development is the country's latest step toward creating a favorable environment for green hydrogen production, but significant challenges — including high production costs, technological hurdles and a lack of infrastructure — remain, says David Andrew Taylor at Almeida Advogados.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Metadata

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    Several recent rulings reflect the competing considerations that arise when parties dispute the form of production for electronically stored information, underscoring that counsel must carefully consider how to produce and request reasonably usable data, say attorneys at Sidley.

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