Environmental

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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."

  • 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.

  • 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.

Expert Analysis

  • Presidential Campaign Errors Provide Lessons For Trial Attys

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    Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign employed numerous strategies that evidently didn’t land, and trial attorneys should take note, because voters and jurors are both decision-makers who are listening for how one’s case presentation would affect them personally, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • What's Still Up In The Air After Ruling On Calif. Climate Laws

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    A California federal court's recent ruling on challenges to California's sweeping climate disclosure laws resolved some issues, but allows litigation over the constitutionality of the laws to continue, and leaves many important questions on what entities will need to do to comply with the laws unanswered, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.

  • Series

    Being A Navy Reservist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Serving this country in uniform has not only been one of the greatest honors of my life, but it has also provided me with opportunities to broaden my legal acumen and interpersonal skills in ways that have indelibly contributed to my civilian practice, says Phillip Smith at Weinberg Wheeler.

  • 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. 

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