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Environmental
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February 06, 2025
Sterilization Plant's 'Royal' Mistake Leaked Pollution, Jury Told
A former head of Terumo BCT Inc.'s Colorado medical sterilization facility testified Thursday that after a 2008 incident that he called a "royal fuck up" resulted in the release of a toxic chemical inside the plant, Terumo aired out the building and allowed the emissions to go outside.
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February 06, 2025
SEC's Dealer Suit May Criminalize Major Investors, Funds Say
The hedge fund industry has urged the Eighth Circuit on to overturn a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission victory against a penny stock trader, arguing that the SEC's case threatens to "make a felon of every institutional investor" by declaring them unregistered securities dealers.
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February 06, 2025
Ala. Tribe Fights Bid To Renew Burial Grounds Row
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians is asking a federal district court to deny a bid by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation to renew a complaint in a dispute over an Alabama burial site, arguing the new claims should have been added to the original lawsuit more than a decade ago.
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February 06, 2025
Investors, Italy Tussle Over $23M Awards Enforcement Suit
Renewable energy investors looking to enforce tens of millions of euros worth of arbitral awards against Italy accused the country on Wednesday of trying to prolong the litigation through jurisdictional arguments that the D.C. Circuit has already rejected, while Italy argued that the underlying facts here are different.
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February 06, 2025
EPA Places 168 Environmental Justice Workers On Leave
Scores of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency workers who have been focused on environmental justice issues were placed on leave Thursday, in line with the Trump administration's promise to largely abandon that area of work.
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February 06, 2025
FERC Tells DC Circ. Revised Grid Hookup Policy Is Sound
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission defended the penalty framework in its revised policy on hooking up new power projects to the grid, telling the D.C. Circuit it reasonably balanced competing interests and imposed a variety of safeguards.
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February 06, 2025
Paint Co. Says Chubb Owes $1M For Plant Explosion
A Columbus, Ohio, paint manufacturer accused Chubb of wrongfully refusing to reimburse it for more than $1 million after the company's resin manufacturing plant exploded and caused a hazardous chemical spill, in a suit removed Thursday by Chubb to Ohio federal court.
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February 06, 2025
House Committee Weighs Wildfire Strain On Calif. Insurers
A U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee met Thursday to discuss the recent California wildfires and how regulatory policy may aid future prevention of natural disasters, as experts emphasized that the fires only further exposed the state's ongoing insurance crisis.
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February 06, 2025
Nippon Says US Steel Deal Aligns With Trump Goals
Nippon Steel said Thursday that its proposed $14.9 billion acquisition of Pennsylvania-based U.S. Steel is in line with President Donald Trump's goals, as the Japanese steelmaker dropped hints of its strategy to get the new administration to approve the deal.
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February 06, 2025
Trump's Federal Worker Buyout Plan Put On Hold
A Massachusetts federal judge on Thursday put on hold the Trump administration's "deferred resignation" program for federal employees, delaying the deadline for workers to accept the offer until Monday while the court weighs the legality of the move.
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February 05, 2025
Sterilization Co. Skimped On Pollution Controls, Residents Say
An attorney for four Colorado residents who claim emissions from a Terumo BCT Inc. medical sterilization facility caused their cancers told jurors at the start of a six-week trial Wednesday that the company cut corners and failed to implement known solutions to cut toxic emissions into the community.
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February 05, 2025
California Tribes Sue Feds Over 'Massive' Casino Project
The Wintu Tribe of Northern California and the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians hauled several federal agencies into Washington, D.C., federal court for allegedly greenlighting a plan to turn over 220 acres of Indigenous territory into a "massive" casino development without evaluating the environmental impact or the land's cultural significance.
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February 05, 2025
Suit Challenges BLM Approvals Of More Calif. Drilling Permits
Conservation and public health groups have told a California federal judge that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management continues to barrel ahead in approving more oil and gas drilling permits in the polluted San Joaquin Valley and to shirk its public notice and environmental review duties.
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February 05, 2025
Doubt Over NEPA Regs' Future Brings New Risk For Projects
Recent court decisions and President Donald Trump have jeopardized long-standing federal regulations for environmental reviews, introducing uncertainty in the permit application and approval process for projects ranging from roads to pipelines that could lead to delays and new litigation.
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February 05, 2025
NJ Seeks Jury Trial In PFAS Cleanup Case Against 3M, DuPont
New Jersey officials are fighting back against 3M and DuPont's requests to have a federal bench trial on their environmental claims seeking remediation and restoration cost reimbursement over purported PFAS contamination, arguing that its legal claims are tied to legal remedies that a jury, not a judge, must decide.
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February 05, 2025
Chicago's Climate Suit Belongs In Federal Court, Judge Hears
The city of Chicago should not be allowed to take environmental deception claims against the nation's largest oil producers back to state court because the city's suit targets conduct performed largely for the federal government, a judge heard during a Wednesday hearing.
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February 05, 2025
Nixon Peabody Taps Ex-Faegre Drinker Environmental Atty
Nixon Peabody LLP hired a former Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP environmental attorney for the firm's New York City office.
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February 05, 2025
NJ's Climate Change Suit Against Energy Cos. Tossed
A New Jersey state judge on Wednesday threw out the Garden State's lawsuit accusing fossil fuel companies of concealing the climate change risks of their products, finding the state's claims are preempted by federal law.
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February 05, 2025
Alaska Sues In DC Over Tribe's Anchorage Gaming Hall
The state of Alaska is suing the U.S. Department of the Interior and an Alaska Native tribe in D.C. federal court, seeking to wipe out a series of agency decisions the state says upended jurisdictional authority over Alaska lands and authorized the tribe to operate a gaming hall in Anchorage.
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February 05, 2025
GOP Lawmakers Move To Scrap Methane Emissions Fee
Republican lawmakers revived legislation seeking to block implementation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's methane emissions fee, as part of a broader effort to bolster the Trump administration's U.S. energy dominance policy.
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February 05, 2025
Cleveland-Cliffs Wants 'Un-American' US Steel Suit Tossed
Cleveland-Cliffs and its CEO have asked a Pennsylvania judge to toss a lawsuit filed against them by Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel, calling the suit "un-American" while claiming that the plaintiffs' "sputtering disapproval" of the defendants' statements doesn't hold up in court.
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February 04, 2025
Wheeling & Appealing: The Latest Must-Know Appellate Action
February is off to a rip-roaring start in several circuits, and there's plenty more action ahead, including a moment of truth for judiciary policymaking that has managed to anger both the defense and plaintiffs bars. We'll explore all that in this edition of Wheeling & Appealing, which also includes an appellate quiz pegged to recent presidential news.
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February 04, 2025
Calif. Partly Beats Challenge To Climate Disclosure Laws
A California federal judge has trimmed a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups over the state's corporate climate disclosure rules, finding the groups failed to state a claim with respect to two causes of action.
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February 04, 2025
Calif. AG Backs Tribes In Bid To Protect Cultural Resources
California's attorney general has won his bid to intervene in a consolidated suit challenging a county's approvals for a roadside attraction proposed to be built along Highway 101, saying the county violated environmental standards and failed to consult with Native American tribes.
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February 04, 2025
5th Circ. Mulls If Green Orgs. Have Injury In Injection Well Case
A Fifth Circuit panel pondered whether environmental groups will suffer an injury adequate to challenge underground injection wells in Louisiana, asking during oral arguments Tuesday whether the groups can bring a legal claim for an event 50 years down the road.
Expert Analysis
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Useful Product Doctrine May Not Shield Against PFAS Liability
Courts have recognized that companies transferring hazardous recycled materials can defeat liability under environmental laws by showing they were selling a useful product — but new laws in California and elsewhere restricting the sale of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances may change the legal landscape, says Kyle Girouard at Dickinson Wright.
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CFTC Anti-Fraud Blitz Is A Warning To Carbon Credit Sellers
With its recent enforcement actions against a carbon offset project developer and its senior executives for reporting false information about the energy savings of the company's projects, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is staking out its position as a primary regulator in the voluntary carbon credit market, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Opinion
Legal Institutions Must Warn Against Phony Election Suits
With two weeks until the election, bar associations and courts have an urgent responsibility to warn lawyers about the consequences of filing unsubstantiated lawsuits claiming election fraud, says Elise Bean at the Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy.
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How Cos. Can Build A Strong In-House Pro Bono Program
During this year’s pro bono celebration week, companies should consider some key pointers to grow and maintain a vibrant in-house program for attorneys to provide free legal services for the public good, says Mary Benton at Alston & Bird.
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Series
Home Canning Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Making my own pickles and jams requires seeing a process through from start to finish, as does representing clients from the start of a dispute at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board through any appeals to the Federal Circuit, says attorney Kevin McNish.
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A Narrow Window Of Opportunity To Fix Energy Transmission
A post-election effort of the coming lame-duck congressional session may be the only possibility to pass bipartisan legislation to solve the national grid's capacity deficiencies, which present the greatest impediment to realizing state and federal energy transition and emissions reduction goals, says David Smith at Manatt.
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How Project 2025 Could Upend Federal ESG Policies
If implemented, Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation's policy playbook for a Republican presidential administration, would likely seek to deploy antitrust law to target ESG initiatives, limit pension fund managers' focus to pecuniary factors and spell doom for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate rule, say attorneys at Mintz.
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Navigating FEMA Grant Program For Slope Fixes After Storms
In the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, it is critical for governments, businesses and individuals to understand the legal requirements of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's grant programs to obtain funding for crucial repairs — including restoration of damaged infrastructure caused by landslides and slope failures, says Charles Schexnaildre at Baker Donelson.
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Key Insurance Implications Of Hawaii's Historic GHG Ruling
In Aloha Petroleum v. National Union Fire Insurance, the Hawaii Supreme Court became the first state court to classify greenhouse gasses as pollutants barred from insurance coverage, a ruling likely to be afforded great weight by courts across the country, say Scott Seaman and Gar Lauerman at Hinshaw & Culbertson.
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Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys
Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.
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Opinion
Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code
As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.
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Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Justice Lebovits On Gilbert And Sullivan
Characters in the 19th century comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan break the rules of good lawyering by shamelessly throwing responsible critical thought to the wind, providing hilarious lessons for lawyers and judges on how to avoid a surfeit of traps and tribulations, say acting New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits and law student Tara Scown.
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To Report Or Not To Report Others' Export Control Violations
A recent Bureau of Industry and Security enforcement policy change grants cooperation credit to those that report violations of the Export Administration Regulations committed by others, but the benefits of doing so must be weighed against significant drawbacks, including the costs of preparing and submitting a report, says Megan Lew at Cravath.
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With Esmark Case, SEC Returns Focus To Tender Offer Rules
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent enforcement action against Esmark in connection with its failed bid to acquire U.S. Steel indicates the SEC's renewed attention under Rule 14e‑8 of the Exchange Act on offerors' financial resources as a measure of the veracity of their tender offer communications, say attorneys at MoFo.
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Deadline Extension Highlights PFAS Reporting Complexities
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent extension of reporting and recordkeeping timelines for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act offers relief to the regulated community, but the unprecedented volume of data required means that businesses must remain diligent in their data collection efforts, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.