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Environmental
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December 09, 2024
Meet The Attys Arguing Over Trademark Liability At High Court
A Gibson Dunn partner who has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court 27 times will square off against the former solicitor general of West Virginia in a high court fight Wednesday over whether corporate affiliates must pay a real estate development company's $46.6 million trademark infringement judgment when they are not parties in the case.
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December 09, 2024
EV Carmaker Lucid Wants To Shed More Of Inflated Biz Suit
Electric carmaker Lucid Group has asked a California federal judge to toss most of the latest version of a proposed investor class action alleging its production forecasts were misleading, arguing that parts of the suit that remained intact after a recent dismissal order involved statements taken out of context.
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December 09, 2024
DC Circ. Unsure Of Wading Into FERC Grid Plan Fight
D.C. Circuit judges appeared reluctant on Monday to entertain the legality of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's 2023 rejection of a grid operator's plan to manage certain transmission project costs, given that the agency later approved related projects in May.
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December 09, 2024
Xcel Can't Hide Evidence In Marshall Fire Suit, Attys Say
Attorneys representing more than 4,000 individuals suing Xcel Energy over a 2021 Colorado wildfire demand the utility release thousands of documents regarding the location of a power line that allegedly caused an ignition, claiming the information is being improperly withheld despite how critical it is to the case.
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December 09, 2024
EPA Finalizes Bans On Two Carcinogenic Chemicals
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a pair of final rules on Monday banning all uses of trichloroethylene and all consumer uses of perchloroethylene, which are cancer-causing chemical solvents used in brake cleaner and adhesive products.
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December 09, 2024
NJ Says Sherwin-Williams' Bid To Stay Pollution Suit Too Late
New Jersey has pushed back against a bid from Sherwin-Williams to pause a suit from Garden State regulators over the contamination at one of its former plants, arguing that the stay request should have been filed months ago.
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December 09, 2024
Metal Co. Says Liberty Mutual Owes $1.1M For Hail Damage
A Texas metal fabrication company said it is owed more than $1.1 million from Liberty Mutual, telling a federal court Monday that the insurer improperly refused to pay out a claim for hail damage after a September 2023 storm.
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December 09, 2024
Beveridge & Diamond Picks Up Longtime DOJ Enviro Litigator
Beveridge & Diamond PC has hired the former chief of the law and policy section at the U.S. Department of Justice's Environment and Natural Resources Division, who is bringing his more-than 26-year government experience in environmental law to the D.C. team, the firm announced Friday.
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December 09, 2024
Judge Axes $33M Suit Challenging Feds' Wildfire Response
An Oregon federal judge has dismissed a suit by two lumber companies claiming that the U.S. Forest Service failed to properly fight a wildfire in the Willamette National Forest, holding that the agency's decisions are shielded under the Federal Tort Claims Act.
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December 07, 2024
Up Next: Environmental Reviews, Wire Fraud & TM Awards
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear its final set of oral arguments for the 2024 calendar year starting Monday, including disputes over the proper scope of federal environmental reviews and whether corporate affiliates can be ordered to pay disgorgement awards in trademark infringement disputes.
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December 06, 2024
US Ukrainian Group Wants FCC SpaceX Approvals Halted
The FCC needs to put any decisions related to SpaceX on ice until an ethics committee can decide how to handle them now that the company's billionaire owner Elon Musk has been tapped for an oversight role in the upcoming Trump administration, the agency has been told.
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December 06, 2024
DC Circ. Mulls If EPA Can Set Rules Based On Predicted Tech
At least one member of the D.C. Circuit did not seem to be picking up what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was putting down in defense of a rule that would give coal-fired power plants until 2032 to meet certain emissions standards that critics claim are impossible.
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December 06, 2024
Feds Want Full DC Circ. To Reverse Panel's NEPA Regs Ruling
Two D.C. Circuit judges who ruled a White House agency lacks authority to issue regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act violated a cornerstone legal tenet and must be overturned, according to the federal government.
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December 06, 2024
Shell, Equinor Creating UK Oil Giant As Sea Basin Matures
Shell UK Ltd. and Equinor UK Ltd. are joining forces to create what they said will be the largest independent oil and gas company in the U.K., citing declining production in the "once-prolific basin" of the North Sea as the impetus for the 50-50 joint venture.
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December 06, 2024
Insurer Escapes Defending Developer's Ga. Tree Removal
A Georgia federal judge freed an insurer Friday from defending developers blamed for wrongfully cutting down 120 feet of trees on a property line shared with a children's summer camp, finding the act was intentional.
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December 06, 2024
1st Circ. Affirms Mass. Wind Energy Permits
A three-judge First Circuit panel rejected a pair of fishing industry challenges to environmental permits for the massive — and now paused — Vineyard Wind project off the coast of Massachusetts.
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December 06, 2024
Canada's Chinese Import Surtaxes Expected To Raise $334M
Canada's new surtaxes on Chinese electric vehicles and steel and aluminum products are estimated to generate CA$473 million ($334 million) over the next five years, though the EV surtax on its own is likely to cause a dip in revenue, a government analysis said.
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December 06, 2024
Offit Kurman Adds Lanak & Hanna Environmental Atty In LA
Offit Kurman Attorneys At Law continues expanding its two-year-old Los Angeles office, announcing Thursday it is bringing in a Lanak & Hanna PC construction, environmental and real estate litigator as a principal.
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December 05, 2024
Frontier Pays $3.5M To End Calif. AG's Illegal Dumping Probe
The California subsidiary of telecom company Frontier Communications will pay $3.5 million to end an investigation into the improper disposal of batteries, aerosol cans and other hazardous waste at warehouses and field service facilities dating back to 2008, the Golden State's attorney general announced Thursday.
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December 05, 2024
SolarEdge's CEO, CFO Can't Escape Securities Lawsuit
A New York federal judge ruled Wednesday that a proposed securities class action accusing SolarEdge Technologies Inc. of misrepresenting the demand for its solar energy products in Europe will go on against two of the company's top executives, saying investors adequately pled the executives knowingly misrepresented distributors' inventory levels.
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December 05, 2024
Gov't Efficiency Push Is A 'New Day,' House Speaker Says
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., spoke excitedly Thursday about the new government efficiency operation helmed by billionaire Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and touted the budding bipartisan lineup of a congressional caucus that will work with it.
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December 05, 2024
Wash. Gov.'s Executive Order Backs Tribal Salmon Initiative
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has, in an executive order, directed state agencies to cooperate with four sovereign tribal nations and Oregon to fulfill commitments to the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative, which aims to protect salmon and steelhead populations.
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December 05, 2024
Utah Defends Effort To Wrest Land From Feds At High Court
Utah told the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday that its proposed lawsuit accusing the government of unconstitutionally hoarding and profiting from public lands in the state belongs before the justices and that the government's recent response strengthens its case.
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December 05, 2024
Ex-CEO Of Solar Biz ISun Says Ch. 11 Plan Doesn't Add Up
The former CEO of solar power company iSun is asking a Delaware bankruptcy judge to reject the company's proposed Chapter 11 plan, saying it fails to provide for payment of priority claims, including his own deferred paychecks.
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December 05, 2024
NC Town Sues Duke Energy Over Climate Change 'Deception'
A small town in North Carolina is suing Duke Energy for what officials characterized as a decades-long "deception campaign" about climate change, including allegedly misleading residents about the dangerous effects of fossil fuels and delaying the transition to cleaner energy.
Expert Analysis
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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.
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6th Circ. Preemption Ruling Adds Uncertainty For Car Cos.
Automakers and their suppliers need uniformity under the law to create sufficient scale and viable markets — but the Sixth Circuit's recent decision in Fenner v. General Motors creates more uncertainty around the question of when state law consumer claims related to violations of federal vehicle emissions and fuel economy standards are preempted, say attorneys at Sidley.
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State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape
Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.
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Review Shipping Terms In Light Of These 3 Global Challenges
Given tensions in the Middle East, labor unrest at U.S. ports and the ongoing consequences of climate change, parties involved in maritime shipping must understand the relevant contract provisions and laws that may be implicated during supply chain disruptions in order to mitigate risks, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.
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Cos. Face Increasing Risk From Environmental Citizen Suits
Environmental citizen suits stepping in to fill the regulatory vacuum concerning consumer goods waste may soon become more common, and the evolving procedural landscape and changes to environmental law may contribute to companies' increased exposure, say J. Michael Showalter and Bradley Rochlen at ArentFox Schiff.
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How BIS' Rule Seeks To Encourage More Voluntary Disclosure
Updated incentives, penalties and enforcement resources in the Bureau of Industry and Security's recently published final rule revising the Export Administration Regulations should help companies decide how to implement export control compliance programs and whether to disclose possible violations, say attorneys at Freshfields.
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8 Childhood Lessons That Can Help You Be A Better Attorney
A new school year is underway, marking a fitting time for attorneys to reflect on some fundamental life lessons from early childhood that offer a framework for problems that no legal textbook can solve, say Chris Gismondi and Chris Campbell at DLA Piper.
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Navigating Complex Regulatory Terrain Amid State AG Races
This year's 10 attorney general elections could usher in a wave of new enforcement priorities and regulatory uncertainty, but companies can stay ahead of the shifts by building strong relationships with AG offices, participating in industry coalitions and more, say Ketan Bhirud and Dustin McDaniel at Cozen O’Connor.
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How The 2025 Tax Policy Debate Will Affect The Energy Sector
Regardless of the outcome of the upcoming U.S. election, 2025 will bring a major tax policy debate that could affect the energy sector more than any other part of the economy — so stakeholders who could be affected should be engaging now to make sure they understand the stakes, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.
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Sublimit And Policy Interpretation Lessons From Amtrak Case
The recently settled dispute between Amtrak and its insurers over sublimit coverage illustrates that parties with unclear manuscript policies may wish to avoid litigation in favor of settlement — as the New York federal court declined to decide the case by applying prior term interpretations, says Laura Maletta at Chartwell Law.
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3rd Circ. Hertz Ruling Highlights Flawed Bankruptcy Theory
The Third Circuit, in its recent Hertz bankruptcy decision, became the latest appeals court to hold that noteholders were entitled to interest before shareholders under the absolute priority rule, but risked going astray by invoking the flawed theory of code impairment, say Matthew McGill and David Casazza at Gibson Dunn.
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Opinion
This Election, We Need To Talk About Court Process
In recent decades, the U.S. Supreme Court has markedly transformed judicial processes — from summary judgment standards to notice pleadings — which has, in turn, affected individuals’ substantive rights, and we need to consider how the upcoming presidential election may continue this pattern, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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The Complex Challenges Facing Sustainable Food Packaging
More and more states are requiring recycled content to be used in product packaging, creating complex technological and regulatory considerations for manufacturers who must also comply with federal food safety requirements, say Peter Coneski and Natalie Rainer at K&L Gates.
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Int'l Agreements Are Key For Safe Nuclear Waste Disposal
By replacing fossil fuels, nuclear energy has the potential to offer a major contribution to the global fight against climate change — but ensuring that nuclear power is safe and sustainable will require binding, multinational agreements for safe nuclear waste disposal, say Ryan Schermerhorn and Christopher Zahn at Marshall Gerstein.
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Series
Playing Diplomacy Makes Us Better Lawyers
Similar to the practice of law, the rules of Diplomacy — a strategic board game set in pre-World War I Europe — are neither concise nor without ambiguity, and weekly gameplay with our colleagues has revealed the game's practical applications to our work as attorneys, say Jason Osborn and Ben Bevilacqua at Winston & Strawn.