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Environmental
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September 25, 2024
US Antitrust Holds Fast: No 'Environmental Justice' Goals
A top Federal Trade Commission official in her latest address to antitrust lawyers offered little comfort to U.S. companies seeking to collaborate on environmental initiatives.
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September 25, 2024
Norfolk Southern Names New CLO After Ouster Of Execs
Norfolk Southern Corp. has promoted an employee who has worked in its legal department since 2010 to serve as its chief legal officer following the firing of the woman who previously held the post over her relationship with the transportation giant's ousted CEO.
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September 24, 2024
Red States Back Florida In CWA Permit Program Fight
Nineteen red states have told the D.C. Circuit in a friends of the court brief that it should restore Florida's power to administer a Clean Water Act permitting program for dredging approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency but nixed by a D.C. federal judge.
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September 24, 2024
DC Circ. Open To Industry Challenge To TSCA Reporting Rule
A D.C. Circuit panel on Tuesday seemed receptive to two trade associations' challenge to new federal regulations aimed at increasing Toxic Substances Control Act transparency, pressing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on a facet of the rule that opponents say would lead confidential chemical information to be divulged.
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September 24, 2024
DC Circ. Mining Decision Unsupported By Law, Groups Say
Environmental organizations have called on the full D.C. Circuit to rethink a panel's June decision upholding a Bush-era mining regulation that removed limits on how much land near a mining site can be used for secondary operations like waste disposal, saying the ruling departs from that of all other courts.
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September 24, 2024
Ala. Can Enforce Own Interstate Clean Air Plan, 11th Circ. Told
Alabama told an Eleventh Circuit panel Tuesday that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency overstepped its authority when denying the state's plan to implement rules limiting harmful interstate emissions under the Clean Air Act, saying the law gives states the "primary" authority to combat air pollution.
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September 24, 2024
Md. Says Shipowner Liable For $2B Baltimore Bridge Rebuild
Maryland said the owner and manager of the cargo ship that slammed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge must be held liable for the estimated $1.7 billion cost of rebuilding the bridge, claiming Tuesday that their negligence has caused "grievous impact" to Marylanders, the environment and the regional economy.
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September 24, 2024
Feds, Mill Owner Reach $1.4M Deal In Pollution Cleanup Row
A property development group will pay more than $1.4 million to fund a permanent stewardship as part of an agreement with the state of Washington, the federal government and a slew of tribes to resolve allegations that it released hazardous substances into Port Gamble Bay near Seattle for more than a century.
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September 24, 2024
Insurer Says Telecom Co. Not Covered For Marshall Fire Suits
A Liberty Mutual unit told a Colorado federal court that a subsidiary of Lumen Technologies isn't an additional insured under a policy issued to a construction company, thus making the subsidiary ineligible for coverage of underlying lawsuits alleging that poorly designed telecommunications lines contributed to the 2021 Marshall Fire.
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September 24, 2024
Norfolk Southern Says Stock Drop Suit Based On 'Hindsight'
Norfolk Southern Corp. is urging a Georgia federal court to throw out a proposed class action alleging it duped stockholders by misleading them about the safety of its operations, leading to a stock drop after last year's derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, saying the claims are a bid to capitalize in hindsight on the crash.
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September 24, 2024
EPA Finalizes HFC Leak And Recycling Rule
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a final rule aimed at reducing hydrofluorocarbon leaks from large refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment, while establishing a new program to better manage and recycle the potent greenhouse gasses.
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September 24, 2024
Interior Dept. Awarding $24 Million For Ecosystem Projects
The U.S. Department of the Interior on Monday said it's awarding about $24 million to boost 50 ecosystem restoration projects across 34 states and territories.
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September 23, 2024
Chamber Says X Ruling Boosts Bid To Nix Calif. Climate Laws
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the state of California have filed competing briefs on how a recent Ninth Circuit decision blocking parts of a social media law applies to the state's corporate climate disclosure rules, with the Chamber arguing the ruling reinforces how the latter violate the First Amendment.
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September 23, 2024
Need To Bag Your Groceries? You Can Have Paper, Calif. Says
California grocery stores won't be allowed to offer plastic bags of any kind in their checkout lines under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom a day before the California Attorney General's Office on Monday accused Exxon Mobil Corp. of inundating the state with plastic waste.
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September 23, 2024
High Court Enviro Shadow Docket Could Diminish DC Circ.
The U.S. Supreme Court's "shadow docket" is full of pleas from environmental rule opponents who want the justices to overturn D.C. Circuit rulings that allowed the regulations to go into effect, and recent history shows the challengers have some chance for success — but experts say the high court's willingness to step in at this stage risks diminishing lower courts' voices.
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September 23, 2024
Tyson, Cargill Want Appeal Of Pollution Verdict Plan Certified
Tyson, Cargill and other poultry producers have urged an Oklahoma federal judge to certify their interlocutory appeal of a plan to hash out remedies concerning a river pollution trial that took place over a decade ago, arguing that the record is far too "stale" to support forward-looking relief now.
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September 23, 2024
Feds, SunZia Urge 9th Circ. To Toss Power Line Challenge
The federal government and SunZia Transmission LLC have asked the Ninth Circuit to uphold a lower court decision tossing a suit by a coalition of tribes and conservation groups challenging the government's decision to let the company route a 520-mile power line through cultural and historical sites.
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September 23, 2024
EPA Admits Mistakes In Approving New Chevron Chemicals
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday told the D.C. Circuit that it overestimated the risk of allowing Chevron Corp. to create new fuel chemicals derived from plastic waste, asking the appeals court to remand the order authorizing the new substances back to federal regulators.
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September 23, 2024
Texas Fighting ESA Listing For Tiny Lizard In Permian Basin
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is asking a judge to overturn a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rule that listed the dunes sagebrush lizard as an endangered species, calling it a "backdoor attempt" to undermine energy development in the Permian Basin.
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September 23, 2024
States, Enviros Urge USPS Vehicle Plan Challenge To Proceed
States and environmentalists have pushed back against the U.S. Postal Service and Oshkosh Defense's efforts to end a lawsuit alleging the USPS' multibillion-dollar delivery vehicle acquisition plan violates environmental law, saying the plan was inadequate and would harm them.
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September 23, 2024
Toyota Accused Of 'Rotten' Forklift Emissions Compliance
Toyota has been misrepresenting the true emissions levels of the engines in its forklifts and construction machinery, leading businesses to believe the engines were far more environmentally friendly than they actually were, according to a proposed class action filed in California federal court.
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September 23, 2024
Calif. Sues Exxon For Plastic Pollution And Recycling Deception
California's attorney general and a coalition of conservation groups hit Exxon Mobil Corp. with a pair of lawsuits on Monday claiming the petrochemical giant has inundated the state with harmful plastic waste while misleading people about recycling's ability to ever make a dent in the problem.
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September 23, 2024
Fired Sotera Exec's Vesting Suit Goes Forward In Del.
Delaware's Court of Chancery dismissed on Monday some claims in a former Sotera Health Co. executive's suit accusing the lab-testing and sterilization firm of wrongly refusing to grant him severance benefits and equity awards worth millions, while holding other claims for trial.
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September 23, 2024
Brockovich, Attys Warn Of PFAS Dangers At Ga. Town Halls
More than 400 people gathered in northwest Georgia over the weekend to attend two town hall meetings hosted by a group of law firms and paralegal-turned-environmental advocate Erin Brockovich concerning claims of local water and environmental contamination allegedly caused by chemical giant 3M Co., as well as the potential health risks associated with so-called forever chemicals.
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September 23, 2024
NY Extends Industrial Property Tax Break Application Deadline
New York state extended by four years to 2029 the deadline to apply for property tax abatements for eligible industrial and commercial buildings in New York City as part of a bill signed by Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Expert Analysis
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When Trauma Colors Testimony: How To Help Witnesses
As stress-related mental health issues continue to rise, trial attorneys must become familiar with a few key trauma-informed strategies to help witnesses get back on track — leaning in to the counselor aspect of their vocations, say Ava Hernández and Steve Wood at Courtroom Sciences.
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Series
Being An Opera Singer Made Me A Better Lawyer
My journey from the stage to the courtroom has shown that the skills I honed as an opera singer – punctuality, memorization, creativity and more – have all played a vital role in my success as an attorney, says Gerard D'Emilio at GableGotwals.
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Navigating The Uncertain Landscape Of Solar Tariffs
Solar cell and module manufacturers, exporters and importers must navigate an uncertain compliance landscape, given ongoing challenges to U.S. Department of Commerce antidumping and countervailing duty determinations, which have been mounted both by U.S. and non-U.S. manufacturers, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Amid SEC Rule Limbo, US Cos. Subject To ESG Regs In EU
Though the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is facing legal challenges to its climate-disclosure rulemaking, the implementation of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive in the European Union will force U.S. companies to comply with exactly the kinds of ESG disclosures that are not yet mandated in the U.S., say attorneys at Squire Patton.
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How Law Firms Can Avoid 'Collaboration Drag'
Law firm decision making can be stifled by “collaboration drag” — characterized by too many pointless meetings, too much peer feedback and too little dissent — but a few strategies can help stakeholders improve decision-making processes and build consensus, says Steve Groom at Miles Mediation.
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When The Supreme Court Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade
Instead of grousing about the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions overturning long-standing precedents, attorneys should look to history for examples of how enterprising legal minds molded difficult decisions to their advantage, and figure out how to work with the cards they’ve been dealt, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Opinion
Litigation Funding Disclosure Key To Open, Impartial Process
Blanket investor and funding agreement disclosures should be required in all civil cases where the investor has a financial interest in the outcome in order to address issues ranging from potential conflicts of interest to national security concerns, says Bob Goodlatte, former U.S. House Representative for Virginia.
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The Ethics of Using Generative AI In Environmental Law
The rapid emergence of generative artificial intelligence tools is challenging environmental lawyers, consultants and government agencies to determine when and how these tools can be responsibly, ethically and productively integrated into their practices to streamline research, predictive analytics and regulatory compliance, say Ahlia Bethea and Pamela Esterman at Sive Paget.
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Carbon Offset Case A Win For CFTC Enviro Fraud Task Force
An Illinois federal court's decision in Commodity Futures Trading Commission v. Ikkurty — earning the CFTC a sizeable monetary award that will likely incentivize similar enforcement pursuit — shows the impact of the commission's Environmental Fraud Task Force, say attorneys at Steptoe.
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What NFL Draft Picks Have In Common With Lateral Law Hires
Nearly half of law firm lateral hires leave within a few years — a failure rate that is strikingly similar to the performance of NFL quarterbacks drafted in the first round — in part because evaluators focus too heavily on quantifiable metrics and not enough on a prospect's character traits, says Howard Rosenberg at Baretz+Brunelle.
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Opinion
Toxic Water Case Shows Need For Labeling To Protect Kids
A recent case involving contaminated alkaline water that inflicted severe liver damage on children underscores the risks that children can face from products not specifically targeted to them, and points to the need for stricter labeling standards for all bottled water, says Vineet Dubey at Custodio & Dubey.
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Replacing The Stigma Of Menopause With Law Firm Support
A large proportion of the workforce is forced to pull the brakes on their career aspirations because of the taboo surrounding menopause and a lack of consistent support, but law firms can initiate the cultural shift needed by formulating thoughtful workplace policies, says Barbara Hamilton-Bruce at Simmons & Simmons.
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Planning Law Firm Content Calendars: What, When, Where
During the slower month of August, law firms should begin working on their 2025 content calendars, planning out a content creation and distribution framework that aligns with the firm’s objectives and maintains audience engagement throughout the year, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.
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What To Expect From Evolving Wash. Development Plans
The current round of periodic updates to Washington counties' growth and development plans will need to address new requirements from recent legislation, and will also likely bring changes that should please property owners and developers, says Jami Balint at Seyfarth.
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Series
Playing Golf Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Golf can positively affect your personal and professional life well beyond the final putt, and it’s helped enrich my legal practice by improving my ability to build lasting relationships, study and apply the rules, face adversity with grace, and maintain my mental and physical well-being, says Adam Kelly at Venable.