Environmental

  • February 21, 2025

    Calif. Lawmakers Unveil 'Polluters Pay' Superfund Legislation

    A pair of California lawmakers on Friday introduced legislation that would require the biggest polluters to pitch in and put a portion of their profits toward climate-related disaster mitigation, a measure they said aims to relieve the burden on taxpayers in the wake of catastrophes such as wildfires.

  • February 21, 2025

    Judge Trims $40M Green Energy Co. Investor Suit

    A Tennessee federal judge won't toss a proposed class action claiming that a Chicago green energy outfit and its executives used false promises of extravagant returns to lure investors, but ruled two defendants can escape some of the suit's claims.

  • February 21, 2025

    Judge Questions Trump Administration Fund Freeze Authority

    A Rhode Island federal judge on Friday left in place a temporary restraining order blocking a funding freeze by President Donald Trump's administration until the judge can rule on a request by a coalition of states for a preliminary injunction.

  • February 21, 2025

    Green, Tribal Orgs Ask To Defend Biden DOI's Coal Decision

    Tribal and conservation groups have asked a federal court to let them join Wyoming and Montana's suit against the U.S. Department of the Interior over the Biden administration's 2024 decision ending new coal leasing on public lands in the Powder River Basin.

  • February 21, 2025

    Energy Co. Says Osage Shouldn't Rush To Destroy Wind Farm

    Enel Green Power North America is urging a federal district court to stay a $4.2 million judgment and order requiring it to remove 84 wind turbines from the Osage Nation's reservation while it appeals to the Tenth Circuit, arguing that the appellate court could find their destruction was unnecessary.

  • February 21, 2025

    Exxon Can't Dodge RICO Claims In Puerto Rico Federal Court

    A U.S. magistrate judge said Puerto Rican municipalities should be allowed to pursue racketeering and antitrust claims against energy companies including Exxon Mobil Corp. that they allege misrepresented the climate dangers of fossil fuel products.

  • February 21, 2025

    Solar Farm Says FERC Can't Justify Grid Upgrade Cost Order

    Developers of a Texas solar farm told the D.C. Circuit that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission acted unlawfully by allowing a transmission operator to assign them $311 million in grid upgrade costs to connect their solar project to the grid.

  • February 21, 2025

    Nuke Plant Renewal Rules Ignore Climate Risks, DC Circ. Told

    Anti-nuclear power groups told the D.C. Circuit that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission unlawfully ignored accident risks due to aging equipment and climate change when it crafted new nuclear power plant license renewal rules.

  • February 21, 2025

    Veolia Ends One Of Few Remaining Flint Water Suits For $53M

    A water engineering firm on Friday said it will pay $53 million to settle claims from the state of Michigan and thousands of Flint residents who allege the company failed to properly identify corrosion control treatment issues or alert officials to the dangers of the city's water, prolonging the water crisis.

  • February 21, 2025

    1st Circ. Revives Clean Air Claims Over Idling Shuttle Buses

    Excessive exhaust fumes and concerns about the negative health effects of pollution from idling buses are injuries in fact that can establish standing for members of an environmental advocacy group to sue over violations of the Clean Air Act, the First Circuit said on Thursday, reviving a 5-year-old lawsuit.

  • February 21, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Scraps Ruling On $14M Army Corps Contract Row

    A contract appeals board didn't fully consider the entirety of a modified contract before determining a company tapped to provide emergency power services in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico was not entitled to a $14 million claim, a Federal Circuit panel ruled.

  • February 21, 2025

    Taxation With Representation: Kirkland, V&E, Cravath, Dechert

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, Diamondback Energy buys Midland Basin assets from another oil and natural gas company, GTCR closes its second strategic growth fund, Light & Wonder Inc. buys Grover Gaming's assets, and Barings acquires Artemis Real Estate Partners.

  • February 20, 2025

    DOJ Says Job Protections For ALJs Are Unconstitutional

    The U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday that it no longer backs long-standing job protections for administrative law judges, saying it has determined that the "multiple layers of removal restrictions" shielding ALJs are unconstitutional because they violate the separation of powers doctrine.

  • February 20, 2025

    Tribes Fail To Win Reversal Of Ore. Casino Project Decision

    A D.C. federal judge has denied a bid by three tribes to reverse an Interior Department decision approving a land trust application for another tribe in what is Oregon's first off-reservation casino, ruling that they've failed to show how the project would harm them.

  • February 20, 2025

    Better Process Not Certain As White House Loses NEPA Regs

    The White House says it rescinded National Environmental Policy Act regulations in an effort to "expedite and simplify" the federal permitting process, but attorneys say the immediate effect of the move will likely be to confuse agencies and slow down project approvals.

  • February 20, 2025

    Insurer Can't Quickly Exit Broker Premium Theft Row

    A Louisiana federal court rejected most arguments made by an insurer seeking to avoid professional liability coverage of a broker whose former employee stole policy premiums and failed to secure insurance for clients, leaving the company to cover around $1 million in Hurricane Laura damage.

  • February 20, 2025

    Calif. Rail Project Back In Trump's Crosshairs With DOT Probe

    The U.S. Department of Transportation on Thursday launched a compliance review into California's high-speed rail project, casting uncertainty over approximately $4 billion in federal funding for the beleaguered project that is back in the Trump administration's crosshairs.

  • February 20, 2025

    FERC Chair Seeking More Clarity On Scope Of Trump Order

    Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Mark Christie downplayed concerns Thursday that a recent executive order from President Donald Trump will erode the agency's authority, but acknowledged that it's unclear how much the order seeks to involve the White House in FERC's operations.

  • February 20, 2025

    New SEC Guidance Throws A 'Bit Of Chaos' Into Proxy Season

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent effort to loosen its guidance around what companies can exclude from their proxy statements isn't surprising given the change in administration, but the timing of its release has thrown a monkey wrench into a proxy season that is already underway, attorneys said.

  • February 20, 2025

    DOD To Shift $50B To Trump Defense Spending Priorities

    U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the agency to shift $50 billion from its 2026 budget away from "Biden-legacy programs" to programs that align with President Donald Trump's "America first" agenda. 

  • February 20, 2025

    Green Groups Ask 9th Circ. To Press EPA Again On Atrazine

    Environmental groups are urging the Ninth Circuit to reopen a long-running case against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over its regulation around the pesticide atrazine, arguing that the agency's yearslong delay in completing a court-ordered review of the chemical has allowed "serious harm to people, plants and wildlife."

  • February 20, 2025

    Select SPAC Targets Are Soaring Ahead Of The Pack

    A select breed of companies that went public through mergers with special purpose acquisition companies are performing well lately — hailing mostly from a few specific industries — in stark contrast to the vast majority of SPAC merger targets that have flopped over the past few years, according to data released on Thursday.

  • February 20, 2025

    Feds Say DC Judge Can't Bar 'Hypothetical' Spending Freezes

    A Justice Department attorney argued before a D.C. federal judge Thursday that there is no basis to continue blocking the Trump administration from implementing a blanket suspension on federal spending, saying the court cannot bar "hypothetical" future freezes.

  • February 20, 2025

    Enbridge's Pipeline Tunnel Approval OK'd By Mich. Panel

    A Michigan appellate court panel on Wednesday struck down environmental groups and tribal nations' challenge to a Michigan Public Service Commission's decision to allow Enbridge Energy to dig an underground tunnel to house part of an oil and natural gas pipeline, finding state regulators' decision was supported by evidence.

  • February 20, 2025

    EPA Sued Over Approval Of Radioactive Waste Road Project

    The Center for Biological Diversity filed suit Wednesday challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's approval of the use of radioactive phosphogypsum in road construction at fertilizer producer Mosaic's facility in Florida.

Expert Analysis

  • Exploring Venue Strategy For Trump-Era Regulatory Litigation

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    Litigation will likely play a prominent role in shaping policy outcomes during the second Trump administration, and stakeholders have several tools at their disposal to steer regulatory litigation toward more favorable venues, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Series

    Playing Esports Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Competing in a global esports tournament at Wimbledon last year not only fulfilled my childhood dream, but also sharpened skills that are essential to my day job, including strategic thinking, confidence and networking, says AJ Schuyler at Jackson Lewis.

  • Identifying Deepfakes During Evidence Collection, Discovery

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Attorneys must familiarize themselves with the tools used to create and detect deepfakes — media manipulated by artificial intelligence to convincingly mimic real people and events — as well as best practices for keeping this fabricated evidence out of court, says Bijan Ghom at Saxton & Stump.

  • Expect Continued Momentum For Nuclear Power In 2025

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    With increasing electricity demand, growing interest in carbon-free energy and recent policy initiatives favoring atomic power, the future is looking bright for the U.S. nuclear energy industry — and the imminent switch of administrations in Washington is unlikely to change that, say attorneys at Venable.

  • An Associate's Guide To Career Development In 2025

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    As the new year begins, associates at all levels should consider establishing career metrics, fostering key relationships and employing other specific strategies to help move through the complexities of the legal profession with confidence and emerge as trailblazers, say EJ Stern and Amanda George at Fractional Law Firm.

  • The Securities Litigation Trends That Will Matter Most In 2025

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    2025 is shaping up to be a significant year for securities litigation, as plaintiffs and defendants alike navigate shifting standards for omission theories of liability, class certification, risk disclosure claims and more, say attorneys at Willkie.

  • What To Watch For In The 2025 Benefits Landscape

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    While planning for 2025, retirement plan sponsors and service providers should set their focus on phased implementation deadlines under both Secure 1.0 and 2.0, an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court ruling, and the fate of several U.S. Department of Labor regulations, says Allie Itami at Lathrop GPM.

  • How White Collar Enforcement May Shift In Trump's 2nd Term

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    After President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House next month, the administration’s emphasis on immigration laws, drug offenses and violent crime will likely reduce the focus on white collar crime overall, but certain areas within the white collar world may see increased activity, say attorneys at Keker Van Nest.

  • COP29 Offers Pathway To A Global Carbon Market

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    COP29, the recently concluded United Nations climate conference, represented a breakthrough in the establishment of standards for a global carbon market — and voluntary carbon market participants in the U.S. and elsewhere can enhance the value of their projects by aligning them with these standards, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    Fixing Up Cars Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    From problem-solving to patience and adaptability to organization, the skills developed working under the hood of a car directly translate to being a more effective lawyer, says Christopher Mdeway at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • 2024 Has Been A Momentous Year For ESG

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    Significant developments in the environmental, social and governance landscape this year include new legislation, evolving global frameworks, continued litigation and enforcement actions, and a U.S. Supreme Court decision that has already affected how lower courts have viewed some ESG challenges, say attorneys at Katten.

  • Advancing Storage-Integrated Power Generation In Turkey

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    Recent proposals by energy regulators in Turkey have laid the groundwork for further development of electricity generation plants with integrated energy storage facilities — offering opportunities for project developers and investors, and a possible model for U.S. regulators, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • Making The Pitch To Grow Your Company's Legal Team

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    In a compressed economy, convincing the C-suite to invest in additional legal talent can be a herculean task, but a convincing pitch — supported by metrics and cost analyses — may help in-house counsel justify the growth of their team, say Elizabeth Smith and Roger Garceau at Major Lindsey.

  • The Story Of 2024's Biggest Bank Regs, And Their Fate In 2025

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    U.S. federal bank regulators were very active in 2024 with initiatives ranging from antitrust and capital to proposals regarding controlling shareholders and incentive-based compensation, but many regulations face an uncertain future under the new administration, say attorneys at Latham.

  • Opinion

    1 Year After Rule 702 Changes, Courts Have Made Progress

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    In the year since amendments to the Federal Rules of Evidence went into effect, many federal judges have applied the new expert witness standard correctly, excluding unreliable testimony from their courts — but now state courts need to update their own rules accordingly, says Lee Mickus at Evans Fears.

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