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Energy
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February 05, 2025
6th Circ. Judge Unsure Of Jury Instruction In Bribery Case
A Sixth Circuit judge seemed skeptical Wednesday of the bribery and racketeering conspiracy standards a jury used to convict former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and Republican lobbyist Matthew Borges in connection with the FirstEnergy bailout scandal, suggesting that all campaign contributions could be called bribery.
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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
Del. Judge Tells Fuel Cell Co. Investors To Filter Imprecise Suit
A Delaware federal judge on Tuesday ruled that investors of hydrogen fuel cell company Plug Power Inc. must submit more particular details to support their allegation that shareholders were damaged by the company's failure to disclose production challenges, saying it is not the court's responsibility to filter out evidence.
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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
'Every Breath' A 'Struggle' For Lyondell Leak Worker, Jury Told
A lung specialist told a Houston jury Tuesday that he would be "surprised" if the only surviving repairman who worked on a leak at a Texas LyondellBasell plant lived longer than 15 years without major medical intervention due to his chemical exposure four years ago.
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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.
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February 04, 2025
EPA, Interior Leaders Unveil Focus On US Energy Production
The heads of the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency unveiled plans for their agencies that largely focus on bolstering President Donald Trump's U.S. energy dominance policy.
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February 04, 2025
AI Clean Energy Co. SPAC Suit Should Be Zapped, Judge Says
A federal magistrate judge has recommended dismissing, without prejudice, a derivative shareholder suit accusing the top brass of Stem Inc., an artificial intelligence-driven clean energy company, of making misleading statements leading up to a conflicted merger with a special purpose acquisition company, saying no one should have to "connect the dots" to figure out what is specifically being alleged against them.
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February 04, 2025
Pushing The Envelope In Climate Law: Murder Charges
Climate change legal advocates are pointing to wildfires in Los Angeles, hurricanes in the Southeast and a regulation-averse presidential administration as evidence that local prosecutors should begin going after fossil fuel companies with criminal charges — up to and including homicide.
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February 04, 2025
Mich. Supreme Court Says City's Electricity Fee Is Illegal Tax
A franchise fee added to East Lansing, Michigan, residents' energy bills is a disguised tax, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled Monday, saying the fee was used to raise revenue for the city without first being approved by voters.
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February 04, 2025
DLA Piper Partner To Testify At Cognizant Evidence Hearing
Prosecutors told a New Jersey federal judge Tuesday that the managing partner of DLA Piper's Houston office will testify at a Feb. 18 evidentiary hearing in a criminal bribery case against two former executives of Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp., which tapped the law firm for an internal investigation into the alleged corrupt scheme in India.
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February 04, 2025
White House Lacks Authority To Issue NEPA Regs, Judge Says
The White House Council on Environmental Quality has no authority to issue binding National Environmental Policy Act regulations, a North Dakota judge has ruled, scrapping challenged regulations the Biden administration had enacted.
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February 04, 2025
6th Circ. Urged To Back $600M Train Derailment Deal
Norfolk Southern and East Palestine, Ohio, residents defended a $600 million class settlement in Sixth Circuit briefs Monday, saying the deal provides meaningful relief to people and businesses impacted by a 2023 train derailment and release of toxic chemicals.
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February 04, 2025
Wash. Gov. Orders Look At Data Centers' Tax Revenue Impact
Washington's governor issued an executive order directing the state's Department of Revenue to create a work group to examine the impact of data centers on the state's tax revenue and economy and recommend policies to address tax revenue needs in relation to other priorities.
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February 04, 2025
US, Osage Nation Fight Bid To Stay $4.2M Wind Farm Order
The U.S. government is fighting a bid by Enel Green Power North America to stay a $4.2 million judgment and permanent injunction that requires it to remove 84 wind turbines from the Osage Nation's reservation, arguing that the company is unlikely to prevail in a Tenth Circuit appeal.
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February 04, 2025
Veteran Energy Attorney Joins Baker Botts In Austin
Baker Botts LLP announced Tuesday that an experienced energy attorney who's spent over 30 years working in various government and private practice roles has joined the firm's office in Austin, Texas, as a partner.
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February 04, 2025
Pearl Energy Closes $999.9M Fund, Tioga Raises $125M
Kirkland & Ellis LLP-advised Pearl Energy Investments on Tuesday revealed that it clinched its fourth flagship fund after securing $999.9 million in investor commitments, while Atlanta-based multi-strategy real estate investment firm Tioga Capital closed its fourth fund after raising $125 million in capital commitments.
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February 04, 2025
Shell Workers' 401(k) Suit Gets Class Nod, But No Early Wins
A Texas federal judge awarded class certification to more than 10,000 current and former Shell Oil Co. workers in their suit claiming the energy behemoth mismanaged their $10 billion 401(k) plan, but he declined to grant either side early wins.
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February 04, 2025
China Hits US Energy Goods With Retaliatory Tariffs
China on Tuesday slapped tariffs on U.S. coal, crude oil and liquefied natural gas as part of its retaliation against additional tariffs on Chinese goods imposed by President Donald Trump.
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February 03, 2025
DOJ Poised To Prosecute Threat-Makers Against DOGE
A federal prosecutor appointed by President Donald Trump offered Elon Musk his office's support to "protect" the work of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency headed by the billionaire businessman, including "legal action against anyone who impedes your work or threatens your people."
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February 03, 2025
Texas Appeals Court Wipes Exxon's $2.5M Oil Cleanup Verdict
A Texas appeals court has wiped a more than $2.5 million verdict for ExxonMobil Pipeline Co., finding that successive owners of its pipeline hadn't agreed to assume the cleanup costs of an oil spill.
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February 03, 2025
Blank Rome Adds Ex-Babst Calland Litigator In Pittsburgh
Blank Rome LLP has expanded its Pittsburgh office with the recent addition of a business litigator who moved her practice after three years with Babst Calland Clements and Zomnir PC.
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February 03, 2025
Sidley Adds Paul Hastings Energy, Finance Pro In Houston
Sidley Austin LLP added a former Paul Hastings LLP partner specializing in energy industry transactions to its energy, transportation and finance team in Houston, the firm announced Monday.
Expert Analysis
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Nippon, US Steel Face Long Odds On Merger Challenge
Following the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States' review of Japan's Nippon Steel's proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel, the companies face a formidable uphill battle in challenging the president's exercise of authority to block the deal on national security grounds, say attorneys at Kirkland.
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Opinion
No, Litigation Funders Are Not 'Fleeing' The District Of Del.
A recent study claimed that litigation funders have “fled” Delaware federal court due to a standing order requiring disclosure of third-party financing, but responsible funders have no problem litigating in this jurisdiction, and many other factors could explain the decline in filings, say Will Freeman and Sarah Tsou at Omni Bridgeway.
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Hydrogen Regs Will Provide More Certainty — If They Survive
Newly finalized regulations implementing the Section 45V clean hydrogen tax credit allow producers more flexibility, and should therefore help put the industry on more solid footing — but the incoming Trump administration and Republican Congress will have multiple options for overturning or altering the regulations, say attorneys at Steptoe.
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5 E-Discovery Predictions For 2025 And Beyond
In the year to come, e-discovery will be shaped by new and emerging trends, from the adoption of artificial intelligence provisions in protective orders, to the proliferation of emojis as a source of evidence in contemporary litigation, say attorneys at Littler.
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Climate Disclosure Spotlight Shifts To 2 Calif. Laws
With Donald Trump's election spelling the all-but-certain demise of the proposed federal climate disclosure rules, new laws in California currently stand as the nation's only broadly applicable climate disclosure requirements — and their brevity is both a blessing and a curse, say attorneys at Davis Polk.
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Final Hydrogen Tax Credit Regs Add Flexibility For Producers
The recently released final regulations implementing the Inflation Reduction Act's clean hydrogen production tax credit offer taxpayers greater flexibility, reducing risk and creating more certainty for investments in the industry, thus diminishing — but not eliminating — the risk of legal challenges to the regulations, say attorneys at Steptoe.
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How Decline Of Deference Will Affect Trump Policymaking
An administrative law regime without Chevron deference may limit the Trump administration’s ability to implement new policies in the short term, but ultimately help it in the long term, and all parties with an interest in regulatory changes will have to take a fresh approach to litigation, say attorneys at Covington.
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Anticipating The Maritime Sector's Future Under Trump 2.0
With the Republicans taking control of a governance trifecta, the maritime sector should brace for both familiar leadership and new change that could significantly shift shipping and defense priorities, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.
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7 Ways 2nd Trump Administration May Affect Partner Hiring
President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House will likely have a number of downstream effects on partner hiring in the legal industry, from accelerated hiring timelines to increased vetting of prospective employees, say recruiters at Macrae.
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How Trump 2.0 May Change Business In Latin America
Companies in Latin America should expect to face more trade restrictions, tighter economic sanctions and enhanced corruption risks, as the incoming administration shifts focus to certain non-U.S. actors, most notably China, says Matteson Ellis at Miller & Chevalier.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Custodian Selection
Several recent rulings make clear that the proportionality of additional proposed custodians will depend on whether the custodians have unique relevant documents, and producing parties should consider whether information already in the record will show that they have relevant documents that otherwise might not be produced, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Impact Of Successful Challenges To SEC's Rulemaking Ability
In 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission faced significant legal challenges to its aggressive rulemaking agenda as several of its rules were vacated by the Fifth Circuit, which could hinder the SEC's ability to enact rules extending beyond express statutory authority in the future, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Justices Seem Focused On NEPA's Limits In Utah Rail Case
After last month's oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado, the court appears poised to forcefully reiterate that the National Environmental Policy Act requires federal agencies to review only those environmental impacts within their control, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.
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Series
Exercising On My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer
While I originally came to the Peloton bike for exercise, one cycling instructor’s teachings have come to serve as a road map for practicing law thoughtfully and mindfully, which has opened opportunities for growth and change in my career, says Andrea Kirshenbaum at Littler.
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How To Manage During A Trade Dispute With USMCA Partners
Companies can try to minimize the potential impacts of future tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods, and uncertainty about future trade relations, by evaluating supply chains, considering how they may be modified, and engaging with the new administration over exemptions and the upcoming review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.