Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Energy
-
January 20, 2025
Trump Announces 2nd Exit From Paris Climate Agreement
President Donald Trump announced upon being sworn in Monday that for a second time, he will pull the United States out of the Paris climate accord.
-
January 17, 2025
Split 6th Circ. OKs FERC's Revocation Of Ohio Utility Grid Perk
A split Sixth Circuit panel Friday backed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's decision to revoke an incentive for power companies that are required to be members of a regional transmission organization, ruling that federal law requires that utilities voluntarily participate in an RTO to receive the incentive.
-
January 17, 2025
Red States Challenge DOE Rule On Gas Heater Efficiency
Several red states and industry groups are challenging the Biden administration in its waning days over a final rule the U.S. Department of Energy has issued on making certain natural gas water heaters more energy efficient, asking the Eleventh Circuit to toss the rule in a petition for review filed Friday.
-
January 17, 2025
NHTSA Defends Fuel-Economy Regulations In 6th Circ.
The U.S. Department of Transportation told the Sixth Circuit on Friday that its new fuel-economy standards are technologically feasible and properly account for a variety of alternative-fuel vehicles, rejecting claims from Republican-led states and fuel industry groups that the stringent standards amount to an unlawful electric vehicles mandate.
-
January 17, 2025
9th Circ. Backs Vacating Some Trump-Era Oil And Gas Leases
A split Ninth Circuit ruled Friday that an Idaho federal court, but not a Montana federal court, abused its discretion in striking down oil and gas leases sold during the Trump administration, but halted "surface-disturbing activity" while the federal government reconsiders the leasing decisions.
-
January 17, 2025
NM Justices Reject Utility Challenges To Solar Rule
New Mexico's top court issued a slip opinion explaining its decision to back a community solar rule enacted by state regulators and to reject arguments by an Xcel Energy unit and other utilities claiming the rule ran afoul of a Community Solar Act passed by lawmakers.
-
January 17, 2025
Red States And Oil Groups Attack Biden's Coastal Drilling Ban
Louisiana-led states and fossil fuel groups are asking a federal judge in the Pelican State to scrap a pair of Biden administration memos that recently banned new oil and gas leasing across more than 625 million acres of federal waters.
-
January 17, 2025
DC Circ. Seems Of Split Mind On EPA Air Compliance Suit
The D.C. Circuit seemed split Friday on what to do about a Republican state-led appeal accusing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of stepping on their toes when issuing a rule that changed the deadline for submitting Clean Air Act compliance plans for power plants.
-
January 17, 2025
Texas-Led States Join Challenge To EPA Methane Tax
A coalition of Texas-led states has joined a slew of industry groups challenging a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule that imposes fees oil and gas companies must pay if their methane emissions exceed certain thresholds.
-
January 17, 2025
FirstEnergy Execs Hit With RICO Charges Over Bribe Scandal
Two former executives of FirstEnergy Corp. have been hit with federal racketeering charges over their alleged scheme to bribe Ohio House of Representatives members for a billion-dollar bailout that has drawn scrutiny from government agencies and led to long prison sentences for others involved in the scandal.
-
January 17, 2025
Sidley-Led Hennessy Capital's 7th SPAC Raises $175M
Blank-check company Hennessy Capital Investment Corp. VII began trading publicly on Friday after raising $175 million in its initial public offering, which will be used to merge with a company in the industrial technology or energy transition sectors.
-
January 17, 2025
GOP Reps. Look To End President's National Monument Power
Two Republican members of Congress have launched a bill seeking to strip the president's power to declare national monuments, saying the Antiquities Act of 1906 is in dire need of reform that would hand over that authority to Congress.
-
January 17, 2025
Colo. Judge Rejects Xcel's Bid To Move Wildfire Trial
A Colorado state judge has rejected Xcel Energy's bid to move a September trial over its alleged liability for a 2021 wildfire away from where the fire took place, finding the utility company failed to show six fair jurors can't be found in a county of more than 300,000 people.
-
January 17, 2025
US Steel Can't Quicken Probe Into Alleged Merger Plot
U.S. Steel won't get an expedited look into communications between rival Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and the United Steelworkers to look for evidence of an alleged conspiracy to sabotage its $14.9 billion merger with Japan's Nippon Steel Corp., after a Pittsburgh federal judge deemed the request "premature" on Friday.
-
January 17, 2025
Energy Co. To Pay $19M SEC Fine Over Ohio Bribery Scandal
American Electric Power Inc. on Friday agreed to pay $19 million to resolve claims from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that the utility company violated federal securities laws in connection with a bribery scandal embroiling the Ohio Legislature.
-
January 17, 2025
DC Circ. Sends LNG-By-Rail Rule Back To Drawing Board
The D.C. Circuit on Friday wiped out a Trump-era rule allowing liquefied natural gas to be transported by rail and said any replacement rule must contain an extensive environmental review given the catastrophic risks of an accident or spill.
-
January 17, 2025
Mich. Local Power Rule Needs Stricter Scrutiny, 6th Circ. Says
A split Sixth Circuit panel said a requirement for Michigan electricity suppliers to source some of their power locally may be unconstitutional and must be reviewed again by a lower court because it disadvantages out-of-state energy producers.
-
January 17, 2025
PE-Backed M&A Values, Megadeals Surged In 2024
Private equity-backed merger and acquisition values jumped nearly 25% year-over-year in 2024, while PE-backed megadeals valued above $5 billion more than doubled, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence.
-
January 17, 2025
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London
This past week in London has seen the family of the late chairman of Leicester City FC sue a helicopter manufacturer for £2.15 billion ($2.63 billion), Vivienne Westwood bring a copyright claim against the late designer's foundation and blockchain giant Tether file a new claim in its ongoing dispute with crypto trading firm Swan Bitcoin. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
-
January 16, 2025
US Could Soon Find Itself On Wrong End Of Energy Disputes
America's energy landscape has been marked in recent years by the Biden administration's enthusiastic support of renewable energy projects, but international disputes experts are predicting that the incoming Trump administration's promise to derail such projects could land the U.S. in legal hot water.
-
January 16, 2025
Nicaragua Co. In Solar Row Asks Texas Justices For New Trial
A Nicaragua company tapped to build a solar park in that country asked the Texas Supreme Court to wade into its long-running dispute with companies that allegedly conspired to sell it tens of thousands of counterfeit solar panels.
-
January 16, 2025
Trump's DOT Pick Says Air Safety, New Tech Big Priorities
President-elect Donald Trump's would-be transportation secretary pledged to oversee a leaner and more efficient U.S. Department of Transportation focused on expediting project permitting, prioritizing mega infrastructure projects, and ensuring that Boeing and aviation safety gets "back on track."
-
January 16, 2025
Quarry, Conn. Town Eye Settlement In $9.5M Shutdown Feud
The town of East Haven, Connecticut, and a quarry owner are in settlement talks to end both a lawsuit and an appeal of the owner's $10.6 million bench trial win on claims he was forced to shut down operations for improper political reasons, a federal district court filing indicates.
-
January 16, 2025
Mining Co. Can Intervene In Nevada Lithium Project Suit
A Nevada federal judge is allowing the owner and developer behind the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Mine to intervene in a dispute over the U.S. Department of the Interior's authorization of the project, saying the company satisfies all intervention requirements.
-
January 16, 2025
Chancery Nixes More Docs For Exxon-Pioneer Merger Suit
Ruling that "any further intrusions are unwarranted," Delaware's Court of Chancery on Thursday rejected a Pioneer Natural Resources stockholder bid for additional emails and text messages between the company's former CEO and Exxon Mobil Corp.'s top executive related to the two company's $60 billion merger.
Expert Analysis
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
What FARA Enforcement In 2024 Reveals For The Year Ahead
A number of developments, from indictments to legislation, shaped the Foreign Agents Registration Act enforcement landscape last year, and following the U.S. Department of Justice's recently released long-awaited proposed amendments to the law, 2025 shows no signs of slowing down, says Tessa Capeloto at Wiley.
-
Exploring Venue Strategy For Trump-Era Regulatory Litigation
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.
-
Lessons Learned From 2024's Top FMLA Decisions
Last year's major litigation related to the Family and Medical Leave Act underscores why it is critical for employers to understand the basics of when leave and accommodations are required, say attorneys at Dechert.
-
Series
Playing Esports Makes Me A Better Lawyer
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.
-
Expect Continued Momentum For Nuclear Power In 2025
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
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.