Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Energy
-
December 19, 2024
Mining Co. Wants Out Of Investor Suit Over Turkey Landslide
Colorado-based SSR Mining Inc. has asked a federal judge to drop a shareholder lawsuit alleging the company understated the likelihood of a deadly February landslide at its Turkish mine, arguing that the company sufficiently warned the public of potential catastrophes and that its executives had no knowledge of deficiencies at the mine.
-
December 19, 2024
$1.1B Diablo Canyon Award Challenge Meets Skeptical Judge
A California federal judge appeared skeptical Thursday that an environmental group has standing to challenge the U.S. Department of Energy's award of $1.1 billion to help Pacific Gas & Electric Co. continue operating the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant.
-
December 19, 2024
Feds Could Pay $1.1M To Settle WWII Refinery Waste Fight
A Valero Energy Corp. unit is asking a Michigan federal judge to sign off on a deal that would have the U.S. government pay it $1.1 million for cleanup costs allegedly stemming from the government's wartime operations at a refinery in Houston.
-
December 19, 2024
$1.2B Sought From Phillips 66 After $605M Trade Secrets Win
A retailer of low-carbon fuels has asked a California state court to add $1.2 billion to a $604.9 million trade secrets verdict against Phillips 66, arguing that the jury's conclusion that Phillips 66's misappropriation of confidential information was willful and malicious merits exemplary damages.
-
December 19, 2024
Graphite Cos. Seek Up To 920% Tariffs On Chinese Products
A group of graphite producers is asking the federal government to impose tariffs as high as 920% on Chinese rivals to hamper that country's alleged tactics of producing and exporting natural and synthetic graphite at low, unfair prices.
-
December 18, 2024
Solar Co. Wants Colo. Hemp Growers' $200M Suit Tossed
Energy company AES Corp. wants out of a $200 million lawsuit brought by Colorado hemp growers over broken irrigation lines, saying the farmers are "feign[ing] ignorance" in hopes of keeping the suit in Colorado federal court.
-
December 18, 2024
Texas Panel Reverses $22M Award In Gas Plant Contract Case
A Texas appeals court has affirmed a jury verdict finding that midstream company Arrow Field Services LLC stiffed its general contractor to the tune of $20 million, but it reversed a $22.4 million award in interest and legal fees based on a carveout for oil and gas projects.
-
December 18, 2024
Morrison Foerster Cites Tariffs As Key M&A Variable For 2025
International law firm Morrison Foerster LLP is among those citing President-elect Donald Trump's tariff plans as a key wild card that could affect mergers and acquisitions deal flow in 2025, a Wednesday report from the firm shows.
-
December 18, 2024
EY Accused Of Aiding Energy Firm's SPAC Fraud
Big Four accounting firm EY faces a suit alleging that its "unqualified" audit opinions for a United Arab Emirates-based oil storage leasing company enabled the company to defraud investors in its $1 billion 2019 merger with a special purpose acquisition company.
-
December 18, 2024
Ex-Fla Rep. Charged Again For Foreign Agent Violations
Former Florida Rep. David Rivera, who is battling an indictment in Miami over lobbying work for Venezuela, faces additional criminal charges in D.C. federal court, after a grand jury indicted him on charges he failed to register as a foreign agent when he lobbied on a Venezuelan businessman's behalf.
-
December 18, 2024
EPA Greenlights California's Race To 100% ZEVs By 2035
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday authorized California's plan to require that all new light cars and trucks sold in the state be zero-emission vehicles by 2035, a move that was instantly slammed by the fossil fuel industry.
-
December 18, 2024
Energy Co. Orsted Sells 50% Solar Farm Stake In $572M Deal
Danish multinational energy company Orsted, advised by Sidley Austin LLP, on Wednesday announced plans to sell a 50% equity stake in three U.S. onshore projects to energy transition-focused investor Energy Capital Partners in a $572 million deal.
-
December 18, 2024
Day Pitney Adds Another Energy Counsel In DC
A month after it hired an energy partner with some 30 years of experience, Day Pitney LLP again has bolstered its energy team by adding another veteran attorney who has worked with energy regulatory and transactional matters for more than two decades.
-
December 18, 2024
The Biggest 1st Circ. Rulings Of 2024
The nation's smallest federal circuit court in 2024 issued an opinion tackling the government of Mexico's efforts to hold U.S. firearms makers responsible for the flow of illegal arms across the southern border, determining the claims are not barred by a litigation shield, among other high-profile decisions.
-
December 18, 2024
Mont. High Court Cements Right To 'Stable Climate System'
The Montana Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that the state's constitution guarantees the right to "a stable climate system" and affirmed a lower court's decision to strike down state law provisions that barred the consideration of greenhouse gas emissions in permitting decisions.
-
December 18, 2024
Top Conn. Cases Of 2024: Kickbacks, Paybacks And Bribes
Judges and juries in Connecticut awarded several multimillion-dollar verdicts against companies big and small in 2024, socking Johnson & Johnson in a talc case in which the already substantial damages could multiply and ordering a pharmacy that paid kickbacks to cough up nearly four times the money it cost the state.
-
December 17, 2024
Del. Justices Won't Revive Investors' $2.4B EV SPAC Deal Suit
The Delaware Supreme Court has declined to reinstate a proposed class action in the state's Chancery Court that accused a blank-check company of withholding key information from investors ahead of its $2.4 billion go-public deal with electric-vehicle maker Canoo Holdings Ltd.
-
December 17, 2024
Red States Can Back Feds In Dakota Access Pipeline Row
A North Dakota federal judge said Tuesday that 13 Republican-led states can back the federal government in litigation brought by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe seeking to halt operations of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
-
December 17, 2024
Distributor Seeks OK Of $131M Venezuela Award
A Hong Kong goods distributor has kicked off litigation in Delaware looking to enforce a $131 million arbitral award against a subsidiary of Venezuela's state-owned oil company, stating in its petition that it wants to target the country's interest in the oil giant Citgo.
-
December 17, 2024
Insurer Can't Duck Coverage Of Fire Suit, Texas Jury Finds
A Texas federal jury rejected an insurer's bid to escape covering a trucking company in an underlying suit over a fire at a saltwater disposal facility that killed one of the company's employees, finding that the incident was not caused by the excluded act of hydrofracking.
-
December 17, 2024
DC Circ. Nixes Challenge To Union Vote At Transformer Co.
An electrical transformer manufacturer can't overturn the National Labor Relations Board's certification of a union with claims that agency officials botched the representation vote, the D.C. Circuit ruled Tuesday, saying the company's allegations about the length of the voting period lack merit.
-
December 17, 2024
Senate GOP Enviro Leader Questions EPA On Grant Funding
The leading Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee said Tuesday she's worried about the "potential for misuse" of the $30 billion in funding being doled out by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
-
December 17, 2024
Renewable Energy Investor Asks Court To OK €42M Award
A Luxembourg-based renewable energy investment firm on Tuesday urged a District of Columbia federal judge to confirm a €41.8 million ($43.9 million) arbitration award over Spain's abandoned energy economic incentives after the D.C. Circuit recently said such awards can be enforced.
-
December 17, 2024
Revised LNG Export Study Flags Gas Price And Climate Worries
The Biden administration on Tuesday said that unconstrained U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas would increase both domestic energy prices and cumulative greenhouse gas emissions, and retained a pause on export project reviews that President-elect Donald Trump is expected to lift upon taking office.
-
December 17, 2024
5th Circ. Tosses EPA Rule After Agency Loses Docs
The Fifth Circuit on Tuesday granted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's unusual request that the court vacate a challenged 2016 rule that partially disapproved regional haze plans created by Texas and Oklahoma and imposed a federal plan.
Expert Analysis
-
Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity
The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.
-
3 Areas Of Enforcement Risk Facing The EV Industry
Companies in the EV manufacturing ecosystem are experiencing a boom in business, but with this boom comes increased regulatory and enforcement risks, from the corruption issues that have historically pervaded the extractive sector to newer risks posed by artificial intelligence, say attorneys at MoFo.
-
Ambiguity Ruling Highlights Deference To Arbitral Process
A New York federal court’s recent ruling in Eletson v. Levona, which remanded an arbitral award for clarification, reflects that the ambiguity exception’s analysis is not static and may be applied even in cases where the award, when issued, was unambiguous, says arbitrator Myrna Barakat Friedman.
-
Keeping Up With Carbon Capture Policy In The US And EU
Recent regulatory moves from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the European Commission in the carbon capture, sequestration and storage space are likely to further encourage the owners and operators of fossil fuel-fired power plants to make decisions on shutdowns or reconfiguration to meet the expanding requirements, say Inosi Nyatta and Silvia Brünjes at Sullivan & Cromwell.
-
New State Climate Liability Laws: What Companies Must Know
New legislation in Vermont and New York creating liability and compliance obligations for businesses deemed responsible for climate change — as well as similar bills proposed in California, Massachusetts and Maryland — have far-reaching implications for companies, so it is vital to remain vigilant as these initiatives progress, say Gregory Berlin and Jeffrey Dintzer at Alston & Bird.
-
EU Investor-State Dispute Transparency Rules: Key Points
The European Union's recent vote to embrace greater transparency for investor-state arbitration will make managing newly public information more complex for all parties in a dispute — so it is important for stakeholders to understand the risks and opportunities involved, say Philip Hall, Tara Flores and Charles McKeon at Thorndon Partners.
-
Despite Calif. Delays, Climate Disclosure Rules Are Coming
Progress continues on state, federal and international climate disclosure regimes, making compliance a key concern for companies — but the timeline for implementation of California's disclosure laws remains unclear due to funding and timing disputes, says David Smith at Manatt Phelps.
-
Decoding Arbitral Disputes: Intra-EU Enforcement Trends
Hungary recently declared a distinct stance on the European Court of Justice's 2021 ruling in Moldavia v. Komstroy on intra-EU arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty, highlighting a critical divergence in the bloc on enforcing investment awards and the complexities of balancing regional uniformity with international obligations, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.
-
Opinion
Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism
As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.
-
What Happens After Hawaii Kids' Historic Climate Deal
Implications of the Hawaii Department of Transportation's first-of-its-kind settlement with youth plaintiffs over constitutional climate claims may be limited, but it could incite similar claims, says J. Michael Showalter and Robert Middleton at ArentFox Schiff.
-
Series
Serving In The National Guard Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My ongoing military experience as a judge advocate general in the National Guard has shaped me as a person and a lawyer, teaching me the importance of embracing confidence, balance and teamwork in both my Army and civilian roles, says Danielle Aymond at Baker Donelson.
-
Big Business May Come To Rue The Post-Administrative State
Many have framed the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions overturning Chevron deference and extending the window to challenge regulations as big wins for big business, but sand in the gears of agency rulemaking may be a double-edged sword, creating prolonged uncertainty that impedes businesses’ ability to plan for the future, says Todd Baker at Columbia University.
-
A Midyear Forecast: Tailwinds Expected For Atty Hourly Rates
Hourly rates for partners, associates and support staff continued to rise in the first half of this year, and this growth shows no signs of slowing for the rest of 2024 and into next year, driven in part by the return of mergers and acquisitions and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, says Chuck Chandler at Valeo Partners.
-
Series
After Chevron: 7 FERC Takeaways From Loper Bright
Following the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of the Chevron doctrine, it's likely that the majority of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's orders will not be affected, but the commission has nonetheless lost an important fallback argument and will have to approach rulemaking more cautiously, says Norman Bay at Willkie Farr.
-
California Adds A Novel Twist To State Suits Against Big Oil
California’s suit against Exxon Mobil Corp., one of several state suits that seek to hold oil and gas companies accountable for climate-related harms, is unique both in the magnitude of the alleged claims and its use of a consumer protection statute to seek disgorgement of industry profits, says Julia Stein at UCLA School of Law.