Environmental

  • February 13, 2025

    Orrick Hires Former Head Of A&O's Restructuring Practice

    The former head of Allen & Overy's U.S. restructuring practice prior to A&O's transatlantic merger with Shearman & Sterling has joined Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP in New York.

  • February 12, 2025

    Republican Senators Float Ending EV Tax Credits

    Republican lawmakers in the Senate on Wednesday unveiled a bill that would end electric vehicle and charging station tax credits that they dubbed "reckless."

  • February 12, 2025

    Avangrid Unit's Counterclaim Cut From Plant Cleanup Fight

    The United Illuminating Co. cannot assert a counterclaim against the commissioner of Connecticut's energy regulator as they battle over the cleanup of the defunct and polluted English Station power plant in New Haven because the utility has not overcome the state's sovereign immunity, a state court has ruled.

  • February 12, 2025

    OCC Departs International Network Focused On Climate Risks

    The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on Tuesday became the latest U.S. government entity to withdraw from the Network of Central Banks and Supervisors for Greening the Financial System, an international consortium focused on the financial sector's responses and resilience to climate change.

  • February 12, 2025

    Paraquat Plaintiffs Urge 7th Circ. To Revive MDL Suits

    Four plaintiffs who were set for bellwether trials in multidistrict litigation targeting the herbicide paraquat argued Wednesday that the Seventh Circuit should unwind their summary judgment losses because the district court's ruling was based on "core misunderstandings" about their expert's evidentiary requirements.

  • February 12, 2025

    GOP Sens. Pitch $1K Tax On EVs To Boost Highway Fund

    Republican senators on Wednesday proposed legislation that would establish a $1,000 tax on all new electric vehicles to help bolster a federal fund that pays for highway, road, bridge and transit upgrades nationwide.

  • February 12, 2025

    USPTO Ends Fast Exams Of Patents Targeting Climate Change

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has suspended a program that sped up examination of patent applications for inventions that are intended to mitigate climate change, saying any future petitions to participate in the program will not be granted.

  • February 12, 2025

    RI Judge Won't Pause Order To Unfreeze Funds Amid Appeal

    A Rhode Island federal judge refused Wednesday to pause a court order blocking a freeze on funding for federal grants and programs while the Trump administration appeals the ruling to the First Circuit.

  • February 12, 2025

    5th Circ. OKs Drop Of Litigation Over Biden-Era GHG Rule

    The Fifth Circuit has signed off on the Trump administration's decision to cease litigation over a Biden-era rule that required states to set targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions tied to federally funded highway projects.

  • February 12, 2025

    Gore-Tex Maker Accused Of Greenwashing Waterproof Fabric

    W.L. Gore & Associates has been slapped with a proposed class action in Washington federal court accusing it of embarking on a "greenwashing" campaign by touting its Gore-Tex waterproof fabric as being environmentally sound, while concealing from customers it uses forever chemicals in manufacturing the material.

  • February 12, 2025

    Trump Nominates New EPA Air, Water, Legal Division Leaders

    President Donald Trump on Tuesday nominated new leaders for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's legal, air, water and financial offices, all of whom are veterans of his first term.

  • February 12, 2025

    Nippon-US Steel Redo Under Trump Could Be A Win-Win

    After President Donald Trump said he wants Japan's Nippon Steel to "invest" in U.S. Steel and not buy it outright as originally planned, experts say the steelmakers could still arrive at a win-win transaction if they are willing to go back to the drawing board.

  • February 12, 2025

    Dentons Adds Indianapolis Attorney To Energy Practice

    Dentons bolstered its energy practice in Indianapolis with the hire of Matthew Neumann, an attorney advising developers, investors and other parties on energy project development in Indiana and the Midwest.

  • February 12, 2025

    Trump Taps Wright Ally For Energy Dept. Post

    President Donald Trump on Tuesday submitted nominations for several key posts within the U.S. Department of Energy, including an official from Energy Secretary Chris Wright's former oilfield services company to lead the agency's renewable energy office.

  • February 12, 2025

    Davis Polk Guides Irish Sensor Co. On $2.3B Stateside Buy

    Davis Polk-led TE Connectivity PLC said Wednesday it has agreed to acquire Richards Manufacturing Co. from funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management LP and members of the Bier family, in an all-cash transaction valued at $2.3 billion.

  • February 12, 2025

    Power Generation Co. Going Public Via $770M SPAC Deal

    Energy solutions company e2Companies LLC, led by Haynes Boone, on Wednesday unveiled plans to go public via a merger with Vinson & Elkins LLP-advised special purpose acquisition company Nabors Energy Transition Corp. II in a deal that holds a pro forma enterprise value of $770 million for the combined company.

  • February 12, 2025

    NC Justices Weigh Blame For Errors In Insurance Application

    The North Carolina Supreme Court on Wednesday grappled with who is to blame for misstatements in an insurance application that was prepared by an agent but signed by the homeowner, with the agency arguing it was on the homeowner to catch those mistakes.

  • February 12, 2025

    Trump Taps Oil Advocate, Ex Wyo. Official For Interior Posts

    President Donald Trump on Tuesday nominated Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Western Energy Alliance, and Brian Nesvik, a former Wyoming Fish and Game head, to lead the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management and Fish and Wildlife Service.

  • February 12, 2025

    8 Ousted Inspectors General Sue Over Firings

    Eight inspectors general fired by President Donald Trump sued the administration Wednesday, asking a D.C. federal judge to declare their terminations "legal nullities" and to order their reinstatement.

  • February 11, 2025

    Trump Tells Agencies To Plan 'Large-Scale' Cuts With Musk

    President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday that directs agencies to prepare for "large-scale" cuts to the federal workforce and gives Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency the authority to approve the future hiring of career officials.

  • February 11, 2025

    Calif.'s Insurance Safety Net Gets $1B Infusion For Fire Claims

    California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has signed off on $1 billion in additional funding for California's FAIR Plan, the state's insurer of last resort, to ensure the plan can keep paying consumer claims to survivors of the Southern California wildfires, according to an order issued Tuesday.

  • February 11, 2025

    SoCal Edison Investors Sue Over LA Wildfire Mitigation Claims

    The parent company of Southern California Edison was hit with a putative shareholder class action on Tuesday that alleges the public utility company misled investors about implementing the power company's wildfire-mitigation measures in the lead-up to the Eaton and Hurst fires that devastated an area north of Los Angeles.

  • February 11, 2025

    Kids Can't Save Reworked EPA Climate Suit, Judge Rules

    A California federal judge on Tuesday threw out, for good, children's amended allegations that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's climate policies violate their constitutional rights, ruling that they haven't shown that the alleged harms they've suffered in the midst of climate change can be traced to the policies.

  • February 11, 2025

    Billionaire Ira Rennert Says Justices Must Resolve Peru Fight

    A mining company controlled by billionaire Ira Rennert has repeated its bid for the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve whether the Eighth Circuit mistakenly denied dismissal of claims by more than 1,000 Peruvians over alleged pollution, saying the circuit court's opinion "distorted" international comity.

  • February 11, 2025

    Justices Ponder If Colo. Climate Case Would Open Floodgates

    Colorado justices on Tuesday asked a city and county seeking damages against ExxonMobil and Suncor over the local impacts of climate change why such suits don't amount to an attempt to regulate the oil and gas industry, with one justice saying he has "practical concerns" about more municipalities bringing novel climate tort claims.

Expert Analysis

  • State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape

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    Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.

  • Review Shipping Terms In Light Of These 3 Global Challenges

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    Given tensions in the Middle East, labor unrest at U.S. ports and the ongoing consequences of climate change, parties involved in maritime shipping must understand the relevant contract provisions and laws that may be implicated during supply chain disruptions in order to mitigate risks, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Cos. Face Increasing Risk From Environmental Citizen Suits

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    Environmental citizen suits stepping in to fill the regulatory vacuum concerning consumer goods waste may soon become more common, and the evolving procedural landscape and changes to environmental law may contribute to companies' increased exposure, say J. Michael Showalter and Bradley Rochlen at ArentFox Schiff.

  • How BIS' Rule Seeks To Encourage More Voluntary Disclosure

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    Updated incentives, penalties and enforcement resources in the Bureau of Industry and Security's recently published final rule revising the Export Administration Regulations should help companies decide how to implement export control compliance programs and whether to disclose possible violations, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • 8 Childhood Lessons That Can Help You Be A Better Attorney

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    A new school year is underway, marking a fitting time for attorneys to reflect on some fundamental life lessons from early childhood that offer a framework for problems that no legal textbook can solve, say Chris Gismondi and Chris Campbell at DLA Piper.

  • Navigating Complex Regulatory Terrain Amid State AG Races

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    This year's 10 attorney general elections could usher in a wave of new enforcement priorities and regulatory uncertainty, but companies can stay ahead of the shifts by building strong relationships with AG offices, participating in industry coalitions and more, say Ketan Bhirud and Dustin McDaniel at Cozen O’Connor.

  • How The 2025 Tax Policy Debate Will Affect The Energy Sector

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    Regardless of the outcome of the upcoming U.S. election, 2025 will bring a major tax policy debate that could affect the energy sector more than any other part of the economy — so stakeholders who could be affected should be engaging now to make sure they understand the stakes, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • Sublimit And Policy Interpretation Lessons From Amtrak Case

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    The recently settled dispute between Amtrak and its insurers over sublimit coverage illustrates that parties with unclear manuscript policies may wish to avoid litigation in favor of settlement — as the New York federal court declined to decide the case by applying prior term interpretations, says Laura Maletta at Chartwell Law.

  • 3rd Circ. Hertz Ruling Highlights Flawed Bankruptcy Theory

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    The Third Circuit, in its recent Hertz bankruptcy decision, became the latest appeals court to hold that noteholders were entitled to interest before shareholders under the absolute priority rule, but risked going astray by invoking the flawed theory of code impairment, say Matthew McGill and David Casazza at Gibson Dunn.

  • Opinion

    This Election, We Need To Talk About Court Process

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    In recent decades, the U.S. Supreme Court has markedly transformed judicial processes — from summary judgment standards to notice pleadings — which has, in turn, affected individuals’ substantive rights, and we need to consider how the upcoming presidential election may continue this pattern, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • The Complex Challenges Facing Sustainable Food Packaging

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    More and more states are requiring recycled content to be used in product packaging, creating complex technological and regulatory considerations for manufacturers who must also comply with federal food safety requirements, say Peter Coneski and Natalie Rainer at K&L Gates.

  • Int'l Agreements Are Key For Safe Nuclear Waste Disposal

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    By replacing fossil fuels, nuclear energy has the potential to offer a major contribution to the global fight against climate change — but ensuring that nuclear power is safe and sustainable will require binding, multinational agreements for safe nuclear waste disposal, say Ryan Schermerhorn and Christopher Zahn at Marshall Gerstein.

  • Series

    Playing Diplomacy Makes Us Better Lawyers

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    Similar to the practice of law, the rules of Diplomacy — a strategic board game set in pre-World War I Europe — are neither concise nor without ambiguity, and weekly gameplay with our colleagues has revealed the game's practical applications to our work as attorneys, say Jason Osborn and Ben Bevilacqua at Winston & Strawn.

  • How Multifamily Property Owners Can Plan For The EV Future

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    As the electric vehicle market expands, and federal and state incentives and mandates intended to promote EV use come into effect, owners and operators of multifamily residential properties should be prepared to meet the growing demand for onsite EV charging infrastructure, say Sydney Tucker and Andreas Wokutch at Frost Brown.

  • New Law May Move Calif. Toward Fashion Sustainability

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    California’s recently signed Responsible Textile Recovery Act seeks to increase sustainability innovation in the fashion industry, but it could also create compliance hurdles for brands, especially smaller fashion houses that do not have ample resources, say Warren Koshofer and Maggie Franz at Michelman & Robinson.

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