Environmental

  • January 21, 2025

    Tax Court Slashes $33M Easement Deduction

    The U.S. Tax Court reduced a partnership's claimed $33 million tax deduction for a donation of a Georgia conservation easement Tuesday, saying the easement was only worth $4.7 million, partly because the partnership overestimated its development potential in a rural area.

  • January 21, 2025

    Bacon Giant Smithfields Leads 3 IPOs Primed To Exceed $1B

    Bacon maker Smithfields Foods Inc. led a trio of companies unveiling price ranges for initial public offerings Tuesday that could raise $1.3 billion combined over the next week, with 10 law firms guiding the IPOs in various capacities.

  • January 21, 2025

    Water Main Co. Will Pay $1M After Connecticut Fish Kill

    A water main cleaning company has waived indictment and admitted to a federal charge that it discharged a pollutant into a Connecticut brook while refurbishing a culvert pipe in 2019, causing the deaths of more than 150 fish, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

  • January 21, 2025

    NJ Unveils Plans To Retool Congestion-Pricing Fight

    Undeterred by the denial of its bid to temporarily halt New York City's controversial congestion toll pricing plan, the state of New Jersey has notified a federal judge that it plans to drop its Third Circuit appeal and pursue a new plan of attack in district court. 

  • January 21, 2025

    Ex-Chemical Biz Atty Drops Claims Against Bain Capital

    A former in-house attorney for chemicals company Arxada has agreed to remove Bain Capital as a defendant in her New Jersey state court suit alleging that she was unlawfully dismissed after she discussed taking leave to recover from a miscarriage.

  • January 21, 2025

    New SEC Task Force Eyes 'Sensible' Crypto Regulations

    A day after being appointed acting chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Mark T. Uyeda on Tuesday launched a cryptocurrency task force to develop "a comprehensive and clear regulatory framework" for such assets.

  • January 21, 2025

    FTC Gives Nod To Chevron's $53B Hess Buy, With Conditions

    The Federal Trade Commission has formally approved a consent order resolving antitrust concerns over Chevron Corp.'s planned $53 billion acquisition of Hess Corp., one that bars CEO John Hess from joining the combined company's board.

  • January 21, 2025

    Trump Elevates Mark Christie To FERC Chairmanship

    Republican Commissioner Mark Christie thanked President Donald Trump on Monday for appointing him to lead the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, while touting his own emphasis on addressing the "reliability crisis."

  • January 21, 2025

    Trump Orders Federal Workers Back To Office

    On his first day back in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump ordered federal workers back to theirs.

  • January 20, 2025

    On Day 1, Trump Begins Dismantling Biden's Enviro Legacy

    President Donald Trump signed a host of environmental executive orders shortly after taking office Monday, rolling back numerous Biden climate-related policies, including bans on Arctic drilling and the revocation of the Keystone XL Pipeline permit, while also nixing the federal government's net-zero emissions goals.

  • January 20, 2025

    Trump Ends Biden Moratorium That Limited LNG Exports

    President Donald Trump on Monday lifted former President Joe Biden's moratorium on approvals of liquefied natural gas exports to countries that don't have free-trade agreements with the U.S., fulfilling a promise he made repeatedly on the campaign trail.

  • January 17, 2025

    Law360 Names Practice Groups Of The Year

    Law360 would like to congratulate the winners of its Practice Groups of the Year awards for 2024, which honor the attorney teams behind litigation wins and significant transaction work that resonated throughout the legal industry this past year.

  • January 17, 2025

    Law360 Names Firms Of The Year

    Eight law firms have earned spots as Law360's Firms of the Year, with 54 Practice Group of the Year awards among them, steering some of the largest deals of 2024 and securing high-profile litigation wins, including at the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • January 20, 2025

    Trump, Musk Sued By Nonprofits Over DOGE Transparency

    Public Citizen and other nonprofits hit the Trump administration with multiple lawsuits seeking to shut down the new Department of Government Efficiency in D.C. federal court Monday, alleging the Elon Musk-led advisory committee targeting government waste lacks requisite transparency guardrails to prevent DOGE from solely advancing private interests.

  • 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

    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

    Green Groups Defend EPA's Drinking Water PFAS Rule

    Green groups on Friday asked the D.C. Circuit to uphold the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's rule setting the first-ever limits for forever chemicals in the nation's drinking water, which is being challenged by water utility associations and chemical industry players.

  • 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

    Tennessee, BlackRock Settle Suit Over ESG Goals

    Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced Friday that his office has dismissed its lawsuit accusing BlackRock of misleading customers about its environmental, social and corporate governance investment strategies, with the asset manager committing to certain transparency and compliance measures.

  • January 17, 2025

    Muscogee Look To Renew Alabama Burial Grounds Dispute

    The Muscogee (Creek) Nation is asking a federal district court for permission to file a new complaint in a dispute over a sacred Alabama burial ground site after the Eleventh Circuit last year allowed the tribe to reinstate its allegations.

Expert Analysis

  • Dissecting New Circuit Split Over SEC's Proxy Adviser Rule

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    The Sixth Circuit recently upheld the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's partial rescission of enhanced conflict-of-interest disclosure requirements for proxy voting advice businesses, creating a circuit split over broader questions concerning the standard for assessing the legality of agency actions in general, say attorneys at Cahill Gordon.

  • The Unfolding Potential of Green Hydrogen In Brazil

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    A new federal law in Brazil establishing a legal framework for hydrogen development is the country's latest step toward creating a favorable environment for green hydrogen production, but significant challenges — including high production costs, technological hurdles and a lack of infrastructure — remain, says David Andrew Taylor at Almeida Advogados.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Metadata

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    Several recent rulings reflect the competing considerations that arise when parties dispute the form of production for electronically stored information, underscoring that counsel must carefully consider how to produce and request reasonably usable data, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • A Shift In Control Of Congress May Doom These Enviro Regs

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    If the election leads to a change in control of Congress, lawmakers will likely use the lookback provision of the Congressional Review Act to challenge the Biden administration's late-term regulatory efforts — including recent initiatives on air pollutant source classification, lead pipe removal and hydrofluorocarbon emissions, say attorneys at Jones Walker.

  • Election Could Bring Change In Weather For Offshore Wind

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    Under another Trump administration, the offshore wind sector would encounter substantial headwinds, as Trump's policy track record emphasizes fossil fuel dominance and environmental rollbacks, while a Harris victory would likely further entrench the pro-renewable energy stance taken by the Biden administration, say attorneys at Jones Walker.

  • Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being

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    As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.

  • Empathy In Mediation Offers A Soft Landing For Disputes

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    Experiencing a crash-landing on a recent flight underscored to me how much difference empathy makes in times of crisis or stress, including during mediation, says Eydith Kaufman at Alternative Resolution Centers.

  • Series

    Being An Artist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My work as an artist has highlighted how using creativity and precision together — qualities that are equally essential in both art and law — not only improves outcomes, but also leads to more innovative and thoughtful work, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.

  • Consider The Impact Of Election Stress On Potential Jurors

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    For at least the next few months, potential jurors may be working through anger and distrust stemming from the presidential election, and trial attorneys will need to assess whether those jurors are able to leave their political concerns at the door, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.

  • How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources

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    Because courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence and other safeguards do not address the risk of hallucinations in secondary source materials, the judiciary should consider enlisting legal publishers and database hosts to protect against AI-generated inaccuracies, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

  • Calif. Ruling Offers Hope For Mitigated Negative Declarations

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    In Upland Community First v. City of Upland, a California appeals court upheld a warehouse development's mitigated negative declaration over its greenhouse gas emissions thresholds — a rare victory against this type of challenge providing reassurance that such declarations can be upheld, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Jarkesy May Short-Circuit FERC Enforcement Cases

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    As a result of the U.S. Supreme Court's June decision in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission recently suspended an enforcement proceeding under the Natural Gas Act — and the commission's customary use of administrative hearings in such proceedings could face major changes, say attorneys at Willkie.

  • How Attorneys Can Break Free From Career Enmeshment

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    Ambitious attorneys can sometimes experience career enmeshment — when your sense of self-worth becomes unhealthily tangled up in your legal vocation — but taking the time to discover and realign with your core personal values can help you recover your identity, says Janna Koretz at Azimuth Psychological.

  • Lawyers With Disabilities Are Seeking Equity, Not Pity

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    Attorneys living with disabilities face extra challenges — including the need for special accommodations, the fear of stigmatization and the risk of being tokenized — but if given equitable opportunities, they can still rise to the top of their field, says Kate Reder Sheikh, a former attorney and legal recruiter at Major Lindsey & Africa.

  • High Stakes In Justices' Review Of Clean Air Act Venue Fights

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    Disputes over the Clean Air Act's venue provision may seem arcane, but a forthcoming U.S. Supreme Court decision encompassing three cases will affect core principles of the separation of powers and constitutional due process in ways that could have significant consequences for the regulated community, say J. Michael Showalter and David Loring at ArentFox Schiff.

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