Environmental

  • January 22, 2025

    Former Pioneer CEO Sues FTC Over Exxon Board Block

    The former CEO of Pioneer Natural Resources, Scott Sheffield, accused the Federal Trade Commission of violating his constitutional rights by barring him from serving on Exxon Mobil Corp.'s board when the agency cleared a $60 billion merger between Exxon and Pioneer.

  • January 22, 2025

    Justices Urged To Affirm Texas Nuke Waste Site Ruling

    Several states, Texas politicians and landowner groups threw their support behind the Lone Star State's fight against a temporary nuclear waste storage facility, telling the U.S. Supreme Court the federal government doesn't have the power to authorize the site.

  • January 22, 2025

    Investor Alleges Utility Put Profits Above Storm Preparation

    CenterPoint Energy Inc.'s board of directors was hit with a lawsuit Wednesday from a shareholder who alleges the company's handling of Hurricane Beryl revealed it engaged in "financial engineering" designed to boost profits over operational efficiency.

  • January 22, 2025

    Space Explorer Voyager Technologies Confidentially Files IPO

    Defense and space exploration company Voyager Technologies Inc. said Wednesday it has confidentially filed plans for an initial public offering, marking the second company from the industry to join the IPO pipeline this week and potentially benefiting from increased government funding for space travel.

  • January 22, 2025

    'The Hills' Reality Stars Latest To Sue Over Palisades Fire

    "The Hills" reality TV show stars Spencer and Heidi Pratt are among the latest Palisades Fire victims to sue the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power alleging an empty local reservoir made it more difficult for first responders to put out the devastating blaze.

  • January 22, 2025

    8th Circ. Finds Monsanto PCB Case Can Stay In Federal Court

    The Eighth Circuit on Wednesday allowed General Electric Co. and others to keep in Missouri federal court a suit by Monsanto Co. seeking defense for suits against Monsanto over polychlorinated biphenyls, finding that the suit was removed to federal court on time.

  • January 22, 2025

    Full DC Circ. Stands By Wipeout Of FERC Pipeline Approvals

    The D.C. Circuit has rejected Williams Cos.' requests to reconsider a panel's decision scrapping Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approvals of a five-state expansion of the company's Transco pipeline system, despite more than a half-dozen amicus parties backing the rehearing requests.

  • January 22, 2025

    Navajo Nation Looks To Block Federal Mineral Leasing Ban

    The Navajo Nation has sued the U.S. Department of the Interior in a bid to block a Biden administration order withdrawing federal land from new mineral leasing and development near a national park in New Mexico, saying the ban would cause tribal allottees to suffer financial hardships.

  • January 22, 2025

    Army, SD Tribe Fight For Early Win In Dakota Access Row

    The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers are both asking for early wins in a challenge to shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline over alleged violations of federal environmental laws.

  • January 22, 2025

    White House Shutters DEI Offices, Puts Workers On Leave

    The U.S. Office of Personnel Management told federal agencies to close offices focused on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives by Wednesday evening and lay off staffers by Jan. 31, part of President Donald Trump's larger efforts to combat workplace diversity programs.

  • January 21, 2025

    What Gov't Contractors Must Know About Trump Exec Actions

    President Donald Trump's flood of executive orders following his inauguration included a number of measures targeted at or broadly affecting federal contractors, such as lifting Biden administration antidiscrimination and climate change-related requirements and restarting border wall construction.

  • January 21, 2025

    Navy, Tetra Tech Strike $97M Deal Over Navy Cleanup Work

    The U.S. Navy and a Tetra Tech unit have reached two settlements amounting to $97 million, resolving claims the subsidiary billed the Navy for radiation remediation services at a former Navy shipyard in San Francisco that it did not actually perform.

  • January 21, 2025

    EPA Defends Power Plant Effluent Rule At 8th Circ.

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is asking the Eighth Circuit to reject challenges to its rule setting new wastewater limitations for coal-fired power plants that have been lodged by green groups, Republican-led states, utilities and industry organizations.

  • January 21, 2025

    SoCal Edison Must Hand Over Data In Eaton Fire Suit

    A Los Angeles County judge ordered Southern California Edison Co. on Tuesday to produce data from its distribution circuits in the Altadena, California, neighborhood to a victim of the Eaton Fire, the first step in litigation over this month's deadly and destructive blaze.

  • January 21, 2025

    EPA Tells DC Circ. Its PFAS Superfund Rule Is On Solid Ground

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has claimed that it is perfectly within its authority to label two forever chemicals as "hazardous substances" under the federal Superfund law, urging the D.C. Circuit to toss an industry group's challenge to its designation powers.

  • January 21, 2025

    EPA Tells Justices That Air Pollution Cases Belong In DC Circ.

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is urging the nation's highest court to rule that most judicial challenges to its air pollution rules belong in the D.C. Circuit, while small petroleum refiners say other, regional circuit courts are proper venues.

  • January 21, 2025

    Trump EV Rollbacks Spell Regulatory Whiplash For Auto Cos.

    President Donald Trump's rollback of Biden administration policies intended to accelerate the U.S. auto industry's movement toward electric vehicles creates new uncertainties for a domestic EV supply chain that was already grappling with slowing consumer demand, experts say.

  • January 21, 2025

    Too Early For Liability In Pollution Suit, Sherwin-Williams Says

    Sherwin-Williams has urged a New Jersey court to reject the Garden State's bid to find it liable for natural resource damages at the site of one of its former paint manufacturing plants, arguing the state's motion is premature.

  • January 21, 2025

    Trump Moratorium Is An Ill Wind For Project Development

    President Donald Trump's sweeping directive to halt federal reviews and permitting of wind farms creates fresh uncertainty over whether many projects slated to be built can secure necessary approval and financing.

  • January 21, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Refuses To Restore Solar Cell Patent Claims

    An Indian industrial conglomerate failed on Tuesday to persuade Federal Circuit judges to breathe new life into a patent covering a way of assembling solar cells that it had asserted in Delaware federal court against a Korean rival.

  • January 21, 2025

    Texas Sues Biden Administration Over Offshore Drilling Ban

    Texas sued the Biden administration one last time during the administration's final hours, saying in a complaint Monday that orders banning oil and gas leasing in more than 625 million acres of federal waters run "afoul of the Constitution."

  • January 21, 2025

    Colo. Justices Say Elephants Don't Get Habeas Rights

    The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday said the state's habeas statute only gives humans the right to petition against unlawful detention, upholding the dismissal of a habeas petition filed on behalf of five elderly elephants at a zoo.

  • 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.

Expert Analysis

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Note 3 Simple Types Of Legal Complexity

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    Cases can appear complex for several reasons — due to the number of issues, the volume of factual and evidentiary sources, and the sophistication of those sources — but the same basic technique can help lawyers tame their arguments into a simple and persuasive message, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Permitting, Offtake Among Offshore Wind Challenges In 2024

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    Although federal offshore wind development started to pick up this year, many challenges to the industry became apparent as well — including slow federal permitting, the pitfalls of restarting permits after changes in project status, and the difficulties of negotiating economically viable offtake agreements, say attorneys at Liskow & Lewis.

  • Series

    Gardening Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Beyond its practical and therapeutic benefits, gardening has bolstered important attributes that also apply to my litigation practice, including persistence, patience, grit and authenticity, says Christopher Viceconte at Gibbons.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Reframing Document Review

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    For attorneys — new ones especially — there is much fulfillment to find in document review by reflecting on how important, interesting and pleasant it can be, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • The Fashion Industry Should Prep Now For State PFAS Bans

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    New York and California have each passed legislation regulating PFAS in apparel and other textiles, so retailers should consult with manufacturers and suppliers and obtain the requisite certification documents as soon as possible to avoid disruptions in supply chains, say attorneys at Venable.

  • California Supreme Court's Year In Review

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    Attorneys at Horvitz & Levy highlight notable decisions on major questions from the California Supreme Court's last term, including voter initiatives, hostile work environment and the economic loss rule.

  • DC Circ. Decision Opens Door To NEPA Regulation Litigation

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    A recent D.C. Circuit decision in Marin Audubon Society v. Federal Aviation Administration could open the door to more litigation over the White House Council on Environmental Quality's National Environmental Policy Act regulations, and could affect how many agencies conduct and interpret environmental assessments, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Service Providers Must Mitigate 'Secondary Target' Risks

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    A lawsuit recently filed in an Illinois federal court against marketing agency Publicis over its work for opioid manufacturers highlights an uptick in litigation against professional service providers hired by clients that engaged in alleged misconduct — so potential targets of such suits should be sure to conduct proper risk analysis and mitigation, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Opinion

    FTC Actions In Oil Cases Go Against Its Own Rulemaking

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    Two recent Federal Trade Commission actions concerning the oil and gas industry appear to defy its own merger guidelines, with allegations that fall far short of the commission's own standard — raising serious questions about the agency's current approach, say attorneys at Clifford Chance.

  • How Global Data Center Regs May Influence US Policies

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    As regulators around the world react to the growth of data centers, and their increasing consumption of energy, water and land, international policies in this area may influence how the incoming U.S. administration regulates data centers in this country, say attorneys at HWG.

  • Series

    Flying Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Achieving my childhood dream of flying airplanes made me a better lawyer — and a better person — because it taught me I can conquer difficult goals when I leave my comfort zone, focus on the demands of the moment and commit to honing my skills, says Ivy Cadle at Baker Donelson.

  • Post-Election Implications For The EPA's Methane Rules

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    Amid the U.S. Supreme Court's recent denial of requests to halt implementation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's methane rule in two suits, and given the outcome of the election, a complete reversal of the methane rule is expected, but state-level policymaking and enforcement will continue, says John Watson at Spencer Fane.

  • Series

    Circus Arts Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Performing circus arts has strengthened my ability to be more thoughtful, confident and grounded, all of which has enhanced my legal practice and allowed me to serve clients in a more meaningful way, says Bailey McGowan at Stinson.

  • 3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less

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    Today’s junior lawyers are experiencing a skills gap due to pandemic-era disruptions, but firms can help bring them up to speed by offering high-impact skill building content in bite-sized, interactive training sessions, say Stacey Schwartz at Katten, Diane Costigan at Winston & Strawn and Lauren Tierney at Freshfields.

  • 8 Tech Tips For Stress-Free Remote Depositions

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    Court reporter Kelly D’Amico shares practical strategies for attorneys to conduct remote depositions with ease and troubleshoot any issues that arise, as it seems deposition-by-Zoom is here to stay after the pandemic.

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