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Environmental
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October 08, 2024
Contractors Tell 5th Circ. They Belong In Border Wall Suit
Border wall construction firms urged the Fifth Circuit to insert them into Texas' suit challenging the Biden administration's border wall spending plan, saying they were barred from the case even though it threatens their financial rights under their old contracts.
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October 08, 2024
EPA Sets 10-Year Target For Lead Drinking-Water Pipe Fixes
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday finalized a rule that requires all lead drinking water pipes in the country to be replaced within the next 10 years to protect the public from the "significant and irreversible" health effects tied to exposure to lead in drinking water.
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October 07, 2024
Black La. Residents Urge Overhaul On Discriminatory Land Use
A Fifth Circuit judge asked attorneys for a Louisiana parish Monday whether they believe local government officials could continue racial discrimination for "eternity" because an allegedly discriminatory land-use plan was passed a decade ago without widespread concern.
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October 07, 2024
Factory Mutual Must Fully Cover Plant Explosions, Suit Says
Petrochemicals maker Indorama Ventures accused Factory Mutual Insurance Co. in Texas federal court Monday of wrongly refusing to fully cover roughly $100 million in losses stemming from a series of major explosions in 2019 near an Indorama plant in Texas.
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October 07, 2024
Texas Tells Panel It Had Three Months To Meet EPA Standards
A Fifth Circuit panel questioned whether the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's determination that the Lone Star State was violating air quality standards merited review yet, asking if the state could petition before the agency meted out sanctions for the alleged violations during oral arguments Monday.
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October 07, 2024
Valero, Port Cos. To Pay $2.4M To End Bay Area Pollution Suit
Valero and three port companies will pay nearly $2.4 million to resolve a nonprofit's lawsuit accusing the defendants of illegally dumping petroleum coke into the water without proper permits, in violation of the Clean Water Act, according to a consent decree signed by a California federal judge on Monday.
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October 07, 2024
No Firm Schedule For New LNG Rule, Feds Tell DC Circ.
The Biden administration has told the D.C. Circuit that it has no "firm schedule" for revising a rule allowing liquefied natural gas to be transported by rail, information the court asked for in litigation filed by environmental groups opposed to the regulations.
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October 07, 2024
Split DC Circ. Says FERC Can Require Power Plant Upgrade
Federal energy regulators were right to require NextEra Energy to upgrade its New Hampshire nuclear power plant's circuit breaker to accommodate a new transmission line being developed by Avangrid Inc., a split D.C. Circuit panel has ruled.
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October 07, 2024
3M Facing PFAS Headwinds In Vermont, NJ And Ohio Cases
3M Co., which is facing forever chemical lawsuits across the country, is dealing with pushback from Vermont, which is fighting 3M's effort to take its state court case into federal court, and from plaintiffs in Ohio and New Jersey, who have kept their litigation out of a sprawling multidistrict litigation.
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October 07, 2024
Treasury Proposes Exempting Tribal Cos. From Income Tax
Tribal-owned businesses would not be subject to federal income tax under proposed regulations released Monday by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, a move that would also allow such entities to be eligible to receive direct cash payments in lieu of clean energy tax credits.
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October 07, 2024
Stormwater Fees Not Illegal Tax, Mich. Appellate Panel Finds
Stormwater drainage charges in Ann Arbor constitute a lawful fee and not an illegal tax, the Michigan Appeals Court ruled, saying the charges did not require voter approval as demanded under the state constitution for increased local tax rates.
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October 07, 2024
11th Circ. Balks At Ex-Braves' $47M Easement Case
Former Atlanta Braves players John Smoltz and Ryan Klesko, challenging a U.S. Tax Court ruling that slashed the value of a conservation easement deduction by 90%, won't have their appeal heard by the Eleventh Circuit after the court said Monday the duo had jumped the gun on challenging the decision before it was made final.
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October 07, 2024
State Courts Splitting Over Future Of Climate Change Suits
Recent decisions on whether climate change suits brought by state and local governments against fossil fuel companies can go forward are exposing splits between state courts over whether they can impose liability for pollution that originates beyond their borders, legal experts say.
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October 07, 2024
Chevron Nets $6.5B In Sale Of Canadian Oil Assets
Chevron Canada Ltd. said Monday it has agreed to sell off its stakes in the Athabasca Oil Sands Project and the Duvernay shale to Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. for $6.5 billion.
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October 07, 2024
Justices Seek SG Input On Red State Bid To End Climate Torts
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday asked the U.S. Solicitor General to weigh in on a request by red states to nix climate change torts brought by blue state governments against fossil fuel companies, signaling its growing interest in the future of such cases.
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October 07, 2024
Justices Won't Referee Fight Over FERC Power Rule Deadlock
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review a rule change allowing the country's largest regional grid operator to stop requiring state-backed renewable energy sources to meet a certain price floor in electricity capacity auctions following a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission stalemate on its approval.
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October 04, 2024
Top 5 Supreme Court Cases To Watch This Fall
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear several cases in its October 2024 term that could further refine the new administrative law landscape, establish constitutional rights to gender-affirming care for transgender minors and affect how the federal government regulates water, air and weapons. Here, Law360 looks at five of the most important cases on the Supreme Court's docket so far.
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October 04, 2024
Arnold & Itkin's Zeta DQ Bid 'Disappointing,' Ex-Clerk Testifies
A Harris County judge began mulling Arnold & Itkin LLP's bid to disqualify Transocean's counsel from Hurricane Zeta litigation after a marathon hearing Friday that included testimony from a former Arnold & Itkin law clerk-turned-defense-lawyer who said she watched the contentious proceeding with "bitter amusement" and "disappointment."
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October 04, 2024
EPA Fights To Save Civil Rights Regs Outside Louisiana
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency asked a Louisiana federal judge to reject the state's effort to impose a nationwide ban on civil rights regulations focused on disparate impacts.
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October 04, 2024
Iowa Farmer Wants Court To Nix Federal 'Swampbuster' Law
A farmer pushed an Iowa federal court to overturn the "Swampbuster" part of a federal conservation program that aims to protect wetlands for public use, arguing that the law is unconstitutional.
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October 04, 2024
High Court Nuclear Case Could Be Admin Law Blockbuster
By agreeing to consider the federal government's authority to license temporary nuclear waste storage facilities, the U.S. Supreme Court can ease the uncertainty facing a resurgent U.S. nuclear industry as well as clarify limits it's recently placed on federal agency power, experts say.
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October 04, 2024
Energy Cos. Say Toshiba Unit Can't Use Parent's Jury Waiver
Michigan's largest energy companies said a jury should hear their claims that a Toshiba subsidiary botched a $500 million job to renovate their jointly owned power plant, saying a jury trial waiver in an agreement with the parent company doesn't apply to the unit that did the work.
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October 04, 2024
EPA Finalizes Stronger Pesticide Rules For Farmworker Safety
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized a rule strengthening protections for agricultural workers who could be exposed to pesticides, standards that had been weakened by the Trump administration.
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October 04, 2024
Enviro Group Drops EPA Fight Over Colo. Refinery Permit
The Center for Biological Diversity agreed to end its Tenth Circuit challenge to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's refusal to object to a series of state permit changes for a Denver-area oil refinery, according to a Friday court filing.
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October 04, 2024
DC Circ. Won't Pause EPA's Iron Plant Rule
A D.C. Circuit panel rejected bids by U.S. Steel Corp. and Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. to stay a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule setting emissions standards for their taconite iron ore processing facilities.
Expert Analysis
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Considering Possible PR Risks Of Certain Legal Tactics
Disney and American Airlines recently abandoned certain litigation tactics in two lawsuits after fierce public backlash, illustrating why corporate counsel should consider the reputational implications of any legal strategy and partner with their communications teams to preempt public relations concerns, says Chris Gidez at G7 Reputation Advisory.
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Integrating ESG Into Risk Management Programs
Amid increasing regulations and reporting requirements for corporate sustainability in the European Union and the U.S., companies might consider how to incorporate environmental, social and governance factors into more formalized risk management, say directors at Alvarez & Marsal.
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How Labeling And Testing May Help Reduce PFAS Litigation
As regulators take steps to reduce consumers’ exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as forever chemicals, companies can take a proactive approach to mitigating litigation risks not only by labeling their products transparently, but also by complying with testing and marketing standards, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.
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It's No Longer Enough For Firms To Be Trusted Advisers
Amid fierce competition for business, the transactional “trusted adviser” paradigm from which most firms operate is no longer sufficient — they should instead aim to become trusted partners with their most valuable clients, says Stuart Maister at Strategic Narrative.
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Avoid Getting Burned By Agencies' Solar Financing Spotlight
Recently coordinated reports and advisories from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission maximize the spotlight on the consumer solar financing market and highlight pitfalls for lenders to avoid in this burgeoning field, says Mercedes Tunstall at Cadwalader.
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'Greenhushing': Why Some Cos. Are Keeping Quiet On ESG
A wave of ESG-related litigation and regulations have led some companies to retreat altogether from any public statements about their ESG goals, a trend known as "greenhushing" that was at the center of a recent D.C. court decision involving Coca-Cola, say Gonzalo Mon and Katie Rogers at Kelley Drye.
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5 Credibility Lessons Trial Attys Can Learn From Harris' Run
In launching a late-stage campaign for president, Vice President Kamala Harris must seize upon fresh attention from voters to establish, or reestablish, credibility — a challenge that parallels and provides takeaways for trial attorneys, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.
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Missouri Injunction A Setback For State Anti-ESG Rules
A Missouri federal court’s recent order enjoining the state’s anti-ESG rules comes amid actions by state legislatures to revise or invalidate similar legislation imposing disclosure and consent requirements around environmental, social and governance investing, and could be a blueprint for future challenges, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.
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Nuclear Waste Storage Questions Justices May Soon Address
The petition for the U.S. Supreme Court to review U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission v. Texas stands out for a number of reasons — including a deepening circuit split regarding the NRC's nuclear waste storage authority under the Atomic Energy Act, and broader administrative law implications, say attorneys at MoloLamken.
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Series
After Chevron: Conservation Rule Already Faces Challenges
The Bureau of Land Management's interpretation of land "use" in its Conservation and Landscape Health Rule is contrary to the agency's past practice and other Federal Land Policy and Management Act provisions, leaving the rule exposed in four legal challenges that may carry greater force in the wake of Loper Bright, say Stacey Bosshardt and Stephanie Regenold at Perkins Coie.
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Opinion
Big Oil Climate Ruling Sets Dangerous Liability Precedent
The recent Maryland court dismissal of Baltimore's case seeking to hold BP responsible for climate damage mischaracterized the city's injuries as divorced from the conduct that caused them, and could allow companies that conceal the dangers of their products to escape liability, says Randall Abate at George Washington University Law School.
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Opinion
3rd. Circ. Got It Right On Cancer Warning Claims Preemption
The Third Circuit's recent, eminently sensible ruling in a failure-to-warn case against Roundup manufacturer Monsanto, holding that the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act preempts state law claims, provides a road map that other courts should adopt, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation.
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How Methods Are Evolving In Textualist Interpretations
Textualists at the U.S. Supreme Court are increasingly considering new methods such as corpus linguistics and surveys to evaluate what a statute's text communicates to an ordinary reader, while lower courts even mull large language models like ChatGPT as supplements, says Kevin Tobia at Georgetown Law.
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5 Ways To Confront Courtroom Technology Challenges
Recent cybersecurity incidents highlight the vulnerabilities of our reliance on digital infrastructure, meaning attorneys must be prepared to navigate technological obstacles inside the courtroom, including those related to data security, presentation hardware, video playback and more, says Adam Bloomberg at IMS Legal Strategies.
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ESA Ruling May Jeopardize Gulf Of Mexico Drilling Operations
A Maryland federal court's recent decision in Sierra Club v. National Marine Fisheries Service, vacating key Endangered Species Act analyses of oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico, may create a gap in guidance that could expose operators to enforcement risk and even criminal liability, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.