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Environmental
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January 29, 2025
Orrick Adds Bradley Arant Energy Regulatory Pro In DC
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP has grown its energy capabilities in the nation's capital with the addition of an attorney from Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP.
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January 29, 2025
Tribal Leaders Call Funding Freeze A 'Step In Wrong Direction'
Native American nonprofit groups and tribal leaders are weighing the effects of the Trump administration's possible federal funding freeze, calling the president's directive, which was revoked on Wednesday, shocking and vowing to bring legal action if necessary to protect Indian Country and the nation's Indigenous citizens.
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January 29, 2025
$7.8B ChampionX Deal Gets Added Scrutiny Across The Pond
SLB's path to closing its proposed $7.8 billion acquisition of ChampionX got a little trickier Wednesday as the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority launched a formal investigation into a deal that is also under the scrutiny of U.S. regulators.
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January 29, 2025
White House Rescinds Trump's Spending Freeze
The White House on Wednesday rescinded a directive freezing federal funding, saying it wants to end litigation and confusion, but said the move will not end a review of spending to ensure compliance with a series of executive orders by the president.
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January 28, 2025
Trump Tells Federal Workers They're Welcome To Resign
The Trump administration on Tuesday emailed about 2 million federal employees offering them the option to resign but continue to be paid to the end of September, in an effort to implement a campaign promise to drastically cut the federal workforce and only keep employees who are "loyal" and "trustworthy."
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January 28, 2025
Norfolk Southern Cuts $22M Derailment Deal With Ohio Village
Norfolk Southern Corp. has reached a $22 million settlement with East Palestine, Ohio, to resolve claims over the 2023 train derailment and chemical spill near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, according to a joint statement published on the village's website Monday.
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January 28, 2025
Energy Co. Seeks Abeyance In Dakota Access Pipeline Row
The operator of the Dakota Access Pipeline has asked the D.C. federal district court to suspend a South Dakota tribe's suit to shut down the pipeline's use until the court first rules on the tribe and federal government's competing motions for summary judgment.
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January 28, 2025
FCC Scraps Reg Plan For Cell Tower Enviro Reviews
The Federal Communications Commission's new Republican chief said Tuesday the agency was dropping a plan launched during the Biden administration to more rigorously vet cell tower building projects for environmental impacts.
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January 28, 2025
SoCal Edison Faces More Suits Over Eaton Blaze
At least two more lawsuits were filed in California state court against Southern California Edison, alleging the investor-owned public utility is responsible for sparking the devastating Eaton Fire that began Jan. 7 and destroyed most of Altadena, California, killing at least 17 people.
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January 28, 2025
New FERC Chair Backs Status Quo For Gas Project Reviews
Newly minted Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Mark Christie told Law360 in an exclusive interview that he sees no reason to change the approval process for gas infrastructure projects despite recent court rulings that have dinged FERC for legally inadequate reviews.
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January 28, 2025
Feds, Enviro Orgs. Look To Sink Farm's 'Swampbuster' Challenge
The federal government and environmental groups have asked an Iowa federal court to reject a farm owner's effort to overturn the "Swampbuster" conservation law that aims to protect wetlands in agricultural areas.
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January 28, 2025
NJ Targets MTA's Changes In Revised Congestion-Pricing Suit
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy plans to target New York City's public transit agency and the altered toll amounts in the state's renewed legal challenge to congestion pricing, according to a proposed amended complaint.
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January 28, 2025
Ariz. Judge Rejects Monument Challenge Due To Mining Ban
A federal district court judge dismissed the Arizona State Legislature's challenge to former President Joe Biden's proclamation that established an Indigenous site in the Grand Canyon region as a national monument, saying the lawmakers failed to show how the order would harm the state's mining revenue-related interests.
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January 28, 2025
Senate Confirms Sean Duffy As DOT Secretary
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed former Wisconsin congressman Sean Duffy to be secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
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January 28, 2025
Cravath, Ropes & Gray Guide $2.4B Connecticut Water Deal
Ropes & Gray LLP and Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP are leading a $2.4 billion deal that will see public energy company Eversource Energy sell subsidiary Aquarion Water Co., a public water supply and wastewater treatment company, to a unit of the state of Connecticut.
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January 28, 2025
Environmental Group Of The Year: Baron & Budd
Baron & Budd PC's attorneys over the past year secured billions of dollars from some of the world's biggest chemical companies to help reduce U.S. residents' exposure to toxic forever chemicals, work that took years to complete and that earned the firm a spot as one of the 2024 Law360 Environmental Groups of the Year.
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January 28, 2025
Judge Temporarily Halts Trump's Funding Freeze
A D.C. federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked a Trump administration freeze on federal spending that was set to go into effect at 5 p.m., as a group of nearly two dozen attorneys general filed a separate case challenging what they described as an illegal and potentially catastrophic move.
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January 28, 2025
Calif. Bill Targets Oil Cos. For Climate Disaster Costs
A Democratic lawmaker in California has introduced a bill aimed at improving insurance affordability in the state by allowing insurers and victims of natural disasters to pursue action against oil and gas companies for their role in fueling the climate crisis.
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January 28, 2025
NY Battery Startup Hits Ch. 11 With $136M Debt, Sale Plans
Electric vehicle and renewable energy storage lithium-ion battery maker iM3NY filed for bankruptcy protection in Delaware, reporting around $136 million in debt after it wasn't able to drum up new funding for a battery production plant in New York.
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January 27, 2025
Anadarko Prevails In La. Kickback Defense Coverage Suit
An environmental remediation company should defend and indemnify Anadarko Petroleum Corp. in a decade-old Louisiana kickback lawsuit, a Texas federal court judge has ruled.
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January 27, 2025
SoCal Edison To Leave Power Off Amid Eaton Fire Litigation
Southern California Edison agreed Monday that it won't re-energize the power lines leading to the site of this month's deadly Eaton Fire for three more weeks, after plaintiffs' firm Edelson PC obtained a video that appears to show electrical sparks near the utility's equipment just before the fire began.
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January 27, 2025
Alaskan Co. Says Texas Firm Bungled Wash. Dam Scaffolding
An Alaska Native-owned corporation is claiming a Texas firm supplied faulty underwater scaffolding designs that allegedly caused a structural collapse at a Pacific Northwest dam, exposing one of the corporation's subsidiaries to a demand of more than $1.4 million from the project's lead contractor.
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January 27, 2025
Enbridge Urges Line 5 Judge To Stall For Trump Admin Talks
Enbridge Energy LP suggested Monday that a judge should "sit tight" rather than immediately rule on the merits of Michigan's lawsuit over its Line 5 pipeline to give the new U.S. presidential administration time to reach a resolution with Canada in the long-running dispute.
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January 27, 2025
Buddhist Group Wants Army Corps Everglades Plan Blocked
A Buddhist community asked a Florida federal court to block construction on an Everglades restoration water retention project, arguing its concerns that the project will make its adjacent religious retreat center unusable have fallen on deaf ears at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
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January 27, 2025
Drone Co., Media Biz And Tire-Maker Announce SPAC Mergers
Three overseas companies spanning industries from drones to fashion media and tire manufacturing announced plans on Monday to go public in the U.S. by merging with special purpose acquisition companies in deals projected to exceed $1.1 billion in value, guided by at least eight law firms.
Expert Analysis
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Hawaii Climate Insurance Case Is Good News For Energy Cos.
The Hawaii Supreme Court's recent ruling in a dispute between an oil company and its insurers, holding that reckless conduct in the context of activities that can cause climate harms is covered by liability policies, will likely be viewed by energy companies as a positive development, say attorneys at Fenchurch Law.
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Cos. Must Brace For New PFAS Regulations And Litigation
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed adding over 100 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances to the Toxic Release Inventory — and with increasing scrutiny of PFAS from the states and the plaintiffs bar as well, companies should take steps to reduce risks in this area, say attorneys at Dechert.
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Opinion
6 Changes I Would Make If I Ran A Law School
Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner identifies several key issues plaguing law schools and discusses potential solutions, such as opting out of the rankings game and mandating courses in basic writing skills.
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Implications Of NY Climate Case For Generating Facilities
Regardless of how Greenidge Generation LLC v. New York Department of Environmental Conservation develops on remand, this decision has immediate repercussions for generating facilities seeking permit applications and renewals in New York, likely involving Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act considerations, say attorneys at Hodgson Russ.
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Firms Still Have The Edge In Lateral Hiring, But Buyer Beware
Partner mobility data suggests that the third quarter of this year continued to be a buyer’s market, with the average candidate demanding less compensation for a larger book of business — but moving into the fourth quarter, firms should slow down their hiring process to minimize risks, say officers at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.
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Teaching Your Witness To Beat The Freeze/Appease Response
In addition to fight-or-flight, witnesses may experience the freeze/appease response at trial or deposition — where they become a deer in headlights, agreeing with opposing counsel’s questions and damaging their credibility in the process — but certain strategies can help, says Bill Kanasky at Courtroom Sciences.
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Think Like A Lawyer: 1 Type Of Case Complexity Stands Out
In contrast to some cases that appear complex due to voluminous evidence or esoteric subject matter, a different kind of complexity involves tangled legal and factual questions, each with a range of possible outcomes, which require a “sliding scale” approach instead of syllogistic reasoning, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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How Litigation, Supply Chains Buffeted Offshore Wind In 2024
U.S. offshore wind developers continue to face a range of challenges — including litigation brought by local communities and interest groups, ongoing supply chain issues, and a lack of interconnection and transmission infrastructure — in addition to uncertainty surrounding federal energy policy under the second Trump administration, say attorneys at Liskow & Lewis.
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What Bisphenol S Prop 65 Listing Will Mean For Industry
The imminent addition of bisphenol S — a chemical used in millions of products — to California's Proposition 65 list will have sweeping compliance and litigation implications for companies in the retail, food and beverage, paper, manufacturing and personal care product industries, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Note 3 Simple Types Of Legal Complexity
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.
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Permitting, Offtake Among Offshore Wind Challenges In 2024
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.
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Series
Gardening Makes Me A Better Lawyer
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.
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Litigation Inspiration: Reframing Document Review
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.
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The Fashion Industry Should Prep Now For State PFAS Bans
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.
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California Supreme Court's Year In Review
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.