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Energy
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March 05, 2025
Union Says DOI Mischaracterized Ariz. Solar Project Site
A Laborers' International Union of North America local has urged an Arizona federal court to throw out the U.S. Department of the Interior's approval of a large-scale solar facility on public lands, saying the agency misstated the project site's baseline conditions.
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March 05, 2025
Trump EPA Nominees Grilled On Climate Change Views
President Donald Trump's pick to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's air office repeatedly told Democratic senators that humans must adapt to climate change, but declined to wade into policy specifics during a nomination hearing Wednesday.
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March 05, 2025
Judge Sides With Feds In Suit Over Illicit Gold Trade
A D.C. federal judge has upheld Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions against a Belgian gold trafficker, ruling that the government had ample evidence that the man directly or indirectly supported armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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March 05, 2025
UK Planning To Replace Energy Windfall Tax In 2030
The U.K. will phase out the energy profits levy, known as the energy windfall tax, in 2030, but the government plans to replace it with a new permanent tax regime for North Sea oil and gas, according to a statement Wednesday.
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March 05, 2025
Trump Delays Mexico, Canada Tariffs On Autos For A Month
President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that auto vehicles and parts imported from Canada and Mexico will get a one-month reprieve from the 25% tariffs he instituted earlier this week, according to a statement read by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
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March 05, 2025
Davis Wright Adds K&L Gates Energy Ace In San Francisco
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP has added a former K&L Gates LLP attorney in San Francisco who brings over two decades of private practice and in-house experience to the firm's expanding national energy practice.
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March 05, 2025
High Court Allows Release Of Frozen USAID Foreign Aid
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that a D.C. federal judge can require the Trump administration to release up to $2 billion in frozen foreign aid funding, but told the judge he must clarify the scope of the government's responsibility and ensure it has enough time to comply with any deadline.
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March 04, 2025
Agencies Have 'Ultimate' Authority Over Firings, OPM Says
The Office of Personnel Management on Tuesday issued a revised version of its January memo directing agency heads to identify all probationary employees, adding a disclaimer that OPM "is not directing agencies to take any specific performance-based actions" and that agencies "have ultimate decision-making authority."
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March 04, 2025
EV Co. Lucid's Brass Face Investor's Production Capacity Suit
Executives and directors of electric vehicle manufacturer Lucid Group Inc. have been hit with a proposed shareholder derivative suit in Delaware federal court alleging they concealed the extent of production issues plaguing the company in order to inflate share prices.
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March 04, 2025
Phillips 66 'Trickery' Merits $1.2B More Damages, Judge Told
A startup that won a $605 million trade secrets verdict against oil giant Phillips 66 argued Tuesday in California state court that its would-have-been acquirer owes an additional $1.2 billion for reprehensible conduct, including by in-house counsel who supposedly made "efforts to cover up" information theft.
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March 04, 2025
10th Circ. Upholds EPA Approval Of Colo. Smog Plan Changes
A Tenth Circuit panel on Tuesday affirmed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's approval of two changes to Colorado's plan to bring Denver and the northern Front Range into compliance with ozone pollution standards, rejecting a challenge brought by conservation groups.
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March 04, 2025
Judge Stays Osage Wind Farm Order, Requires $10M Bond
An Oklahoma federal judge stayed a $4.2 million judgment and order requiring an energy company to remove 84 wind turbines from the Osage Nation's reservation pending the outcome of a Tenth Circuit appeal, ordering the company to pay a $10 million bond in the interim.
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March 04, 2025
DC Circ. Doubts FERC Was Wrong To OK Tennessee Pipeline
The D.C. Circuit struggled to understand just where environmentalists think FERC messed up when approving a Tennessee pipeline project that would serve a gas-fired power plant that's set to replace a coal-fired one, expressing varying degrees of doubt Monday during arguments.
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March 04, 2025
Insurer, Reinsurer Denied Early Wins In Reimbursement Row
Both sides in an inter-insurer dispute over a reinsurer's share of a coverage settlement for environmental damage claims have adopted reasonable contractual interpretations, a New York federal court ruled, specifically finding ambiguities on whether the reinsurer must reimburse a plaintiff insurer with which it didn't directly do business.
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March 04, 2025
Trump's Mexico, Canada Tariffs To Face Legal Tests, Pros Say
President Donald Trump placed 25% tariffs on all goods from Canada and Mexico on Tuesday, citing drug trafficking as the core reason he used untested emergency tariff powers, a course of action that will face legal scrutiny, tax professionals told Law360.
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March 04, 2025
Ga. PFAS Liability Bill Faces Debate Ahead Of Key Deadline
A Georgia bill to reduce corporate liability for PFAS contamination on Tuesday received strong industry backing and intense pushback from North Georgia residents and communities who warned state lawmakers against handing "a get-out-of-jail-free card" to carpet manufacturers accused of polluting waterways.
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March 04, 2025
FERC Enforcement Case Is Constitutionally Valid, DOJ Says
The Trump administration has told a North Carolina federal judge that a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission market manipulation case against an energy-efficiency aggregator complies with a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision curbing the enforcement authority of federal agencies.
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March 04, 2025
Honeywell Paying $2.2B For Sundyne Amid $25B Deployment
Honeywell said Tuesday it has agreed to acquire pump and gas compressor maker Sundyne from private equity firm Warburg Pincus for $2.16 billion, part of a restructuring plan that calls for the industrial conglomerate to deploy at least $25 billion by the end of 2025.
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March 04, 2025
New US Atty Wants 6-Month Pause Of Cognizant Bribery Trial
A federal judge has ordered the parties in a long-running Foreign Corrupt Practices Act case to file their positions Wednesday about how a 180-day adjournment would affect the Speedy Trial Act clock after a newly anointed U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey asked to delay the trial of two former Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. executives.
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March 03, 2025
USAID Leader Details Toll On 'Critical' Aid Under Trump
The U.S. Agency for International Development has been "wholly prevented" from delivering "critical" lifesaving services around the world, and that will lead to preventable death, destabilization and threats to national security "on a massive scale," according to memos from an agency leader made public Monday.
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March 03, 2025
Colo. Prospector Didn't Steal Anschutz Oil Secrets, Jury Told
A Colorado prospector told a Denver state jury on Monday that its $9 million sale of land next to Anschutz-owned oil and gas wells was not the result of stolen well production data, arguing Anschutz Exploration Corp. has no proof the prospector stole secret statistics.
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March 03, 2025
Metal Finishing Co. To Pay $2.3M In PPP Fraud Case
A U.S. affiliate of Rosler Oberflachentechnik GmbH has agreed to pay almost $2.3 million to resolve allegations that it obtained a COVID-19 pandemic relief loan it was ineligible for based on employee headcount, federal prosecutors have announced.
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March 03, 2025
Some 'ComEd Four' Bribery Counts Vacated Over Jury Charge
An Illinois federal judge on Monday ordered a retrial on four bribery charges in the case against an ex-Commonwealth Edison executive and three lobbyists convicted of conspiring to bribe former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, finding the jury was improperly instructed in the wake of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling but leaving intact the overarching conspiracy conviction.
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March 03, 2025
Chamber Leads Group Challenging NY Climate Superfund Bill
A U.S. Chamber of Commerce-led coalition asked a New York federal judge to block a "plainly unconstitutional" Empire State law that promises to impose $75 billion in cost-recovery demands on fossil fuel companies to help pay for climate adaptation projects.
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March 03, 2025
EPA Chief Asks Watchdog To Investigate $20B Grant Program
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Monday it's asking its internal investigators to look into how $20 billion in congressionally supplied grant money has been distributed.
Expert Analysis
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How Trump Orders Roll Back Energy Efficiency Mandates
President Donald Trump's first-day executive orders — including a freeze on administrative rules, an order to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, and a directive to broaden consumers' appliance choices — have shifted federal policy on energy efficiency, and bring new considerations for companies engaging with the U.S. Department of Energy, say attorneys at HWG.
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In-House Counsel Pointers For Preserving Atty-Client Privilege
Several recent rulings illustrate the challenges in-house counsel can face when attempting to preserve attorney-client privilege, but a few best practices can help safeguard communications and effectively assert the privilege in an increasingly scrutinized corporate environment, says Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics.
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What Banks Need To Know About Trump's Executive Orders
While the numerous executive orders and memos from the last few weeks don't touch on many of the issues the banking industry expected the Trump administration to address, banks still need to pay attention to the flurry of orders from strategic, compliance and operational perspectives, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.
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Emerging Energy Trends Reflect Shifting Political Landscape
As the Trump administration settles in, some emerging energy industry trends, like expanded support for fossil fuel production, are right off of its wish list — while others, like the popularity of Inflation Reduction Act energy tax credits, and bipartisan support for carbon capture, reflect more complex political realities, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.
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As EPA Backs Down, Expect Enviros To Step Up Citizen Suits
As President Donald Trump's U.S. Environmental Protection Agency draws down federal enforcement efforts, environmental groups will step into the void and file citizen suits — so companies should focus on compliance efforts, stay savvy about emerging analytical and monitoring methods, and maintain good relations with neighbors, say attorneys at Beveridge & Diamond.
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How Criminal Enforcement Of Trump Tariffs May Work
While tariff enforcement has traditionally been handled as a civil matter, tariffs are central to President Donald Trump's broader economic, immigration and national security agendas — making it likely that the U.S. Department of Justice will be tasked with criminal enforcement of tariff evasion, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.
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Series
Collecting Rare Books Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My collection of rare books includes several written or owned by prominent lawyers from early U.S. history, and immersing myself in their stories helps me feel a deeper connection to my legal practice and its purpose, says Douglas Brown at Manatt Health.
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Rethinking How To Engage Shareholders, Activists Via Proxies
This proxy season, companies should consider visually driven proxy statements that highlight the board's strengths, the alignment between executive compensation and performance, and a commitment to sustainability and risk management to earn the support of investors and fend off hostile acquirers, say Craig Clay and Ron Schneider at DFIN.
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Opinion
Judge Should Not Have Been Reprimanded For Alito Essay
Senior U.S. District Judge Michael Ponsor's New York Times essay critiquing Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for potential ethical violations absolutely cannot be construed as conduct prejudicial to the administration of the business of the courts, says Ashley London at the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University.
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5 Key Takeaways From Energy Secretary's Confirmation
The recent confirmation hearing for U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright highlighted several important themes, including his vision for transforming the DOE, his nuanced stance on renewables, and a renewed emphasis on energy abundance and affordability, says Connor McCulloch at Ankura Consulting Group.
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Lights, Camera, Ethics? TV Lawyers Tend To Set Bad Example
Though fictional movies and television shows portraying lawyers are fun to watch, Hollywood’s inaccurate depictions of legal ethics can desensitize attorneys to ethics violations and lead real-life clients to believe that good lawyers take a scorched-earth approach, says Nancy Rapoport at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
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Steel Cases Test Executive Authority, Judicial Scope
Lawsuits challenging former President Joe Biden’s order blocking the merger of Japan's Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel may shape how future administrations wield presidential authority over foreign investment in the name of national security, says Hdeel Abdelhady at MassPoint Legal.
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What Calif. Bill Could Mean For Battery Energy Storage
A newly proposed bill in the California Legislature would place major restrictions on the development of battery energy storage system projects in the state — but with Gov. Gavin Newsom's strong support for clean energy technology, the legislation will likely face significant obstacles, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.
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3 Ways Trump Can Nix SEC's Climate Disclosure Rules
Given President Donald Trump's campaign statements and agency appointments, it's likely that his administration will try to annul the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate disclosure rules, but his options for doing so present unique opportunities and challenges, with varying levels of permanence and impact, say attorneys at DLA Piper.
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Perspectives
Accountant-Owned Law Firms Could Blur Ethical Lines
KPMG’s recent application to open a legal practice in Arizona represents the first overture by an accounting firm to take advantage of the state’s relaxed law firm ownership rules, but enforcing and supervising the practice of law by nonattorneys could prove particularly challenging, says Seth Laver at Goldberg Segalla.