Energy

  • September 25, 2024

    Fuel Refiner Vertex Hits Ch. 11 With $422M Debt, Lender Deal

    Oil refiner Vertex Energy filed for Chapter 11 protection with $422.5 million in debt and plans to pursue a sale under a prenegotiated restructuring agreement.

  • September 24, 2024

    Ukraine Oil Co. Says Russia Can't Buy Time In $5B Award Suit

    Ukraine's state-owned oil and gas company has asked a D.C. federal court not to pause its lawsuit to enforce a $5 billion arbitral award against Russia while set-aside proceedings in the Netherlands play out, arguing that the Kremlin is just stalling.

  • September 24, 2024

    Appeals Court Finds LNG Project Claims Barred By Arbitration

    An arbitration between a Kinder Morgan affiliate and a U.S. energy company concerning an abandoned gas project foreclosed a later breach of contract case from the U.S. company's Italian parent, a New York appeals court ruled Tuesday.

  • September 24, 2024

    DC Circ. Open To Industry Challenge To TSCA Reporting Rule

    A D.C. Circuit panel on Tuesday seemed receptive to two trade associations' challenge to new federal regulations aimed at increasing Toxic Substances Control Act transparency, pressing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on a facet of the rule that opponents say would lead confidential chemical information to be divulged.

  • September 24, 2024

    DC Circ. Mining Decision Unsupported By Law, Groups Say

    Environmental organizations have called on the full D.C. Circuit to rethink a panel's June decision upholding a Bush-era mining regulation that removed limits on how much land near a mining site can be used for secondary operations like waste disposal, saying the ruling departs from that of all other courts.

  • September 24, 2024

    Ala. Can Enforce Own Interstate Clean Air Plan, 11th Circ. Told

    Alabama told an Eleventh Circuit panel Tuesday that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency overstepped its authority when denying the state's plan to implement rules limiting harmful interstate emissions under the Clean Air Act, saying the law gives states the "primary" authority to combat air pollution.

  • September 24, 2024

    Trio Used Penny Stock Co. For Wide-Ranging Fraud, SEC Says

    A trio of defendants faces U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission allegations they orchestrated a wide-ranging investment scheme to illegally profit off of a purported solar company and bogus claims about a rapid COVID-19 test, targeting investors and even the company's own transfer agent to enrich themselves.

  • September 24, 2024

    Norfolk Southern Says Stock Drop Suit Based On 'Hindsight'

    Norfolk Southern Corp. is urging a Georgia federal court to throw out a proposed class action alleging it duped stockholders by misleading them about the safety of its operations, leading to a stock drop after last year's derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, saying the claims are a bid to capitalize in hindsight on the crash.

  • September 24, 2024

    EPA Finalizes HFC Leak And Recycling Rule

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a final rule aimed at reducing hydrofluorocarbon leaks from large refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment, while establishing a new program to better manage and recycle the potent greenhouse gasses.

  • September 24, 2024

    King & Spalding, Skadden Rep $1.7B DE Shaw-Macquarie Deal

    Australian investment firm Macquarie Asset Management, advised by King & Spalding LLP, on Tuesday announced that it has agreed to take a "significant" minority stake in renewable energy company D.E. Shaw Renewables Investment Group, led by Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP, for up to $1.73 billion.

  • September 24, 2024

    Pillsbury Adds Locke Lord Energy Litigation Head In Houston

    Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP has expanded its construction and energy litigation capabilities in Texas with the addition of the former chair of Locke Lord LLP's energy litigation practice group.

  • September 24, 2024

    Exxon Claims It Beat Weak Defense In $1.8B Tax Trial

    Exxon Mobil urged a Texas federal judge to find that it defeated what it called a scattered defense by the U.S. government during a five-day bench trial in April when the company argued for a $1.8 billion tax refund on its natural gas deal with Qatar, according to newly released filings.

  • September 23, 2024

    Chamber Says X Ruling Boosts Bid To Nix Calif. Climate Laws

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the state of California have filed competing briefs on how a recent Ninth Circuit decision blocking parts of a social media law applies to the state's corporate climate disclosure rules, with the Chamber arguing the ruling reinforces how the latter violate the First Amendment.

  • September 23, 2024

    High Court Enviro Shadow Docket Could Diminish DC Circ.

    The U.S. Supreme Court's "shadow docket" is full of pleas from environmental rule opponents who want the justices to overturn D.C. Circuit rulings that allowed the regulations to go into effect, and recent history shows the challengers have some chance for success — but experts say the high court's willingness to step in at this stage risks diminishing lower courts' voices.

  • September 23, 2024

    Feds, SunZia Urge 9th Circ. To Toss Power Line Challenge

    The federal government and SunZia Transmission LLC have asked the Ninth Circuit to uphold a lower court decision tossing a suit by a coalition of tribes and conservation groups challenging the government's decision to let the company route a 520-mile power line through cultural and historical sites.

  • September 23, 2024

    EPA Admits Mistakes In Approving New Chevron Chemicals

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday told the D.C. Circuit that it overestimated the risk of allowing Chevron Corp. to create new fuel chemicals derived from plastic waste, asking the appeals court to remand the order authorizing the new substances back to federal regulators.

  • September 23, 2024

    Texas Fighting ESA Listing For Tiny Lizard In Permian Basin

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is asking a judge to overturn a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rule that listed the dunes sagebrush lizard as an endangered species, calling it a "backdoor attempt" to undermine energy development in the Permian Basin.

  • September 23, 2024

    Battery Exec Can't Avoid Depo In $2B Plant Fight

    Battery manufacturer Gotion cannot block the deposition of its U.S. President Li Chen in a legal fight over the future of a proposed gigafactory in a Michigan town, a federal magistrate judge ruled Monday.

  • September 23, 2024

    Ex-Holtec CIO Says She's Owed More Than $500K Bonus

    The former chief investment officer for Holtec International is alleging in New Jersey federal court that she was demoted then fired earlier this year after expressing her concern over the company's bonus structure and its failure to pay her bonuses on time in violation of the state's wage payment law.

  • September 23, 2024

    Calif. Sues Exxon For Plastic Pollution And Recycling Deception

    California's attorney general and a coalition of conservation groups hit Exxon Mobil Corp. with a pair of lawsuits on Monday claiming the petrochemical giant has inundated the state with harmful plastic waste while misleading people about recycling's ability to ever make a dent in the problem.

  • September 23, 2024

    NY Extends Industrial Property Tax Break Application Deadline

    New York state extended by four years to 2029 the deadline to apply for property tax abatements for eligible industrial and commercial buildings in New York City as part of a bill signed by Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.

  • September 23, 2024

    Natural Gas Co. Must Pay $6.8M To Ex-Trader In Bonus Fight

    A Colorado state judge has entered a $6.8 million judgment against a natural gas marketing company for its failure to pay an ex-trading director a bonus on lucrative trades he made during a 2021 winter storm, a sum that includes more than $2.5 million in penalties for the company's intentional violation of a state wage law.

  • September 23, 2024

    La. Wants EPA Civil Rights Regs Vacated After Court Win

    Louisiana is asking a federal judge to revisit an order and amend it to completely vacate U.S. Environmental Protection Agency civil rights regulations, after the judge granted the Pelican State's motion for a permanent injunction within its borders.

  • September 23, 2024

    Conn. Reaches $5M Deal To Resolve Vision Solar Case

    Connecticut is asking a judge to sign off on a judgment that would impose a $5 million civil penalty against Vision Solar LLC to resolve the state's unfair trade practices complaint against the bankrupt company.

  • September 20, 2024

    EPA Defends Methane Rule At Supreme Court

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and green group allies on Friday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reject states' and fossil fuel industry players' effort to block the implementation of a rule strengthening methane emissions control requirements for oil and gas infrastructure.

Expert Analysis

  • NYSE Delisting May Be The Cost Of FCPA Compliance

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    ABB’s recent decision to delist its U.S. depository receipts from the New York Stock Exchange, coupled with having settled three Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement actions, begs the question of whether the cost of FCPA compliance should factor into a company's decision to remain listed in the U.S., says John Joy at FTI Law.

  • CFTC Action Highlights Necessity Of Whistleblower Carveouts

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    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's novel settlement with a trading firm over allegations of manipulating the market and failing to create contract carveouts for employees to freely communicate with investigators serves as a beacon for further enforcement activity from the CFTC and other regulators, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • 5 Tips For Solar Cos. Navigating Big Shifts In US Trade Policy

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    Renewable energy developers can best mitigate new compliance risks from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s increased tariffs on imported solar cells, and simultaneously capitalize on Treasury Department incentives for domestic solar manufacturers, by following five best practices in the changing solar trade landscape, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    Being A Luthier Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    When I’m not working as an appellate lawyer, I spend my spare time building guitars — a craft known as luthiery — which has helped to enhance the discipline, patience and resilience needed to write better briefs, says Rob Carty at Nichols Brar.

  • Half-Truths Vs. Omissions: Slicing Justices' Macquarie Cake

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Macquarie v. Moab provides a road map for determining whether corporate reports that omit information should be considered misleading — and the court baked it into a dessert analogy that is key to understanding the guidelines, say Daniel Levy and Pavithra Kumar at Advanced Analytical Consulting Group.

  • Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity

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    The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • 3 Areas Of Enforcement Risk Facing The EV Industry

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    Companies in the EV manufacturing ecosystem are experiencing a boom in business, but with this boom comes increased regulatory and enforcement risks, from the corruption issues that have historically pervaded the extractive sector to newer risks posed by artificial intelligence, say attorneys at MoFo.

  • Ambiguity Ruling Highlights Deference To Arbitral Process

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    A New York federal court’s recent ruling in Eletson v. Levona, which remanded an arbitral award for clarification, reflects that the ambiguity exception’s analysis is not static and may be applied even in cases where the award, when issued, was unambiguous, says arbitrator Myrna Barakat Friedman.

  • Keeping Up With Carbon Capture Policy In The US And EU

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    Recent regulatory moves from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the European Commission in the carbon capture, sequestration and storage space are likely to further encourage the owners and operators of fossil fuel-fired power plants to make decisions on shutdowns or reconfiguration to meet the expanding requirements, say Inosi Nyatta and Silvia Brünjes at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • New State Climate Liability Laws: What Companies Must Know

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    New legislation in Vermont and New York creating liability and compliance obligations for businesses deemed responsible for climate change — as well as similar bills proposed in California, Massachusetts and Maryland — have far-reaching implications for companies, so it is vital to remain vigilant as these initiatives progress, say Gregory Berlin and Jeffrey Dintzer at Alston & Bird.

  • EU Investor-State Dispute Transparency Rules: Key Points

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    The European Union's recent vote to embrace greater transparency for investor-state arbitration will make managing newly public information more complex for all parties in a dispute — so it is important for stakeholders to understand the risks and opportunities involved, say Philip Hall, Tara Flores and Charles McKeon at Thorndon Partners.

  • Despite Calif. Delays, Climate Disclosure Rules Are Coming

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    Progress continues on state, federal and international climate disclosure regimes, making compliance a key concern for companies — but the timeline for implementation of California's disclosure laws remains unclear due to funding and timing disputes, says David Smith at Manatt Phelps.

  • Decoding Arbitral Disputes: Intra-EU Enforcement Trends

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    Hungary recently declared a distinct stance on the European Court of Justice's 2021 ruling in Moldavia v. Komstroy on intra-EU arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty, highlighting a critical divergence in the bloc on enforcing investment awards and the complexities of balancing regional uniformity with international obligations, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.

  • Opinion

    Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism

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    As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.

  • What Happens After Hawaii Kids' Historic Climate Deal

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    Implications of the Hawaii Department of Transportation's first-of-its-kind settlement with youth plaintiffs over constitutional climate claims may be limited, but it could incite similar claims, says J. Michael Showalter and Robert Middleton at ArentFox Schiff.

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