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Energy
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July 25, 2024
Zurich Can't Revive Deductible In Georgia Coverage Suit
A Georgia federal judge rejected Zurich American Insurance Co.'s bid to reverse a ruling holding it could and did waive a $2.5 million flood deductible in its coverage row with First Solar Electric LLC over storm damage to a solar farm, holding that the insurer was just "regurgitating" arguments.
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July 24, 2024
FERC Can't Give Pipeline More Time, Green Groups Say
Conservation groups are urging the D.C. Circuit to throw out a three-year deadline extension the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission granted for the completion of a southern extension of the controversial Mountain Valley pipeline.
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July 24, 2024
Exxon Loses Bid To Ditch Conn. Climate Change Fraud Suit
Exxon Mobil Corp. cannot escape Connecticut's lawsuit accusing it of deceiving consumers about the negative impact of fossil fuels on the earth's climate, a state judge ruled Tuesday in rejecting the oil and gas giant's contention that it can't be sued in the Nutmeg State.
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July 24, 2024
Former Dentons Litigator Returns To Practice Indigenous Law
A former litigator at global law firm Dentons has returned to practice in its Montreal office following five years working as an in-house counsel at electrical utility Hydro-Quebec, saying he will focus on energy, natural resources, mining and Indigenous law matters.
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July 24, 2024
Pfizer's Fuel Cells Can't Be Taxed, Conn. Justices Rule
A fuel cell module that powers Pfizer Inc.'s research campus in Groton, Connecticut, is not subject to personal property taxes, the state's high court ruled Wednesday, upholding a lower court decision that allowed FuelCell Inc. to avoid several multimillion-dollar local tax assessments and penalties.
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July 24, 2024
Coal Ash Crusade An Ongoing Battle For The EPA
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has put coal ash enforcement at the forefront of its agenda by making it one of the agency's top enforcement and compliance priorities for the next four years, but some experts say there's still work to be done given that the EPA itself has said the industry has yet to change its ways.
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July 24, 2024
Boulder Wants Suncor Back In Colorado Climate Suit
The city of Boulder, Colorado, and Boulder County have asked a Colorado state judge to certify part of his judgment dismissing Canadian oil and gas company Suncor Energy from the municipalities' climate change lawsuit so they can appeal that decision and bring Suncor back in.
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July 24, 2024
Navajo Coal Co. Appeals FINRA Arbitration Order In $11M Fight
A Navajo coal-mining company has wasted no time in appealing a Pennsylvania federal judge's order refusing to grant the tribe-owned business's bid to halt arbitration proceedings against a private equity firm in an $11 million dispute over their financing agreement.
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July 24, 2024
Liberty Mutual Gets $2.4M Oil Contamination Row Trimmed
A New York federal judge trimmed a $2.4 million coverage dispute between Liberty Mutual and an oil and gas trader over losses related to a contaminated oil shipment, finding that although the trader met its burden to make a case for recovery, certain contaminated product was excluded from coverage.
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July 24, 2024
Digital Info Not Covered By Smuggling Law, Ky. Court Holds
A Kentucky federal judge has ruled that digital information isn't covered by the federal smuggling statute and dismissed a charge against a magnetics manufacturer and two executives accused of emailing magnet schematics to Chinese companies.
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July 24, 2024
IRS Sets Criteria For Carbon Capture Credit Life Cycle Report
The Internal Revenue Service detailed standards and procedures Wednesday for a written report on a carbon sequestration facility's greenhouse gas emissions that project owners must submit and get agency approval on before claiming the carbon oxide tax credit.
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July 24, 2024
Unions, Energy Groups Back Enbridge 6th Circ. Rehearing Bid
Labor unions and energy industry groups are joining Enbridge Energy's push for the full Sixth Circuit to rehear a panel decision that sent a Michigan lawsuit aiming to shut down the company's Line 5 pipeline back to state courts.
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July 24, 2024
EPA Moving Toward New Regulations For 5 Chemicals
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday kicked off the process to fast-track new health risk evaluations for five chemicals, including vinyl chloride, a substance that raised alarm after the Norfolk Southern train wreck in East Palestine, Ohio, last year.
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July 23, 2024
Knives Out For Another Pro-Agency Landmark After Chevron
Only weeks after U.S. Supreme Court conservatives took a hatchet to the judicial deference shown to federal agencies, right-leaning lawyers are imploring the justices to rock the administrative law realm again by gutting a New Deal-era precedent at the heart of the modern regulatory system.
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July 23, 2024
Sidley, Cooley Craft Filter Maker's $1B Sale To IDEX Corp.
Specialty equipment maker IDEX Corp. will buy industrial filter manufacturer Mott Corp. and its subsidiaries in a $1 billion all-cash deal led by Sidley Austin LLP and Cooley LLP, the companies announced Tuesday.
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July 23, 2024
House Panel Weighs New Rail Safety Regs After East Palestine
The fiery Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, last year has created new urgency for strengthening federal standards for tank car designs, rail safety technology, track inspection protocols and classifying hazardous materials-carrying trains, industry experts told a House subcommittee Tuesday.
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July 23, 2024
Red States Seek High Court Stay Of EPA Power Plant Rule
Dozens of red states Tuesday urged the U.S. Supreme Court to block implementation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's rule curbing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, four days after the D.C. Circuit rejected a stay request.
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July 23, 2024
Feds Get OK To Seek Title To ND Riverbed For Mineral Rights
The federal government can add a cross-claim against North Dakota in litigation over who owns mineral rights beneath a portion of the Missouri River, a D.C. federal judge ruled Tuesday, clearing the way for the United States to seek a court order declaring that the riverbed is held in trust for the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation.
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July 23, 2024
Ariz. Justices OK Use Of Power Deal In Plant's Valuation
An Arizona power plant's income from a power purchase agreement may be considered in the income analysis of the valuation of the property, the state Supreme Court said, sending the matter back to the state tax court.
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July 23, 2024
Regional Electric Co-Op Sues Power District Over Unpaid Bills
A regional electric cooperative based in Colorado has filed a lawsuit in Colorado federal court against a Nebraska public power district, alleging the Nebraska entity is refusing to pay for more than $1 million of electricity it bought from the regional cooperative this year.
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July 23, 2024
Feds Urge Final Toss Of Youths' Constitutional Climate Suit
The U.S. government called on a California federal judge to reject an attempt by youth plaintiffs to amend their lawsuit alleging the federal government unconstitutionally discriminates against them by favoring the fossil fuel industry's interests, saying they have alleged no harm from the policies they seek to enjoin.
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July 23, 2024
Stay Of Power Plant Mercury Rule Unwarranted, EPA Says
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, joined by states, cities and public health and environmental groups, is urging the D.C. Circuit not to block a new rule tightening standards for mercury and other toxic metal emissions from some coal-fired power plants.
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July 23, 2024
Senate Dems Roll Out Bill To Codify Chevron Deference
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., led a group of Democratic senators Tuesday in introducing a bill to codify the now-defunct doctrine of Chevron deference after it was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court last month.
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July 23, 2024
Insurers Must Defend Well Driller In Lead Contamination Suit
Insurers must defend a drilling company accused of contaminating a rental property's water supply with dangerous levels of lead, a Montana federal court ruled, saying they haven't shown the underlying claims fall outside the policies' insuring agreements or are otherwise excluded from coverage.
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July 23, 2024
Chamber Rips Multibillion-Dollar Atty Fee Bid In Musk Pay Suit
The nation's largest business organization has urged Delaware's Court of Chancery to adopt sweeping curbs to jumbo plaintiff attorney fee awards, declaring a multibillion-dollar fee bid following the cancellation of Tesla CEO Elon Musk's stock-based pay plan "shocks the conscience."
Expert Analysis
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Ensuring Nonpublic Info Stays Private Amid SEC Crackdown
Companies and individuals must take steps to ensure material nonpublic information remains confidential while working outside the office, as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission continues to take enforcement actions against those who trade on MNPI and don't comply with new off-channel communications rules in the remote work era, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.
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What FERC's Disclosure Demands Mean For Cos., Investors
Two recent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission orders reflect the commission's increasingly meticulous approach to reviewing corporate structures in applications for approval of proposed consolidations, acquisitions or changes in control — putting the onus on the regulated community to track and comply with ever-more-burdensome disclosure requirements, say attorneys at Willkie.
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Macquarie Ruling Raises The Bar For Securities Fraud Claims
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision last week in Macquarie Infrastructure v. Moab Partners — holding that a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rule does not forbid omissions in company disclosures unless they render other statements false — is a major setback for plaintiffs pursuing securities fraud claims against corporations, say attorneys at Skadden.
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Series
Whitewater Kayaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Whether it's seeing clients and their issues from a new perspective, or staying nimble in a moment of intense challenge, the lessons learned from whitewater kayaking transcend the rapids of a river and prepare attorneys for the courtroom and beyond, says Matthew Kent at Alston & Bird.
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GSA's Carbon-Free Power Plan: Tips For Electricity Suppliers
The U.S. General Services Administration's recent request for information concerning its intent to acquire a large amount of carbon pollution-free electricity over the next decade in the PJM Interconnection region offers key insights for companies interested in becoming electric power suppliers to federal government agencies, say Shaunna Bailey and Nicholas Dugdale at Sheppard Mullin.
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This Earth Day, Consider How Your Firm Can Go Greener
As Earth Day approaches, law firms and attorneys should consider adopting more sustainable practices to reduce their carbon footprint — from minimizing single-use plastics to purchasing carbon offsets for air travel — which ultimately can also reduce costs for clients, say M’Lynn Phillips and Lisa Walters at IMS Legal Strategies.
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Energy Community Tax Credit Boost Will Benefit Wind Sector
Recent Internal Revenue Service guidance broadening tax credit eligibility to more parts of offshore wind facilities in so-called energy communities is a win for the industry, which stands to see more projects qualify for a particularly valuable bonus in the investment tax credit context due to the capital-intensive nature of offshore wind projects, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
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Traversing The Web Of Nonjudicial Grievance Mechanisms
Attorneys at Covington provide an overview of how companies can best align their environmental and human rights compliance with "hard-law" requirements like the EU's recently approved Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive while also navigating the complex global network of existing nonjudicial grievance mechanisms.
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An Energy Industry Case Study In Expropriation Risk
Andrés Chambouleyron at Berkeley Research breaks down how expropriation risk and damage mitigation calculations vary considerably by different energy sources, and uses Argentina as a case study for how energy investors might protect their interests.
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Exploring Patent Trends In Aerospace Electrification
As blue-chip companies lead the charge to power large-scale commercial airplanes with electricity, and startups advance the trend on a regional scale, patent applications directed at improving energy storage and electric motor efficiency are on the rise, say attorneys at Finnegan.
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Opinion
Federal MDL Rule Benefits From Public Comments
The new Federal Rule of Civil Procedure concerning multidistrict litigation that was approved this week by the Advisory Committee on Civil Rules incorporates ideas from public comments that will aid both plaintiffs and defense attorneys — and if ultimately adopted, the rule should promote efficient, merits-driven MDL case management, say Robert Johnston and Gary Feldon at Hollingsworth.
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Practicing Law With Parkinson's Disease
This Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Adam Siegler at Greenberg Traurig discusses his experience working as a lawyer with Parkinson’s disease, sharing both lessons on how to cope with a diagnosis and advice for supporting colleagues who live with the disease.
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Climate Disclosure Mandates Demand A Big-Picture Approach
As carbon emissions disclosure requirements from the European Union, California and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission take effect, the best practice for companies is not targeted compliance with a given reporting regime, but rather a comprehensive approach to systems assessment and management, says David Smith at Manatt.
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Series
Playing Hockey Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Nearly a lifetime of playing hockey taught me the importance of avoiding burnout in all aspects of life, and the game ultimately ended up providing me with the balance I needed to maintain success in my legal career, says John Riccione at Taft.
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ESG Challenges In Focus After Sierra Club Opposes SEC Rule
The Sierra Club's recent objection to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate-related disclosures for investors presents an unusual — pro-disclosure — legal challenge and an opportunity to take a close look at the varying critiques of ESG regulations, say Colin Pohlman, and Jane Luxton and Paul Kisslinger at Lewis Brisbois.