Energy

  • November 25, 2024

    FHWA Says Rule Doesn't 'Compel' States To Lower Emissions

    The Federal Highway Administration defended a new rule calling on states to set targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from federally funded highway projects, telling the Fifth Circuit in a Friday brief the rule doesn't actually compel states to lower their emissions.

  • November 25, 2024

    GATX Rips Norfolk Southern's Bid To Shift Derailment Liability

    GATX Corp. and its subsidiary General American Marks Co. have told an Ohio federal court that Norfolk Southern cannot offload liability for the February 2023 East Palestine derailment and toxic chemical spill, saying there's zero evidence GATX improperly maintained or inspected a tank car involved in the accident.

  • November 25, 2024

    Calif. Gov. Promises EV Tax Credit If Trump Axes Federal

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday said that he's preparing to save electric vehicle tax credits — at least for residents of his state — if the Trump administration and a Republican Congress eliminate federal ones.

  • November 25, 2024

    Geologist, Oil Co. Can't Get Approval Of Wage Suit Settlement

    A Colorado federal judge put the brakes on a settlement that a geologist reached with the oil and gas producer he accused of failing to pay overtime, saying it's not clear if he alerted other workers of the deal or if a $1 million attorney fee request is reasonable.

  • November 25, 2024

    $65M Deal In Texas Drilling Suit Gets Final OK

    A Texas federal judge gave the final green light Monday to a $65 million settlement against oil and gas company Apache Corp. filed by investors alleging they were deceived by promises of a potentially lucrative drilling project that ultimately led to a $3 billion write-down when it went bust.

  • November 25, 2024

    Sanctions Sought Against Reed Smith In Eletson Ch. 11

    Creditors of bankrupt gas tanker operator Eletson Holdings Monday called for "harsh sanctions" against company directors and officers and their attorneys at Reed Smith, saying they are peddling bogus legal theories to stall the company's reorganization.

  • November 25, 2024

    Payments To Exxon Unit Taxable, Australian Panel Says

    Exxon Mobil unit Esso is liable for tax on monthly payments it received for processing its Australian business partners' petroleum and on an AU$23.4 million ($15.5 million) lump sum payment, a panel at the Federal Court of Australia said, overturning an earlier judgment at the same court.

  • November 25, 2024

    Shell Oil Co. Sued For Not Paying Gas Station Cashier

    Shell Oil Co. and Nerr Petroleum Inc. were slapped with a complaint in Georgia federal court by a former cashier alleging he was only paid $1,000, despite working an average of 112 hours per week for nearly 10 months.

  • November 25, 2024

    Kirkland, Milbank Shape $3.5B Blackstone-EQT Corp. JV

    EQT Corp., led by Kirkland & Ellis, will form a $3.5 billion joint venture with Blackstone Credit & Insurance to take over ownership of the Mountain Valley Pipeline and other midstream assets that EQT got in its re-acquisition of Equitrans Midstream, the partners announced Monday.

  • November 25, 2024

    Solar Co. Ex-CEO Attys Say DQ Request 'Untethered To Facts'

    Lawyers representing the former CEO of a now-defunct solar energy company against fraud and racketeering claims have told a Michigan federal judge that their previous in-house work for the company is not grounds to disqualify them from the suit, calling the plaintiffs' attempt to have them removed "untethered to facts" and improperly delayed.

  • November 25, 2024

    Justices Turn Away $10M Tanker Seizure Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday it will not review a petition asking it to resolve if courts are bound by "hard-and-fast" rules limiting their inquiry into whether a property can be seized to enforce a maritime debt, an issue the petitioner argued affected "fundamental principles of admiralty law."

  • November 22, 2024

    EPA Targets Stationary Combustion Turbine NOx Emissions

    The Biden administration isn't letting Donald Trump's presidential election victory block its air pollution agenda, as it proposed a rule Friday that would strengthen limits on emissions of nitrogen oxides from new gas-fired power plants and other sources.

  • November 22, 2024

    Manhattan Project Waste Suit Sent Back To Mich. State Court

    A Michigan federal judge on Friday remanded back to state court a lawsuit from communities trying to prevent a local landfill company from accepting decades-old radioactive waste from the development of the first atomic bomb, finding a state judge can answer the unsubstantial federal question raised in the case.

  • November 22, 2024

    Bulgaria Looks To Nix $61M Renewable Energy Award Suit

    Bulgaria is urging a D.C. federal court to nix litigation filed by Maltese investor ACF Renewable Energy Ltd. to enforce a €61 million ($63.54 million) arbitral award it won following a dispute over a nixed tariff program, arguing that it never agreed to arbitrate with ACF.

  • November 22, 2024

    Malaysia Looks To Shore Up Counterattack Over $14.9B Award

    Units of Malaysia's national energy company have kicked off new litigation in Delaware and New York, seeking additional information as they look to fight back against a massive $14.9 billion arbitral award issued in a territorial dispute stemming from a 19th-century land deal.

  • November 22, 2024

    Feds Slam Utah High Court Case Over Fed. Land Ownership

    The federal government called on the Supreme Court to reject Utah's attempt to file a complaint accusing it of unconstitutionally hoarding and profiting from public lands in the state, saying the justices should decline to exercise original jurisdiction over the matter.

  • November 22, 2024

    Chinese EV Maker's European Unit Eyes $410M SPAC Merger

    Hudson Acquisition I Corp. and Aiways Automobile Europe GmbH said Friday they have inked an agreement to go public through a SPAC merger, with the electric vehicle maker achieving a $410 million pre-merger equity valuation. 

  • November 22, 2024

    Navajo Co. Dismisses Case Alleging Paralegal Took Docs

    A natural resources company owned by the Navajo Nation has dismissed a lawsuit against a paralegal it accused of failing to turn in her computer for removal of its privileged documents, after the paralegal said she had already arranged to surrender her device before the lawsuit was even filed.

  • November 22, 2024

    Bondi Vowed Trump Payback. Ex-Colleagues Aren't Worried.

    U.S. attorney general nominee Pam Bondi is an outspoken ally of President-elect Donald Trump and vowed during the campaign that his "prosecutors will be prosecuted," but people who've worked with her say she's well qualified to serve as the nation's top cop and downplayed concerns that she would politicize the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • November 22, 2024

    LA Power Dept. Inks $60M Settlement Over Valley Gas Leak

    The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has reached a $59.9 million settlement over allegations that it hid a dangerous natural gas leak from San Fernando Valley residents for over three years, according to the plaintiffs' counsel.

  • November 22, 2024

    EPA, Pa. Nab $5.3M In Penalties Against Oil, Gas Producers

    The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday they have secured two settlements amounting to $5.3 million with XTO Energy Inc. and Hilcorp Energy Company, resolving alleged Clean Air Act and Pennsylvania Air Pollution Control Act violations.

  • November 22, 2024

    Pa. Rate Deal Halves FirstEnergy's $502M Customer Hike Bid

    FirstEnergy will be able to increase its base electrical rates in Pennsylvania to bring in an additional $225 million in annual revenue starting in 2025 — less than half of the rate hike the company initially proposed, according to a settlement approved by the state's Public Utility Commission.

  • November 22, 2024

    Honeywell Restructure Continues With $1.3B PPE Biz Sale

    Honeywell said Friday it has agreed to sell its personal protective equipment business to Protective Industrial Products Inc. for $1.325 billion in cash, as the industrial conglomerate forges ahead with a multipronged restructuring program while also facing pressure from an activist investor to split itself in two. 

  • November 22, 2024

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    This past week in London has seen cash-strapped Thurrock Borough Council bring a £40 million ($50 million) negligence claim against 23 other local authorities over its solar investments from a not-for-profit local government body, AstraZeneca sue a fire safety company following a blaze at its Cambridge headquarters last year, and a director who was convicted in 2016 for corporate manslaughter face action by Manolete Partners. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • November 22, 2024

    Ex-Invenergy Atty Joins McDermott's Energy Team In DC

    McDermott Will & Emery LLP announced Friday its Washington, D.C., office has brought on an in-house renewable energy and taxation expert with more than a decade of experience to further help the firm's clients utilize energy transition tax credits available in the Inflation Reduction Act.

Expert Analysis

  • How High Court Approached Time Limit On Reg Challenges

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Corner Post v. Federal Reserve Board effectively gives new entities their own personal statute of limitations to challenge rules and regulations, and Justice Brett Kavanaugh's concurrence may portend the court's view that those entities do not need to be directly regulated, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.

  • First-Of-Its-Kind Chancery Ruling Will Aid SPAC Defendants

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    The Delaware Chancery Court's first full dismissal of claims challenging a special purpose acquisition company transaction under the entire fairness doctrine in the recent Hennessy Capital Acquisition Stockholder Litigation establishes useful precedent to abate the flood of SPAC litigation, say Lisa Bugni and Benjamin Lee at King & Spalding.

  • Expect The Unexpected: Contracts For Underground Projects

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    Recent challenges encountered by the Mountain Valley Pipeline project underscore the importance of drafting contracts for underground construction to account for unexpected site conditions, associated risks and compliance with applicable laws, say Jill Jaffe and Brenda Lin at Nossaman.

  • How To Clean Up Your Generative AI-Produced Legal Drafts

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    As law firms increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence tools to produce legal text, attorneys should be on guard for the overuse of cohesive devices in initial drafts, and consider a few editing pointers to clean up AI’s repetitive and choppy outputs, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.

  • Series

    Boxing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Boxing has influenced my legal work by enabling me to confidently hone the skills I've learned from the sport, like the ability to remain calm under pressure, evaluate an opponent's weaknesses and recognize when to seize an important opportunity, says Kirsten Soto at Clyde & Co.

  • Opinion

    Industry Self-Regulation Will Shine Post-Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper decision will shape the contours of industry self-regulation in the years to come, providing opportunities for this often-misunderstood practice, says Eric Reicin at BBB National Programs.

  • 3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court clearly thinks it has done something big in overturning the Chevron precedent that had given deference to agencies' statutory interpretations, but regulated parties have to consider how agencies retain significant power to shape the law and its meaning, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • After Chevron

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    Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard in June, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 37 different rulemaking and litigation areas.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Expect Few Changes In ITC Rulemaking

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's opinion overruling the Chevron doctrine will have less impact on the U.S. International Trade Commission than other agencies administering trade statutes, given that the commission exercises its congressionally granted authority in a manner that allows for consistent decision making at both agency and judicial levels, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • Opinion

    Reform NEPA To Speed Mining Permits, Clean Energy Shift

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    It is essential to balance responsible regulatory oversight with permit approvals for mining projects that are needed for the transition to renewable energy — and with the National Environmental Policy Act being one of the leading causes of permit delays, reform is urgently needed, say Ana Maria Gutierrez and Michael Miller at Womble Bond.

  • Opinion

    Atty Well-Being Efforts Ignore Root Causes Of The Problem

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    The legal industry is engaged in a critical conversation about lawyers' mental health, but current attorney well-being programs primarily focus on helping lawyers cope with the stress of excessive workloads, instead of examining whether this work culture is even fundamentally compatible with lawyer well-being, says Jonathan Baum at Avenir Guild.

  • A Case Study For Calif. Cities In Water Utility Takeovers

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    With growing water scarcity and drier weather looming, some local governments in California have sought to acquire investor-owned water utilities by eminent domain — but the 2016 case of Claremont v. Golden State Water is a reminder that such municipalization attempts must meet certain statutory requirements, say attorneys at Nossaman.

  • Series

    Skiing And Surfing Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I’ve learned while riding waves in the ocean and slopes in the mountains have translated to my legal career — developing strong mentor relationships, remaining calm in difficult situations, and being prepared and able to move to a backup plan when needed, says Brian Claassen at Knobbe Martens.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: June Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers two recent decisions from the Third and Tenth Circuits, and identifies practice tips around class action settlements and standing in securities litigation.

  • Tracking Implementation Of IRA Programs As Election Nears

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    As the Biden administration races to cement key regulations implementing the Inflation Reduction Act, a number of the law's programs and incentives are at risk of delay or repeal if Republicans retake control of Congress, the White House or both — so stakeholders should closely watch ongoing IRA implementation and guidance, say attorneys at Squire Patton.

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