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Energy
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July 23, 2024
Orrick Hires Ex-Winston & Strawn Tax Partner In Chicago
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP announced the hiring of a former partner at Winston & Strawn LLP for its renewables tax equity and tax credit team.
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July 22, 2024
EPA Awards $4.3B In Grants For Climate Change Projects
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it's steering $4.3 billion in grant funding to 25 projects that promise to help curb greenhouse gas pollution, advance environmental justice and transition the country to clean power.
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July 22, 2024
Gazprom Unit Illegally Seized Helium Containers, Linde Says
Linde Inc. sued RusChemAlliance and Gazprom in New York federal court Friday alleging they illegally seized helium containers in Russia as collateral in an unrelated contractual fight they have with nonparty engineering firm Linde GmbH over gas plant projects shuttered amid expanded sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
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July 22, 2024
Gov't Wants Protest Over $186M In DOD Fuel Deals Thrown Out
The Defense Logistics Agency has urged the Court of Federal Claims to dismiss a protest alleging it wrongly ignored misconduct by companies awarded $186 million in fuel delivery deals, saying it adequately investigated the claims and found nothing untoward.
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July 22, 2024
Jury Delivers $138M Verdict In Bitcoin Mining Consultant Suit
A California federal jury unanimously found bitcoin mining firm Marathon Digital Holdings Inc. liable for nearly $139 million in damages over allegedly breaching a consultant's contract when it cut him out of the deal he brought to the firm.
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July 22, 2024
Insurer Says Bank Must Pay Its $1.1M Drawdown Request
A surety for an oil and gas operator that has recently sought Chapter 11 protection told a Washington federal court that a bank has repeatedly failed to hold up its end of an "irrevocable letter of credit," alleging the bank owes it over $1.1 million.
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July 22, 2024
Fifth Third Sued In $20M Escrow Dispute Over Dividend Solar
A private equity seller of a solar panel fintech lender that Fifth Third Bank bought in 2022 has sued the bank in New York federal court to free up $20 million in indemnity escrow funds that it alleges the bank has tried improperly to withhold over state investigations tied to the fintech.
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July 22, 2024
Ex-Lobbyist Asks To Be Severed From Madigan RICO Case
The former Commonwealth Edison lobbyist on track to face a jury alongside former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan this fall asked a federal judge Friday to sever his corruption case from Madigan's, saying a joint trial would be unfair because Madigan's lawyers intend to act as "second prosecutors" against him.
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July 22, 2024
Energy Co. Accused Of Putting Off $5M Construction Project
A Houston energy company has accused its Austin business partner of failing to build a more than $5 million liquid distillation machine over four years after executing a contract to do so.
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July 22, 2024
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
A $6 million bank fee, a $42.5 million shopping mall deal, some questionable Amazon deliveries and long-ago expired ketchup: it was all part of the comings and goings in Delaware's Court of Chancery last week. New cases involved mining and cybersecurity companies, board takeovers, "weaponized" director election provisions, and legal fees following a $3.1 billion telecom merger. In case you missed it, here's the latest from the Chancery Court.
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July 22, 2024
Biofuel Groups Back EPA Fuel Regs In DC Circ. Fight
Several biofuel trade groups are urging the D.C. Circuit to reject arguments the oil and fuel industry and environmentalists are making in challenges to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's renewable fuel blending requirements.
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July 22, 2024
Conn. AG Accuses Solar Cos. Of Illegal Sales Tactics
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong took three solar companies and two individuals to court for allegedly deceiving consumers into signing long-term contracts without informed consent and impersonating some people who refused so they could enter fraudulent solar contracts on those consumers' behalf.
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July 22, 2024
Challenge To Romanian Trading Tax Referred To ECJ
Europe's highest court has been handed a challenge to trading tax in Romania, as a national court seeks guidance on whether EU law would prevent a member country from creating an extra tax liability for some participants in the wholesale energy market.
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July 19, 2024
Utility, Attys 'Colluded' On $178M Ore. Wildfire Deal, Court Told
Berkshire Hathaway-owned utility PacifiCorp is facing allegations from plaintiffs firms that it "colluded" with a trio of other law firms to reach a "paltry" $178 million settlement with survivors of deadly Oregon wildfires allegedly sparked by the utility's equipment, according to a filing in Oregon state court.
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July 19, 2024
More Airwaves Needed For Power Grid Upgrades, FCC Told
Power companies are calling on the Federal Communications Commission to help free up more spectrum for utilities, telling the agency that opening up spectrum currently committed to public safety use could be a win-win.
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July 19, 2024
Pa. Justices Let Enviro Groups Join Cap-And-Trade Fray
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania was of at least four different minds Thursday when it ruled that several environmental groups could finally intervene in litigation that has blocked the state from joining a regional carbon cap-and-trade program.
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July 19, 2024
DC Circ. Upholds EPA's Revised Biogas Accounting Rules
The D.C. Circuit on Friday backed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's revamp of how it accounts for renewable transportation fuel derived from biogas, rejecting a petition from an industry group that challenged the regulations as unduly burdensome and an agency overreach.
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July 19, 2024
DC Circ. Sides With FERC In Wind Farm Hookup Cost Fight
A D.C. Circuit panel on Friday backed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in disputes related to the transmission system upgrade costs that Tenaska Clear Creek Wind LLC faced to connect a 242-megawatt wind farm in northwest Missouri to the grid.
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July 19, 2024
Signature Gatherers Must Comply With Mich. Election Law
A Michigan appellate panel said in a published opinion that petition signature gatherers must strictly comply with state election law, finding that the gatherers' failure to identify their town of residence rendered invalid every signature on petitions seeking to put a referendum question regarding a solar energy ordinance on the ballot.
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July 19, 2024
Co. Says La. Utility Ditched Millions In Restitution Claims
A Louisiana utility company wrongfully refused to accept $42.3 million in restitution for deficiencies found by a consulting company in meter technology that collects energy usage data, the consulting company alleged in Louisiana federal court.
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July 19, 2024
DC Circ. Won't Block EPA Power Plant Emissions Rule
The D.C. Circuit refused Friday to block the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's rule curbing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, saying challengers haven't shown they're likely to succeed in overturning the regulations.
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July 19, 2024
Zimbabwe Can't Dodge $50M Mining Award, DC Circ. Told
Zimbabwe can't leverage sovereign immunity to get out of paying a $50 million arbitration award over a soured joint mining venture, two Mauritian mining companies told the D.C. Circuit, saying that a trial court judge was right to permit their enforcement suit to move forward.
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July 19, 2024
Less Strict Standard Should Apply In 401(k) Suit, Judge Says
A Florida magistrate judge advised rejecting a steel manufacturer's bid to apply a tougher standard to a plan participant's proposed class action accusing the company of saddling its 401(k) with pricey investment funds and fees, saying that standard doesn't fit the bill in this case.
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July 19, 2024
Occidental Could Sell $3.6B CrownRock Stake To Ecopetrol
Occidental Petroleum said in a securities filing Friday that it could sell a 30% stake in CrownRock — which Occidental is under contract to buy for $12 billion — to Columbia's Ecopetrol for $3.6 billion.
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July 18, 2024
5th Circ. Remands ESG Rule Row Citing Chevron's End
The Fifth Circuit on Thursday instructed a Texas federal court to reconsider a Biden administration rule allowing retirement plan advisers to consider environmental, social and governance factors when choosing investments, pointing to recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings that have "upended" the legal landscape.
Expert Analysis
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EPA Heavy-Duty Vehicle GHG Rules Face Bumpy Road Ahead
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for owners and operators of heavy-duty vehicles are facing opposition from both states and the transportation industry, and their arguments will mirror two pending cases challenging the EPA's authority, says Grant Laizer at Adams and Reese.
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Circuit Judge Writes An Opinion, AI Helps: What Now?
Last week's Eleventh Circuit opinion in Snell v. United Specialty Insurance, notable for a concurrence outlining the use of artificial intelligence to evaluate a term's common meaning, is hopefully the first step toward developing a coherent basis for the judiciary's generative AI use, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.
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A Look At M&A Conditions After FTC's Exxon-Pioneer Nod
The Federal Trade Commission's recent consent decree imposing several conditions on Exxon Mobil's acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources helps illustrate key points about the current merger enforcement environment, including the probability of further investigations in the energy and pharmaceutical sectors, say Ryan Quillian and John Kendrick at Covington.
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Opinion
US Solar Import Probe's Focus On China Is Misguided
The U.S. Department of Commerce's recent anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigation focuses on the apparent Chinese ownership of solar device importers in four Southeast Asian countries — a point that is irrelevant under the controlling statute, says John Anwesen at Lighthill.
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3 Recent Decisions To Note As Climate Litigation Heats Up
Three recent rulings on climate-related issues — from a New York federal court, a New York state court and an international tribunal, respectively — demonstrate both regulators' concern about climate change and the complexity of conflicting regulations in different jurisdictions, say J. Michael Showalter and Robert Middleton at ArentFox Schiff.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: May Lessons
In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses four notable circuit court decisions on topics from automobile insurance to securities — and provides key takeaways for counsel on issues including circuit-specific ascertainability requirements and how to conduct a Daubert analysis prior to class certification.
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New TSCA Risk Rule Gives EPA Broad Discretion On Science
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent final amendments to its framework for evaluating the risks of chemical substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act give it vast discretion over consideration of scientific information, without objective criteria to guide that discretion, say John McGahren and Debra Carfora at Morgan Lewis.
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Perspectives
Trauma-Informed Legal Approaches For Pro Bono Attorneys
As National Trauma Awareness Month ends, pro bono attorneys should nevertheless continue to acknowledge the mental and physical effects of trauma, allowing them to better represent clients, and protect themselves from compassion fatigue and burnout, say Katherine Cronin at Stinson and Katharine Manning at Blackbird.
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Key Insurance Considerations After $725M Benzene Verdict
The recent massive benzene verdict in Gill v. Exxon Mobil will certainly trigger insurance questions — and likely a new wave of benzene suits — so potential defendants should study Radiator Specialty v. Arrowood Indemnity, the only state high court decision regarding benzene claim coverage, says Jonathan Hardin at Perkins Coie.
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Series
Playing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My deep and passionate involvement in playing, writing and producing music equipped me with skills — like creativity, improvisation and problem-solving — that contribute to the success of my legal career, says attorney Kenneth Greene.
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Contractors Must Prep For FAR Council GHG Emissions Rule
With the U.S. Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council expected to finalize its proposed rule on the disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related financial risk this year, government contractors should take key steps now to get ready, say Thomas Daley at DLA Piper, Steven Rothstein at the Ceres Accelerator for Sustainable Capital Markets, and John Kostyack at Kostyack Strategies.
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How Attys Can Avoid Pitfalls When Withdrawing From A Case
The Trump campaign's recent scuffle over its bid to replace its counsel in a pregnancy retaliation suit offers a chance to remind attorneys that many troubles inherent in withdrawing from a case can be mitigated or entirely avoided by communicating with clients openly and frequently, says Christopher Konneker at Orsinger Nelson.
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Opinion
We Need A Legislative Path To Power Plant Emissions Cuts
With the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's newest regulation targeting power plant carbon emissions likely to be overturned by courts or a future administration, it's time for bipartisan legislation to preserve affordable, reliable electricity while substantially decarbonizing the sector by midcentury, say Jeffrey Holmstead at Bracewell and Samuel Thernstrom at the Energy Innovation Reform Project.
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Using A Children's Book Approach In Firm Marketing Content
From “The Giving Tree” to “Where the Wild Things Are,” most children’s books are easy to remember because they use simple words and numbers to tell stories with a human impact — a formula law firms should emulate in their marketing content to stay front of mind for potential clients, says Seema Desai Maglio at The Found Word.
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2 Oil Trader FCPA Pleas Highlight Fine-Reduction Factors
Recent Foreign Corrupt Practices Act settlements with Gunvor and Trafigura — the latest actions in a yearslong sweep of the commodities trading industry — reveal useful data points related to U.S. Department of Justice policies on cooperation credit and past misconduct, say Michael DeBernardis and Laura Perkins at Hughes Hubbard.