Energy

  • August 23, 2024

    Canada Mining Biz Seeks US Listing Via $589M SPAC Merger

    Canadian rare-earth miner Tactical Resources Corp. plans to go public in the U.S. by merging with special purpose acquisition company Plum Acquisition III Corp. at an estimated value of $589 million, both parties announced on Friday, through a deal guided by four law firms.

  • August 23, 2024

    Creditors Can't Dig Up Eletson's Ch. 11 Plan Negotiation Info

    Bankrupt Greek fuel shipping group Eletson doesn't have to turn over communications with a group of shareholders who are supporting its Chapter 11 plan, a New York bankruptcy judge ruled Friday, finding the common interest doctrine shielded their negotiation talks from the official committee of unsecured creditors' discovery request.

  • August 23, 2024

    SPAC Investors Ask Full 9th Circ. To Rethink Lucid Merger

    Investors have urged the full Ninth Circuit to rethink a panel's refusal to revive their proposed class action alleging that Lucid duped them into buying stock in a special purpose acquisition company ahead of the electric vehicle maker's $11.75 billion merger, arguing that the panel's holding misconstrues U.S. Supreme Court precedent, among other issues.

  • August 23, 2024

    The Biggest Enviro Policy Moves Of 2024: Midyear Report

    As the Biden administration hurtles toward the end of its term, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been hustling important final rules out its doors, including regulations for power plant greenhouse gas emissions, chemicals and automobiles.

  • August 22, 2024

    Calif. Justices Revive PwC's $2.5M Sanction Against LA

    The California Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously restored a $2.5 million sanction sought by PwC against the city of Los Angeles for pervasive discovery misconduct in an underlying utility billing fight, finding that the trial court had the authority to impose monetary sanctions under the state's Code of Civil Procedure.

  • August 22, 2024

    Texas Asks Justices To Uphold Bar On Nuclear Waste Site

    The state of Texas called on the U.S. Supreme Court to reject the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's attempt to upend a Fifth Circuit decision barring the agency from licensing a temporary nuclear waste storage facility in the state. 

  • August 22, 2024

    2 AGs Push Justices To Stay EPA Power Plant Emission Rule

    Ohio and Kansas are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to pause a challenged U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, arguing the unlawful rule forces plants to risk billions of dollars on unproven control technologies or shut down.

  • August 22, 2024

    Local Property Tax Exemptions A Must For Solar, Va. AG Says

    Localities are required under state statute to provide an exemption for the taxation of property used for solar photovoltaic systems, or systems that use solar panels to create energy, the Virginia attorney general said in an opinion.

  • August 22, 2024

    Kenya's Justices May Ax Part Of Tax Act That Set Off Unrest

    The Supreme Court of Kenya agreed to stay a lower court's ruling declaring unconstitutional the government's entire 2023 tax package, which sparked deadly nationwide protests, but it looks likely to scrap at least part of the law next month, attorneys told Law360 on Thursday.

  • August 22, 2024

    California Fires Back At Red State Attacks On Climate Torts

    California and a contingent of blue states told the U.S. Supreme Court that their climate change torts against fossil fuel companies are on solid legal ground and that an effort by Alabama and other red states to undercut them must be rejected.

  • August 22, 2024

    Apache Carry Petition To High Court With A Prayer Journey

    Members of an Apache nonprofit fighting to save an Indigenous worship site from destruction are making stops to visit other tribes throughout the country for prayers and support as they deliver a petition to the Supreme Court that seeks to undo a Ninth Circuit ruling and block a mining project.

  • August 22, 2024

    King & Spalding Grows New York Real Estate Group

    An attorney specializing in transactional work and fund formation moved his practice this week to King & Spalding LLP's New York office after four and a half years with Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP.

  • August 22, 2024

    Fisher Phillips Brings Smith Gambrell Atty To DC Gov't Team

    Fisher Phillips' new D.C.-based agriculture employment partner has practiced several types of law throughout his career, and told Law360 Pulse Thursday that his employment law career started unexpectedly after a managing partner at one of his first firms called out sick before an interview.

  • August 22, 2024

    Sheppard Mullin's Latest Energy Duo Joins From Locke Lord

    Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP is continuing to grow its talent in the energy space, announcing Wednesday that it has hired two Locke Lord LLP attorneys.

  • August 22, 2024

    Ga. Mineral Co., Insurer Strike Deal In Talc Coverage Suit

    Phoenix Insurance Co. reached a contingent settlement with a Georgia-based mineral products company in litigation seeking to force the insurer to defend the company against an underlying suit claiming it supplied asbestos-containing talc products.

  • August 22, 2024

    Mining Firm USA Rare Earth Inks $870M SPAC Merger

    Mining and magnet firm USA Rare Earth LLC, advised by King & Spalding LLP, on Thursday announced plans to go public at a pro forma enterprise value of $870 million by merging with White & Case LLP-led special purpose acquisition company Inflection Point Acquisition Corp. II.

  • August 22, 2024

    Pa. Welders, Attys Get Final OK On $970K Drive Time Deal

    A Pennsylvania state court gave final approval Thursday to a $970,000 settlement, including $355,000 in attorney fees, to resolve workers' claims that Great American Welding Co. owed them pay for the time they spent shuttling between satellite parking lots and Shell's petrochemical cracker plant in southwestern Pennsylvania.

  • August 21, 2024

    Ex-Vitol Oil Trader Pleads Out To Texas FCPA Case In NY

    A former Vitol oil trader on Wednesday admitted in New York federal court to charges brought in Texas accusing him of bribing Mexican officials to obtain business for the energy and commodities company, months after he was convicted in New York over similar conduct with Ecuadorian officials.

  • August 21, 2024

    Signal Peak Can't Hasten DOI's Coal Mine Review, Judge Says

    A D.C. federal judge ruled Wednesday that it would be premature to order federal regulators to speed up their environmental review of Signal Peak Energy LLC's planned expansion of a Montana coal mine, saying the federal government still has time to make good on its deadlines.

  • August 21, 2024

    EPA Urges 8th Circ. Not To Delay Power Plant Effluent Rule

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and green groups on Tuesday asked the Eighth Circuit not to block the implementation of a rule that set new wastewater standards for coal-fired power plants, as utility companies, trade groups and nearly two dozen states that oppose the rule have urged.

  • August 21, 2024

    Arch Resources, Consol Energy To Form $5.2B Energy Giant

    Latham & Watkins LLP attorneys guided Arch Resources Inc. in its all-stock merger with Consol Energy Inc. on Wednesday to create a new natural resources company dubbed Core Natural Resources with a market capitalization of approximately $5.2 billion.

  • August 21, 2024

    Scrap Metal Dealer Cops To Converter Theft Conspiracy

    A North Carolina scrap metal dealer has pled guilty to theft and tax charges associated with a catalytic converter theft conspiracy spanning several states, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday.

  • August 21, 2024

    3 Firms Guide $950M Delaware Basin Gas Treatment Deal

    Houston-based energy providerEnterprise  Partners LP has agreed to purchase Pinon Midstream, a natural gas treatment company focused on the Delaware Basin, for $950 million in cash, the companies said Wednesday.

  • August 21, 2024

    Alaska Seeks Pause In Mining Row Suit With EPA

    The state of Alaska is calling on a district court judge to pause litigation accusing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of unlawfully prohibiting development of the Pebble mineral deposit in the southwestern region of the state, while the agency attempts to withhold documents from the public.

  • August 21, 2024

    Judge Says Debtor Plan Will Get Hearing In Eletson Ch. 11

    A New York bankruptcy judge Wednesday said he will give a hearing to all three Chapter 11 plans proposed for shipping company Eletson Holdings, rejecting arguments that the creditor voting results spell the end of Eletson's proposal.

Expert Analysis

  • Fears About The End Of Chevron Deference Are Overblown

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    While some are concerned about repercussions if the U.S. Supreme Court brings an end to Chevron deference in the Loper and Relentless cases this term, agencies and attorneys would survive just fine under the doctrines that have already begun to replace it, say Daniel Wolff and Henry Leung at Crowell & Moring.

  • Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs

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    Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.

  • Stay Interviews Are Key To Retaining Legal Talent

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    Even as the economy shifts and layoffs continue, law firms still want to retain their top attorneys, and so-called stay interviews — informal conversations with employees to identify potential issues before they lead to turnover — can be a crucial tool for improving retention and morale, say Tina Cohen Nicol and Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.

  • Ruling In La. May Undercut EPA Enviro Justice Efforts

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    A Louisiana federal court's recent decision in Louisiana v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will likely serve as a template for other states to oppose the EPA's use of disparate impact analyses in Title VI civil rights cases aimed at advancing environmental justice policies and investigations, say Jonathan Brightbill and Joshua Brown at Winston & Strawn.

  • 8 Tips As GCs Prep For New SEC Climate Disclosure Rules

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently adopted rules governing climate-related disclosures represent a major change to the existing public company disclosure regime, so in-house counsel should begin to evaluate existing systems and resources related to emissions data, and identify the changes that will need to be made, say attorneys at Bracewell.

  • Series

    Spray Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My experiences as an abstract spray paint artist have made me a better litigator, demonstrating — in more ways than one — how fluidity and flexibility are necessary parts of a successful legal practice, says Erick Sandlin at Bracewell.

  • How Fieldwood Ch. 11 Ruling Bolsters Section 363 Confidence

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    The Fifth Circuit’s recent ruling in Fieldwood Energy’s Chapter 11 cases, which clarified that challenges to integral aspects of a bankruptcy sale are statutorily moot under Section 363(m) of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, should bolster the confidence of prospective purchasers in these sales, say attorneys at V&E.

  • New Russia Sanctions Reveal Int'l Enforcement Capabilities

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    Significant new U.K., U.S. and EU sanctions imposed on Russia notably target Europe-based individuals and entities accused of sanctions evasion, and with an apparent political will to enhance capabilities, the rhetoric is translating into international enforcement activity, say lawyers at Cadwalader.

  • Opinion

    Proposed MDL Management Rule Needs Refining

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    Proponents of the recently proposed Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 16.1 believe it may enhance efficiency in multidistrict litigation proceedings if adopted, but there are serious concerns that it could actually hinder plaintiffs' access to justice through the courts — and there are fundamental flaws that deserve our attention, says Ashleigh Raso at Nigh Goldenberg.

  • Opinion

    Judicial Independence Is Imperative This Election Year

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    As the next election nears, the judges involved in the upcoming trials against former President Donald Trump increasingly face political pressures and threats of violence — revealing the urgent need to safeguard judicial independence and uphold the rule of law, says Benes Aldana at the National Judicial College.

  • Document Retention Best Practices To Lower Litigation Risks

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    As new technologies emerge and terabytes of data can be within the purview of a single discovery request, businesses small and large should take four document management steps to effectively minimize risks of litigation and discovery sanctions long before litigation ensues, says Kimbrilee Weber at Norris McLaughlin.

  • Series

    Riding My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Using the Peloton platform for cycling, running, rowing and more taught me that fostering a mind-body connection will not only benefit you physically and emotionally, but also inspire stamina, focus, discipline and empathy in your legal career, says Christopher Ward at Polsinelli.

  • The Challenges SEC's Climate Disclosure Rule May Face

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    Attorneys at Debevoise examine potential legal challenges to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new climate-related disclosure rule — against which nine suits have already been filed — including arguments under the Administrative Procedure Act, the major questions doctrine, the First Amendment and the nondelegation doctrine.

  • New Eagle Take Permit Rule Should Help Wind Projects Soar

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    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's recently issued final rule revising the eagle take permit process should help wind energy developers obtain incidental take permits through a more transparent and expedited process, and mitigate the risk of improper take penalties faced by wind projects, says Jon Micah Goeller at Husch Blackwell.

  • 2 Issues For Venture-Backed Climate Tech Startups To Avoid

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    As climate tech startups become more common, poor equity dilution management and stacked seed financing are two common pitfalls that apply more acutely to climate tech startups than to the broader venture-backed startup space, say attorneys at Goodwin.

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