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Energy
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December 17, 2024
Oil Cos. Seek Coverage For Water Byproduct Pollution
Two oil and gas companies accused their commercial general liability insurer and certain Lloyd's of London underwriters of denying coverage for a release of waste byproduct in bad faith, telling a New Mexico federal court the release further triggered state-supervised remediation efforts that imposed additional costs.
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December 17, 2024
Seattle, Solar Group Sue To Block Natural Gas Ballot Initiative
The city of Seattle and solar industry and environmental groups have sued the state of Washington to preserve municipalities' ability to curb natural gas use in new buildings, arguing a voter-approved measure blocking that power had unrelated provisions that made it unconstitutional.
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December 17, 2024
Asset Manager Gets 2½ Years For Role In $1.2B PDVSA Scheme
A Florida federal judge on Tuesday sentenced an asset manager who pled guilty to participating in a $1.2 billion scheme to embezzle money from Venezuela's state-owned oil company to 2½ years in prison.
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December 17, 2024
Senate Dem's Bill Would Mandate New FCC Outage Reports
Networks that receive funding to help them rebound from climate-related disasters would need to file new reports of outages to the Federal Communications Commission under a Democratic bill filed in the U.S. Senate.
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December 17, 2024
PG&E Secures $15B Energy Dept. Loan To Upgrade Grid
The U.S. Department of Energy said on Tuesday that it has conditionally committed to lending Pacific Gas & Electric Co. up to $15 billion for projects aimed at expanding hydropower generation and clean energy infrastructure in California.
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December 17, 2024
IRS Corrects Proposed Admin Requirements For Direct Pay
The Internal Revenue Service issued a correction Tuesday to proposed regulations laying out administrative requirements for tax-exempt entities to elect out of their partnership status in order to take advantage of new rules enabling direct cash payment of clean energy tax credits.
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December 17, 2024
Possible 6th Circ. Picks Now That Biden's Nominee Is Done
A district judge, state Supreme Court justice and a former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission member are among the contenders for a seat on the Sixth Circuit when the outgoing judge retires, a pending vacancy that had been a matter of contention between Tennessee's senators and the Biden administration.
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December 16, 2024
Circuit-By-Circuit Guide To 2024's Most Memorable Moments
One judge said a litigant's position would cause "an effing nightmare," and another decried the legal community's silence amid "illegitimate aspersions." Public officials literally trashed one court's opinion, and fateful rulings dealt with controversial politicians, social media and decades of environmental policy. Those were just a few appellate highlights in 2024, a year teeming with memorable moments both substantive and sensational.
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December 16, 2024
Lye Indirect Buyers Can't Certify Price Fixing Class
A New York federal judge denied a bid for class certification from indirect buyers of lye who allege manufacturers of the chemical colluded to inflate prices, saying Monday they didn't show common questions predominate for their proposed classes or that most members suffered an injury due to the alleged cartel.
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December 16, 2024
Ex-Ill. Rep. Says He Got ComEd, AT&T Work With Madigan's Help
Former Illinois state Rep. Eddie Acevedo testified Monday that he obtained consulting work from utilities ComEd and AT&T with former House Speaker Michael Madigan's help, but pushed back on prosecutors' suggestion that he performed little to no work for the pay.
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December 16, 2024
Reed Smith, Eletson Battle Over Sanctions In Ch. 11
The current and former owners of reorganized Greek shipping group Eletson Holdings clashed in New York bankruptcy court Monday over sanctions requested against Reed Smith LLP, the Chapter 11 counsel to the previous Eletson, and others in a dispute over implementing its confirmed bankruptcy plan that an attorney compared to the movie "Groundhog Day."
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December 16, 2024
High Court Faces Dueling Views Over EPA Rule Fights
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday was presented with dueling arguments over whether the bulk of judicial challenges to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency air pollution rules should remain in the D.C. Circuit or can be heard in other, regional circuit courts.
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December 16, 2024
DC Circ. Skeptical That EPA Moved Too Early On Particulates
Judges on the D.C. Circuit seemed unlikely to buy arguments from industry groups and a coalition of Republican-led states challenging a February U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule on particulate matter, grilling an attorney for the challengers on the agency's Clean Air Act authority during oral arguments Monday.
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December 16, 2024
Sempra Policies Too Old For $1.8B Leak Coverage, Court Told
An insurer told a California federal judge to end Sempra Energy's bid to obtain coverage in connection with a nearly $1.8 billion settlement over the largest natural gas leak in U.S. history, claiming its policies expired before any alleged injuries occurred.
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December 16, 2024
US Lends $9.6B To Build EV Battery Plants In The South
The U.S. Department of Energy has agreed to loan Ford Motor Co. and South Korean battery manufacturer SK On up to $9.63 billion for a joint venture that includes building electric vehicle battery plants in Tennessee and Kentucky, according to a Monday statement.
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December 16, 2024
Honeywell Pollution Suit Belongs In Ga. Court, 11th Circ. Told
A Georgia city suing Honeywell International Inc. over the company's alleged pollution of coastal waterways told the Eleventh Circuit Monday that the Environmental Protection Agency's supervision of remediation efforts can't transform Honeywell into a federal officer, thus denying the company the jurisdiction it needs to move the case into federal court.
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December 16, 2024
High Court Bar's Future: Latham's Roman Martinez
Roman Martinez of Latham & Watkins LLP approaches oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court as if they were just another dinner with family or friends — people he's argued with since he was a kid.
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December 16, 2024
Pipeline Co. To Pay $450,000 To Settle ND Pollution Claims
A Texas-based pipeline operator will pay $450,000 to settle Clean Air Act violations on North Dakota's Fort Berthold Indian Reservation after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found multiple offenses during a routine inspection last year.
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December 16, 2024
Honeywell May Split Aerospace Biz Amid Activist Pressure
Honeywell International Inc. on Monday said it is mulling a separation of its aerospace business, after activist investment firm Elliott Investment Management LP in November pushed for the industrial conglomerate to separate itself into two independent companies.
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December 16, 2024
IRS Corrects Regs On Direct Pay Of Partnership Tax Credit
Internal Revenue Service issued a correction Monday to final regulations that make it easier for tax-exempt entities that co-own development projects to qualify for a direct cash payment of clean energy tax credits by electing out of their partnership tax status.
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December 16, 2024
Anglo American-Backed Engine Tech Co. Files Ch. 11
A developer of hybrid electric hauling equipment has filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware bankruptcy court with nearly $98 million in debt and an agreement with its secured lender and parent, mining company Anglo American, to pursue a sale.
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December 16, 2024
Justices Preserve Calif. Vehicle Emissions Autonomy
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review whether the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to allow California to set its own greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles, a power red states had challenged as unconstitutional.
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December 13, 2024
Feds Suggest Protections For Salamander, Mussels Habitat
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed protections for the eastern hellbender salamander as well as for the habitats of several species of endangered freshwater mussels, according to a pair of recent announcements.
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December 13, 2024
Canadian Gold Mining Co. Beats Investor Suit Over M&A Plans
A New York federal judge on Friday granted a Canadian gold mining company a summary judgment win in a securities lawsuit accusing it of misleading investors about its corporate acquisition strategy, saying statements a California investor challenged didn't exclude the possibility of acquiring another company if the right opportunity arose.
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December 13, 2024
SEC's Corporation Finance Director Gerding To Step Down
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced Friday that the head of its Division of Corporation Finance, who oversaw the finalization of controversial new rules covering environmental disclosures and share repurchases, will leave the agency at the end of the year.
Expert Analysis
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Applying High Court's Domestic Corruption Rulings To FCPA
After the U.S. Supreme Court narrowed the domestic corruption statutes in three decisions over the past year and a half, it’s worth evaluating whether these rulings may have an impact on Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement, and if attorneys can use the court’s reasoning in international bribery cases, says James Koukios at MoFo.
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How Multifamily Property Owners Can Plan For The EV Future
As the electric vehicle market expands, and federal and state incentives and mandates intended to promote EV use come into effect, owners and operators of multifamily residential properties should be prepared to meet the growing demand for onsite EV charging infrastructure, say Sydney Tucker and Andreas Wokutch at Frost Brown.
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Conn. Court Split May Lead To Vertical Forum Shopping
As shown by a recent ruling in State v. Exxon Mobil, Connecticut state and federal courts are split on personal jurisdiction, and until the Connecticut Supreme Court steps in, parties may be incentivized to forum shop, causing foreign entities to endure costly litigation and uncertain liability, says Matthew Gibbons at Shipman & Goodwin.
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Mental Health First Aid: A Brief Primer For Attorneys
Amid a growing body of research finding that attorneys face higher rates of mental illness than the general population, firms should consider setting up mental health first aid training programs to help lawyers assess mental health challenges in their colleagues and intervene with compassion, say psychologists Shawn Healy and Tracey Meyers.
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Enviro Policy Trends That Will Continue Beyond The Election
Come October in a presidential election year, the policy world feels like a winner-take-all scenario, with the outcome of the vote determining how or even whether we are regulated — but there are several key ongoing trends that will continue to drive environmental regulation regardless of the election results, say J. Michael Showalter and Samuel Rasche at ArentFox Schiff.
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Series
Collecting Art Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The therapeutic aspects of appreciating and collecting art improve my legal practice by enhancing my observation skills, empathy, creativity and cultural awareness, says attorney Michael McCready.
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Secret Service Failures Offer Lessons For Private Sector GCs
The Secret Service’s problematic response to two assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump this summer provides a crash course for general counsel on how not to handle crisis communications, says Keith Nahigian at Nahigian Strategies.
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Opinion
Supreme Court Must Halt For-Profit Climate Tort Proliferation
If the U.S. Supreme Court does not seize the opportunity presented by Honolulu v. Sunoco to reassert federal authority over interstate pollution regulation, the resulting frenzy of profit-driven environmental mass torts against energy companies will stunt American competitiveness and muddle climate policy, says Gale Norton at Liberty Energy.
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Takeaways From TOTSA Settlement And Critical CFTC Dissent
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's recent settlement with TOTSA highlights the agency's commitment to enforcing market integrity and deterring manipulative practices, while Commissioner Caroline Pham's dissent to the settlement spotlights the need for transparency and consistency in enforcement actions, say attorneys at Davis Wright.
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Litigation Inspiration: Honoring Your Learned Profession
About 30,000 people who took the bar exam in July will learn they passed this fall, marking a fitting time for all attorneys to remember that they are members in a specialty club of learned professionals — and the more they can keep this in mind, the more benefits they will see, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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Opinion
AI May Limit Key Learning Opportunities For Young Attorneys
The thing that’s so powerful about artificial intelligence is also what’s most scary about it — its ability to detect patterns may curtail young attorneys’ chance to practice the lower-level work of managing cases, preventing them from ever honing the pattern recognition skills that undergird creative lawyering, says Sarah Murray at Trialcraft.
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Series
Round-Canopy Parachuting Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Similar to the practice of law, jumping from an in-flight airplane with nothing but training and a few yards of parachute silk is a demanding and stressful endeavor, and the experience has bolstered my legal practice by enhancing my focus, teamwork skills and sense of perspective, says Thomas Salerno at Stinson.
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Why Now Is The Time For Law Firms To Hire Lateral Partners
Partner and associate mobility data from the second quarter of this year suggest that there's never been a better time in recent years for law firms to hire lateral candidates, particularly experienced partners — though this necessitates an understanding of potential red flags, say Julie Henson and Greg Hamman at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.
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Reassessing Lease Provisions To Account For ESG Initiatives
As companies seek to build ESG considerations into their businesses, it's crucial to understand how such initiatives can quickly become significant enough to compel reassessment of lease agreement provisions, and how best to modify leases accordingly, say Julian Freeman and Gabe Pitassi at Cox Castle.
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Opinion
FERC Penalty Adjudication Unconstitutional Under Jarkesy
The U.S. Supreme Court's holding in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy that the SEC's use of in-house proceedings to adjudicate civil penalties is unconstitutional should equally apply to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's statutory penalty assessment schemes, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.