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Energy
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October 29, 2024
Ex-ComEd GC Calls Madigan's Interest In Law Firm 'Strange'
A Jenner & Block LLP attorney and former Commonwealth Edison general counsel testified Tuesday that he found it "strange" to read ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was interested in the granular details of the utility's negotiations with Chicago law firm Reyes Kurson. Madigan's counsel, however, appeared to suggest a confidant and co-defendant had name-dropped the speaker in 2016 without actually talking to him.
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October 29, 2024
DQ'd Zeta Atty Using MDL Info In Other Cases, Plaintiffs Say
A group of crew members aboard a Transocean drilling rig during Hurricane Zeta asked a Harris County judge Monday to sanction the company and its former law firm, writing that a former attorney has continued to use information he obtained while working on the case despite being disqualified in 2023.
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October 29, 2024
Texas Judge Rejects Early Win In Water Pollution Dispute
A Texas federal judge denied on Tuesday an insurer's bid for an early win in its lawsuit against a water supply company accused of providing contaminated water to Cameron County residents, despite the insurer's argument that pollution exclusions in multiple policies bar coverage for the underlying claims.
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October 29, 2024
ND Riverbed Fight Has Been Festering For 50 Years, Court Told
A Native American tribe and the U.S. Department of the Interior are asking a federal court to deny a more than yearlong extension request by North Dakota to respond to a bid for a judgment that declares the state has no mineral rights beneath a portion of the Missouri River.
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October 29, 2024
BOEM Holds Gulf Of Maine Wind Lease Sale
An offshore wind lease sale held Tuesday for the Gulf of Maine saw two provisional winners for four lease areas with the potential to power some 2.3 million homes, according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
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October 29, 2024
FERC Botched Pacific NW Pipeline Approval, 5th Circ. Told
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was wrong to approve a controversial TC Energy Corp. pipeline expansion project in the Pacific Northwest, Washington and Oregon officials and environmental groups told the Fifth Circuit.
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October 29, 2024
Oil Trader's Brother Gets Probation, Fine For Brazilian Bribes
An ailing Connecticut man who admitted to helping his brother pull off a scheme to bribe officials at Brazil's state-owned oil company has been sentenced to probation, a fine and asset forfeiture, federal court records showed Tuesday.
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October 29, 2024
Judge Rules Texas Grid Projects Law Unconstitutional
A Texas federal judge on Monday ruled that a right of first refusal law in Texas reserving new power line development for the state's incumbent transmission companies violates the U.S. Constitution's commerce clause.
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October 28, 2024
Judge Hopes To Avoid Vote Issue Repeat In Talc Ch. 11 Plan
A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Monday told a pair of talc producers that the proposed creditor voting procedures on their joint Chapter 11 plans will need some work to avoid a repeat of the voting problems that derailed a previous attempt to settle asbestos injury claims.
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October 28, 2024
Russia Says High Court Case May Help Nix $5B Award Suit
Russia has told a D.C. federal court that a case recently accepted for review by the U.S. Supreme Court may provide it a path to argue that the court lacks jurisdiction to decide a case brought against the country by a Yukos Oil Co. unit.
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October 28, 2024
Texas Sues Biden Admin Over Mussels' Endangered Status
Texas sued the U.S. Department of the Interior over a recent federal classification naming several central-Texas mussel species as endangered or threatened, telling a Texas federal court Monday that the agencies failed to consider current conservation efforts and economic impacts of the new rule.
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October 28, 2024
Metals Co. Owner Convicted Of Tax Fraud In $58M Theft Case
A Delaware federal jury convicted the owner of a gold and silver depository of tax fraud and other crimes tied to the government's accusations that he stole $58 million in precious metals from his customers, according to court filings.
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October 28, 2024
Wrongful Death Coverage Capped At $1M, Zurich Says
Zurich urged a Colorado federal court to grant it an early win in a lawsuit brought by a pipeline construction company stemming from an underlying wrongful death action, arguing that relevant policy language only guaranteed the company $1 million instead of twice that amount.
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October 28, 2024
DC Circ. Told Carbon Tech Doesn't Back EPA Power Plant Rule
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can't show that carbon capture and sequestration technology can be used now to meet its new emissions requirements for power plants, necessitating vacatur, Republican-led states and industry challengers told the D.C. Circuit.
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October 28, 2024
Calif.'s 2018 Fire Reimbursement Suit Meets Skeptical Judge
A Los Angeles judge appeared dubious Monday that the state of California can use litigation against Southern California Edison to recover emergency funds distributed to local agencies that responded to the destructive Woolsey Fire in 2018.
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October 28, 2024
Philly Attys Sued For Allegedly Botching Bias Lawsuit
A malpractice suit filed in Philadelphia court alleges that attorneys at the Law Offices of Eric A. Shore did not properly manage a pair of federal employment discrimination cases for a power plant engineer, causing the dismissal of one complaint and a diminished jury verdict in the second.
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October 28, 2024
Brouillette Stepping Down As Utility Trade Group's Head
Dan Brouillette, a former energy secretary during the Trump administration, on Monday said he will be leaving his role as president and CEO of the Edison Electric Institute later this year to focus on global energy challenges.
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October 25, 2024
Entergy Struggles To Challenge FERC Decision At DC Circ.
The D.C. Circuit is set to decide whether or not utility giant Entergy will be allowed to challenge the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's rejection of a plan that would change capacity market rules, after finding that it would give Entergy too much market power.
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October 25, 2024
NEPA Rail Ruling Backers Flood Justices With Amicus Briefs
Former federal officials, states, Colorado cities, two law schools and 30 members of Congress are all urging the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm a ruling overturning federal approval for a rail project to haul crude oil out of Utah, rather than reinvent the National Environmental Policy Act as project supporters propose.
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October 25, 2024
2nd Circ. Denies BNP Quick Appeal In Sudan Refugee Suit
The Second Circuit rejected BNP Paribas SA's attempt to immediately appeal a New York federal judge's May ruling certifying a class of Sudanese refugee plaintiffs in litigation accusing the bank of funding the former Sudan government's human rights violations.
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October 25, 2024
Ex-Venture Global Exec Says Co. Lowballed, Then Fired Her
A former Venture Global executive has sued the U.S. natural gas company in Virginia federal court for allegedly breaching a decades-old stock option agreement, claiming the company's co-founders refused to let her exercise millions of dollars' worth of soon-to-expire options, then fired her for complaining.
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October 25, 2024
Bangladesh Rips DC Judge's Arrest Warrant On IMF Officials
The government of Bangladesh said Friday it is "unprecedented" that a D.C. federal judge ordered the arrest of two high-ranking Bangladeshi officials to force their depositions in a power company's lawsuit to enforce $31.9 million in arbitration awards.
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October 25, 2024
Trina Solar Seeks Import Ban On Solar Cells That Infringe IP
Trina Solar Co. Ltd. has advanced its campaign to ban competitors' solar products from the U.S., calling on the U.S. International Trade Commission to prohibit the import of Canadian Solar Inc. products that purportedly infringe its intellectual property.
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October 25, 2024
State AGs Back Mich.'s Immunity From Enbridge Pipeline Suit
Nine states and the District of Columbia have told the Sixth Circuit they back Michigan state officials' arguments of sovereign immunity from a lawsuit Enbridge Energy LP filed over the state's revocation of an easement for a segment of the company's Line 5 pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac.
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October 25, 2024
Judge Won't Revisit Ruling On Contractor Registration Clause
A Court of Federal Claims judge has refused to reconsider her ruling that a previously disqualified bidder was eligible for a $45 billion nuclear cleanup deal after fixing a lapsed federal registration, despite a contrary decision by another judge on the court.
Expert Analysis
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Amid SEC Rule Limbo, US Cos. Subject To ESG Regs In EU
Though the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is facing legal challenges to its climate-disclosure rulemaking, the implementation of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive in the European Union will force U.S. companies to comply with exactly the kinds of ESG disclosures that are not yet mandated in the U.S., say attorneys at Squire Patton.
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How Law Firms Can Avoid 'Collaboration Drag'
Law firm decision making can be stifled by “collaboration drag” — characterized by too many pointless meetings, too much peer feedback and too little dissent — but a few strategies can help stakeholders improve decision-making processes and build consensus, says Steve Groom at Miles Mediation.
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Opinion
Litigation Funding Disclosure Key To Open, Impartial Process
Blanket investor and funding agreement disclosures should be required in all civil cases where the investor has a financial interest in the outcome in order to address issues ranging from potential conflicts of interest to national security concerns, says Bob Goodlatte, former U.S. House Representative for Virginia.
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The Ethics of Using Generative AI In Environmental Law
The rapid emergence of generative artificial intelligence tools is challenging environmental lawyers, consultants and government agencies to determine when and how these tools can be responsibly, ethically and productively integrated into their practices to streamline research, predictive analytics and regulatory compliance, say Ahlia Bethea and Pamela Esterman at Sive Paget.
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Carbon Offset Case A Win For CFTC Enviro Fraud Task Force
An Illinois federal court's decision in Commodity Futures Trading Commission v. Ikkurty — earning the CFTC a sizeable monetary award that will likely incentivize similar enforcement pursuit — shows the impact of the commission's Environmental Fraud Task Force, say attorneys at Steptoe.
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What NFL Draft Picks Have In Common With Lateral Law Hires
Nearly half of law firm lateral hires leave within a few years — a failure rate that is strikingly similar to the performance of NFL quarterbacks drafted in the first round — in part because evaluators focus too heavily on quantifiable metrics and not enough on a prospect's character traits, says Howard Rosenberg at Baretz+Brunelle.
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DC Circ. Int'l Arb. Ruling Leaves Award Holders In Legal Limbo
In NextEra v. Spain, the D.C. Circuit recently ruled that district courts could enforce arbitral awards in energy investors' decadelong dispute with Spain, suggesting award holders could succeed in U.S. courts, but also that foreign sovereigns could render any such victories economically meaningless, says Jeff Newton at Omni Bridgeway.
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Replacing The Stigma Of Menopause With Law Firm Support
A large proportion of the workforce is forced to pull the brakes on their career aspirations because of the taboo surrounding menopause and a lack of consistent support, but law firms can initiate the cultural shift needed by formulating thoughtful workplace policies, says Barbara Hamilton-Bruce at Simmons & Simmons.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: August Lessons
In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers certification cases touching on classwide evidence of injury from debt collection practices, defining coupon settlements under the Class Action Fairness Act, proper approaches for evaluating attorney fee awards in class action settlements, and more.
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Planning Law Firm Content Calendars: What, When, Where
During the slower month of August, law firms should begin working on their 2025 content calendars, planning out a content creation and distribution framework that aligns with the firm’s objectives and maintains audience engagement throughout the year, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.
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Series
Playing Golf Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Golf can positively affect your personal and professional life well beyond the final putt, and it’s helped enrich my legal practice by improving my ability to build lasting relationships, study and apply the rules, face adversity with grace, and maintain my mental and physical well-being, says Adam Kelly at Venable.
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Brownfield Questions Surround IRS Tax Credit Bonus
Though the IRS has published guidance regarding the Inflation Reduction Act's 10% adder for tax credits generated by renewable energy projects constructed on brownfield sites, considerable guesswork remains as potential implications seem contrary to IRS intentions, say Megan Caldwell and Jon Micah Goeller at Husch Blackwell.
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Law Firms Should Move From Reactive To Proactive Marketing
Most law firm marketing and business development teams operate in silos, leading to an ad hoc, reactive approach, but shifting to a culture of proactive planning — beginning with comprehensive campaigns — can help firms effectively execute their broader business strategy, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.
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Energy And AI: Key Issues And Future Challenges
Artificial intelligence promises new technical advantages for the energy industry, but it is also responsible for vast, and growing, energy consumption — so the future of AI and energy will require balancing technological advancement with regulatory oversight, environmental responsibility and infrastructure development, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Opinion
The Big Issues A BigLaw Associates' Union Could Address
A BigLaw associates’ union could address a number of issues that have the potential to meaningfully improve working conditions, diversity and attorney well-being — from restructured billable hour requirements to origination credit allocation, return-to-office mandates and more, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.