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Energy
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May 16, 2024
Treasury Provides Extra Relief For Bonus Energy Tax Credits
The U.S. Treasury Department provided additional safe harbors Thursday that clean energy project developers can use to qualify for bonus tax credits for domestically sourcing their steel and aluminum parts in response to the Biden administration's new trade restrictions on solar products from China.
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May 16, 2024
Biden To Restore Tariffs On Bifacial Solar Panel Imports
The Biden administration is lifting a tariff exemption that was granted in 2019 for bifacial solar modules, saying Wednesday that the move will help ensure that imports from China don't undercut U.S. solar manufacturing.
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May 15, 2024
SolarWinds Says SEC's Cyber Breach Suit Goes Too Far
SolarWinds Corp. on Wednesday asked a Manhattan federal judge to throw out the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's suit accusing the enterprise software company of deceiving investors about its lax cybersecurity, which left it open to a Russian hacking campaign.
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May 15, 2024
Water Co. To Pay $8.5M Criminal Fine Over Accounting Claims
Wastewater treatment company Evoqua Water Technologies Corp. has reached an $8.5 million agreement with federal prosecutors allowing the company to avoid criminal charges for allegedly inflating the company's revenue by $36 million.
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May 15, 2024
Two Firms To Lead GrafTech Suit Over Environmental Issues
An Ohio federal judge on Wednesday appointed Abraham Fruchter & Twersky LLP and Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP to lead a shareholder class action against GrafTech International, accusing the electrode-maker of covering up its environmental contamination in Monterrey, Mexico, in the run-up to its initial public offering.
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May 15, 2024
9th Circ. Won't Block Arizona Mineral Drilling Projects
A Ninth Circuit panel on Wednesday refused to block drilling at an exploratory mine in a southern Arizona national forest after a coalition of conservation groups argued the project would threaten imperiled species, finding that the government adequately considered the mine's impact on wildlife.
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May 15, 2024
Iridium Partner Gets Novel FAA Waiver For Beyond-Sight Use
In what satellite phone company Iridium Communications is calling a "watershed moment," the Federal Aviation Administration is allowing one of its partner companies to begin beyond visual line of sight operations, Iridium said Wednesday.
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May 15, 2024
Navajo President Seeks Approval Of Water Rights Settlement
The Navajo Nation's president has urged the federally recognized tribe's council to approve two historic water rights settlements as soon as possible, saying decadeslong negotiations have finally come to an end and now promise to secure funding for critically needed infrastructure.
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May 15, 2024
Peru Ducks $154M Claim Over Seized Gold Shipments
Peru has fended off a Miami-based gold trader's $154 million claim accusing the country of unlawfully seizing its gold shipments, after an international tribunal ruled Tuesday that it lacked jurisdiction and that the trader should be on the hook for all costs in the proceeding.
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May 15, 2024
Russian Gas Ex-CFO Can't Nix $44M FBAR Suit, Judge Rules
The former chief financial officer of a Russian gas company who was sentenced to seven years in prison for hiding money in Swiss banks can't escape the government's civil suit seeking nearly $44 million in reporting penalties, a Florida federal judge ruled Wednesday.
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May 15, 2024
EPA Urges La. Court Not To Broadly Block Civil Rights Regs
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has told a Louisiana federal judge that the state's bid to block EPA regulations that involve disparate impact components would inappropriately impact the EPA's authority beyond the state's own agencies.
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May 15, 2024
Tesla Fires Back At Claims It Bullied Retired Law Professor
Tesla has pushed back against allegations that it tried to bully a retired law professor out of weighing in on an investor suit over CEO Elon Musk's $56 billion compensation plan, according to new filings in Delaware.
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May 15, 2024
4th Circ. Revives Landowners' $523K Win Against Pipeline Co.
A Fourth Circuit panel has instructed a Virginia federal court to reinstate a more than $523,000 jury award for the condemnation of easements across a family's property by Mountain Valley Pipeline, holding the verdict can be supported by credited testimony.
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May 15, 2024
Hunton Taps Energy Regulatory Chair As Austin, Dallas Head
Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP has selected its national energy regulatory practice chair to lead two of its Texas offices, the firm announced Wednesday.
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May 15, 2024
Chancery Orders $199M Penalty In TransCanada Deal Suit
Citing "non-cumulative" damages award offsets, a Delaware vice chancellor on Wednesday ordered the former TransCanada Corp. to pay $199 million of a potential $283 million judgment issued in a post-trial ruling last year on amounts owed to former Columbia Pipeline Group Inc. shareholders shorted in a 2016 merger.
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May 15, 2024
Chinese Art Marketplace, EV Co. Ink SPAC Deals Worth $834M
Two Chinese companies, art marketplace Tyfon Culture Holdings and electric-vehicle maker Aiways Europe have announced plans to go public in the U.S. via mergers with special-purpose acquisition companies in deals that are together valued at around $834 million.
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May 15, 2024
DC Judge Urged To Halt Offshore Wind Project Construction
Advocacy groups and a cohort of Rhode Island residents want a D.C. federal judge to halt construction on a wind farm off the coast of the Ocean State while they press claims that the federal government violated myriad environmental laws in approving the project.
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May 14, 2024
Effect Of New China Duties Hinges On Allies' Response
The effectiveness of new tariffs, announced Tuesday, on Chinese products including electric vehicles, semiconductors and solar cells to protect domestic industries may be determined more by the international community's response than the trade remedies themselves.
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May 14, 2024
Asset Manager Cops To $1.2B Venezuelan Oil Co. Fraud
An asset manager pled guilty Tuesday to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering for his role in a $1.2 billion scheme to embezzle money from Venezuela's state-owned oil company and launder it through false investment schemes in the U.S. and abroad.
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May 14, 2024
Dems Dig Into Trump's Alleged Quid Pro Quo With Oil CEOs
Rep. Jamie Raskin on Tuesday sent letters to the executives of ExxonMobil Corp., Chevron and seven other oil and gas companies requesting information about allegations that former President Donald Trump offered to demolish fossil fuel regulations in exchange for $1 billion in campaign donations.
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May 14, 2024
5 Takeaways From FERC's Grid Planning Policy Overhaul
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's sweeping revision of its regional transmission planning policies will completely transform how U.S. grid projects are planned and paid for, but the agency's muscular approach will invite plenty of compliance and legal challenges. Here are five key takeaways from the rule finalized by FERC on Monday.
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May 14, 2024
Apache Investors Get First OK On $65M Deal In Drilling Suit
A U.S. magistrate judge has given the first green light to a $65 million settlement resolving a lawsuit 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.
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May 14, 2024
9th Circ. Denies Tribes, Enviro Groups' Power Line Stay Bid
The Ninth Circuit has denied an emergency request by two Native American tribes and a couple of conservation groups to stay an Arizona federal judge's order that allows work to continue on a $10 billion power line.
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May 14, 2024
Crystallex Special Master Fires Back Against Effort To DQ Him
The special master appointed to oversee the auction of Citgo's parent company to satisfy billions of dollars worth of Venezuelan debt bristled at the country's allegations that he improperly pressured the U.S. to change its sanctions policy to permit the sale to go through.
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May 14, 2024
Calif. City Sues Dow, Shell Over TCP-Tainted Water
Dow Chemical and Shell USA are facing a negligence suit in California federal court by the city of Pomona, alleging the companies are responsible for manufacturing commercial products containing the toxic 1,2,3-trichloropropane that has migrated into the city's water supply and seeking to recoup costs over response efforts.
Expert Analysis
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2 FCPA Settlements Illuminate Self-Disclosure, Disgorgement
Two of last year’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act settlements — with biomedical company Lifecore and mining company Corsa Coal — suggest that the government will be much more flexible in negotiating disgorgement amounts if an entity voluntarily self-discloses misconduct, say Michael Gilbert and Lucas Amodio at Sheppard Mullin.
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How DOI Aims To Modernize Resource Damage Assessments
The U.S. Department of the Interior's recent proposal to redesign its Type A rule for conducting natural resource damage assessment and restoration activities could lead to a more streamlined, flexible assessment process that would benefit both natural resource trustees and potentially responsible parties, says Brian Ferrasci-O'Malley at Nossaman.
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5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2024
Over the next year and beyond, litigation funding will continue to evolve in ways that affect attorneys and the larger litigation landscape, from the growth of a secondary market for funded claims, to rising interest rates restricting the availability of capital, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.
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5 Securities Litigation Issues To Watch In 2024
There is yet another exciting year ahead for securities litigation, starting with the U.S. Supreme Court hearing argument next week in a case presenting a key securities class action question that has eluded review for the last eight years, say attorneys at Willkie.
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Growing Green Tech Demand Spells Trouble For Groundwater
Increasing demand for green technology is depleting the groundwater reserves used to extract and process the necessary minerals, making a fundamental shift toward more sustainable water use practices necessary at both the state and federal levels, says Sarah Mangelsdorf at Goldberg Segalla.
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Series
ESG Around The World: South Africa
While South Africa has yet to mandate the reporting of nonfinancial and environmental, social, and corporate governance issues, policy documents and recent legislative developments are likely to have a material impact in the country's transition to a low-carbon economy and in meeting its international obligations, say Glynn Kent at Eversheds Sutherland.
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3 Power Rulings Change Outlook For Transmission Cos.
The cumulative effect of three December power cases that halted state actions that gave preference to incumbent transmission providers could level the playing field for independent developers, say Harvey Reiter and John McCaffrey at Stinson.
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4 Legal Ethics Considerations For The New Year
As attorneys and clients reset for a new year, now is a good time to take a step back and review some core ethical issues that attorneys should keep front of mind in 2024, including approaching generative artificial intelligence with caution and care, and avoiding pitfalls in outside counsel guidelines, say attorneys at HWG.
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Bribery Settlement Gives Insight On DOJ Policies
Chemical company Albemarle’s recent $218 million settlement with the government to resolve foreign bribery claims provides valuable data points for companies on the U.S. Department of Justice’s voluntary self-disclosure policy and its clawback pilot program, say Michael DeBernardis and Tiauna Mathieu at Hughes Hubbard.
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Environmental Justice: A 2023 Recap And 2024 Forecast
A 2023 executive order directing each federal agency to make environmental justice part of its mission, as well as the many lawsuits and enforcement actions last year, demonstrates that EJ will increasingly surface in all areas of law and regulation, from technically challenging to seemingly ordinary permitting and construction matters, say attorneys at King & Spalding.
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What The Law Firm Of The Future Will Look Like
As the legal landscape shifts, it’s become increasingly clear that the BigLaw business model must adapt in four key ways to remain viable, from fostering workplace flexibility to embracing technology, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
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4 PR Pointers When Your Case Is In The News
Media coverage of new lawsuits exploded last year, demonstrating why defense attorneys should devise a public relations plan that complements their legal strategy, incorporating several objectives to balance ethical obligations and advocacy, say Nathan Burchfiel at Pinkston and Ryan June at Castañeda + Heidelman.
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Unpacking The Proposed Production Tax Credit Regulations
Recently proposed tax regulations for claiming the U.S. clean-energy manufacturers' production credit under Internal Revenue Code Section 45X are less stringent than many had feared but fail to define a fundamental eligibility requirement, say Casey August and Jared Sanders at Morgan Lewis.
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Opinion
What Insurers Gain When Litigating Coverage Denials
Lately, insurance companies have denied coverage for lawsuits alleging liability relating to the ordinary operations of highly regulated businesses, such as those in the pharmaceutical and energy sectors — demonstrating time and again how litigation can be a vehicle for carriers to mitigate their own costs, say attorneys at Reed Smith.
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After Headwinds, 2024 May See Offshore Wind Momentum
Despite skyrocketing raw material costs, conflicting state and federal policies, and other setbacks for the offshore wind sector in 2023, the industry appears poised for growth in the coming year, with improving economics, more flexible procurement procedures and increasing legislative support, say Emily Huggins Jones and Ben Cowan at Locke Lord.