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Environmental
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July 25, 2024
Justices Urged To Hear Red State Bid To End Climate Torts
Industry groups and conservative think tanks urged the U.S. Supreme Court to take up a novel request by 19 Republican-led states to nix climate change torts brought by rival state governments against fossil fuel companies, arguing the rival states' claims violate the constitutional bounds of state authority.
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July 25, 2024
Alaska Sues To Block Federal Land Conservation Rule
The state of Alaska is challenging a Bureau of Land Management rule that aims to conserve and protect public lands, saying the "vast majority" of the rule isn't allowed under state and federal law because of how it prioritizes "ecosystem resilience" over longtime policies.
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July 25, 2024
Calif. Appeals Court Revives Roadside Attraction Challenges
A California state appeals court revived two suits targeting San Benito County approvals for a roadside attraction proposed to be built along Highway 101, holding that the Center for Biological Diversity and the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band filed timely challenges to the so-called Betabel Road project.
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July 25, 2024
Texas Can Pursue 'Invasion' Defense In River Barrier Row
Texas can pursue an "invasion" defense in the Biden administration's suit over an anti-migrant barrier in the Rio Grande, a federal judge has ruled, saying the state could ultimately show migration at the southern border actually constitutes an invasion.
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July 25, 2024
EPA OIG Says Texas, Calif. Pollution Sources Need Oversight
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has, since at least 2006, failed to keep tabs on air pollution sources in California and Texas that might require more stringent control measures, the EPA's internal watchdog said Wednesday.
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July 25, 2024
IRS, Zaxby's Co-Founder To Settle $43M Easement Suit
The Internal Revenue Service agreed to settle a $43 million valuation dispute over a conservation easement donated by the co-founder of the Zaxby's restaurant chain and his wife, prompting a Georgia federal court Thursday to cancel next month's anticipated jury trial.
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July 24, 2024
FERC Can't Give Pipeline More Time, Green Groups Say
Conservation groups are urging the D.C. Circuit to throw out a three-year deadline extension the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission granted for the completion of a southern extension of the controversial Mountain Valley pipeline.
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July 24, 2024
How Hinckley Allen Took On Rhode Island Beach-Access Law
A Rhode Island judge this month sided with beachfront property owners, represented by Hinckley Allen & Snyder LLP, ruling that a 2023 law that shifts the public access line landward amounts to a taking.
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July 24, 2024
Exxon Loses Bid To Ditch Conn. Climate Change Fraud Suit
Exxon Mobil Corp. cannot escape Connecticut's lawsuit accusing it of deceiving consumers about the negative impact of fossil fuels on the earth's climate, a state judge ruled Tuesday in rejecting the oil and gas giant's contention that it can't be sued in the Nutmeg State.
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July 24, 2024
Eggland's Best Accused Of Lying About Hens' 'Pleasant' Digs
Egg brand Eggland's Best was hit with a lawsuit accusing it of misleading consumers by describing living conditions for certain laying hens as "pleasant" when in reality those chickens allegedly "live in typical factory farming conditions."
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July 24, 2024
Pfizer's Fuel Cells Can't Be Taxed, Conn. Justices Rule
A fuel cell module that powers Pfizer Inc.'s research campus in Groton, Connecticut, is not subject to personal property taxes, the state's high court ruled Wednesday, upholding a lower court decision that allowed FuelCell Inc. to avoid several multimillion-dollar local tax assessments and penalties.
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July 24, 2024
Coal Ash Crusade An Ongoing Battle For The EPA
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has put coal ash enforcement at the forefront of its agenda by making it one of the agency's top enforcement and compliance priorities for the next four years, but some experts say there's still work to be done given that the EPA itself has said the industry has yet to change its ways.
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July 24, 2024
Boulder Wants Suncor Back In Colorado Climate Suit
The city of Boulder, Colorado, and Boulder County have asked a Colorado state judge to certify part of his judgment dismissing Canadian oil and gas company Suncor Energy from the municipalities' climate change lawsuit so they can appeal that decision and bring Suncor back in.
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July 24, 2024
Navajo Coal Co. Appeals FINRA Arbitration Order In $11M Fight
A Navajo coal-mining company has wasted no time in appealing a Pennsylvania federal judge's order refusing to grant the tribe-owned business's bid to halt arbitration proceedings against a private equity firm in an $11 million dispute over their financing agreement.
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July 24, 2024
Liberty Mutual Gets $2.4M Oil Contamination Row Trimmed
A New York federal judge trimmed a $2.4 million coverage dispute between Liberty Mutual and an oil and gas trader over losses related to a contaminated oil shipment, finding that although the trader met its burden to make a case for recovery, certain contaminated product was excluded from coverage.
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July 24, 2024
IRS Sets Criteria For Carbon Capture Credit Life Cycle Report
The Internal Revenue Service detailed standards and procedures Wednesday for a written report on a carbon sequestration facility's greenhouse gas emissions that project owners must submit and get agency approval on before claiming the carbon oxide tax credit.
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July 24, 2024
Firm Says Water District Advice Was 'Black And White' Good
A Houston law firm told a state judge Wednesday that its recommendation that a local water district turn down a more than $1 million deal to get rid of hundreds of acres within its boundaries was "black and white" good advice as it fought off a malpractice suit the district lodged against the firm.
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July 24, 2024
Unions, Energy Groups Back Enbridge 6th Circ. Rehearing Bid
Labor unions and energy industry groups are joining Enbridge Energy's push for the full Sixth Circuit to rehear a panel decision that sent a Michigan lawsuit aiming to shut down the company's Line 5 pipeline back to state courts.
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July 24, 2024
EPA Moving Toward New Regulations For 5 Chemicals
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday kicked off the process to fast-track new health risk evaluations for five chemicals, including vinyl chloride, a substance that raised alarm after the Norfolk Southern train wreck in East Palestine, Ohio, last year.
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July 23, 2024
Knives Out For Another Pro-Agency Landmark After Chevron
Only weeks after U.S. Supreme Court conservatives took a hatchet to the judicial deference shown to federal agencies, right-leaning lawyers are imploring the justices to rock the administrative law realm again by gutting a New Deal-era precedent at the heart of the modern regulatory system.
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July 23, 2024
EPA Must Ban PFAS In Pesticides, Environmental Groups Say
Farmer advocacy groups and environmentalists urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to flex its regulatory muscles and prohibit the use of pesticide formulas and containers made with so-called forever chemicals, according to a petition that says the agency is doing little to address the issue.
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July 23, 2024
EPA Tells 5th Circ. Louisiana Can't Stall Chemical Regulation
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says the Fifth Circuit cannot decide whether a Louisiana regulator can give a neoprene maker an extra two years to comply with a federal chemical rule because the issue is already before the D.C. Circuit.
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July 23, 2024
Oshkosh Says USPS Followed NEPA With New Vehicle Plan
Oshkosh Defense joined the U.S. Postal Service in firing back at environmentalists and a coalition of 17 states' attempt to secure judgment in litigation protesting the agency's decision to replace its aging delivery fleet with only 62% electric vehicles, saying the group's challenge threatens to undermine such a significant transformation.
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July 23, 2024
Sidley, Cooley Craft Filter Maker's $1B Sale To IDEX Corp.
Specialty equipment maker IDEX Corp. will buy industrial filter manufacturer Mott Corp. and its subsidiaries in a $1 billion all-cash deal led by Sidley Austin LLP and Cooley LLP, the companies announced Tuesday.
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July 23, 2024
House Panel Weighs New Rail Safety Regs After East Palestine
The fiery Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, last year has created new urgency for strengthening federal standards for tank car designs, rail safety technology, track inspection protocols and classifying hazardous materials-carrying trains, industry experts told a House subcommittee Tuesday.
Expert Analysis
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Teach Your Party Representative The Art Of Nonverbal Cues
As illustrated by recent reports about President Donald Trump’s nonverbal communication in court, jurors notice what’s happening at counsel table, which may color their perceptions of the case as a whole, so trial attorneys should teach party representatives to self-monitor their nonverbal behaviors, says Clint Townson at Townson Consulting.
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ECHR Climate Rulings Hint At Direction Of Future Cases
Three recent climate rulings from the European Court of Human Rights show the court's tendency toward a more formalistic, hands-off approach to procedural issues but a more hands-on approach to the application of the European Convention on Human Rights, setting the first guiding principles for key issues in EU climate cases, say Stefanie Spancken-Monz and Leane Meyer at Freshfields.
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Opinion
Cyber Regulators Should Rely On Existing Sources Cautiously
New incident reporting rules proposed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency illustrate how the use of definitions, standards and approaches from existing sources can create a complex patchwork of regulations, demonstrating that it is essential for agencies to be clear about expectations and not create unnecessary confusion, says Megan Brown at Wiley.
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DOE Funding And Cargo Preference Compliance: Key Points
Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the U.S. Department of Energy will disburse more than $62 billion in financing for innovative energy projects — and recipients must understand their legal obligations related to cargo preference, so they can develop compliance strategies as close to project inception as possible, say attorneys at White & Case.
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4 Ways To Refresh Your Law Firm's Marketing Strategy
With many BigLaw firms relying on an increasingly obsolete marketing approach that prioritizes stiff professionalism over authentic connection, adopting a few key communications strategies to better connect with today's clients and prospects can make all the difference, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law.
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Cos. Must Prepare For Calif. Legislation That Would Ban PFAS
Pending California legislation that would ban the sale or distribution of new products containing intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances could affect thousands of businesses — and given the bill's expected passage, and its draconian enforcement regime, companies must act now to prepare for it, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.
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Opinion
Seafarer Detention Under Ship Pollution Law Must Have Limits
The U.S. Coast Guard should reinstate limits on the number of days that foreign crew members may be forced to remain in the country while the U.S. Department of Justice investigates alleged violations of shipping pollution laws, in order to balance legitimate enforcement interests and seafarer welfare, say attorneys at Blank Rome.
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10 Tips For ESG Disclosure Compliance In Private Funds
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
As regulators increase scrutiny of misleading claims about environmental, social and governance investments, private fund sponsors should consider several practical tips for communicating accurately with potential investors, drafting comprehensive disclosures and establishing internal policies that can keep pace with evolving compliance requirements, says Jonathan Rash at Ropes & Gray.
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Assigning Liability In Key Bridge Collapse May Be Challenging
In the wake of a cargo ship's collision with Baltimore's Key Bridge last month, claimants may focus on the vessel's owners and the agencies responsible for the design and maintenance of the bridge — but allocating legal liability to either private or governmental entities may be difficult under applicable state and federal laws, says Clay Robbins at Wisner Baum.
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Macquarie Ruling Raises The Bar For Securities Fraud Claims
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision last week in Macquarie Infrastructure v. Moab Partners — holding that a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rule does not forbid omissions in company disclosures unless they render other statements false — is a major setback for plaintiffs pursuing securities fraud claims against corporations, say attorneys at Skadden.
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Series
Whitewater Kayaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Whether it's seeing clients and their issues from a new perspective, or staying nimble in a moment of intense challenge, the lessons learned from whitewater kayaking transcend the rapids of a river and prepare attorneys for the courtroom and beyond, says Matthew Kent at Alston & Bird.
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GSA's Carbon-Free Power Plan: Tips For Electricity Suppliers
The U.S. General Services Administration's recent request for information concerning its intent to acquire a large amount of carbon pollution-free electricity over the next decade in the PJM Interconnection region offers key insights for companies interested in becoming electric power suppliers to federal government agencies, say Shaunna Bailey and Nicholas Dugdale at Sheppard Mullin.
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This Earth Day, Consider How Your Firm Can Go Greener
As Earth Day approaches, law firms and attorneys should consider adopting more sustainable practices to reduce their carbon footprint — from minimizing single-use plastics to purchasing carbon offsets for air travel — which ultimately can also reduce costs for clients, say M’Lynn Phillips and Lisa Walters at IMS Legal Strategies.
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SEC Climate Rules Create Unique Challenges For CRE
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently adopted final rules concerning climate-related disclosures for public companies are likely to affect even real estate companies that are not publicly traded, since they may be required to provide information to entities that are subject to the rules, says Laura Truesdale at Moore & Van Allen.
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Energy Community Tax Credit Boost Will Benefit Wind Sector
Recent Internal Revenue Service guidance broadening tax credit eligibility to more parts of offshore wind facilities in so-called energy communities is a win for the industry, which stands to see more projects qualify for a particularly valuable bonus in the investment tax credit context due to the capital-intensive nature of offshore wind projects, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.