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Environmental
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June 27, 2024
EPA's State Smog Pollution Plan Down, Not Out Yet
The U.S. Supreme Court flexed its muscles menacingly at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday and blocked it from implementing an important air pollution control plan for several states, but experts say it's too early to completely write off the rule in question.
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June 27, 2024
Split FERC Approves La. LNG Export Terminal
A divided Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gave the green light to a massive liquified natural gas export terminal in Louisiana during its monthly meeting Thursday, with departing Democratic Commissioner Allison Clements criticizing the agency for not adequately addressing the project's impacts.
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June 27, 2024
IRS To Offer Combined Filing For Energy Investment Credits
The Internal Revenue Service will let clean energy project owners that are claiming investment tax credits for more than 200 facilities file the claims with a single form, an agency official said Thursday.
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June 27, 2024
Judge Slams 'Unacceptable' Misstated Case Law In PFAS Suit
A federal magistrate judge in North Carolina chastised class counsel for Tar Heel State residents suing The Chemours Co. and DuPont De Nemours over toxic "forever chemicals" purportedly discharged in their wastewater, after the attorneys "misstated the language of various cases" they cited in a briefing.
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June 27, 2024
Ex-Exec Fights Sotera's Bid To Toss Del. Stock Vesting Suit
An attorney representing a former Sotera executive said Thursday in Delaware's Court of Chancery that the lab testing and industrial sterilization firm failed to justify its request for dismissal of a lawsuit alleging the company wrongly refused to vest his purported right to 620,000 shares in the business after his departure.
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June 27, 2024
Solar Co. Says Duty Expansion Ignores Production Process
A solar company has pressed the trade court to unwind a U.S. Department of Commerce ruling exposing Vietnamese solar products to tariffs on Chinese solar cells, saying that the cells are primarily made in Vietnam and are therefore of Vietnamese origin.
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June 27, 2024
DOL Benefits Chief Defends Fiduciary Rule Before GOP Panel
The head of the U.S. Department of Labor's employee benefits agency on Thursday defended recently finalized policy expanding the definition of a fiduciary under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, drawing criticism from a Republican-controlled panel of House lawmakers at an oversight hearing.
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June 27, 2024
Sichenzia Ross Guiding Fuel Cell Co. On $130M SPAC Merger
Sichenzia Ross Ference Carmel LLP is advising Infintium Fuel Cell Systems Inc. on a newly inked blank-check company consolidation deal that values the hydrogen fuel cell technology provider at $130 million.
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June 27, 2024
Supreme Court Freezes EPA's 'Good Neighbor' Rule
The U.S. Supreme Court stayed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's plan to reduce cross-state pollution Thursday, finding several states and industry groups challenging it in court will likely prevail on the merits.
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June 26, 2024
Fla. Court Paves Way For $1B Miami Highway Expansion
A Florida appeals court on Wednesday affirmed a decision overturning an administrative law judge's ruling against a $1 billion Miami-Dade County plan for a highway extension into wetlands and agricultural areas, paving the way for the controversial plan to move forward.
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June 26, 2024
Online Comic Platform Leads 2 IPOs Raising $390M Total
Online comic platform Webtoon Entertainment Inc. and Australian natural gas producer Tamboran Resources Corp. on Wednesday priced initial public offerings, raising a combined $390 million under the guidance of four law firms.
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June 26, 2024
Talc Co. Barretts' Creditors Push To Dismiss Ch. 11 Case
Unsecured creditors of Barretts Minerals have urged a Texas bankruptcy judge to dismiss its bankruptcy following the debtor's sale of its talc business, arguing that Barretts remains in bankruptcy only to get its fully solvent parent company out of its talc liability.
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June 26, 2024
States Say Revised EPA Water Rule Worse Than Original
Two dozen states are seeking a quick win against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and several Native American tribes in their suit challenging a revised rule defining the Clean Water Act's reach, saying it doesn't solve many problems found in the original rule.
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June 26, 2024
White House Unveils $1.8B In Transportation Grants
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg revealed on Wednesday that the agency had awarded $1.8 billion in grants for 148 transportation infrastructure projects across the country, as part of the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity discretionary grants program.
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June 26, 2024
SpaceX Beach Closure Challenge Is 'Illogical,' Texas Says
Texas is asking its high court to review a decision that forces several government entities to face an environmental group's challenge to the closure of a beach for SpaceX activities, writing that the appellate court's adoption of the group's theory of open beach access "clashes" with state law and court precedent.
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June 26, 2024
Texas Moves To Bar DOJ Witness In Rio Grande Barrier Fight
Texas has moved to disqualify one of the Biden administration's witnesses in litigation over the Lone Star state's 1,000-foot barrier in the Rio Grande to keep out migrants, arguing the witness has no relevant or reliable opinions to offer.
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June 26, 2024
Judge Sides With Army Corps, Costco On Wetlands Permit
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers did not violate the Clean Water Act when it issued a wetlands permit for the development of a new Costco store, a Washington federal judge said in ruling against residents who opposed the project.
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June 26, 2024
EDF Renewables Units Dodging Biogas Judgment, Suit Says
A Colorado composting company claims a biogas plant venture has been stripping itself of assets in order to evade a judgment, according to a Colorado federal complaint accusing the biogas company and related enterprises of fraudulent transfers.
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June 26, 2024
Ex-Worker Says NC Justices Needn't Review Carcinogen Test
A former graduate student worker for North Carolina State University has told the Tar Heel State's highest court that the school is trying to delay a potential lawsuit by continuing its fight to keep the ex-employee and cancer patient from investigating a campus building for carcinogens.
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June 26, 2024
NJ Cos. Can't Toss Contamination Claim In Green Groups' Suit
A New Jersey federal judge won't let NL Industries Inc. and a subsidiary escape claims by two environmental groups under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, saying it's undisputed that the companies are considered persons who handled hazardous waste.
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June 26, 2024
2nd Circ. Critical Of Electronics Co.'s COVID-19 Loss Case
The attorney for an electronics company seeking more than $100 million in pandemic-related coverage from its insurer faced an uphill battle during Second Circuit oral arguments Wednesday as she tried to convince the court that her case was different from others that had been rejected.
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June 26, 2024
Alaska Natives Call EPA Pebble Mine Veto Unconstitutional
Two Alaska Native American groups are asking a federal court to strip the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of its power to block projects — like a controversial mine in the state — under the Clean Water Act.
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June 26, 2024
Calif. AG Defends Chemical Org's Subpoena In Pollution Probe
California Attorney General Rob Bonta is urging a D.C. federal judge to reject a bid from the American Chemistry Council that would block his office from enforcing a subpoena on the organization as part of an investigation into fossil fuel and petrochemical industries' role in global plastics pollution.
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June 26, 2024
House GOP Gears Up For The End Of Chevron Deference
A new memo outlines how House Republicans are gearing up for the U.S. Supreme Court to potentially overturn the decades-old precedent that courts defer to agencies' interpretations of ambiguous statutes, as an opportunity to roll back the Biden administration's policies and reclaim Congress' power.
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June 25, 2024
NC Judge Bars Consultant From Lying About Packaging Patent
A North Carolina federal judge has enjoined a patent owner from "making bad-faith, objectively false assertions of infringement" to insulated box maker Eco Fiber Inc.'s customers, as past assertions to the company's main customer have put it at "severe risk of losing [its] business."
Expert Analysis
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Contract Disputes Recap: Saying What Needs To Be Said
Edward Arnold and Bret Marfut at Seyfarth Shaw examine three recent decisions that delve into the meaning and effect of contractual releases, and demonstrate the importance of ensuring that releases, as written, do what the parties intend.
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Geothermal Energy Has Growing Potential In The US
Bipartisan support for the geothermal industry shows that geothermal energy can be an elegant solution toward global decarbonization efforts because of its small footprint, low supply chain risk, and potential to draw on the skills of existing highly specialized oil and gas workers and renewable specialists, say attorneys at Weil.
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Insurer Quota-Sharing Lessons From $112M Bad Faith Verdict
In Indiana GRQ v. American Guarantee and Liability Insurance, an Indiana federal jury recently issued a landmark $112 million bad faith verdict, illustrating why insurers must understand the interplay between bad faith law and quota-sharing before entering into these relatively new arrangements, say Jason Reichlyn and Christopher Sakauye at Dykema.
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Insurance Types That May Help Cos. After Key Bridge Collapse
Following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, businesses that depend on the bridge, the Port of Baltimore and related infrastructure for shipment and distribution of cargo should understand which common types of first-party insurance coverage may provide recoveries for financial losses, say Bert Wells and Richard Lewis at Reed Smith.
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Exploring An Alternative Model Of Litigation Finance
A new model of litigation finance, most aptly described as insurance-backed litigation funding, differs from traditional funding in two key ways, and the process of securing it involves three primary steps, say Bob Koneck, Christopher Le Neve Foster and Richard Butters at Atlantic Global Risk LLC.
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Salvaging The Investor-State Arbitration System's Legitimacy
Recent developments in Europe and Ecuador highlight the vulnerability of the investor-state arbitration framework, but arbitrators can avert a crisis by relying on a poorly understood doctrine of fairness and equity, rather than law, to resolve the disputes before them, says Phillip Euell at Diaz Reus.
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NY's Vision For Grid Of The Future: Flexible, Open, Affordable
Acknowledging that New York state's progress toward its climate goals is stalling, the New York Public Service Commission's recent "Grid of the Future" order signals a move toward more flexible, cost-effective solutions — and suggests potential opportunities for nonutility participation, say Daniel Spitzer and William McLaughlin at Hodgson Russ.
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Trump Hush Money Case Offers Master Class In Trial Strategy
The New York criminal hush money trial of former President Donald Trump typifies some of the greatest challenges that lawyers face in crafting persuasive presentations, providing lessons on how to handle bad facts, craft a simple story that withstands attack, and cross-examine with that story in mind, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Leveraging Insurance Amid Microplastics Concerns
A pending microplastics lawsuit — New York v. PepsiCo Inc. — may be a harbinger of what is to come for companies whose products are exposed to the environment, so any company considering how to address microplastics liability should include a careful assessment of the potential for insurance coverage in its due diligence, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.
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Series
Teaching Yoga Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Being a yoga instructor has helped me develop my confidence and authenticity, as well as stress management and people skills — all of which have crossed over into my career as an attorney, says Laura Gongaware at Clyde & Co.
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A Vision For Economic Clerkships In The Legal System
As courts handle increasingly complex damages analyses involving vast amounts of data, an economic clerkship program — integrating early-career economists into the judicial system — could improve legal outcomes and provide essential training to clerks, say Mona Birjandi at Data for Decisions and Matt Farber at Secretariat.
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What A Louisiana Ruling Means For Pipeline Crossings
After a Louisiana appeals court's recent ruling on a conflict between two pipeline projects, operators and developers should review pipeline crossings to ensure that they occur at safe distances — and keep in mind the value of crossing agreements for protecting both sides in case of a dispute, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.
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ECHR Ruling May Pave Path For A UK Climate Damage Tort
In light of case law on the interaction between human rights law and common law, the European Court of Human Rights' recent ruling in KlimaSeniorinnen v. Switzerland, finding the country at fault for failures to tackle global warming, could tip the scales toward extending English tort law to cover climate change-related losses, say lawyers at Cleary.
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Opinion
Climate Change Shouldn't Be Litigated Under State Laws
The U.S. Supreme Court should reverse the Hawaii Supreme Court's October decision in Honolulu v. Sunoco that Hawaii could apply state law to emissions generated outside the state, because it would lead to a barrage of cases seeking to resolve a worldwide problem according to 50 different variations of state law, says Andrew Ketterer at Ketterer & Ketterer.
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Regulating Resurrected Species Under The ESA
As the prospect of extinct species being resurrected from DNA and reintroduced into the wild grows closer, an analysis of the Endangered Species Act suggests that it could provide a thoughtful, flexible governance framework for such scenarios, say Caroline Meadows and Shelby Bobosky at the SMU Dedman School of Law.