Environmental

  • August 28, 2026

    Polish Solar Co. GoldenPeaks Confirms Ch. 11 Wind Down

    A Texas bankruptcy judge on Friday agreed to confirm energy group GoldenPeaks Poland's Chapter 11 plan, which will see it liquidate after an asset sale to its largest creditor, Brookfield Asset Management Ltd., closes.

  • August 28, 2026

    Trump Admin Wants Oklahoma Smelter Suit Thrown Out

    The U.S. Department of Justice asked a federal judge to dismiss Oklahoma's challenge of a massive aluminum smelter project the Trump administration has backed with a $500 million grant, arguing that the case is premature and that the facility is vital to national security.

  • August 28, 2026

    NJ Law Requires Data Centers To Report Utility Usage

    New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed a bill into law on Aug. 27 that requires data centers in the state to provide the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities with semiannual water and energy usage reports.

  • August 28, 2026

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    The past week in London has seen shoe brand Crocs bring an appeal against the chief executive of the U.K.'s Intellectual Property Office, singer Alanis Morissette sued by the former head of operations at Live Nation Israel and the son of convicted fraudster Guo Wengui file an appeal against the Chapter 11 trustee controlling his father's bankruptcy estate. 

  • August 28, 2026

    Mazda Driver Avoids Sanctions In Oil-Burning Defect Suit

    A North Carolina federal judge has refused to sanction a Mazda driver and his attorneys for their attempt to revive a proposed class action over an alleged oil‑burning defect, finding the effort unlikely to succeed but not improper.

  • August 27, 2026

    US Oil Co. Ordered To Pay €2.3M Award To Slovakia

    A federal judge has ordered Discovery Global LLC to pay nearly €1.8 million ($2.1 million) remaining on a €2.75 million arbitral award issued to Slovakia after the Texas oil and gas company lost an investor-state claim in which it had sought as much as $2.1 billion.

  • August 27, 2026

    Wash. Mill Faces 35 Violations After Tank Collapse Killed 11

    The Washington State Department of Ecology cited Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. on Wednesday with 35 water quality, air quality and hazardous waste violations tied to a May chemical storage tank collapse that flooded a pulp and paper mill with caustic white liquor and led to 11 employee deaths.

  • August 27, 2026

    Enviro Groups Seek More Time To Fight Roadless Rule Repeal

    Environmental groups have asked the U.S. Forest Service to extend a public comment period for its proposal to scrap a 25-year-old "Roadless Rule" that bars logging and road construction on tens of millions of acres of national forest around the country.

  • August 27, 2026

    Food Processor Says Tribe's Request Would Hinder Its Ops

    A Michigan produce processor fired back at a tribe's request that it stop releasing water into local wetlands, telling a federal judge Wednesday that even though it may have dumped untreated wastewater in the past, it's no longer in violation and that any restrictions would hurt its business.

  • August 27, 2026

    Colo. Pro Racer Says Botched Mold Cleanup Shut Down Shop

    A professional race car driver in Denver, Colorado, accused several companies Thursday of failing to address mold and asbestos contamination that eventually shut down his auto shop, canceled a commercial shoot and caused him an estimated loss of more than $2.9 million.

  • August 27, 2026

    VW Can't Toss Claims Audi E-Tron Batteries Are 'Time Bombs'

    A Georgia federal judge refused to dismiss a proposed class action Thursday accusing Volkswagen Group of America Inc. of concealing and failing to adequately repair an alleged defect in the high-voltage batteries of certain Audi electric vehicles, keeping alive claims the autos are "ticking time bombs" that can lose power, short-circuit and catch fire.

  • August 27, 2026

    Ex-West Point Prof Says Climate Science Stand Cost Him Job

    A former West Point professor is alleging in New York federal court that the military academy violated his First Amendment rights when it forced him out after he voiced opposition to a directive to stop teaching cadets about human contributions to climate change.

  • August 27, 2026

    Rising Star: V&E's Matthew Dobbins

    Matthew Dobbins' environmental practice at Vinson & Elkins LLP spans every major environmental statute, with clients in the energy, waste and industrial sectors. He's carved out a niche as lead environmental counsel on large-scale transactions, applying his diverse knowledge of environmental risk management to represent clients like Apollo Global Management and Endeavor Energy in acquisitions, earning him a spot among the environmental law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • August 27, 2026

    DC Circ. Says Challenges To Pa. Power Plant Orders Can Wait

    A D.C. Circuit panel granted the Trump administration's push to pause consolidated cases challenging orders that blocked a Pennsylvania power plant from retiring while litigation over similar orders involving a Michigan power plant play out.

  • August 26, 2026

    Oil Cos. Insist High Court Must End Colo. Climate Suit

    Exxon and Suncor Energy argued Wednesday in their latest brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to end the city and county of Boulder, Colorado's climate change tort lawsuit against them that allowing the case to proceed would set a precedent that juries can make decisions on energy policy.

  • August 26, 2026

    3 Firms Steer Enbridge's $600M Crude Oil Assets Buy

    Crude oil company Enbridge, advised by Sidley Austin LLP and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, on Wednesday unveiled plans to acquire Kirkland & Ellis LLP-led Salt Creek Midstream's oil gathering business in a $600 million deal.

  • August 26, 2026

    Norfolk Southern Says Precedent Undermines Derailment Suit

    Norfolk Southern urged a Georgia federal judge Wednesday to deny class treatment to investors who allege they were deceived about the company's safety operations before a fiery train derailment in Ohio in 2023, arguing U.S. Supreme Court precedent undercut the argument that the rail carrier's share price was unlawfully inflated.

  • August 26, 2026

    Groups Ask Congress To Reject Idaho Toxic Waste Land Swap

    The Center for Biological Diversity, Snake River Waterkeeper and ManaSota-88 Inc. urged Congress on Wednesday to remove a provision from the National Defense Authorization Act that the center says would "cede historic lands of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes in Idaho to expand a radioactive waste dump at one of the country's largest Superfund sites."

  • August 26, 2026

    9th Circ. Denies Challenges To EPA Rule On Chemical Reviews

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday denied petitions challenging a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule related to when and how some new chemicals can be exempted from standard pre-manufacture review processes, ruling the agency acted in line with its statutory powers.

  • August 26, 2026

    DC Circuit Upholds Approval Of La. LNG Terminal, Pipeline

    The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday rejected a challenge to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's approval of a $10 billion liquefied natural gas terminal and pipeline in Louisiana, denying petitions from environmentalists saying the commission had unjustifiably dismissed threats to the climate stemming from the project.

  • August 26, 2026

    Mont. Reaches Deal To Ensure Schools Teach Native History

    A group of individuals, tribal nations and the Montana Office of Public Instruction have agreed to settle a class action challenging the state's failure to implement a mandate that requires public schools to teach Indigenous history and culture in consultation with local tribes.

  • August 26, 2026

    Cos. Disguised Site Clearing as Logging, S.C. Neighbor Says

    A property owner revived claims in South Carolina federal court that a group of companies cleared a site for development under the guise of a logging operation to avoid installing sediment and stormwater management systems, all while the city of Greer, South Carolina, failed to enforce any regulations at the property.

  • August 26, 2026

    Feds Urge 6th Circ. To Affirm $100M DTE Clean Air Act Penalty

    Several DTE Energy Co. entities should not be allowed to escape a $100 million civil penalty a Michigan federal judge imposed for Clean Air Act violations at a coke production facility near Detroit, the U.S. Department of Justice has told the Sixth Circuit.

  • August 26, 2026

    Rising Star: Blank Rome's Stephen Zumbrun

    Stephen Zumbrun, partner at Blank Rome LLP, has won a trial verdict in an environmental case, directed a review of groundwater protections that helped shape a Superfund cleanup plan, and served as the regulatory point of contact on a major pharmaceutical acquisition. Add to that a busy pro bono practice, and it's clear how he earned a spot among the environmental law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • August 26, 2026

    Man Gets 42 Months For Tax Crimes, Fraud, Must Pay $1.2M

    An Oregon businessman who withheld employment taxes from employees' pay but did not pay the taxes to the IRS was sentenced to 42 months in prison for tax evasion and other crimes and ordered to pay nearly $1.2 million in restitution, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

Expert Analysis

  • Checking For AI Errors Is Now A Two-Way Street

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    A handful of recent federal and state cases demonstrate the importance of checking for errors generated by artificial intelligence not only in your own court submissions, but also your opponent's, as well as when catching opposing counsel's AI mistakes could result in an award for attorney fees, says Tamara Barago at Hollingsworth.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Shoring Up Corporate Law In Maryland

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    Launched more than 20 years ago to improve complex corporate adjudication, Maryland's Business and Technology Case Management Program has been a solid success in some areas, but there always is room for improvement, says Bill Krulak at Miles & Stockbridge.

  • State Enviro Agencies Give Cosmetics Regulation A Makeover

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    As state oversight of cosmetics rapidly expands, the new statutes and regulations governing these products are being implemented by environmental agencies rather than consumer product regulators, requiring manufacturers, distributors and retailers to reevaluate their supply chains and procedures, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • Federal Officer Removal After Justices' La. Pollution Ruling

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    In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Chevron USA v. Plaquemines Parish, companies seeking to use federal officer removal to move litigation out of state court should ask three questions, focusing on government contract language, federally directed activity and related conduct, say attorneys at Hollingsworth.

  • Series

    Competing At Poker Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing poker in male-dominated rooms taught me to treat skepticism as background noise when my opponents seem to underestimate me, to apply pressure when it matters and to adapt without losing strategic discipline — skills that are all indispensable in restructuring and insolvency matters, says Alexis Gambale at Pashman Stein.

  • 5 Things Associates Must Ask About Their Firm's Merger Plan

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    The associates who navigate law firm mergers best ask the right questions early, such as inquiring about partners' plans, to assess how the merger could affect their workflow and career path, says Jackie Bokser-LeFebvre at Major Lindsey.

  • 2 'Rocket Dockets' And The Rules That Propel Them

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    The fastest civil trial courts in the country are currently in the Eastern District of Virginia and the Southern District of Florida, and their chief judges provide insights into the court rules that keep them ahead, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • Why Nuclear Licensees Must Watch 2nd Circ.'s Holtec Review

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    In reviewing a New York federal court's preemption ruling concerning disposal of nuclear materials, the Second Circuit must confront the lower court's recognition of a purpose-based path to field preemption, which could be game-changing for nuclear material licensees, says Andrew Averbach at Womble Bond.

  • Your Next Litigation Hold Should Cover AI Chat Logs

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    The Delaware Chancery Court’s recent decision in Fortis Advisors v. Krafton to treat a CEO’s artificial intelligence chats as substantive evidence is being read as a discovery warning to litigators, but there is a second duty-to-preserve lesson that is especially pertinent to in-house counsel, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • Series

    Studying Foreign Languages Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Studying Italian and Japanese has shown me that learning a new language can benefit a legal career in several ways, including by demonstrating the importance of approaching problems from a fresh perspective and the value of practicing patience with colleagues and clients, says Anna King at Genworth Financial.

  • Del. Justices' Ripeness Ruling Shields Advance Notice Bylaws

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    The Delaware Supreme Court’s recent decision dismissing two AES and Owens Corning stockholder challenges of advance notice bylaws as unripe provides corporations more room to insulate their nomination procedures from activist pressure, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • Looking Beyond Calif. Climate Laws As NY Bills Advance

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    California's climate disclosure legislation has made emissions and risk reporting a practical reality — and now that New York is working on its own climate disclosure bills, companies must confront a future in which compliance systems will need to be ready for multiple states' reporting regimes, says Thierry Montoya at FBT Gibbons.

  • Series

    NY Times Word Puzzles Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Every morning I let The New York Times humble me with word games, which offer a chance to recalibrate my brain before the day's chaos arrives and remind me that a solution — whether to a puzzle or employment law issue — almost always exists once I find the right angle, says Amy Epstein Gluck at Pierson Ferdinand.

  • Data Center Developer Lessons From Maine's Vetoed Ban

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    The regulatory and political dynamics that recently led Maine’s governor to veto a popular bipartisan bill proposing a temporary data center development ban offer a useful template that developers can use to help their projects survive other states' attempts at moratoriums, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lesson: Diagnose Before Arguing

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    Law school often skips over explicitly teaching students how to determine what kind of problem a case presents before they commit to a particular doctrinal path, which risks building arguments that are internally coherent but externally misaligned, says Melanie Oxhorn at Kobre & Kim.

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