Environmental

  • May 24, 2024

    Colo. Judge Hints Regulator May Face Oil Biz Contract Claims

    A Colorado state judge seemed inclined to agree with an oil company's argument that a settlement with state regulators to resolve alleged violations was close enough to a contract to take to trial the company's claims that regulators later broke the deal.

  • May 24, 2024

    Union Carbide To Pay EPA $600K For Colo. Superfund Site

    Union Carbide Corp. and the federal government filed a $600,000 proposed settlement in Colorado federal court, resolving claims the company and its subsidiary owed more than $1.2 million in reimbursement costs connected to the cleanup of hazardous chemicals at a former uranium and vanadium processing facility.

  • May 24, 2024

    EPA Denies Ala. Coal Ash Management Program Application

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a final decision denying Alabama's application to run a federally approved permit program to manage coal ash landfills and impoundments, saying the state's permit program doesn't meet federal standards for protecting people and waterways.

  • May 24, 2024

    No Private Suits Under State Enviro Law, Ill. Justices Say

    The daughter of a woman badly burned in a condominium complex explosion cannot bring bodily injury claims against Marathon Petroleum Co. and others under Illinois' environmental protection laws because they do not provide private statutory rights of action, the Illinois Supreme Court has ruled.

  • May 24, 2024

    Ace Global Nixes $150M Greenhouse Farming Services Merger

    Special-purpose acquisition company Ace Global Business Acquisition Ltd. on Friday announced that its planned merger with Chinese LED company LE Worldwide Ltd. has been canceled due to "significant" declines in LE Worldwide's revenues.

  • May 24, 2024

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

    This past week in London has seen an IT engineer seek permission to search a landfill hiding a hard drive supposedly storing millions of pounds in bitcoin, Glencore take on legal action by American Century Investments, gold payment app Glint bring a breach of duty claim against FRP Advisory, and an ongoing dispute between a solicitor and the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • May 24, 2024

    IRS Corrects Notice On Bonus Energy Tax Credit Safe Harbors

    The Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a correction Friday to a notice providing additional safe harbors that clean energy project developers can use to qualify for bonus tax credits for domestically sourcing their steel and aluminum parts.

  • May 24, 2024

    EQT's $35B Equitrans Gas Merger Goes Unchallenged

    The waiting period for U.S. antitrust regulators to take action on EQT Corp.'s nearly $14 billion planned purchase of Equitrans Midstream Corp. has expired, putting one of the year's largest deals on the fast track to closing.

  • May 23, 2024

    Green Groups Sue Colo. Over Factory Farm Pollution Regs

    Two environmental groups on Thursday urged a Colorado state court to review the Centennial state's decision to issue a permit allowing large animal feeding facilities to operate without monitoring requirements, saying waterways and the public are being exposed to dangerous toxins produced by thousands of animals.

  • May 23, 2024

    Feds Ask 5th Circ. To Weigh Highway GHG Rule Vacatur

    The Biden administration has asked the Fifth Circuit to review a Texas district court's recent decision vacating a Federal Highway Administration rule that would've required states to set targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from federally funded highway projects.

  • May 23, 2024

    Governance In Focus As ESG Gains Ground This Proxy Season

    Support for corporate governance and compensation shareholder proposals has reached a five-year high this year, while support for environmental and social proposals has risen slightly after two years of decline, according to a new report.

  • May 23, 2024

    Alaskan Youth Sue State Over $43B Natural Gas Project

    A group of children is suing Alaska to stop a $43 billion liquefied natural gas project, alleging the endeavor violates their rights under the state constitution to a climate system capable of sustaining human life, liberty and dignity.

  • May 23, 2024

    22 States Seek To Defend EPA Heavy-Duty Truck GHG Rule

    A coalition of 22 Democrat-led states and four cities moved to intervene on Thursday in defense of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's final rule establishing greenhouse gas emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles, arguing that vacating the rule would lead to direct injuries to state lands and resources.

  • May 23, 2024

    Feds Agree To Clean, Close Dump Site For Tribal Nations

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reached an agreement with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to properly clean and shut down a 70-year-old solid waste dump site on tribal lands in northern Arizona, saying federal law requirements for its closure haven't been followed since 1997.

  • May 23, 2024

    Enbridge Says Tribe's Trespass Law Could Cost It Millions

    Enbridge Energy told the Seventh Circuit that a Wisconsin tribe's recently publicized trespass ordinance could cause the company to pay millions of dollars in civil penalties if the appeals court rules that its 645-mile crude oil pipeline is trespassing on the tribe's land.

  • May 23, 2024

    FERC Cements 1-Year Window For State, Tribal Water Permits

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday said it will give states and tribes one year to act on water quality certificate requests from developers of any energy project seeking agency approval, the maximum amount of time allowed under the Clean Water Act.

  • May 23, 2024

    Senate Chairs Seek Info On Trump Meeting With Oil Cos.

    The chairs of the Senate's tax and budget committees said Thursday that they were investigating a meeting with former President Donald Trump, oil and energy companies, a trade association where Trump reportedly sought $1 billion in exchange for policy favors.

  • May 23, 2024

    Split Ohio High Court Says Jury Must Mull Drilling Rights Row

    A split Ohio Supreme Court unraveled a trial court ruling in favor of oil and gas rights owner Tera LLC that acted as the basis of a $40 million damages award against Gulfport Energy, reasoning Thursday that there is a "genuine issue of material fact" over the meaning of certain terms in parties' lease agreement.

  • May 23, 2024

    NCAA Can't Move Colo. Athlete Pay Case

    A Colorado federal judge on Thursday rejected a bid by the National Collegiate Athletic Association and collegiate athletic conferences to move athletes' compensation allegations to California, where two similar cases are being heard, highlighting the choice by named plaintiffs to have their claims heard in Colorado.

  • May 23, 2024

    Norfolk Southern Inks $310M Deal To Settle Feds' Spill Suit

    Norfolk Southern Railway Co. on Thursday agreed to a $310 million deal to settle the federal government's legal claims that arose out of the 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, that released large amounts of contaminants into the air, ground and water.

  • May 22, 2024

    American Air Pilots Win Cert. Over 401(k)'s ESG Investments

    A Texas federal judge on Wednesday certified a class of pilots accusing American Airlines of packing its $26 billion retirement plan with investments that focused too heavily on environmental, social and governance factors, like climate change, and too little on financial returns.

  • May 22, 2024

    Int'l Tribunal Says Countries Must Do More To Protect Oceans

    In a historic unanimous ruling, an international tribunal has concluded that greenhouse gas emissions are polluting the oceans and that nations have an obligation under international law to "take all necessary measures" to prevent, reduce and control these emissions.

  • May 22, 2024

    Founders Of BP's Archaea Looted From Own Co., Suit Says

    A group of fraternity brothers who founded waste management company Noble Environmental Inc. and later sold a venture called Archaea Energy to BP has been hit with a shareholder derivative suit in Delaware Chancery Court alleging the fraternity brothers stole billions of dollars from the company and breached their fiduciary duties to minority shareholders.

  • May 22, 2024

    Feds And Enviro Groups Fight Utah Counties' High Court Bid

    The United States, a Colorado county and five environmental groups are fighting a bid by a coalition of Utah counties to win a U.S. Supreme Court review of a D.C. Circuit decision revoking federal approval of a rail line to transport crude oil from the state.

  • May 22, 2024

    Youths Take Second Crack At Constitutional Climate Suit

    A group of young plaintiffs on Monday made their second attempt at a lawsuit alleging that the Constitution guarantees "a life-sustaining climate system" and that the federal government unconstitutionally discriminates against children by favoring the fossil fuel industry's interests over children's.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Cheering In The NFL Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Balancing my time between a BigLaw career and my role as an NFL cheerleader has taught me that pursuing your passions outside of work is not a distraction, but rather an opportunity to harness important skills that can positively affect how you approach work and view success in your career, says Rachel Schuster at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Args In APA Case Amplify Justices' Focus On Agency Power

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    In arguments last week in Corner Post v. Federal Reserve, the U.S. Supreme Court justices paid particular importance to the possible ripple effects of their decision, which will address when a facial challenge to long-standing federal rules under the Administrative Procedure Act first accrues and could thus unleash a flood of new lawsuits, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.

  • What Recent Setbacks In Court Mean For Enviro Justice

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    Two courts in Louisiana last month limited the federal government's ability to require consideration of Civil Rights Act disparate impacts when evaluating state-issued permits — likely providing a framework for opposition to environmental justice initiatives in other states, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • New Hydrogen Regulations Show The Need For IP Protections

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    The introduction of hydrogen regulations, such as the IRS' proposed tax credit for clean hydrogen under the Inflation Reduction Act, are reshaping the competitive landscape, with intellectual property rights an area of increased emphasis, say Evan Glass and James De Vellis at Foley & Lardner.

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: Gulf Cooperation Council

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    The Gulf Cooperation Council is in the early stages of ESG policy implementation, but recent commitments by both states and corporations — including increases in sustainable finance transactions, environmental commitments, female representation on boards and human rights enforcement — show continuing progress toward broader ESG goals, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • 6 Pointers For Attys To Build Trust, Credibility On Social Media

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    In an era of information overload, attorneys can use social media strategically — from making infographics to leveraging targeted advertising — to cut through the noise and establish a reputation among current and potential clients, says Marly Broudie at SocialEyes Communications.

  • Why Biz Groups Disagree On Ending Chevron Deference

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    Two amicus briefs filed in advance of last month's U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo highlight contrasting views on whether the doctrine of Chevron deference promotes or undermines the stable regulatory environment that businesses require, say Wyatt Kendall and Sydney Brogden at Morris Manning.

  • A Look Ahead For The Electric Vehicle Charging Industry

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    This will likely be an eventful year for the electric vehicle market as government efforts to accelerate their adoption inevitably clash with backlash from supporters of the petroleum industry, say Rue Phillips at SkillFusion and Enid Joffe at Green Paradigm Consulting.

  • A Post-Mortem Analysis Of Stroock's Demise

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    After the dissolution of 147-year-old firm Stroock late last year shook up the legal world, a post-mortem analysis of the data reveals a long list of warning signs preceding the firm’s collapse — and provides some insight into how other firms might avoid the same disastrous fate, says Craig Savitzky at Leopard Solutions.

  • Opinion

    Exxon Court Should Clarify Shareholder Proposal Exclusion

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    ExxonMobil last month took the unusual action of asking a Texas federal judge whether a proposal from climate activists seeking to limit oil and gas sales could be excluded from its 2024 proxy statement, and the court should use this opportunity to reevaluate SEC policy and set clear limits on when shareholder proposals can be included, says Stephen Bainbridge at UCLA School of Law.

  • Legislative And Litigation Trends In Environmental Advertising

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    Companies that tout their products' environmental benefits can significantly reduce the risk that they will face allegations of greenwashing by staying up to date on related Federal Trade Commission guidance, state requirements and litigation trends, say Raqiyyah Pippins and Kelsie Sicinski at Arnold & Porter.

  • Considering The Logical Extremes Of Your Legal Argument

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    Recent oral arguments in the federal election interference case against former President Donald Trump highlighted the age-old technique of extending an argument to its logical limit — a principle that is still important for attorneys to consider in preparing their cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Reducing The Risk Of PFAS False Advertising Class Actions

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    A wave of class actions continues to pummel products that allegedly contain per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances, with plaintiffs challenging advertising that they say misleads consumers by implying an absence of PFAS — but there are steps companies can take to minimize risk, say attorneys at Keller and Heckman.

  • 6th Circ. Ruling Breathes New Life Into Article III Traceability

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    The Sixth Circuit's recent decision in Hardwick v. 3M Co. to vacate a district court's certification of one of the largest class actions in American jurisprudence for lack of Article III standing has potentially broader implications for class action practice in the product liability sphere, particularly in medical monitoring cases involving far-fetched theories of causation, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Storytelling Strategies To Defuse Courtroom Conspiracies

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    Misinformation continues to proliferate in all sectors of society, including in the courtroom, as jurors try to fill in the gaps of incomplete trial narratives — underscoring the need for attorneys to tell a complete, consistent and credible story before and during trial, says David Metz at IMS Legal Strategies.

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