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Environmental
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July 30, 2024
10th Circ. Shields Feds From Fire Mismanagement Suit
The U.S. Forest Service doesn't have to face allegations it mismanaged the response to two Utah wildfires in 2018, the Tenth Circuit said Tuesday.
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July 30, 2024
Exxon Loses Bid For Avangrid Docs In Mass. Climate Suit
ExxonMobil will not gain access to potentially millions of documents from wind energy company Avangrid as part of the Massachusetts attorney general's long-running climate change suit, after a state court judge found it "inconceivable" that the sought-after material could be relevant to the case.
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July 30, 2024
DC Circ. Tosses FERC's OK Of Northeast Pipeline Expansion
The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday threw out the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's approval of a Northeast pipeline expansion, ruling that the agency overlooked the project's "enormous" greenhouse gas emissions and failed to properly consider the lack of market need for the added natural gas capacity.
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July 30, 2024
No Damage Needed To Replace NJ Beach House, Panel Says
New Jersey property owners looking to replace an existing structure located in a flood hazard area don't have to show it's in an unusable condition, a state appellate panel ruled Tuesday, backing the state Department of Environmental Protection's denial of a request by neighbors to rescind a developer's permit to replace a beachfront home.
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July 30, 2024
GAO Denies Protest Over Invasive Species Control Contract
The U.S. Government Accountability Office has rejected a Washington state-based veteran-owned business's challenge of a herbicide order awarded to a rival vendor and its claim that the U.S. Department of the Interior should have sought a quote from it first.
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July 30, 2024
DC Circ. Wants Chevron Ruling Addressed In GHG Case
The D.C. Circuit asked challengers of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's tighter greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles to discuss how the litigation is affected by recent court decisions, including the U.S. Supreme Court's blockbuster ruling that undid what is known as Chevron deference.
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July 30, 2024
Camp Lejeune Judge Limits Settlement Details In Hearings
A North Carolina judge has ruled that updates on settlement offers from suits stemming from decades-long water contamination at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune cannot be shown at hearings.
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July 30, 2024
Bradley Arant Adds Energy Atty In Atlanta From Boutique
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP has expanded its Atlanta shop with a former boutique law firm attorney who focuses on the electric power industry, strengthening its work guiding clients on renewable energy projects.
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July 29, 2024
Chemical Groups Say Chevron Sinks EPA Ethylene Oxide Rule
A chemical company and two chemical associations are telling the D.C. Circuit that a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision undermines the federal government's risk value for ethylene oxide, which they are challenging as being too high.
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July 29, 2024
NIST Lays Out 200+ Ways To Tackle Generative AI Risks
The National Institute of Standards and Technology has recommended hundreds of actions that can be taken to address issues of data privacy, intellectual property, environmental impact and more raised by generative artificial intelligence.
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July 29, 2024
Gas Refinery Co. On Hook For Worker's $1.6M Injury Award
An Ohio appellate panel has affirmed a $1.6 million award to an energy services worker who suffered serious injuries after thousands of gallons of jet fuel spilled onto him, saying there is sufficient evidence to support the $5.3 million verdict, which was later reduced.
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July 29, 2024
County's Pipeline Sinkhole Suit Too Late, Contractor Says
A construction company says a Washington state court should toss a breach of contract suit linked to a public sewer pipeline project that allegedly triggered sinkholes along a Seattle canal, saying the claims brought by a Washington county are barred by the state's six-year statute of repose for construction.
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July 29, 2024
USPS Backs Oshkosh's Sealing Bid In New Vehicle Plan Case
The U.S. Postal Service on Friday backed Oshkosh Defense's request to seal their confidential supplier contract terms in litigation challenging the agency's decision to replace its aging delivery fleet with only 62% electric vehicles, arguing rivals could use the information to undercut the USPS when negotiating their own supplier contracts.
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July 29, 2024
Feds Strike $7M Deal With Co. In Emissions-Cheating Suit
A North Carolina auto parts dealer will pay $7 million to end the federal government's lawsuit alleging the company sold parts that bypassed vehicles' emissions controls, according to a court filing on Monday.
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July 29, 2024
EPA, Army Reveal Joint PFAS Sampling Project
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army unveiled a joint national project to test private drinking water wells near Army installations for per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, identifying 235 locations where they will carry out their more in-depth investigation.
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July 29, 2024
Magistrate Eyes Cuts To Norfolk Southern Investors' Suit
A New York federal magistrate judge has recommended tossing a portion of a securities suit filed against Norfolk Southern Corp. in the wake of the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment, reasoning that the retirement funds serving as lead plaintiffs fell short of pleading standards.
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July 29, 2024
Utilities Seek 8th Circ. Freeze Of Power Plant Effluent Rule
Utility companies, trade groups and nearly two dozen states are urging the Eighth Circuit to pause a challenged rule setting new wastewater limitations for coal-fired power plants, arguing that it will otherwise force utilities to commit to unreasonable investments or plant retirements.
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July 29, 2024
Clean Energy Tax Credit Sales Could Hit $25B, Report Says
Total sales of clean energy tax credits could reach as high as $20 billion to $25 billion this year, signaling a flourishing marketplace for credit sales authorized by the 2022 climate law, according to a midyear report released Monday by a climate tech startup firm.
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July 29, 2024
6th Circ. Revives Challenge Of Clean Water Rule
Just 11 days after oral arguments, the Sixth Circuit on Monday revived Kentucky and industry groups' challenges to a federal government rule defining the scope of the Clean Water Act, finding a district court judge had improperly dismissed the case.
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July 26, 2024
Farmworkers' Children, Corteva Settle Pesticide Injury Claims
Children of migrant farmworkers, Corteva Inc. and its subsidiary Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. asked an Illinois federal judge Friday to greenlight their confidential settlement resolving claims that the children were injured when they were crop-dusted with pesticides during a corn-pruning operation.
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July 26, 2024
Puerto Rico Fiscal Board Sues To Stop Solar Panel Bill
The Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico on Friday sued Gov. Pedro R. Pierluisi to nullify a law extending a program which reduces the cost of solar panels for Puerto Rican households, calling it legislative interference with the island's energy regulator.
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July 26, 2024
DC Circ. Vacates EPA's Biofuel Exemptions Denial
The D.C. Circuit on Friday largely sided with dozens of small petroleum refiners challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's denial of their exemptions to federal renewable fuel blending requirements while keeping its reasoning for doing so under seal.
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July 26, 2024
EU Calls For Dispute Talks Over Taiwan's Wind Farm Policy
The European Union challenged Taiwan's domestic sourcing requirements for offshore wind energy projects in the World Trade Organization, saying Friday that Taiwan was violating its duty not to discriminate against imported goods.
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July 26, 2024
EV Group Seeks To Defend Fuel Economy Rule In 6th Circ.
A coalition of electric vehicle manufacturers and suppliers want in on a consolidated challenge in the Sixth Circuit to the U.S. Department of Transportation's new fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks, saying the EV industry's future viability banks on the stringent new standards.
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July 26, 2024
Feds Invest $240M In Pacific Tribal Fish Hatchery Efforts
Hatcheries that produce Pacific salmon and steelhead will get $240 million in federal funding as the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Commerce Department look to restore fish in the Columbia River Basin and mitigate the impacts of dams on tribes, the U.S. government said.
Expert Analysis
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Series
Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer
There are many ways that chess skills translate directly into lawyer skills, but for me, the bigger career lessons go beyond the direct parallels — playing chess has shown me the value of seeing gradual improvement in and focusing deep concentration on a nonwork endeavor, says attorney Steven Fink.
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State Procurement Could Be Key For Calif. Offshore Wind
A recent ruling from the California Public Utilities Commission highlights how the state's centralized electricity procurement mechanism could play a critical role in the development of long lead-time resources — in particular, offshore wind — by providing market assurance to developers and reducing utilities' procurement risks, say attorneys at Wilson Sonsini.
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Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians
Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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A Deep Dive Into The Evolving World Of ESG Ratings
Attorneys at Mintz discuss the salience of environmental, social and governance ratings in corporate circles in recent years, and consider certain methodologies underlying their calculation for professionals, as well as issues concerning the ESG ratings and products themselves.
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Updated Federal Rules Can Improve Product Liability MDLs
The recent amendment of a federal evidence rule regarding expert testimony and the proposal of a civil rule on managing early discovery in multidistrict legislation hold great promise for promoting the uniform and efficient processes that high-stakes product liability cases particularly need, say Alan Klein and William Heaston at Duane Morris.
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Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent
As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.
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Adopting 7 Principles May Improve Voluntary Carbon Markets
The Biden administration's recently issued joint policy statement on improving the integrity of voluntary carbon markets may help companies using carbon credits to offset their emissions withstand scrutiny by government agencies, the public and investors, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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EU Directive Significantly Strengthens Enviro Protection
The recently revised European Union directive on environmental protection significantly strengthens its prior legislation and broadens the scope of environmental crime through the introduction of offenses for conduct resulting in severe damage, say Katharina Humphrey and Julian Reichert at Gibson Dunn.
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How Act 126 Will Jump-Start Lithium Production In Louisiana
Louisiana's recent passage of Act 126, which helps create a legal and regulatory framework for lithium brine production and direct lithium extraction in the state, should help bolster the U.S. supply of this key mineral, and contribute to increased energy independence for the nation, say Marjorie McKeithen and Justin Marocco at Jones Walker.
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Legal Battles Show Brands' Dilemma In Luxury Resale Trend
Recent litigation, such as Chanel's pending case against The RealReal, underscores the intricate balance luxury brands must strike between protecting their trademarks and embracing the burgeoning secondhand market that values sustainability, says Prachi Ajmera at Michelman & Robinson.
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Why Jurors Balk At 'I Don't Recall' — And How To Respond
Jurors often react negatively to a witness who responds “I don’t remember” because they tend to hold erroneous beliefs about the nature of human memory, but attorneys can adopt a few strategies to mitigate the impact of these biases, say Steve Wood and Ava Hernández at Courtroom Sciences.
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How Federal And State Microfiber Pollution Policy Is Evolving
Growing efforts to address synthetic microfiber pollution may create compliance and litigation issues for businesses in the textile and apparel industries, so companies should track developing federal and state legislation and regulation in this space, and should consider associated greenwashing risks, says Arie Feltman-Frank at Jenner & Block.
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An Insurance Coverage Checklist For PFAS Defendants
With PFAS liability exposures attracting increased media attention, now is a good time for companies that could be exposed to liability related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances to review existing and past insurance policies, and consider taking proactive steps to maximize their likelihood of coverage, say attorneys at Nossaman.
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Series
Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge at Robinson Bradshaw.
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10 Tips To Build Trust With Your Witness During Trial Prep
Preparing a witness for deposition or trial requires more than just legal skills — lawyers must also work to cultivate trust with the witness, using strategies ranging from wearing a hat when conducting mock cross-examination to offering them a ride to court before they testify, say Faye Paul Teller and Sara McDermott at Munger Tolles.