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Environmental
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October 10, 2024
$273M Hurricane Relief Bill Is 'First Step,' NC Gov. Says
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Thursday signed a $273 million measure to fund relief and recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene tore through the state in September, causing devastating floods and widespread power outages and killing at least 91 people in 20 counties.
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October 10, 2024
Housing Nonprofit Hits NY Town With Disability Bias Suit
A housing nonprofit has claimed in New York federal court that local officials stopped the construction of an affordable housing project in the Hamptons because a lot of the units would go to people with mental health disabilities and military veterans, who would receive supportive services.
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October 09, 2024
Alaskan Tribes Ask Court To Reconsider Gold Mine Ruling
A group of Alaskan tribes is urging a federal district court to reconsider its ruling that two U.S. government agencies did not take a realistic look at the potential spill risks associated with a large open-pit gold mine, arguing that it erred in its determination concerning the project's barge traffic.
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October 09, 2024
Ga. Judge Won't Extend Voter Registration After Helene
Would-be voters in the Peach State won't get an extra week to register for the November 2024 election — at least not yet — after a Georgia federal judge said Wednesday she hadn't seen sufficient support for the claim that registrations were significantly hampered by the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene.
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October 09, 2024
Wash. Justices To Weigh $185M PCB Case Against Monsanto
The Washington State Supreme Court will consider school teachers' bid to reinstate a $185 million jury verdict against Monsanto in a chemical poisoning tort, marking the first in a series of cases tied to the same school to make it all the way to the state's high court.
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October 09, 2024
SF Leaders Not Backing City's High Court Case Against EPA
With oral arguments just a week away, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday passed a resolution urging the city attorney to drop a U.S. Supreme Court case against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over a Clean Water Act permit.
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October 09, 2024
Texas Electric Co-Op Says EPA Mercury Rule Must Be Nixed
A Texas electricity co-operative on Tuesday backed a D.C. Circuit challenge to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule curbing mercury and other toxic metal emissions at some coal-fired power plants, saying the agency fudged data to saddle the co-op with unachievable emissions reduction requirements.
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October 09, 2024
Ag Groups Defend Farm Emissions Reporting Exemption
Agricultural industry groups called on a Washington, D.C., federal judge to toss green groups' claims alleging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency overstepped its authority in exempting factory farms from pollution-reporting requirements, arguing the agency merely implemented Congress' command.
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October 09, 2024
Louisiana Judge Reopens EPA's Enforcement Against Denka
A Louisiana federal judge on Tuesday reopened the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's lawsuit alleging some of a neoprene manufacturer's air emissions pose a health threat to the surrounding community.
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October 09, 2024
EPA Will Clean Up 7 Abandoned Mines On Navajo Land
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it has committed to cleaning up seven abandoned uranium mine sites via projects aimed at addressing more than 1 million cubic yards of contaminated soil and restoring approximately 260 acres of Navajo Nation land.
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October 09, 2024
Ex-NC Govs. Back Cooper In Power Struggle With Lawmakers
Five former governors of North Carolina have thrown their support behind the current Democratic governor as he wrestles with Republican lawmakers over appointment powers, telling the state appeals court that the legislature has trampled on "a bedrock constitutional principle" by seeking to divest the governor of his ability to select members of executive branch agencies.
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October 09, 2024
47 Members Of Congress Urge EPA To Ban Paraquat
Democratic Rep. Greg Casar from Texas led a coalition of 46 members of Congress in urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to ban the use of a herbicide known as Paraquat, calling it a toxic substance "linked to life-threatening diseases and grave impacts on the environment."
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October 08, 2024
NY Discharge Law Usurps Feds, Nuclear Plant Owner Says
The owner of the shuttered Indian Point nuclear power plant on Monday urged a federal judge to invalidate a New York state law banning discharges of radioactive material into the Hudson River, saying it's clearly preempted by federal nuclear safety authority and violates the Constitution's supremacy clause.
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October 08, 2024
Texas Looks To Sink Suit Challenging Anti-ESG Law
Texas officials have asked a federal court to toss claims brought against them over a law restricting state investments with financial firms and businesses that want to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels, arguing they have sovereign immunity and the law doesn't violate the First Amendment.
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October 08, 2024
Jackson, Kagan Target Loper Bright In Ghost Gun Case
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was uncharacteristically quiet during initial arguments Tuesday over the federal government's authority to regulate ghost guns. While her colleagues debated whether kits of unassembled parts qualify as firearms, she waited patiently to post a different question: Can courts now toss agency interpretations they don't like?
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October 08, 2024
GOP, Trade Groups Urge 6th Circ. To Void Highway GHG Rule
Republican lawmakers and construction trade groups are urging the Sixth Circuit to snuff out for good a U.S. Department of Transportation rule requiring states to set targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from federally funded highway projects.
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October 08, 2024
Enviro Groups Seek To Overturn Nuclear Plant Renewal Rules
Anti-nuclear power groups are challenging new nuclear power plant license renewal rules from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, telling the D.C. Circuit on Monday that the changes violate federal environmental protection law.
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October 08, 2024
Coolant Cos. Challenging HFC Rules Meet Skeptical DC Circ.
A D.C. Circuit panel Tuesday seemed dubious of coolant industry challenges to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's omission of 2020 market data in calculating the agency's framework for phasing down climate-harming hydrofluorocarbons.
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October 08, 2024
EPA Inks Historic $4.2M Deal Over Philly Refinery Explosion
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency revealed on Tuesday that it has reached a $4.2 million proposed deal with Philadelphia Energy Solutions Refining and Marketing LLC, settling a Clean Air Act claim tied to a June 2019 leak and explosion at the company's former South Philadelphia refinery.
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October 08, 2024
Aluminum Recycler Novelis Scraps IPO, Citing Market Woes
Aluminum recycling giant Novelis Inc. on Tuesday withdrew filing documents for an initial public offering, citing market conditions and formally scrapping a proposed listing nearly five months after it delayed plans to raise almost $900 million.
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October 08, 2024
Mich. Judge Won't Halt EV Battery-Plant Build During Appeal
A Michigan federal judge said Monday she will not lift an order forcing a town's leaders to abide by a development agreement with battery manufacturer Gotion Inc. while the town seeks a Sixth Circuit review of the decision.
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October 08, 2024
Judge Clarifies Contentious Registration Rule For Contractors
The U.S. Court of Federal Claims clarified that a contentious registration requirement for federal contractors only kicks in when they submit final proposals in response to government solicitations, blessing a previously disqualified business' $45 billion nuclear cleanup deal.
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October 08, 2024
Marathon Co. Wants 'Both Bites' In Pipeline Row, 8th Circ. Told
A group of tribal landowners looking to intervene in the federal government's appeal related to a Marathon Petroleum Corp. subsidiary's pipeline that crosses part of reservation lands told the Eighth Circuit that the company can't have "both bites of the apple" in fighting their bid to dismiss the case.
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October 08, 2024
Eggland's Best Says Cage-Free Eggs Are Exactly That
Eggland's Best asked an Illinois federal judge on Monday to toss a suit claiming it misled consumers about the quality of care for its hens and the conditions in which they lived, arguing its cage-free eggs are unquestionably labeled as such and that the plaintiffs "twist themselves into knots" to render the products deceptive.
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October 08, 2024
Hawaii Justices Hand AIG Win In Novel Climate Coverage Suit
AIG isn't obligated to cover a lawsuit accusing a Honolulu-based Sunoco subsidiary of contributing to climate change, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled, saying a pollution exclusion in the oil giant's policy encompasses greenhouse gas emissions.
Expert Analysis
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Opinion
Reform NEPA To Speed Mining Permits, Clean Energy Shift
It is essential to balance responsible regulatory oversight with permit approvals for mining projects that are needed for the transition to renewable energy — and with the National Environmental Policy Act being one of the leading causes of permit delays, reform is urgently needed, say Ana Maria Gutierrez and Michael Miller at Womble Bond.
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Opinion
Atty Well-Being Efforts Ignore Root Causes Of The Problem
The legal industry is engaged in a critical conversation about lawyers' mental health, but current attorney well-being programs primarily focus on helping lawyers cope with the stress of excessive workloads, instead of examining whether this work culture is even fundamentally compatible with lawyer well-being, says Jonathan Baum at Avenir Guild.
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Calif. Long-Tail Ruling Continues Policyholder-Friendly Trend
The California Supreme Court's recent ruling in Truck Insurance Exchange v. Kaiser Cement & Gypsum, rejecting horizontal policy exhaustion, was the latest in a string of its decisions involving insurance coverage for continuous or progressive injury claims that favor policyholders, say Billie Mandelbaum and David Goodwin at Covington.
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A Case Study For Calif. Cities In Water Utility Takeovers
With growing water scarcity and drier weather looming, some local governments in California have sought to acquire investor-owned water utilities by eminent domain — but the 2016 case of Claremont v. Golden State Water is a reminder that such municipalization attempts must meet certain statutory requirements, say attorneys at Nossaman.
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Series
NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2
The second quarter of 2024 saw less enforcement activity in the realm of New York financial services, but brought substantial regulatory and legislative developments, including state regulators' guidance on cybersecurity compliance and customer service processes for virtual currency entities, say James Vivenzio and Andrew Lucas at Perkins Coie.
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Series
Skiing And Surfing Make Me A Better Lawyer
The skills I’ve learned while riding waves in the ocean and slopes in the mountains have translated to my legal career — developing strong mentor relationships, remaining calm in difficult situations, and being prepared and able to move to a backup plan when needed, says Brian Claassen at Knobbe Martens.
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Tracking Implementation Of IRA Programs As Election Nears
As the Biden administration races to cement key regulations implementing the Inflation Reduction Act, a number of the law's programs and incentives are at risk of delay or repeal if Republicans retake control of Congress, the White House or both — so stakeholders should closely watch ongoing IRA implementation and guidance, say attorneys at Squire Patton.
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Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule
Federal circuit courts that have addressed Rule 41(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are split as to whether attorney fees are included as part of the costs of a previously dismissed action, so practitioners aiming to recover or avoid fees should tailor arguments to the appropriate court, says Joseph Myles and Lionel Lavenue at Finnegan.
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4 Steps To Repair Defense Credibility In Opening Statements
Given the continued rise of record-breaking verdicts, defense counsel need to consider fresh approaches to counteract the factors coloring juror attitudes — starting with a formula for rebuilding credibility at the very beginning of opening statements, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.
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Prejudicial Evidence Takeaways From Trump Hush Money Trial
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office's prosecution and conviction of former President Donald Trump on 34 felony counts provides a lesson on whether evidence may cause substantial unfair prejudice, or if its prejudicial potential is perfectly fair within the bounds of the law, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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How Justices' Chevron Ruling May Influence Wind Projects
Parties both for and against the development of East Coast offshore wind development are watching the U.S. Supreme Court closely for its anticipated ruling challenging long-standing principles of agency deference that may subject decision making based on that precedent to upheaval, say attorneys at Robinson & Cole.
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After A Brief Hiccup, The 'Rocket Docket' Soars Back To No. 1
The Eastern District of Virginia’s precipitous 2022 fall from its storied rocket docket status appears to have been a temporary aberration, as recent statistics reveal that the court is once again back on top as the fastest federal civil trial court in the nation, says Robert Tata at Hunton.
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New Laws, Regs Mean More Scrutiny Of Airline Carbon Claims
Recent climate disclosure laws and regulations in the U.S. and Europe mean that scrutiny of airlines' green claims will likely continue to intensify — so carriers must make sure their efforts to reduce carbon emissions through use of sustainable aviation fuel, hydrogen and carbon offsets measure up to their marketing, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Recruitment Trends In Emerging Law Firm Frontiers
BigLaw firms are facing local recruitment challenges as they increasingly establish offices in cities outside of the major legal hubs, requiring them to weigh various strategies for attracting talent that present different risks and benefits, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.
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Atmospheric Rivers: Force Majeure Or Just A Rainy Day?
As atmospheric rivers pummel California with intense rainfall, flooding and landslides, agencies and contractors in the state struggling to manage projects may invoke force majeure — but as with all construction risk issues, the terms of the agreement govern, and relief may not always be available, say Kyle Hamilton and Corey Boock at Nossaman.