Environmental

  • September 30, 2024

    Marathon Unit Wants 8th Circ. To Nix Appeal In Pipeline Fight

    A Marathon Petroleum Corp. subsidiary is asking the Eighth Circuit to dismiss an appeal by tribal landowners trying to intervene in its lawsuit challenging the Interior Department's reversal of prior decisions related to a pipeline crossing part of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota.

  • September 30, 2024

    Morgan Stanley Investment Arm Nabs $750M For Climate Fund

    Morgan Stanley's investment management arm revealed Monday that its climate private equity fund, which is focused on investing in North American and European companies working to avoid or remove one gigaton of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions from the atmosphere, closed at $750 million of equity capital commitments.

  • September 30, 2024

    Del. Justices Asked To Revive Malpractice Suit Against Firms

    Parents who hired Baird Mandalas Brockstedt & Federico LLC and Schochor Staton Goldberg and Cardea PA to pursue claims that contamination from a Mountaire Corp. chicken plant caused "catastrophic injuries" to their child are urging Delaware's Supreme Court to revive their malpractice suit against the firms, saying they didn't "have an adequate opportunity to litigate."

  • September 30, 2024

    Climate Analytics Co. Seeks Ch. 11 With Up To $50M In Debt

    BAWT Enterprises LLC, the New Hampshire-based parent company of climate data analytics firm Athenium Analytics, filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware in hopes of quickly confirming its prepackaged plan to hand ownership of the reorganized company to its creditors.

  • September 30, 2024

    Helene-Hit NC Alters Court Deadlines, Flags Price-Gouging  

    Hurricane Helene's wrath in North Carolina prompted the extension of state court filing deadlines and price-gouging warnings by state and federal enforcers as the legal community grappled with what Chief Supreme Court Justice Paul Newby lamented as "catastrophic conditions" caused by the vicious storm.

  • September 27, 2024

    Calif. Appeals Court Won't Revive Suit Targeting Zero Emission Reg

    A California appeals court has refused to jump-start a natural gas vehicle coalition's lawsuit targeting an Advanced Clean Trucks regulation aimed at boosting the sale of electric zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, ruling state regulators properly considered alternatives and impacts.

  • September 27, 2024

    NJ Town Urges Court To Keep $1B DuPont Pollution Suit Alive

    Carneys Point Township urged a New Jersey state judge Friday to keep alive its billion dollar lawsuit over pollution from the former Dupont Chambers Works facility, arguing its complaint and the Garden State environmental regulator's enforcement action seeking the remediation of the same site have nothing to do with each other.

  • September 27, 2024

    2nd Circ. Won't Revive Danimer Investors' 'Greenwashing' Suit

    The Second Circuit on Friday upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit accusing Danimer Scientific Inc. of over-hyping the environmentally friendly nature of a plastics alternative it produced, with the appellate court saying that there was no proof that company executives purposefully misled investors.

  • September 27, 2024

    Hurricane Helene Losses Could Exceed $5B: Market Analyst

    The losses from Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm that slammed into Florida's panhandle Thursday evening, could exceed $5 billion and challenge insurers dealing with high reinsurance costs, according to an early estimate from the insurer credit rating company AM Best.

  • September 27, 2024

    GAO Says DOE Could Save Billions On Hanford Waste Plan

    A government watchdog said in a report Friday that the U.S. Department of Energy should heed experts who say the agency could save billions of dollars by distinguishing between high- and lower-level waste at the Hanford Nuclear Site in Washington, one of the biggest cleanups in the world.

  • September 27, 2024

    Energy Cases To Watch In This US Supreme Court Term

    The new U.S. Supreme Court term could be just as action-packed as the previous term was for the energy industry, as the justices will weigh in on how federal agencies conduct environmental reviews and field petitions over climate change policies and lawsuits. Here's a list of energy-related cases to watch this term.

  • September 27, 2024

    NY's Midtown Bus Terminal Clears Enviro Review Hurdle

    The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Federal Transit Administration said on Friday that the agencies have signed the final environmental impact statement for the replacement of Manhattan's Port Authority Bus Terminal, bringing the $10 billion proposed project closer to becoming reality.

  • September 27, 2024

    Life Sciences Firms Energize IPO Market As Recovery Builds

    Initial public offerings are closing the year's third quarter on an upswing, led mostly by pre-revenue drug developers and select large companies that are seizing opportunities in friendlier capital markets buoyed by interest-rate cuts, generating momentum that experts say could carry over into next year.

  • September 27, 2024

    GM, LG Get Go-Ahead On $150M EV Battery Settlement

    A Michigan federal judge has given preliminary approval to a $150 million settlement to resolve claims that General Motors LLC sold Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles with faulty batteries made by LG units, finding the deal to be fair and reasonable in resolving the claims.

  • September 27, 2024

    EPA Will Review Wood Stove Emissions Rules To Settle Lawsuit

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency agreed to revisit its emissions standards for residential wood-burning stoves, resolving 10 states' D.C. federal court lawsuit accusing it of slacking on its obligation to do so.

  • September 27, 2024

    $36M Oil Cleanup Row Isn't A Case For Fed. Court, Judge Says

    An Oklahoma federal court tossed a pipeline owner's lawsuit seeking coverage from its excess insurers for an oil spill on tribal land that it said cost over $36 million to clean up, finding the court lacked the subject matter jurisdiction to hear the case.

  • September 27, 2024

    Arctic Seal Habitat Nixed By Alaska Federal Judge

    An Alaska federal judge vacated the National Marine Fisheries Service's designation of critical habitat for bearded seals and Arctic ringed seals.

  • September 27, 2024

    Houston Firm Gets Time In Zeta MDL To Fend Off DQ Bid

    A Texas state judge overseeing a multidistrict litigation created to handle claims stemming from Hurricane Zeta agreed Friday to give a Houston law firm more time to respond to a disqualification bid from plaintiff firm Arnold & Itkin, which says an ex-law clerk who now works for the defense improperly accessed relevant case files.

  • September 27, 2024

    FERC Can't Defend Backtrack On Grid Plan, DC Circ. Told

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission can't legally justify its about-face on a Southwest Power Pool plan to regionally allocate the costs of some transmission projects within the grid operator's 14-state footprint, the D.C. Circuit heard.

  • September 27, 2024

    EPA, Ohio Refinery Ink $169M Wastewater Cleanup Deal

    A Cenovus Energy unit has reached a $169 million deal to resolve the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's complaint over pollution from a petroleum refinery in Lima, Ohio, the U.S. Department of Justice and the EPA announced Friday.

  • September 26, 2024

    Nestlé Customers Win Class Cert. In Child Labor Labeling Suit

    A California federal judge on Thursday granted class certification in litigation alleging Nestle USA misleads the public with "sustainably sourced" chocolate labels when its cocoa is produced through child labor and deforestation, rejecting the company's contention that classes can't be lumped together for different labels on different products.

  • September 26, 2024

    Donziger Unveils Plan To Launch Impact Litigation Fund

    Sitting before an intimate audience of environmental investors and business leaders, disbarred environmental lawyer Steven Donziger recounted his 30-year battle with Chevron Corp. and its predecessor Texaco Inc. in Manhattan on Thursday, before laying out his plan to launch an impact litigation fund.

  • September 26, 2024

    11th Circ. Affirms Convictions In Fla. Shark Rescue Case

    The Eleventh Circuit upheld felony theft convictions for two Florida tour boat divers who were prosecuted for freeing sharks they believed were illegally poached, but turned out to be part of a research project conducted with a permit granted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

  • September 26, 2024

    3rd Circ. Rules Commerce Fishery Councils Cannot Veto Regs

    Government-appointed advisory councils that have the power to veto decisions of federal cabinet-level officials run afoul of the U.S. Constitution, the Third Circuit said, stripping that veto power from "regional fishery management councils" that advise the U.S. secretary of commerce.

  • September 26, 2024

    Offended Texas Judge Formally Vacates Buoy Injunction

    A Texas federal judge who took umbrage at a state attorney's suggestion that he may ignore the Fifth Circuit's instruction to lift his injunction on the state's buoy barrier in the Rio Grande ceded to the appellate court on Thursday.

Expert Analysis

  • Nuclear Power Can Help Industrial Plants Get To Net-Zero

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    In the race to fight climate change and achieve net-zero emissions, the industrial sector currently faces immense challenges — but the integration of nuclear energy is a promising solution, so companies should consider the financial and regulatory issues, opportunities, and risk-mitigating factors, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • 6 Factors That Can Make For A 'Nuclear' Juror

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    Drawing from recent research that examines the rise in nuclear verdicts, Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies identifies a few juror characteristics most likely to matter in assessing case risk and preparing for jury selection — some of which are long-known, and others that are emerging post-pandemic.

  • Series

    Playing Dungeons & Dragons Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing Dungeons & Dragons – a tabletop role-playing game – helped pave the way for my legal career by providing me with foundational skills such as persuasion and team building, says Derrick Carman at Robins Kaplan.

  • Class Action Law Makes An LLC A 'Jurisdictional Platypus'

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    The applicability of Section 1332(d)(10) of the Class Action Fairness Act is still widely misunderstood — and given the ambiguous nature of limited liability companies, the law will likely continue to confound courts and litigants — so parties should be prepared for a range of outcomes, says Andrew Gunem at Strauss Borrelli.

  • 3 Leadership Practices For A More Supportive Firm Culture

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    Traditional leadership styles frequently amplify the inherent pressures of legal work, but a few simple, time-neutral strategies can strengthen the skills and confidence of employees and foster a more collaborative culture, while supporting individual growth and contribution to organizational goals, says Benjamin Grimes at BKG Leadership.

  • Rebuttal

    Cancer Research Org. Is Right To Avoid Corporate Influence

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    While a previous Law360 guest article criticizes the International Agency for Research on Cancer's processes, its reliance on peer-reviewed literature is proper and its refusal to allow corporate influence is sound science, say Lance Oliver and Ridge Mazingo at Motley Rice.

  • Attorneys Can Benefit From Reverse-Engineering Their Cases

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    Trial advocacy programs often teach lawyers to loosely track the progression of a lawsuit during preparation — case analysis, then direct examination, then cross-examination, openings and closings — but reverse-engineering cases by working backward from opening and closing statements can streamline the process and also improve case strategy, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • How Courts' Differing Views On Standing Affect PFAS Claims

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    Two recent opinions from New York federal courts — in Lurenz v. Coca-Cola, and Winans v. Ornua Foods North America — illustrate how pivotal the differing views on standing held by different courts will be for product liability litigation involving per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, particularly consumer claims, say attorneys at Hollingsworth.

  • New State Carbon Capture Laws: Key Points For Developers

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    Multiple states have introduced or expanded legal frameworks for carbon capture and sequestration this year, and while there are some common themes, many of these state laws include unique approaches and requirements — which developers and investors should be aware of when considering potential projects and investment risks, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents

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    Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.

  • New NHTSA Fuel Economy Rule Adds Compliance Complexity

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    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's recently announced final rule on new corporate average fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks will create challenges for manufacturers, which must also comply with the EPA's multipollutant rule and California's zero-emission vehicle programs, say Joanne Rotondi and Hannah Graae at Hogan Lovells.

  • Series

    Teaching Scuba Diving Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    As a master scuba instructor, I’ve learned how to prepare for the unexpected, overcome fears and practice patience, and each of these skills – among the many others I’ve developed – has profoundly enhanced my work as a lawyer, says Ron Raether at Troutman Pepper.

  • Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act

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    As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.

  • Series

    After Chevron: NRC Is Shielded From Loper Bright's Effects

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    While the U.S. Supreme Court's recent Loper Bright v. Relentless decision brought an end to Chevron deference, Congress' unique delegation of discretionary authority to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will likely insulate it from the additional judicial scrutiny that other federal agencies will face, say Ryan Lighty and Scott Clausen at Morgan Lewis.

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