Environmental

  • October 29, 2024

    Williams Cos. Applies To FERC For Transco Expansion

    A Williams Cos. Inc. unit on Monday submitted an application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to expand the Transco natural gas pipeline's capacity in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama — a proposal over which two environmental groups quickly expressed concern.

  • October 29, 2024

    Texas Gov., Oil Groups Urge DC Circ. To Revive LNG Projects

    Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, the American Petroleum Institute, the Lipan Apache Tribe and others are lining up behind liquefied natural gas project backers asking the full D.C. Circuit to review a panel's decision to nix Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approvals for LNG projects on the Texas Gulf Coast.

  • October 29, 2024

    Mining Regs Have World Effect On Tribes, High Court Told

    A chief of an Indigenous Brazilian community is backing an Arizona tribe in its bid to overturn a decision that allows a copper mining company to discharge treated wastewater into a local waterway, telling the Supreme Court that pollution from such operations impacts more than just health around the world.

  • October 29, 2024

    6th Circ. Judge Doubts Airport Funding Made It Federal Agent

    A Sixth Circuit judge on Tuesday said he saw "problems" with a Michigan airport's argument that federal grants had enough requirements to make the airport effectively a federal officer, suggesting it cannot litigate a suit over its PFAS-containing firefighting foam in federal court.

  • October 29, 2024

    PTAB Upholds Solar Co.'s Power Supply Patent

    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has shot down a bid from a German solar energy technology company's U.S. unit to invalidate a competitor's solar power supply patent, the latest blow to the subsidiary in a larger patent fight.

  • October 29, 2024

    DQ'd Zeta Atty Using MDL Info In Other Cases, Plaintiffs Say

    A group of crew members aboard a Transocean drilling rig during Hurricane Zeta asked a Harris County judge Monday to sanction the company and its former law firm, writing that a former attorney has continued to use information he obtained while working on the case despite being disqualified in 2023.

  • October 29, 2024

    Texas Judge Rejects Early Win In Water Pollution Dispute

    A Texas federal judge denied on Tuesday an insurer's bid for an early win in its lawsuit against a water supply company accused of providing contaminated water to Cameron County residents, despite the insurer's argument that pollution exclusions in multiple policies bar coverage for the underlying claims.

  • October 29, 2024

    6th Circ. Judge Rejects Flint Comparison In Benton Harbor

    A Sixth Circuit judge asked during oral arguments Tuesday if Michigan's government could have done more to monitor the response to lead contamination in a city's water supply, as another judge seemed to doubt that the allegations against the state rose to the level of constitutional violations.

  • October 29, 2024

    ND Riverbed Fight Has Been Festering For 50 Years, Court Told

    A Native American tribe and the U.S. Department of the Interior are asking a federal court to deny a more than yearlong extension request by North Dakota to respond to a bid for a judgment that declares the state has no mineral rights beneath a portion of the Missouri River.

  • October 29, 2024

    BOEM Holds Gulf Of Maine Wind Lease Sale

    An offshore wind lease sale held Tuesday for the Gulf of Maine saw two provisional winners for four lease areas with the potential to power some 2.3 million homes, according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

  • October 29, 2024

    FERC Botched Pacific NW Pipeline Approval, 5th Circ. Told

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was wrong to approve a controversial TC Energy Corp. pipeline expansion project in the Pacific Northwest, Washington and Oregon officials and environmental groups told the Fifth Circuit.

  • October 29, 2024

    NJ Recycler, Insurer Settle Suit Over Millions In Fire Damage

    A New Jersey recycling center has agreed to drop its suit over its insurer's alleged refusal to cover millions in losses stemming from an April 2023 fire at its facility, according to court documents.

  • October 29, 2024

    MVP: Beveridge & Diamond's Parker Moore

    Parker Moore of Beveridge & Diamond PC, who helped advance the fiercely contested Mountain Valley Pipeline and settled litigation against a leading supplier of endotoxin testing products, is now helping defend tiremakers in litigation over the rubber additive 6PPD, earning him a spot as one of the 2024 Law360 Environmental MVPs.

  • October 28, 2024

    Hershey's 'Bubble Yum' Contains PFAS, Consumer Alleges

    The existence of "forever chemicals" in The Hershey Co.'s Bubble Yum brand bubblegum undermines the multinational candy company's commitment to transparency about the ingredients in its products, a new proposed false advertising class action filed in California state court alleges.

  • October 28, 2024

    Sterigenics Says Residents Can't Tie Harms To Ethylene Oxide

    Medical sterilization company Sterigenics US LLC and its parent, Sotera Health LLC, are asking a Georgia state judge to exclude expert testimony put forward by Peach State residents alleging their ethylene oxide emissions harmed them, and to dismiss the residents' claims against them.

  • October 28, 2024

    Texas Sues Biden Admin Over Mussels' Endangered Status

    Texas sued the U.S. Department of the Interior over a recent federal classification naming several central-Texas mussel species as endangered or threatened, telling a Texas federal court Monday that the agencies failed to consider current conservation efforts and economic impacts of the new rule.

  • October 28, 2024

    Flint Bellwether Delayed On Eve Of Trial, Again

    A Michigan federal judge delayed Monday a bellwether trial set to determine if a water engineering firm was professionally negligent for its role in the Flint water crisis one day before jury selection was scheduled to begin and without explanation. 

  • October 28, 2024

    Pennsylvania Judge Yanks Delaware River Port Approvals

    A Pennsylvania federal judge ruled Monday that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers "arbitrarily and capriciously departed from its own procedures" in authorizing plans for a new port on the Delaware River in Delaware, downriver from Philadelphia, ordering the agency to conduct a closer review of the project. 

  • October 28, 2024

    Fla. Condo Sues Flood Insurer Over Undervalued Storm Claim

    A Florida condominium association damaged by a 2022 hurricane has alleged its insurance company failed to provide adequate compensation under the terms of a $13 million policy in accordance with its mandate with the National Flood Insurance Porgram.

  • October 28, 2024

    DC Circ. Told Carbon Tech Doesn't Back EPA Power Plant Rule

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can't show that carbon capture and sequestration technology can be used now to meet its new emissions requirements for power plants, necessitating vacatur, Republican-led states and industry challengers told the D.C. Circuit.

  • October 28, 2024

    Calif.'s 2018 Fire Reimbursement Suit Meets Skeptical Judge

    A Los Angeles judge appeared dubious Monday that the state of California can use litigation against Southern California Edison to recover emergency funds distributed to local agencies that responded to the destructive Woolsey Fire in 2018.

  • October 28, 2024

    New Jury Ordered In 'Cop City' Trial Over Court Closure

    A defendant in the sprawling, 61-person racketeering indictment of protesters against Atlanta's controversial "Cop City" police training center will get another shot at jury selection after the Georgia Court of Appeals said Monday that a Fulton County trial judge unjustifiably closed her courtroom to the public and the press.

  • October 28, 2024

    Asheville Federal Courthouse Reopens After Hurricane Helene

    The North Carolina federal courthouse in Asheville reopened Monday for the first time after flooding and outages from Hurricane Helene forced its indefinite closure last month.

  • October 28, 2024

    Brouillette Stepping Down As Utility Trade Group's Head

    Dan Brouillette, a former energy secretary during the Trump administration, on Monday said he will be leaving his role as president and CEO of the Edison Electric Institute later this year to focus on global energy challenges.

  • October 28, 2024

    MVP: Sidley's Justin Savage

    Sidley Austin LLP partner Justin Savage has been a steady hand for the firm's clients over the past year, helping BP PLC and Cummins Inc. resolve federal investigations, leading a charge to force Alexandria, Virginia, to stop decades of coal tar discharges into the Potomac River, and successfully advocating for refineries' and petrochemical plants' interests in federal rulemaking — earning him a spot among the 2024 Law360 Environmental MVPs.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Legal Institutions Must Warn Against Phony Election Suits

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    With two weeks until the election, bar associations and courts have an urgent responsibility to warn lawyers about the consequences of filing unsubstantiated lawsuits claiming election fraud, says Elise Bean at the Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy.

  • How Cos. Can Build A Strong In-House Pro Bono Program

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    During this year’s pro bono celebration week, companies should consider some key pointers to grow and maintain a vibrant in-house program for attorneys to provide free legal services for the public good, says Mary Benton at Alston & Bird.

  • Series

    Home Canning Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Making my own pickles and jams requires seeing a process through from start to finish, as does representing clients from the start of a dispute at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board through any appeals to the Federal Circuit, says attorney Kevin McNish.

  • A Narrow Window Of Opportunity To Fix Energy Transmission

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    A post-election effort of the coming lame-duck congressional session may be the only possibility to pass bipartisan legislation to solve the national grid's capacity deficiencies, which present the greatest impediment to realizing state and federal energy transition and emissions reduction goals, says David Smith at Manatt.

  • How Project 2025 Could Upend Federal ESG Policies

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    If implemented, Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation's policy playbook for a Republican presidential administration, would likely seek to deploy antitrust law to target ESG initiatives, limit pension fund managers' focus to pecuniary factors and spell doom for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate rule, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • Navigating FEMA Grant Program For Slope Fixes After Storms

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    In the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, it is critical for governments, businesses and individuals to understand the legal requirements of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's grant programs to obtain funding for crucial repairs — including restoration of damaged infrastructure caused by landslides and slope failures, says Charles Schexnaildre at Baker Donelson.

  • Key Insurance Implications Of Hawaii's Historic GHG Ruling

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    In Aloha Petroleum v. National Union Fire Insurance, the Hawaii Supreme Court became the first state court to classify greenhouse gasses as pollutants barred from insurance coverage, a ruling likely to be afforded great weight by courts across the country, say Scott Seaman and Gar Lauerman at Hinshaw & Culbertson.

  • Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys

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    Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.

  • Opinion

    Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code

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    As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.

  • Perspectives

    Pop Culture Docket: Justice Lebovits On Gilbert And Sullivan

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    Characters in the 19th century comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan break the rules of good lawyering by shamelessly throwing responsible critical thought to the wind, providing hilarious lessons for lawyers and judges on how to avoid a surfeit of traps and tribulations, say acting New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits and law student Tara Scown.

  • To Report Or Not To Report Others' Export Control Violations

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    A recent Bureau of Industry and Security enforcement policy change grants cooperation credit to those that report violations of the Export Administration Regulations committed by others, but the benefits of doing so must be weighed against significant drawbacks, including the costs of preparing and submitting a report, says Megan Lew at Cravath.

  • With Esmark Case, SEC Returns Focus To Tender Offer Rules

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent enforcement action against Esmark in connection with its failed bid to acquire U.S. Steel indicates the SEC's renewed attention under Rule 14e‑8 of the Exchange Act on offerors' financial resources as a measure of the veracity of their tender offer communications, say attorneys at MoFo.

  • Deadline Extension Highlights PFAS Reporting Complexities

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent extension of reporting and recordkeeping timelines for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act offers relief to the regulated community, but the unprecedented volume of data required means that businesses must remain diligent in their data collection efforts, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • 6th Circ. Preemption Ruling Adds Uncertainty For Car Cos.

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    Automakers and their suppliers need uniformity under the law to create sufficient scale and viable markets — but the Sixth Circuit's recent decision in Fenner v. General Motors creates more uncertainty around the question of when state law consumer claims related to violations of federal vehicle emissions and fuel economy standards are preempted, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape

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    Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.

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