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Environmental
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April 22, 2025
US Intends To Proceed With Ariz. Copper Mine, Justices Told
The U.S. government says there has been no doubt that it intends to proceed with a land exchange in Arizona for a planned multibillion-dollar copper mine, telling the U.S. Supreme Court that its recent notice of publication of a final environmental impact statement for the project does not constitute urgent review.
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April 22, 2025
Ohio Derailment Not Caused By Texas Hurricane, Rail Co. Says
Railcar company GATX Corp. told a federal jury Tuesday that after three weeks of testimony, only a single witness had advanced Norfolk Southern's theory that a 2017 hurricane in Texas caused the hidden damage to a GATX-owned car that would eventually set off the 2023 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
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April 22, 2025
Phillips Steps Down As FERC Commissioner
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Commissioner Willie Phillips stepped down from his role on Tuesday, paving the way for President Donald Trump to install a Republican majority at the five-member agency.
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April 22, 2025
GAO Report Looks At Gen AI's Environmental, Human Effects
Generative AI's promises to boost productivity and transform industries could benefit people, but it also comes with risks of social harm, and its effects on the environment remain unclear, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a report released Tuesday.
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April 22, 2025
Nuclear Startup To Go Public Through $475M SPAC Deal
Nuclear startup Terra Innovatum said Tuesday it plans to go public at a valuation of $475 million by merging with special purpose acquisition company GSR III Acquisition Corp., joining several industry peers to go public through a SPAC deal.
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April 22, 2025
At Least 10 Firms Assist On $1B Barrick Gold Alaska Deal
Barrick Gold Corp. said Tuesday it has agreed to sell its 50% interest in the Donlin Gold Project in Alaska to Paulson & Co. and Novagold Resources Inc. for $1 billion in cash, in a deal steered by at least 10 law firms.
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April 21, 2025
EPA Tells Enviro Justice Employees Reductions Are Coming
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday issued reduction in force notices to employees in the recently shuttered environmental justice and civil rights office, as part of the agency's plan to carry out President Donald Trump's order to get rid of all diversity, equity and inclusion positions.
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April 21, 2025
Calif. Judges Who Lost Homes Sue LA Over Palisades Fire
A California federal judge and a retired federal magistrate judge whose homes were destroyed in the Pacific Palisades wildfire have sued the city of Los Angeles over the deadly inferno, saying two water reservoirs drained by the city's water department for repairs prior to the blaze substantially caused their losses.
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April 21, 2025
'Embarrassed' Judge Can't Yet Rule On Woolsey Fire Suit
A Los Angeles judge told attorneys from Southern California Edison and the state of California on Monday he is "embarrassed" that he is unable to yet rule on the government's motion for summary adjudication in its complaint seeking recovery of funds distributed to local agencies during the devastating Woolsey Fire in 2018.
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April 21, 2025
New Cos. Added As 7 Other Firefighter Unions Join PFAS Suit
Seven firefighters unions have joined a proposed class action accusing 3M Co., DuPont and safety gear companies of knowingly exposing first responders to cancer-causing "forever chemicals" in their protective equipment, according to a newly amended complaint filed in Connecticut federal court.
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April 21, 2025
AFGE Units Ask Court To Nix Agencies' Labor Contracts Suit
American Federation of Government Employees affiliates told a Texas federal court Monday to dismiss a lawsuit from the Department of Defense and other federal agencies asking the court to allow termination of collective bargaining agreements, saying the government does not have standing.
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April 21, 2025
Wind Farm Co. Asks 10th Circ. To Undo Osage Teardown Order
Enel Green Power North American Inc. is asking the Tenth Circuit to reverse a lower court's $4.2 million judgment and order requiring it to remove 84 wind turbines from the Osage Nation reservation, arguing that its conclusion of continuing trespass for the retention of backfill rocks is unprecedented and illogical.
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April 21, 2025
Offshore Leasing Withdrawal Ruling Not Moot, Court Told
Environmental groups on Friday insisted an Alaska federal judge can reinstate her decision barring the Trump administration from undoing former President Barack Obama's withdrawal of offshore waters from oil and gas leasing, blasting the government's contention that the ruling remains moot.
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April 21, 2025
DOL Tells 5th Circ. It May Rescind Biden-Era ESG Rule
The U.S. Department of Labor told the Fifth Circuit on Monday it's considering rescinding a Biden-era rule allowing retirement fiduciaries to consider issues like climate change and social justice when choosing investments, according to filings in a suit challenging the rule from conservative states and energy companies.
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April 21, 2025
Feds Vow To Cut NY Funds If Congestion Pricing Stays On
The U.S. Department of Transportation on Monday amplified threats to pull federal funding for Manhattan roadway projects if congestion pricing continues, saying state officials now have until May 21 to explain why they're flouting a federal directive to halt the "unconscionable" program.
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April 21, 2025
Microchip Co. Wants USPTO To Apply New Rules Retroactively
A California company behind a new kind of energy-efficient microchip says it's retained a former U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director in order to make the case that the agency's new rules over discretionary denials should be retroactively extended by seven days, in order to wipe out a partially successful patent challenge from a Chinese rival.
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April 21, 2025
Calif. Homeowners Say Insurers Colluded To Limit Coverage
California property owners affected by the Los Angeles wildfires accused over 300 insurers of conspiring to eliminate competition in the marketplace, forcing consumers to instead obtain fire insurance from the state's insurer of last resort, according to two lawsuits filed in state court.
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April 21, 2025
Interior Says Offshore Air Rule Challenge Must Be Nixed
The U.S. Department of the Interior and an oil and gas industry group on Friday said that the agency got it right in 2020 when it abandoned an Obama-era proposal to revise air pollution rules for offshore oil and gas operations.
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April 21, 2025
Unions Score Block On Orders To Fire Probationary Workers
A California federal judge blocked the Office of Personnel Management from ordering federal agencies to fire probationary employees and stopped several agencies from heeding its directives, but he declined to order them to rehire the workers they've already let go.
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April 21, 2025
3 Firms Guide Brazilian Energy Producer's $155M SPAC Deal
Brazilian oil refiner PX Energy on Monday agreed to merge with special purpose acquisition company Papaya Growth Opportunity Corp. I in a deal that will take PX public in the United States at an estimated $155 million value, guided by three law firms.
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April 21, 2025
Baker Botts Adds Enviro Ace From In-House Role In Houston
Baker Botts LLP announced Monday that it has added a partner in Houston who brings more than 25 years of environmental law experience, including more than a decade on the legal team at Koch Industries.
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April 21, 2025
CMOC Buying Lumina Gold For $420M
China's CMOC Group Ltd. has agreed to acquire Vancouver-based Lumina Gold Corp. in an all-cash deal valued at CA$581 million ($420 million), Lumina said Monday, as the miner looks to expand its gold portfolio in Latin America.
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April 21, 2025
Conn. Utility Says Regulators Must Hear PFAS Class Case
Eversource Energy subsidiary Aquarion Water Co. of Connecticut on Monday said claims that it failed to protect consumers from PFAS chemicals boil down to accusations that a proposed class paid too much for water, asking a state superior court judge to toss a lawsuit that rate regulators hadn't seen first.
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April 21, 2025
Solar Co. Oya Gets OK On Ch. 11 Liquidation After Asset Sales
A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Monday confirmed solar energy producer Oya Renewables' bid to liquidate through Chapter 11 under a plan supported by creditors, months after the company sold most of its assets for $39 million.
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April 19, 2025
Up Next At High Court: Preventive Healthcare, LGBTQ Books
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in five cases this week, including disputes over the constitutionality of a task force that sets preventive healthcare coverage requirements, a school district's introduction of LGBTQ-themed storybooks and whether parties can establish standing based on harms affecting third parties.
Expert Analysis
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What's At Stake As 9th Circ. Eyes Cultural Resource Damages
In Pakootas v. Teck Cominco, the Ninth Circuit is faced with the long-unresolved question of whether cultural resource damages are recoverable as part of natural resource damages under the Superfund law — and the answer will have enormous implications for companies, natural resource trustees and Native American tribes, says Sarah Bell at Farella Braun.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: The Perils Of Digital Data Protocols
Though stipulated protocols governing the treatment of electronically stored information in litigation are meant to streamline discovery, recent disputes demonstrate that certain missteps in the process can lead to significant inefficiencies, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: Preparing For Corporate Work
Law school often doesn't cover the business strategy, financial fluency and negotiation skills needed for a successful corporate or transactional law practice, but there are practical ways to gain relevant experience and achieve the mindset shifts critical to a thriving career in this space, says Dakota Forsyth at Olshan Frome.
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Strategies To Help Witnesses Manage Deposition Anxiety
During and leading up to deposition, witnesses may experience anxiety stemming from numerous sources and manifesting in a variety of ways, but attorneys can help them mitigate their stress using a few key methods, say consultants at Courtroom Sciences.
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How Cos. Can Mitigate Increasing Microplastics Liability Risk
Amid rising scrutiny in the U.S. and Europe of microplastics' impact on health and the growing threat of litigation against consumer product and food and beverage manufacturers, companies can limit liability through compliance with labeling laws, careful contract management and other practices, say attorneys at Rogers Joseph.
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Strategizing For Renewable Energy Project Success In Texas
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas has long been a key market for renewable energy projects, but rising financial and regulatory uncertainty means that developers and investors must prepare for inflation and policy risks, secure robust insurance coverage, and leverage tax equity transferability to ensure success, say attorneys at McDermott.
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A Cold War-Era History Lesson On Due Process
The landmark Harry Bridges case from the mid-20th century Red Scare offers important insights on why lawyers must be free of government reprisal, no matter who their client is, says Peter Afrasiabi at One LLP.
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How Latin American Finance Markets May Shift Under Trump
Changes in the federal government are bringing profound implications for Latin American financial institutions and cross-border financing, including increased competition from U.S. banks, volatility in equity markets and stable green investor demand despite deregulation in the U.S., says David Contreiras Tyler at Womble Bond.
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Series
Improv Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Improv keeps me grounded and connected to what matters most, including in my legal career where it has helped me to maintain a balance between being analytical, precise and professional, and creative, authentic and open-minded, says Justine Gottshall at InfoLawGroup.
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How BigLaw Executive Orders May Affect Smaller Firms
Because of the types of cases they take on, solo practitioners, small law firms and public interest attorneys may find themselves more dramatically affected by the collective impact of recent government action involving the legal industry than even the BigLaw firms named in the executive orders, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Opinion
Lawsuits Shouldn't Be Shadow Assets For Foreign Capital
Third-party litigation financing amplifies inefficiencies from litigation and facilitates national exposure to foreign influence in the U.S. justice system, so full disclosure of financing arrangements should be required as a matter of institutional integrity, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.
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How To Accelerate Your Post-Attorney Career Transition
Professionals seeking to transition to nonattorney careers may encounter skepticism as nontraditional candidates, but there are opportunities for thought leadership and to leverage speaking and writing to accelerate a post-attorney career transition, say Janet Falk at Falk Communications and Evgeny Efremkin at Toronto Metropolitan University.
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Key Takeaways From The 2025 Spring Antitrust Meeting
Leadership changes, shifting priorities and evolving enforcement tools dominated the conversation at the recent American Bar Association Spring Antitrust Meeting, as panelists explored competition policy under a second Trump administration, agency discretion under the 2023 merger guidelines and new frontiers in conduct enforcement, say attorneys at Freshfields.
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What PFAS-Treated Clothing Tariff Bill Would Mean For Cos.
In keeping with a nationwide trend of greater restrictions on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, legislation pending in the U.S. House of Representatives would remove tariff advantages for PFAS-treated clothing — so businesses would be wise to proactively adapt their supply chains and review contracts to mitigate liability, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.
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Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: Be An Indispensable Associate
While law school teaches you to research, write and think critically, it often overlooks the professional skills you will need to make yourself an essential team player when transitioning from a summer to full-time associate, say attorneys at Stinson.