Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Environmental
-
May 07, 2024
Forest Service Says Court Should Fell Logging Climate Suit
The U.S. Forest Service on Monday urged a D.C. federal district court to toss most of a lawsuit filed by environmental groups that alleges the agency failed to assess the impact of logging projects on carbon storage and emissions.
-
May 07, 2024
DOI Gives States And Tribes $148M For Drought Resiliency
The U.S. Department of the Interior has said it has invested nearly $148 million to help states and Native American tribes prepare for water reliability challenges due to drought and other scarcity concerns, saying the money will go to 42 projects in 10 states.
-
May 07, 2024
Venable Trade Co-Chair Shares Hot Takes On US Steel-Nippon
Back in December, Venable LLP partner Ashley Craig, co-chair of the firm's international trade group, spoke with Law360 just after U.S. Steel disclosed its agreement to be sold to Nippon Steel. Now, he shares his thoughts on the latest developments, including the White House coming out forcefully against the deal and the U.S. Department of Justice launching a probe into it.
-
May 07, 2024
PolyMet Land Swap Discovery Order Paused, For Now
PolyMet Mining doesn't have to produce information it had previously withheld in a Minnesota tribe's challenge to undo a land swap, a federal district court determined after the company asked for emergency relief to avoid any potential harm it said could come from wrongfully disclosing privileged documentation.
-
May 07, 2024
Contract's 1-Year Limit Doesn't Block NC Mold Claims
A North Carolina appeals court on Tuesday reinstated a couple's suit against a contractor they say failed to remediate water and mold damage in their house, saying the trial court was wrong to find that the contract's one-year limitation on claims applied to the state's Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
-
May 07, 2024
Colo. House OKs Conservation Easement Tax Break Extension
Colorado would extend its conservation easement tax credit through 2031 and raise its statewide annual cap on available credits under legislation approved Tuesday by the state House of Representatives.
-
May 07, 2024
Georgia Wants Green Groups' Feral Horses Suit Tossed
The state of Georgia on Monday urged a federal judge to throw out a lawsuit brought by conservation groups who want state and federal authorities to remove feral horses they say are running rampant and endangering wildlife on Cumberland Island.
-
May 07, 2024
Shell Violated Order By Refusing Docs, Enviro Group Says
Shell Oil Co. violated a federal court order and civil procedure rules by raising "artificially restrictive and hypertechnical interpretations" of discovery demands in a Conservation Law Foundation Inc. lawsuit over the petroleum producer's preparedness for floods, the environmental watchdog group has told a Connecticut judge.
-
May 07, 2024
Faegre Drinker Adds Business, Environmental Litigators In Pa.
Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP expanded its Philadelphia office this week with the addition of two partners whose practices specialize in commercial and securities litigation and environmental law.
-
May 07, 2024
Energy Dept. Says Red States Can't Block LNG Export Pause
The U.S. Department of Energy has asked a Louisiana federal judge to toss a group of Republican-led states' lawsuit challenging a pause on reviewing applications to export liquefied natural gas to non-free trade agreement countries, saying the states have created a "false narrative" about the move.
-
May 07, 2024
DC Circ. Boots Retired EPA Director's Age Bias Suit
The D.C. Circuit declined Tuesday to revive a suit from a retired U.S. Environmental Protection Agency director who said she was pushed into a junior role to make way for younger workers, finding she couldn't pursue the case because she didn't lose benefits or pay.
-
May 06, 2024
New EPA Policy Could Increase Criminal Enforcement
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has rolled out a new policy intended to foster communication and coordination between its civil and criminal enforcement offices, a move experts say could result in an increase in criminal investigations and cases.
-
May 06, 2024
US Thrashes Mexico's 'Inaccurate' Portrayal Of GMO Corn
The United States has responded to Mexico's ban on imports of genetically modified corn, calling its portrayal of the risks of such crops an unscientific and "inaccurate" description as well as a violation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
-
May 06, 2024
Tribes, Groups Seek 9th Circ. Stay In Power Line Ruling
Two Native American tribes and conservation groups are asking the Ninth Circuit for a stay on an order that allows work to continue on a $10 billion power line, saying that without an emergency injunction, SunZia Transmission LLC will race to finish erecting its remaining towers before an appeal can be resolved.
-
May 06, 2024
Cabot Settles Investor Suit Over Groundwater Pollution Claims
Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. and a class of investors have reached a settlement resolving allegations the company misrepresented its environmental regulatory compliance before faulty gas wells polluted Pennsylvania's water supplies.
-
May 06, 2024
EPA Finalizes Methane Reporting Regs For Oil And Gas Cos.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday finalized revisions of its Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program regulations for the oil and gas sector, the latest step taken by the Biden administration to clamp down on methane emissions from the industry.
-
May 06, 2024
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
A record $100 million settlement, a fishy Facebook decision, a canceled Amazon delivery and an upended $7.3 billion sale dispute topped the news out of Delaware's Court of Chancery last week. There were also new cases involving Hess, Microsoft and the 2022 World Cup.
-
May 06, 2024
Feds Agree To Terminate Pipeline's Right-Of-Way Permit
A New York federal judge has paused litigation between the Tonawanda Seneca Nation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for 75 days while the agency terminates a right-of-way permit for a wastewater pipeline, saying it is "in the interest of judicial economy" and recognizing the tribe's concerns.
-
May 06, 2024
AIG Unit Will Arbitrate $20M Botched Tunnel Project Claims
An AIG unit agreed to go to arbitration with a Michigan county's water resources agency and sewage disposal system over their claims they incurred more than $20 million in damages due to a design contractor's faulty work on a tunnel project.
-
May 06, 2024
Texas Says EPA Methane Rule Would Burden Regulators
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's director of the Office of Air told the D.C. Circuit that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has grossly underestimated the cost of complying with its expanded methane emissions control requirements, and should therefore pause the rule's implementation.
-
May 06, 2024
3 Firms Build $6.2B Take-Private Sale Of Allete Energy Biz
A consortium of buyers led by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Global Infrastructure Partners unveiled plans Monday to buy and take private Minnesota-based energy company Allete Inc., in a $6.2 billion deal put together by at least three firms.
-
May 06, 2024
Battery Startup Ambri Hits Ch. 11 With Lender Sale Plans
Massachusetts battery developer Ambri Inc. filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware with over $50 million in liabilities and a credit bid stalking horse offer from a group of secured noteholders after fundraising efforts last year fell short.
-
May 03, 2024
9th Circ. Orders 2nd Look At Stay In PG&E Wildfire Suit
The Ninth Circuit on Friday told a lower court to reconsider its order staying claims PG&E investors brought against officers, directors and others over wildfire liability, saying more factors should have been considered before the stay was granted.
-
May 03, 2024
Navajo Ask Biden To Stop Uranium Movement On Tribal Lands
The Navajo Nation's government leaders are calling on President Joe Biden to halt the transport of uranium ore across the tribe's reservation lands, arguing that the practice disregards its laws and threatens its territorial integrity and sovereignty.
-
May 03, 2024
Nikola Ends Board Takeover Suit As Ex-CEO's Noms Withdraw
An Arizona federal judge on Thursday agreed to toss Nikola Corp.'s complaint against its former CEO and convicted felon Trevor Milton and several others accusing them of an illegal board takeover by pushing unqualified candidates, after the defendants withdrew their board nominees and the parties amicably resolved the dispute.
Expert Analysis
-
Series
Children's Book Writing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Becoming a children's book author has opened doors to incredible new experiences of which I barely dared to dream, but the process has also changed my life by serving as a reminder that strong writing, networking and public speaking skills are hugely beneficial to a legal career, says Shaunna Bailey at Sheppard Mullin.
-
Parsing 2023's Energy Markets Enforcement
A review of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's and Commodity Futures Trading Commission's recently released fiscal year 2023 enforcement reports highlight the significant energy market enforcement activities, litigation pursued and settlements reached by both agencies, as well as their respective strategic goals and focus areas, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
-
A Review Of 2023's Most Notable Securities Litigation
There is much to be learned from the most prominent private securities cases of 2023, specifically the Tesla trial, the U.S. Supreme Court's Slack decision and the resolution of Goldman Sachs litigation, but one lesson running through all of them is that there can be rewards at the end of the line for defendants willing to go the distance, say attorneys at Fried Frank.
-
'Brownfields' Definition Key To Energy Community Tax Credits
As the IRS rolls out guidance for claiming community energy tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act, a review of the long-standing statutory definition of "brownfields" reveals that it continues to serve the goal of creating opportunities for investment in abandoned properties, says Louise Dyble at Sheppard Mullin.
-
ESG Investing Caught In Culture War Crosshairs In 2023
As 2023 draws to a close, ESG investing remains a raging battleground in the U.S. culture wars, as illustrated by the array of legislative efforts across the country aimed variously at restricting or promoting the use of ESG investing — but it remains to be seen what practical impact, if any, these laws will have, say Amy Roy and Robert Skinner at Ropes & Gray.
-
Inside CFTC's Latest Push To Regulate Carbon Markets
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission's newly proposed guidance for voluntary carbon credit derivative contracts is among several recent moves it has taken to address climate-related financial risk, and although the guidance is less robust than it could be, it should foster discussion toward a regulatory framework for this market, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
-
How Clients May Use AI To Monitor Attorneys
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly enable clients to monitor and evaluate their counsel’s activities, so attorneys must clearly define the terms of engagement and likewise take advantage of the efficiencies offered by AI, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.
-
Energy Sector Takeaways From Biden's AI Executive Order
While the U.S. Department of Energy begins to establish rules in accordance with President Joe Biden's recent executive order on artificial intelligence, in-house counsel can work with business lines and executive teams to consider implementing their own AI governance process, say Joel Meister and James De Vellis at Foley & Lardner.
-
Lessons From This Year's Landmark Green Energy IP Clash
In this year's Siemens v. General Electric wind turbine patent dispute, a Massachusetts federal court offers a cautionary tale against willful infringement, and highlights the balance between innovation, law and ethics, as legal battles like this become more frequent in the renewable energy sector, say John Powell and Andrew Siuta at Sunstein.
-
Series
ESG Around The World: Singapore
Singapore is keen to establish itself as a leading international financial center and a key player in the sustainable finance ecosystem, and key initiatives led by its government and other regulatory bodies have helped the Asian nation progress from its initially guarded attitude toward ESG investment and reporting, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
-
Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Judge D'Emic On Moby Grape
The 1968 Moby Grape song "Murder in My Heart for the Judge" tells the tale of a fictional defendant treated with scorn by the judge, illustrating how much the legal system has evolved in the past 50 years, largely due to problem-solving courts and the principles of procedural justice, says Kings County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Matthew D'Emic.
-
Series
Performing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The discipline of performing live music has directly and positively influenced my effectiveness as a litigator — serving as a reminder that practice, intuition and team building are all important elements of a successful law practice, says Jeff Wakolbinger at Bryan Cave.
-
Green Tech And IP From Obama Through Biden: What's Next?
J. Douglas Miller and Matthew Dills at Shumaker consider how positions on the environment have shifted along with the last three U.S. presidential administrations, how these shifts have affected investment in sustainable green technologies and intellectual property strategies, and how the future might look.
-
What US-Canada Critical Minerals Collab Means For Cos.
Recent announcements from U.S. and Canadian officials indicate closer collaboration between the two governments on procurement of critical minerals for electric vehicles and other advanced technology — and companies on both sides of the border may have access to new opportunities as a result, say John Lushetsky, Matthew Simpson and Paul Dickerson at Mintz Levin.
-
Breaking Down High Court's New Code Of Conduct
The U.S. Supreme Court recently adopted its first-ever code of conduct, and counsel will need to work closely with clients in navigating its provisions, from gift-giving to recusal bids, say Phillip Gordon and Mateo Forero at Holtzman Vogel.