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Environmental
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November 19, 2024
Unjust PJM Power Auction Rules Must Be Redone, FERC Told
State consumer advocates want the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to rewrite the electricity capacity auction rules for the nation's largest regional grid operator, saying PJM Interconnection's existing rules unjustly saddle consumers with billions of dollars of extra costs.
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November 19, 2024
Treasury Finalizes Partnership Tax Credit 'Direct Pay' Regs
The U.S. Treasury Department finalized regulations Tuesday to make it easier for tax-exempt entities that co-own development projects to qualify for a direct cash payment of clean energy tax credits by electing out of their partnership tax status.
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November 18, 2024
Trump Taps Fox Host Sean Duffy For Transportation Secretary
President-elect Donald Trump announced Monday he will nominate former Wisconsin congressman and Fox Business host Sean Duffy to serve as head of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
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November 18, 2024
3M Can't Add DuPont, Others To PFAS Water RICO Fight
A Massachusetts federal judge rejected on Monday requests by 3M Corp. and other defendants to add DuPont entities and over a dozen additional companies as cross-defendants in a proposed racketeering class action seeking to hold the companies liable for conspiring to contaminate local drinking water with so-called forever chemicals.
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November 18, 2024
Enviros Sue Feds Over CSX Railroad Rebuild In River Gorge
Environmental groups slammed three federal agencies for allowing CSX Transportation to conduct "unmitigated, extremely damaging railroad construction work" in Tennessee's Nolichucky River Gorge after Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic damage, in a complaint filed Monday in North Carolina federal court.
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November 18, 2024
Trump DOE Pick Signals Funding Flux For Clean Energy Cos.
President-elect Donald Trump tapping oilfield services executive Chris Wright as U.S. energy secretary underscores the frostier federal reception that awaits clean energy companies, but experts say the industry shouldn't cede the playing field to fossil fuels just yet.
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November 18, 2024
EPA Has No Choice But To Rethink Smog Rule, DC Circ. Told
U.S. Steel Corp. told the D.C. Circuit that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was obligated to reconsider its so-called "good neighbor" smog emissions rule after it was partially invalidated by a court, arguing the agency's own brief confirms that its refusal to do so was improper.
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November 18, 2024
8th Circ. Set For Arguments In Oil Lease Termination Row
The Eighth Circuit set arguments on Friday for Dec. 18 in an appeal over a North Dakota federal judge's decision to throw out Denver-based Prima Exploration Inc.'s lawsuit alleging the Bureau of Indian Affairs schemed with two rival companies to end its lease on land within the Fort Berthold Reservation.
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November 18, 2024
Snyder Aide Expands Suit Over Flint Water Crisis Prosecution
An adviser to former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has been permitted to add new allegations to his lawsuit against the state's attorney general and special prosecutors over their handling of charges brought against him surrounding the Flint water crisis, while the judge delayed ruling on prosecutors' immunity.
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November 18, 2024
Pa. DEP Seeks OK For $1.3M CERCLA Deal At Chemical Site
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is asking a federal court to approve a $1.3 million settlement with Arxada LLC to repay the state for cleaning up a former pool chemical storage and processing facility in Rochester, Beaver County.
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November 18, 2024
Pa. AG-Elect Likely To Target AI, Robocalls And Opioids
Pennsylvania Attorney General-elect Dave Sunday is likely to focus on cracking down on artificial-intelligence-related scams that prey on vulnerable populations, unwanted robocalls, and opioid makers, while being less inclined to hammer down on energy and fossil fuel companies, experts said.
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November 15, 2024
DC Circ.'s White House NEPA Upheaval Sends Shockwaves
The D.C. Circuit's recent decision declaring the White House Council on Environmental Quality lacks the authority to issue legally binding regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act shocked environmental attorneys and has the potential to ignite federal agency chaos, experts say.
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November 15, 2024
Evian Wins Ax Of False Ad Suit As NY Judge Reverses Self
A New York federal judge tossed, for now, a putative class action alleging Danone Waters of America deceptively labeled its Evian water bottles as "carbon-neutral," reversing his earlier decision that the representation could be misleading and ruling Thursday that Danone's website provided further explanation of what the term meant.
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November 15, 2024
EPA Watchdog Flags Drinking Water Cybersecurity Risks
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's internal watchdog is sounding the alarm about cybersecurity weaknesses in the nation's drinking water systems, and said there are problems with the plans for reporting and coordinating responses to attacks.
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November 15, 2024
Judge Doubts Wildfire Trial Plan Would Hurt Some Plaintiffs
A Colorado state judge was skeptical Friday that a single liability trial for the thousands of plaintiffs suing Xcel Energy over a 2021 wildfire would deprive some people of a fair day in court, pressing lawyers for individual plaintiffs to explain why his plan would infringe on due process.
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November 15, 2024
GAO Says EPA Must Act On Waste Sites' Climate Risks
Nearly 70% of the nation's hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal facilities are vulnerable to climate change impacts such as flooding, wildfires, storm surge and sea level rise, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency needs to be more proactive, a new federal report says.
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November 15, 2024
FERC Ignored Calif. Hydro Permitting Mischief, DC Circ. Told
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission turned a blind eye to clear evidence that California's water board gamed the permitting process in concluding that the state agency didn't waive its Clean Water Act permitting authority over two hydroelectric dams, the D.C. Circuit heard this week.
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November 15, 2024
Wis. Agency Issues Permits To Reroute Enbridge Pipeline
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources approved permits needed for Enbridge Energy to move forward with a proposal to reroute a 12-mile portion of its controversial Line 5 pipeline around a Native American reservation and build a new 41-mile segment outside the area.
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November 15, 2024
FERC Can't Justify Pipeline Project Extension, DC Circ. Told
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's ability to extend pipeline construction deadlines simply cannot be applied to a wholesale revision of a proposed southern spur of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, opponents of the project told the D.C. Circuit Thursday.
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November 15, 2024
Detroit 'Rain Tax' Stormwater Fees Upheld By Appellate Court
Fees that Detroit charges property owners to maintain its stormwater drainage system are not illegal taxes, a Michigan Court of Appeals panel held, finding that although the charges are effectively compulsory, they are not subject to constitutional restrictions on tax increases.
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November 15, 2024
Ga. Attys Named Co-Class Counsel In BioLab Fire Suit
The judge overseeing a proposed class action filed against chemical manufacturer BioLab Inc. in the aftermath of an industrial fire at its Conyers, Georgia, plant gave four firms the green light to take the helm of the plaintiffs' case, clearing the way for the filing of a consolidated amended complaint.
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November 15, 2024
Oil Terminal Co. Offers $2M To End Falsified-Inspection Claims
A Gulf Oil successor has offered to pay the state of Connecticut $2 million to settle accusations the company failed to secure new construction permits and spent years fabricating and falsifying inspection reports for existing bulk gasoline terminal tanks along New Haven Harbor in Long Island Sound, court filings show.
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November 15, 2024
HOA's Insurer Says Pool Chemical Injury Suits Aren't Covered
A homeowners association's insurer told a Virginia federal court it needn't cover underlying lawsuits alleging a lifeguard employed by the association's contractor allowed hazardous chemicals to spread and hurt pool patrons, arguing that its commercial general liability policy excluded bodily injury as a result of pollutants.
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November 15, 2024
4 Oil Giants Invest $500M To Boost Global Energy Access
Four oil and gas industry giants — BP, Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies — announced a commitment Friday to invest a total of $500 million in support of a United Nations goal to ensure access to clean and affordable energy worldwide by 2030.
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November 15, 2024
Taxation With Representation: Cravath, MoFo, Gibson Dunn
In this week's Taxation With Representation, Cardinal Health takes a majority stake in GI Alliance and acquires Advanced Diabetes Supply Group, Just Eat offloads Grubhub to Wonder Group, Rivian Automotive and Volkswagen Group launch a joint venture, and Ovintiv Inc. buys Montney Basin assets from Paramount Resources Ltd.
Expert Analysis
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In SF Water Case, Justices Signal How Loper May Be Applied
Skeptical questions from U.S. Supreme Court justices during oral argument in San Francisco v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offer hints of how the court intends to apply limits on agency regulatory autonomy established last term in Loper Bright, says Karen Cullinane at Goldberg Segalla.
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Trump Rollback Of Biden Enviro Policies: What To Expect
Donald Trump's upcoming second presidential term will usher significant shifts in U.S. environmental and natural resource law and policy — and while the Biden administration is racing to secure its legacy, the incoming Trump administration is making plans to dramatically roll back most, if not all, of Biden's environmental initiatives, say attorneys at Beveridge & Diamond.
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Why K-Cup Claims Landed Keurig In Hot Water With SEC
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent settlement with Keurig Dr. Pepper for making incomplete statements regarding the recyclability of K-cup pods highlights the importance of comprehensive corporate disclosures, particularly with respect to ESG matters, say attorneys at BCLP.
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Legislation Most Likely To Pass In Lame Duck Session
As Congress begins its five-week post-election lame duck session, attorneys at Greenberg Traurig break down the legislative priorities and which proposals can be expected to pass.
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Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Choosing neutrals from diverse backgrounds is an important step in promoting inclusion in the legal profession, and it can enhance the legitimacy and public perception of alternative dispute resolution proceedings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.
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Series
Playing Ultimate Makes Us Better Lawyers
In addition to being fun, ultimate Frisbee has improved our legal careers by emphasizing the importance of professionalism, teamwork, perseverance, enthusiasm and vulnerability, say Arunabha Bhoumik and Adam Bernstein at Regeneron.
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Dissecting New Circuit Split Over SEC's Proxy Adviser Rule
The Sixth Circuit recently upheld the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's partial rescission of enhanced conflict-of-interest disclosure requirements for proxy voting advice businesses, creating a circuit split over broader questions concerning the standard for assessing the legality of agency actions in general, say attorneys at Cahill Gordon.
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The Unfolding Potential of Green Hydrogen In Brazil
A new federal law in Brazil establishing a legal framework for hydrogen development is the country's latest step toward creating a favorable environment for green hydrogen production, but significant challenges — including high production costs, technological hurdles and a lack of infrastructure — remain, says David Andrew Taylor at Almeida Advogados.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Metadata
Several recent rulings reflect the competing considerations that arise when parties dispute the form of production for electronically stored information, underscoring that counsel must carefully consider how to produce and request reasonably usable data, say attorneys at Sidley.
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A Shift In Control Of Congress May Doom These Enviro Regs
If the election leads to a change in control of Congress, lawmakers will likely use the lookback provision of the Congressional Review Act to challenge the Biden administration's late-term regulatory efforts — including recent initiatives on air pollutant source classification, lead pipe removal and hydrofluorocarbon emissions, say attorneys at Jones Walker.
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Election Could Bring Change In Weather For Offshore Wind
Under another Trump administration, the offshore wind sector would encounter substantial headwinds, as Trump's policy track record emphasizes fossil fuel dominance and environmental rollbacks, while a Harris victory would likely further entrench the pro-renewable energy stance taken by the Biden administration, say attorneys at Jones Walker.
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Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being
As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.
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Empathy In Mediation Offers A Soft Landing For Disputes
Experiencing a crash-landing on a recent flight underscored to me how much difference empathy makes in times of crisis or stress, including during mediation, says Eydith Kaufman at Alternative Resolution Centers.
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Series
Being An Artist Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My work as an artist has highlighted how using creativity and precision together — qualities that are equally essential in both art and law — not only improves outcomes, but also leads to more innovative and thoughtful work, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.
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Consider The Impact Of Election Stress On Potential Jurors
For at least the next few months, potential jurors may be working through anger and distrust stemming from the presidential election, and trial attorneys will need to assess whether those jurors are able to leave their political concerns at the door, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.