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Environmental
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July 10, 2024
Insurer, Property Cos. Settle Lead Poisoning Coverage Suit
An insurer for a Detroit property owner and manager told a Michigan federal court they have settled their coverage dispute over a woman's claims that her 2-year-old girl suffered lead poisoning at the property, which she said was left in a state of disrepair.
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July 10, 2024
DC Circ. Won't Block EPA Methane Rule
The D.C. Circuit rejected states and industry groups' efforts to block the implementation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's final rule establishing expanded methane emissions control requirements for oil and gas infrastructure.
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July 10, 2024
DOI Pledges $120M For Tribal Climate Resiliency Efforts
The Biden administration said Tuesday that it's making $120 million available to help Native American tribes plan and prepare for climate change threats.
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July 09, 2024
Fuel Groups Ask Justices To Revisit Calif. Clean Air Act Waiver
Fuel producers and industry groups called on the U.S. Supreme Court to review the D.C. Circuit's decision to uphold the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Air Act waiver that allows California to set its own greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles and run a zero-emission vehicles program.
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July 09, 2024
'Plain English, Graphics, Pictures': Enviro Policy Post-Chevron
Environmental policymakers will have to start writing their rules using "plain English, graphics, pictures" and other tactics to make the rationale behind agency and congressional policy crystal clear to judges in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision striking down Chevron deference, attorneys told Law360.
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July 09, 2024
DC Circ. Sends EPA Chemical Test Order Back For Review
The D.C. Circuit scrapped a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency order directing seven chemical manufacturers and processors to test the effects of 1,1,2-trichloroethane on the reproductive systems of birds, holding that it improperly relied on nonpublic information to justify the need for the testing.
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July 09, 2024
Bill Would Approve Largest Tribal Water Rights Settlement
A bipartisan group of Arizona federal lawmakers has introduced legislation that, if approved, would authorize the country's largest Native American water rights settlement and resolve claims by the Navajo Nation and the San Juan Southern Paiute and Hopi tribes.
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July 09, 2024
Texas Refinery Says EPA Needs To Rule On CAA Exception
A small refinery based in Sugar Land, Texas, says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency did not meet its deadline to rule on whether the refinery can get an exemption to federal renewable fuel requirements, telling a Texas federal court Monday the agency was damaging its business.
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July 09, 2024
Experts Lose EPA Scientific Panel 'Echo Chamber' Lawsuit
The D.C. Circuit has tossed a lawsuit alleging that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency illegally created a scientific "echo chamber" by not selecting experts with an industry background to serve on an air quality advisory committee.
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July 09, 2024
North Carolina PFAS Plaintiffs Want Cost Study To Stay Public
A class of North Carolina residents who allege Chemours Co. and DuPont discharged wastewater containing so-called forever chemicals into the Cape Fear River is urging a federal judge not to strike and seal their expert's damages report, saying it contains no confidential information that needs to be protected.
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July 09, 2024
CNA Seeks Toss Of Lockheed's Contamination Coverage Suit
A CNA Financial unit urged a Maryland federal court to toss Lockheed Martin's suit accusing the insurer of wrongfully refusing coverage for underlying contamination suits, saying the very same issues are already pending before a New York federal court.
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July 09, 2024
House Dems Seek Info From DOI Over Alleged Shale Cartel
House Democrats sitting on the House Natural Resources Committee penned a letter Tuesday seeking information from the U.S. Department of the Interior concerning eight oil companies accused of colluding with the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Companies to artificially inflate gas prices.
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July 09, 2024
Maryland, SC Tell 4th Circ. PFAS Suits Belong In State Courts
Federal district courts properly determined that lawsuits Maryland and South Carolina filed against 3M over alleged contamination stemming from the manufacture, use and disposal of a wide range of consumer products containing so-called forever chemicals can proceed within their respective state courts, the two states told the Fourth Circuit.
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July 09, 2024
DOD Likely To Need More Time To Nix PFAS Firefighting Foam
The Department of Defense will likely need a two-year extension on its deadline to fully stop using firefighting foam containing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals," according to a Government Accountability Office report detailing steps the DOD has taken to transition away from the material.
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July 09, 2024
Fla. Agrees To Stronger CWA Protections For Piney Point Site
Conservation groups said they've reached an agreement with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to settle litigation over a phosphogypsum facility in Manatee County, with state regulators agreeing to a draft Clean Water Act permit for the site.
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July 08, 2024
Gas Cos. To Pay $1M For Emissions Leaks At Colo. Plant
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state of Colorado have reached a settlement with a Colorado natural gas plant to resolve years of emissions leaks and regulatory violations that resulted in excess air pollution, according to a consent decree filed in federal court Monday.
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July 08, 2024
Tire Cos. Say Fishing Groups' Claims Fall Flat In ESA Row
Tire companies are pushing a California federal court to toss an Endangered Species Act suit over a rubber additive that harms salmon, saying the case by fishing groups wrongly seeks to transform the ESA into a product regulatory statute that steps outside the act's congressional intent.
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July 08, 2024
3rd Circ. Backs Pa. In Transco's Pipeline Permit Review Fight
The Third Circuit on Monday backed the Pennsylvania state environmental board's authority to review pipeline upgrade permits secured by Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co., rejecting the company's assertion that under the federal Natural Gas Act a federal court is the only forum to dispute the issuance of the permits.
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July 08, 2024
Biotech Co. Alleges Arbitrator Conflict In Patent Award Fight
Pennsylvania-based biotechnology company Renmatix Inc. is urging the Delaware Court of Chancery to nix an arbitral award favoring Finnish company UPM-Kymmene Corp. in a long-running patent dispute, pointing to an allegedly undisclosed conflict of interest involving the Finnish company's counsel at DLA Piper.
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July 08, 2024
Maple Leaf Must Go The Way Of Chevron, Solar Cos. Say
Last month's U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning 40 years of judicial deference to federal agencies' read of statutes puts the Federal Circuit's own brand of executive branch acquiescence squarely on the chopping block, a solar industry group said Monday.
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July 08, 2024
FDIC Downgrades Green-Focused Bank On CRA Exam
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has dinged Forbright Bank, a sustainability minded bank started by former Democratic presidential candidate John Delaney, over an allegedly "illegal credit practice" tied to a since-discontinued third-party partnership, lowering its latest community lending exam grade.
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July 08, 2024
Mining Co. Looks To Annul Romania's Arbitration Fees
Canadian mining company Gabriel Resources Ltd., which is facing a major cash crunch after losing its $4.4 billion arbitration against Romania, said Monday it has filed an application requesting the annulment of a tribunal's costs award to the country.
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July 08, 2024
Ga. County Won't 'Sit On Its Hindquarters' In Battery Fire Fight
A Georgia county suing a battery manufacturer for a massive fire allegedly sparked by the illegal dumping of lithium-ion cells urged a Georgia federal judge Friday to spike the company's "absurd" bid to dismiss the suit, calling the effort "premature and meritless."
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July 08, 2024
BLM Faces Challenges To Alaska Oil Reserve Protections
The state of Alaska and a nonprofit group are seeking to vacate a federal rule ensuring maximum environmental protections for more than 13.1 million acres in the state's National Petroleum Reserve and banning new oil and gas leasing on another 10.6 million acres, arguing the new law turns the land into a "de facto" wilderness.
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July 08, 2024
Kirkland-Led Devon To Buy Grayson's Williston Biz For $5B
Devon Energy announced Monday that the Oklahoma-based public company has cut a $5 billion cash-and-stock deal to acquire private equity-backed Grayson Mill Energy's Williston Basin oil and gas business in a transaction guided by Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Vinson & Elkins LLP.
Expert Analysis
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Reducing The Risk Of PFAS False Advertising Class Actions
A wave of class actions continues to pummel products that allegedly contain per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances, with plaintiffs challenging advertising that they say misleads consumers by implying an absence of PFAS — but there are steps companies can take to minimize risk, say attorneys at Keller and Heckman.
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6th Circ. Ruling Breathes New Life Into Article III Traceability
The Sixth Circuit's recent decision in Hardwick v. 3M Co. to vacate a district court's certification of one of the largest class actions in American jurisprudence for lack of Article III standing has potentially broader implications for class action practice in the product liability sphere, particularly in medical monitoring cases involving far-fetched theories of causation, say attorneys at Skadden.
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Storytelling Strategies To Defuse Courtroom Conspiracies
Misinformation continues to proliferate in all sectors of society, including in the courtroom, as jurors try to fill in the gaps of incomplete trial narratives — underscoring the need for attorneys to tell a complete, consistent and credible story before and during trial, says David Metz at IMS Legal Strategies.
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Challenges Remain In Financing Energy Transition Minerals
COP28, the latest U.N. climate conference, reached a consensus on a just and equitable transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, but more action and funding will be needed to ensure that developed countries responsibly source the minerals that will be critical for this process, say attorneys at Watson Farley.
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Exxon ESG Proxy Statement Suit May Chill Investor Proposals
Exxon Mobil’s recent use of a Texas federal lawsuit to intimidate shareholders into withdrawing a climate-friendly proxy proposal could inspire more public companies to sue to avoid adopting ESG resolutions — a power move that would chill activist investor participation and unbalance shareholder-corporate relations, say Domenico Minerva and James Fee at Labaton Keller.
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3 Principles For Minimizing The Risk Of A Nuclear Verdict
In one of the latest examples of so-called nuclear verdicts, a single plaintiff was awarded $2.25 billion in a jury trial against Monsanto — revealing the need for defense attorneys to prioritize trust, connection and simplicity when communicating with modern juries, say Jenny Hergenrother and Mia Falzarano at Alston & Bird.
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Series
Coaching High School Wrestling Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Coaching my son’s high school wrestling team has been great fun, but it’s also demonstrated how a legal career can benefit from certain experiences, such as embracing the unknown, studying the rules and engaging with new people, says Richard Davis at Maynard Nexsen.
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What To Know About RWI In Acquisition And Divestiture Deals
As a slower pace of merger activity turns underwriters toward new industries, representations and warranties insurance policies are increasingly being written for acquisition and divestiture energy deals, making it important for contracting parties to understand how the RWI underwriting process works in this new sector, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.
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Opinion
New La. Gas Pipeline Projects Must Respect Rules And Rights
As pipeline developers rush to join in Louisiana's Haynesville Shale gas boom, established operators like Energy Transfer are justified in demanding that newer entrants respect safety rules, regulatory requirements and property rights when proposing routes that would cross existing pipelines, says Joshua Campbell at Campbell Law.
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Freight Forwarders And Common Carriers: Know Your Cargo
Freight forwarders and other nonprincipal parties involved in global cargo movement should follow the guidance in the multi-agency know-your-cargo compliance note to avoid enforcement actions should they fail to spot evasive tactics used in supply chains to circumvent U.S. sanctions and export controls, say attorneys at Venable.
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SG's Office Is Case Study To Help Close Legal Gender Gap
As women continue to be underrepresented in the upper echelons of the legal profession, law firms could learn from the example set by the Office of the Solicitor General, where culture and workplace policies have helped foster greater gender equality, say attorneys at Ocean Tomo.
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Googling Prospective Jurors Is Usually A Fool's Errand
Though a Massachusetts federal court recently barred Google from Googling potential jurors in a patent infringement case, the company need not worry about missing evidence of bias, because internet research of jury pools usually doesn’t yield the most valuable information — voir dire and questionnaires do, says Sarah Murray at Trialcraft.
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Reducing Carbon Footprint Requires A Tricky Path For CRE
As real estate owners find themselves caught between rapidly evolving environmental, social and governance initiatives and complicated societal debate, they will need to carefully establish formal plans to remain both competitive and compliant, say Michael Kuhn and Mahira Khan at Jackson Walker.
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The Corporate Disclosure Tug-Of-War's Free Speech Issues
The continuing conflict over corporate disclosure requirements — highlighted by a lawsuit against Missouri's anti-ESG rules — has important implications not just for investors and regulated entities but also for broader questions about the scope of the First Amendment, say Colin Pohlman, and Jane Luxton and Paul Kisslinger at Lewis Brisbois.
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3 Administrative Law Lessons From 5th Circ. Appliance Ruling
Showing that mundane details can be outcome-determinative, the Fifth Circuit's recent decision in Louisiana v. U.S. Department of Energy — that the government's repeal of rules affecting dishwashers and laundry machines is invalid — highlights the relationship between regulatory actions and statutory language, say Michael Showalter and Vyasa Babu at ArentFox Schiff.