Energy

  • April 26, 2024

    4 Takeaways From Final EPA Power Plant Rules

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's long-awaited rule limiting greenhouse gas emissions from power plants accelerates the timeline for the electricity sector's transition away from fossil fuels, though there's plenty of legal and political uncertainty to consider. Here are four key takeaways from the EPA's power plant moves.

  • April 26, 2024

    Rail Group Sues Minnesota Over New Hazmat Safety Fee Law

    The lead lobbying group for the largest freight railroads sued Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison in federal court on Friday, challenging a state law requiring railroads to dedicate $2.8 million for responding to hazardous material incidents.

  • April 26, 2024

    Support For 9th Circ. Rehearing In Oak Flat Dispute Mounting

    At least 100 religious and nonprofit groups, law scholars, Native American coalitions and tribes are urging the Ninth Circuit to consider a full panel en banc hearing on a challenge to block a copper mining company from destroying a sacred Indigenous religious site in central Arizona.

  • April 26, 2024

    Suncor Judge Frets Permit Deadlines Are Near 'Impossible'

    A Colorado state judge told state water regulators on Friday he is concerned they are putting Suncor Energy in a "very difficult position" with new oil refinery water permit rules, which take effect as early as May 1 even though the company says they could take years to comply with.

  • April 26, 2024

    5th Circ. Upholds Pecan Farm's Flood Win Against Sand Mine

    A Fifth Circuit panel has upheld a more than $659,000 jury verdict against the owner of a sand and gravel mine after a "120-year flood" event severely damaged an Austin pecan farm, holding the evidence showed the company's large freshwater pit was responsible for the damage.

  • April 26, 2024

    NJ Solar Co. To Settle Claims It Ignored Do Not Call List

    Apollo Energy Co. and the Pennsylvania man who accused it of repeatedly calling consumers who had put their phone numbers on the national Do Not Call registry or who had already asked not to call them again have agreed to settle their dispute, the parties said.

  • April 26, 2024

    Co. Says Policy Fight On $45B DOE Deal Isn't For Claims Court

    A joint venture awarded a $45 billion nuclear waste management contract is urging the Court of Federal Claims to reject a rival's allegation that a U.S. Department of Energy policy change enabling the contract award was improper, saying the claims court lacked jurisdiction.

  • April 26, 2024

    Pacific Territories Temporarily Freed From 'Buy America' Rules

    The Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and American Samoa are exempt from "Buy America" requirements for certain federally funded infrastructure projects until March 2025, according to a policy the U.S. Department of Transportation released Friday to reduce the far-flung territories' infrastructure costs.

  • April 26, 2024

    TETRA Tech Shareholder Sues In Del. To Stop Poison Pill

    A TETRA Technologies Inc. investor has filed a proposed class action in Delaware's Court of Chancery accusing the company of adopting a poison pill as a prohibited anti-takeover weapon rather than an allowable shield for $411 million in tax-advantaged net operating losses.

  • April 26, 2024

    Locke Lord Strikes $12M Deal To End Claims Over Gas Fraud

    Locke Lord LLP will likely pony up $12.5 million to settle claims it stood by as its clients carried out a fraudulent $122 million oil and gas scheme, with a Texas federal magistrate judge recommending approval of the settlement at a hearing in Fort Worth.

  • April 26, 2024

    Rep. Stefanik Calls For DOD To Kick Off Critical Mineral Policy

    Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is urging the U.S. Department of Defense to speed up the implementation of a new policy to boost domestic processing of rare-earth elements, which are critical for military equipment, saying this will make the United States less reliant on China.

  • April 26, 2024

    Ex-BP Commodities Trader Says Co. Reneged On Bonus

    A former BP commodities trader accused the company in Texas federal court of shorting him to the tune of $6 million when it abruptly fired him in January 2022 and paid him a smaller bonus than the $11 million he expected to receive.

  • April 26, 2024

    Pa. Regulators To Probe FirstEnergy's $503M Rate Hike Bid

    The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is opening an investigation into a FirstEnergy unit's proposed annual rate increase that would boost its revenue by over $503 million and raise consumer power bills in four districts by between 9.2% and 11.8%, according to a new order from the regulator.

  • April 26, 2024

    Wachtell Guides Apollo On $1.85B Deal For Minerals Co.

    Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz-led Apollo Global Management has agreed to purchase Morrison Foerster LLP-advised U.S. Silica Holdings Inc. at a $1.85 billion enterprise value, the producer of commercial silica disclosed Friday, sending its stock soaring more than 20%.

  • April 25, 2024

    Tesla Says Investors May Want To Influence Shareholder Vote

    Tesla on Thursday questioned the motives of investors who want billions of dollars in company stock put into a trust, saying that their push to hasten the court's decision in their suit over Elon Musk's compensation plan raises concerns that they want to "elicit commentary" ahead of a shareholder meeting.

  • April 25, 2024

    Ariz. Tribes, Groups Seek Stay In SunZia Power Line Ruling

    Native American tribes and environmentalists are asking an Arizona federal district court for an emergency injunction that would stay a ruling that rejected their bid to block work on SunZia's $10 billion transmission line while they appeal the decision, arguing that construction is already going ahead in culturally sensitive locations.

  • April 25, 2024

    5th Circ. Axes Class Claims Over Anadarko's $900M Write-Off

    The Fifth Circuit on Thursday decertified a class of Anadarko Petroleum Corp. shareholders who claim they lost money on the company's bad oilfield bet, ruling a lower court judge didn't allow the company to respond to an expert report that tied a stock price drop to a $900 million write-off disclosure.

  • April 25, 2024

    McDermott Judge U-Turns, Says Some Investors Deserve Cert.

    A Texas federal magistrate judge reversed his recommendation that investors be denied class certification in litigation over McDermott International's $6 billion merger with Chicago Bridge & Iron, saying a former CB&I shareholder class "should be certified now" and a putative McDermott stock purchaser class be created for subsequent consideration.

  • April 25, 2024

    Gov't To Use Tribal Energy Purchase Preference For First Time

    The Biden administration announced Thursday that it intends to purchase thousands of megawatts of carbon-pollution-free electricity certificates from tribal sources, marking the first time the government will use a nearly two-decade-old procurement preference for tribally sourced energy.

  • April 25, 2024

    Biden Admin's Gas Venting Curbs Are Illegal, ND Says

    A North Dakota-led alliance of states has accused the Biden administration of pushing through limits on greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and gas sector illegally disguised as a rule to reduce industry waste, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court.

  • April 25, 2024

    PHX Minerals Stockholders Sue In Del. To Change Bylaws

    A proposed class of PHX Minerals Inc. stockholders has sued the natural gas and oil mineral company and its board in Delaware state court, arguing that the company's bylaws must be changed to bring them into compliance with the Delaware General Corporation Law.

  • April 25, 2024

    Colo. Regulators Say Past Suncor Spills Forced New Permit

    Colorado water quality regulators on Thursday urged a state judge not to pause the effects of a renewed water discharge permit that Suncor Energy is challenging as arbitrary and unduly expensive, arguing the new requirements in the updated permit are the company's own fault.

  • April 25, 2024

    FERC Says National Grid Held Up To Winter Weather

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission revealed during its monthly meeting Thursday that the nation's electric grid and natural gas systems largely operated without any major incidents when severe winter weather swept across the country in January, marking a stark improvement from previous winter storms.

  • April 25, 2024

    1st Circ. Tosses Second Vineyard Wind Challenge

    The First Circuit on Thursday rejected a legal challenge to the federal government's approval of a wind energy project off the coast of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, the second such ruling in as many days.

  • April 25, 2024

    Tribes, Enviros Want A Say In Grand Canyon Monument Suits

    Three Native American tribes and a slew of conservation groups are asking an Arizona federal district court to intervene in separate lawsuits, seeking to protect an Indigenous sacred site in the Grand Canyon region from losing its National Monument designation.

Expert Analysis

  • Attorneys Have An Ethical Duty To Protect The Judiciary

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    The tenor of public disagreement and debate has become increasingly hostile against judges, and though the legislative branch is trying to ameliorate this safety gap, lawyers have a moral imperative and professional requirement to stand with judges in defusing attacks against them and their rulings, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.

  • What NJ's Green Remediation Guidance Means For Cleanups

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    Recent guidance from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection promoting greener approaches to restoring contaminated sites demonstrates the state's commitment to sustainability and environmental justice — but could also entail more complexity, higher costs and longer remediation timelines, say J. Michael Showalter and Bradley Rochlen at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Mo. Solar Projects Need Clarity On Enterprise Zone Tax Relief

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    In Missouri, enhanced enterprise zones offer tax abatements that could offset the cost of solar project infrastructure, but developers must be willing to navigate uncertainty about whether the project is classified as real property, say Lizzy McEntire and Anna Kimbrell at Husch Blackwell.

  • AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier

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    Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.

  • What To Expect After Colo. Nixes Special Standing Rules

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    Two recent Colorado Supreme Court decisions have abandoned a test to preclude standing in lawsuits challenging government decisions brought by subordinate government entities, which will likely lead to an admixture of results, including opening the door to additional legal challenges between government entities, says John Crisham at Crisham & Holman.

  • What Texas Business Court Could Mean For Oil, Gas Cases

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    While the new business court in Texas might seem an ideal venue for the numerous oil and gas disputes litigated in that state, many of these cases may remain outside its reach under the rules governing the court's jurisdiction — at least for now, say Conrad Hester and Emily Fitzgerald at Alston & Bird.

  • Preparing Law Students For A New, AI-Assisted Legal World

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    As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the legal landscape, law schools must integrate technology and curricula that address AI’s innate challenges — from ethics to data security — to help students stay ahead of the curve, say Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics, Ryan Abbott at JAMS and Karen Silverman at Cantellus Group.

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: South Korea

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    Numerous ESG trends have materialized in South Korea in the past three years, with impacts ranging from greenwashing prevention and carbon neutrality measures to workplace harassment and board diversity initiatives, say Chang Wook Min and Hyun Chan Jung at Jipyong.

  • SolarWinds Ushers In New Era Of SEC Cyber Enforcement

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent lawsuit against software company SolarWinds Corp. and its chief information security officer is the first time the SEC has ever filed suit over scienter-based fraud involving cybersecurity failures, illustrating that both companies and CISOs need to be extra cautious in how they describe their cybersecurity practices, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • General Counsel Need Data Literacy To Keep Up With AI

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    With the rise of accessible and powerful generative artificial intelligence solutions, it is imperative for general counsel to understand the use and application of data for myriad important activities, from evaluating the e-discovery process to monitoring compliance analytics and more, says Colin Levy at Malbek.

  • Kentucky Tax Talk: Clash Over Industrial Supplies Exemption

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    Recent legislative testimony in Kentucky may cause another battle over the state's sales tax exemptions for industrial supplies, even though the testimony appears to mischaracterize the impact of a major state court ruling that upheld the exemptions, say attorneys at Frost Brown.

  • A Look At Successful Bid Protests In FY 2023

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    Attorneys at Sheppard Mullin look beyond the statistics in the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s recent annual report on bid protests, sharing their insights about nine categories of sustained protests, gained from reading every fiscal year 2023 decision in which the protester had a positive result.

  • Del. Dispatch: Refining M&A Terms After Twitter Investor Suit

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    The Delaware Court of Chancery's recent decision in Crispo v. Musk — invalidating a merger agreement provision that has been commonly used to disincentivize buyers from wrongful merger termination — should cause target companies to consider new approaches to ensure the payment of lost premium damages, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information

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    As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.

  • Finding Focus: Strategies For Attorneys With ADHD

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    Given the prevalence of ADHD among attorneys, it is imperative that the legal community gain a better understanding of how ADHD affects well-being, and that resources and strategies exist for attorneys with this disability to manage their symptoms and achieve success, say Casey Dixon at Dixon Life Coaching and Krista Larson at Stinson.

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