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Environmental
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September 19, 2024
Calif. Port's Approval Of Hydrogen Project Challenged
Two conservation groups filed a California state court lawsuit challenging the Port of Stockton's review and approval of a hydrogen production and distribution facility, arguing it conducted an inadequate environmental review and failed to ensure project impacts are mitigated.
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September 19, 2024
Consultant Ducks Contempt In Fight Over Packaging Patent
An inventor facing allegations of abusive patent behavior by the packaging company for which he previously consulted has dodged a civil contempt finding after a North Carolina federal judge found he was not in violation of an injunction barring him from making false infringement claims.
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September 19, 2024
FERC Must Heed DC Circ. 'Shift' On Gas Reviews, Chair Says
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Willie Phillips said Thursday that the D.C. Circuit wrongly wiped out the agency's approval of a Northeast pipeline expansion project, but acknowledged that recent court decisions will force FERC to rethink how it reviews gas infrastructure projects.
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September 19, 2024
Judge Blocks Manhattan Project Waste From Mich. Landfill
A state judge barred a southeast Michigan landfill from accepting shipments of radiological material Wednesday, issuing a temporary restraining order days after surrounding communities sued over planned deliveries of contaminated soil and debris left over from the development of the first atomic bomb.
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September 19, 2024
BakerHostetler Adds Ex-Baker Botts Accident Response Duo
Months after hiring former Baker Botts attorney Greg Dillard to lead its catastrophic accident response team, BakerHostetler has announced the hire of two more attorneys from the firm as counsel in Washington, D.C., and Houston.
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September 19, 2024
Feds Defend At-Sea Monitoring Rule Despite Chevron Demise
The federal government is defending its power to require fishermen to partially fund the cost of compliance monitors aboard their ships, arguing to the D.C. Circuit that the demise of the so-called Chevron deference doesn't change the fact that federal law authorizes the at-sea monitoring rules.
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September 19, 2024
AT&T To Pay For Removal Of Hazardous Lake Tahoe Cables
A California sportfishing nonprofit on Wednesday told a federal court that an AT&T subsidiary has agreed to pay an estimated $1.5 million to remove its lead-clad telecom cables in Lake Tahoe to end litigation that the cables pose a health threat.
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September 18, 2024
Waste Mgmt. Sued For $3.8M Over Renewable Energy Credits
A Constellation Energy Corp. unit slapped Waste Management Inc. with a complaint in Texas federal court on Tuesday, saying the company has refused to cough up more than $3.8 million for renewable energy credits Constellation paid for but never received.
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September 18, 2024
PureCycle Investors Seek Final OK Of $12M Settlement
Investors in plastic recycling company PureCycle have asked a Florida federal judge to grant final approval to a $12 million deal to end a proposed class action alleging the company misled shareholders about its technology, financial projections and access to raw materials, roughly two years after the court temporarily tossed it for being imprecise.
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September 18, 2024
EPA Retaliated Against Three Scientists, Watchdog Says
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's internal watchdog said Wednesday that agency officials pushing for faster progress on a backlog of chemical reviews retaliated against several scientists for raising differing scientific opinions on chemical assessments.
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September 18, 2024
Wash. Court Won't Ax Testimony In Tribes' River Pollution Suit
A Washington federal judge issued a slew of orders Tuesday refusing to limit expert testimony in the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation's lawsuit against a smelter operator over pollution in the Upper Columbia River, saying the testimony will help the jury make a decision at trial.
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September 18, 2024
Loper Bright Undercuts SEC Climate Rule, Fracking Cos. Say
Two fracking companies suing the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over its climate disclosure rules have again urged the Eighth Circuit to vacate the measures, offering a diverging interpretation of how the U.S. Supreme Court's decision axing Chevron deference should apply.
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September 18, 2024
Insurers Demand Arbitration Of La. Storm Damage At 2nd Circ.
A Second Circuit panel puzzled over whether to uphold a New York federal court's ruling denying surplus insurers arbitration in a Louisiana hurricane damage case, during oral arguments over whether the court should follow Bayou State law prohibiting arbitration or reverse the lower court's decision.
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September 18, 2024
5th Circ. Favors Excess Insurer In Marina Coverage Dispute
The Fifth Circuit upheld a ruling in an inter-insurer dispute over coverage responsibilities of a $13.7 million judgment entered against their mutual client, holding Wednesday that while the excess insurer breached its duties, the primary insurer bears the larger financial burden because it failed to properly settle the underlying dispute.
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September 18, 2024
Gov't Lifeline Gives Nippon A Fighting Chance On US Steel
The Biden administration has indicated it's poised to block Nippon Steel from proceeding with a controversial $14.9 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel, but the government is reportedly giving the Japanese steelmaker an additional 90 days to prove its case, a development that should give Nippon hope it can get the deal done, attorneys say.
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September 18, 2024
Feds Oppose Bid To Block EPA Mercury Rule At High Court
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, several blue states and a coalition of green groups on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reject an effort to reverse the D.C. Circuit's decision allowing the EPA to implement a mercury air pollution rule.
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September 18, 2024
NC Panel Won't Undo Energy Rates In Solar Incentives Row
The North Carolina state appeals court has declined to unravel the state's revised energy rates for residents with rooftop solar power, saying that while the North Carolina Utilities Commission erred by concluding it was not required to conduct a cost-benefit investigation, it de facto carried out such an inquiry anyway.
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September 18, 2024
Fla. Judge Keeps Tribe's CWA Permitting Power Row On Hold
A Florida federal judge on Wednesday further extended his pause of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians' lawsuit claiming the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency improperly granted Florida authority over a Clean Water Act permitting program, while the D.C. Circuit considers an appeal in a similar case.
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September 18, 2024
DOJ Says Ship Is Liable For $100M In Baltimore Bridge Collapse
The U.S. Department of Justice is suing to recover $100 million from the owner and the manager of the cargo ship that slammed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge in March, alleging gross negligence on their part killed six people and destroyed a vital transportation corridor.
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September 18, 2024
No Rehearing For 10th Circ. Methane Rule Challenge
A Tenth Circuit panel rejected a request to reconsider its decision to throw out a ruling that partially invalidated an Obama-era rule limiting venting, flaring and leaks from oil and gas wells on federal land.
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September 18, 2024
New Hampshire Residents Push To Save PFOA Class Action
A class of New Hampshire residents seeking to hold the Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corp. liable for the contamination of their properties with a toxic forever chemical is fighting the company's bid for summary judgment.
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September 18, 2024
Treasury Floats Tax Credit Regs For EV Charging Property
The U.S. Treasury Department proposed regulations Wednesday to define which electric vehicle charging ports, hydrogen fueling stations and other infrastructure that businesses, people and tax-exempt entities can build in underserved communities to qualify for a tax credit of up to 30% of installation costs.
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September 18, 2024
Avangrid Unit Defends Counterclaim In Cleanup Battle
An Avangrid Inc. unit has urged a Connecticut state judge not to throw out its counterclaim against the state's commissioner of energy and environmental protection in her suit accusing the utility of moving too slowly on an ordered cleanup of a shuttered power plant site, arguing the government is acting outside its authority.
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September 17, 2024
EV Maker Lucid Illegally Fired Union Backers, Judge Finds
An Arizona federal judge has granted a National Labor Relations Board official's petition for an injunction against electric vehicle manufacturer Lucid Motors, ordering the company to rehire two workers who were fired amid a United Auto Workers organizing campaign and to take other actions to remedy unfair labor practices.
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September 17, 2024
Scope Of High Court's Jarkesy Ruling Tested In H-2A Visa Suit
A Kentucky business is testing the scope of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision restricting the power of administrative courts, alleging in a new lawsuit that a proceeding over findings of H-2A visa violations is infringing its constitutional right to a jury trial.
Expert Analysis
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Firms Must Offer A Trifecta Of Services In Post-Chevron World
After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision overturning Chevron deference, law firms will need to integrate litigation, lobbying and communications functions to keep up with the ramifications of the ruling and provide adequate counsel quickly, says Neil Hare at Dentons.
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5 Tips To Succeed In A Master Of Laws Program And Beyond
As lawyers and recent law school graduates begin their Master of Laws coursework across the country, they should keep a few pointers in mind to get the most out of their programs and kick-start successful careers in their practice areas, says Kelley Miller at Reed Smith.
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Opinion
Portland's Gross Receipts Tax Oversteps City's Authority
Recent measures by Portland, Oregon, that expand the voter-approved scope of the Clean Energy Surcharge on certain retail sales eviscerate the common meaning of the word "retail" and exceed the city's chartered authority to levy tax, say Nikki Dobay at Greenberg Traurig and Jeff Newgard at Peak Policy.
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Series
After Chevron: SEC Climate And ESG Rules Likely Doomed
Under the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Loper Bright, without agency deference, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate disclosure and environmental, social and governance rules would likely be found lacking in statutory support and vacated by the courts, says Justin Chretien at Carlton Fields.
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When Trauma Colors Testimony: How To Help Witnesses
As stress-related mental health issues continue to rise, trial attorneys must become familiar with a few key trauma-informed strategies to help witnesses get back on track — leaning in to the counselor aspect of their vocations, say Ava Hernández and Steve Wood at Courtroom Sciences.
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Series
Being An Opera Singer Made Me A Better Lawyer
My journey from the stage to the courtroom has shown that the skills I honed as an opera singer – punctuality, memorization, creativity and more – have all played a vital role in my success as an attorney, says Gerard D'Emilio at GableGotwals.
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Navigating The Uncertain Landscape Of Solar Tariffs
Solar cell and module manufacturers, exporters and importers must navigate an uncertain compliance landscape, given ongoing challenges to U.S. Department of Commerce antidumping and countervailing duty determinations, which have been mounted both by U.S. and non-U.S. manufacturers, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Amid SEC Rule Limbo, US Cos. Subject To ESG Regs In EU
Though the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is facing legal challenges to its climate-disclosure rulemaking, the implementation of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive in the European Union will force U.S. companies to comply with exactly the kinds of ESG disclosures that are not yet mandated in the U.S., say attorneys at Squire Patton.
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How Law Firms Can Avoid 'Collaboration Drag'
Law firm decision making can be stifled by “collaboration drag” — characterized by too many pointless meetings, too much peer feedback and too little dissent — but a few strategies can help stakeholders improve decision-making processes and build consensus, says Steve Groom at Miles Mediation.
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When The Supreme Court Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade
Instead of grousing about the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions overturning long-standing precedents, attorneys should look to history for examples of how enterprising legal minds molded difficult decisions to their advantage, and figure out how to work with the cards they’ve been dealt, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Opinion
Litigation Funding Disclosure Key To Open, Impartial Process
Blanket investor and funding agreement disclosures should be required in all civil cases where the investor has a financial interest in the outcome in order to address issues ranging from potential conflicts of interest to national security concerns, says Bob Goodlatte, former U.S. House Representative for Virginia.
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The Ethics of Using Generative AI In Environmental Law
The rapid emergence of generative artificial intelligence tools is challenging environmental lawyers, consultants and government agencies to determine when and how these tools can be responsibly, ethically and productively integrated into their practices to streamline research, predictive analytics and regulatory compliance, say Ahlia Bethea and Pamela Esterman at Sive Paget.
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Carbon Offset Case A Win For CFTC Enviro Fraud Task Force
An Illinois federal court's decision in Commodity Futures Trading Commission v. Ikkurty — earning the CFTC a sizeable monetary award that will likely incentivize similar enforcement pursuit — shows the impact of the commission's Environmental Fraud Task Force, say attorneys at Steptoe.
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What NFL Draft Picks Have In Common With Lateral Law Hires
Nearly half of law firm lateral hires leave within a few years — a failure rate that is strikingly similar to the performance of NFL quarterbacks drafted in the first round — in part because evaluators focus too heavily on quantifiable metrics and not enough on a prospect's character traits, says Howard Rosenberg at Baretz+Brunelle.
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Opinion
Toxic Water Case Shows Need For Labeling To Protect Kids
A recent case involving contaminated alkaline water that inflicted severe liver damage on children underscores the risks that children can face from products not specifically targeted to them, and points to the need for stricter labeling standards for all bottled water, says Vineet Dubey at Custodio & Dubey.