Environmental

  • June 03, 2024

    PacifiCorp To Pay $178M To 400 Oregonians Over Fires

    PacifiCorp has agreed to pay $178 million to more than 400 Oregon residents affected by a cluster of wildfires that burned more than a million acres of land on Labor Day 2020 amid dangerously dry and windy weather conditions, the utility announced Monday.

  • June 03, 2024

    ChampionX Investor Sues Over $7.8B Deal Proxy

    A shareholder of energy technology provider ChampionX Corp. has sued the company and its board of directors in an attempt to enjoin a proposed acquisition by another energy-focused technology company, SLB, alleging that ChampionX filed a deficient proxy statement.

  • June 03, 2024

    Green Groups Drop Their Challenge To SEC's Climate Rule

    The Natural Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club have voluntarily asked the Eighth Circuit to dismiss their challenges to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate disclosure rule, saying they are instead focusing their resources elsewhere.

  • June 03, 2024

    Fifth Third Bank Sued Over 'Hidden' Cost Of Solar Panel Loans

    Fifth Third Bank faces a proposed class action alleging that its solar panel financing business violated the federal Truth in Lending Act by failing to disclose that it keeps a significant portion of the cost of certain solar panel system purchases while telling consumers it was lending to them at a low interest rate.

  • June 03, 2024

    Enviro Groups Ask 9th Circ. To Affirm Blocked Logging Plan

    Several environmental groups have urged the Ninth Circuit to uphold a Montana federal judge's decision halting a large logging operation in the Kootenai National Forest over concerns about the project's effect on grizzly bears and old-growth trees.

  • June 03, 2024

    Vietnamese EV Co. Hit With Investor Suit Over SPAC Merger

    Vietnamese electric car manufacturer VinFast Auto and several executives have been hit with a proposed class action alleging they exaggerated the strength of VinFast's business model and prospects following a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company last year.

  • June 03, 2024

    Exxon Fights Activist Investor's 'Toothless' Dismissal Bid

    Exxon Mobil Corp. is not backing away from a Texas lawsuit accusing investment adviser Arjuna Capital of improperly meddling in its business affairs by backing a proposal to reduce the company's greenhouse gas emissions, calling promises not to resubmit similar proposals in the future "toothless" in the wake of activist shareholder pressure to change the company's climate policy.

  • June 03, 2024

    Mich. Asks 6th Circ. To Keep Airport PFAS Suit In State Court

    Michigan's Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and the state attorney general are asking the Sixth Circuit to keep the department's suit against Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority over so-called forever chemicals in state court, saying the Airport Authority is not entitled to removal as a "federal officer."

  • June 03, 2024

    Feds Oppose Fla.'s Plea For Rushed CWA Appeal

    The federal government on Monday told the D.C. Circuit it needs more time to decide whether it is going to appeal a lower court's decision to strip Florida of the power to administer a Clean Water Act permitting program.

  • June 03, 2024

    Eversource 'Shamelessly' Touts Dangerous Fuel, Suit Says

    Eversource Energy promotes natural gas as a safe, clean energy source when it knows otherwise and engages in "greenwashing" that minimizes its impact on the environment, according to a proposed class action filed in state court on behalf of Massachusetts residents serviced by the utility.

  • June 03, 2024

    Denver Oil Refinery Air Permit Is Valid, EPA Tells 10th Circ.

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency defended its refusal to object to the renewal of a Denver oil refinery's air pollution permit, telling the Tenth Circuit that the Center for Biological Diversity failed to show the permit would allow the refinery to emit harmful amounts of nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide.

  • June 03, 2024

    PPG Blames Enviro Groups For Pa. Site Cleanup Delay

    PPG Industries told a Pennsylvania federal judge Monday that the company shouldn't be fined for delaying its cleanup of an industrial waste site outside Pittsburgh because it was ready to start work in the 1990s but was slowed by infeasible demands from state regulators and environmental groups.

  • June 03, 2024

    FERC Tells Justices Not To Review Rule Passed By Deadlock

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Friday urged the U.S. Supreme Court not to disturb a Third Circuit decision upholding an electricity market rule change that took effect despite a commissioner deadlock, arguing the lower court got it right and that any market upheaval concerns are unfounded.

  • June 03, 2024

    States Say Biden Admin's LNG Export Pause Is Actually A Ban

    A coalition of Republican-led states is urging a Louisiana federal court not to toss its lawsuit challenging the Biden administration's pause on reviewing applications to export liquefied natural gas to countries without free trade agreements, saying the pause effectively amounts to a ban because no timeline is provided.

  • June 03, 2024

    3 Firms Rep As Waste Management Inks $7.2B Stericycle Buy

    Waste Management Inc. has agreed to buy medical waste company Stericycle at an enterprise value of about $7.2 billion, inclusive of approximately $1.4 billion of debt, the companies said in a statement Monday. 

  • June 03, 2024

    DC White Collar Atty Leaves Baker Botts To Launch Solo Firm

    After a career that has so far spanned government service, BigLaw and academia, Washington, D.C.-based white collar attorney Steve Solow is setting up his own shop.

  • June 01, 2024

    Blockbuster Summer: 10 Big Issues Justices Still Must Decide

    As the calendar flips over to June, the U.S. Supreme Court still has heaps of cases to decide on issues ranging from trademark registration rules to judicial deference and presidential immunity. Here, Law360 looks at 10 of the most important topics the court has yet to decide.

  • May 31, 2024

    Texas Justices Won't Take On City Insurance Coverage Fight

    The Texas Supreme Court on Friday declined to review a trial court's decision rejecting a municipal insurance risk pool's attempt to evade the city of Hidalgo's lawsuit seeking to recover millions of dollars for damage sustained in Hurricane Hanna in July 2020. 

  • May 31, 2024

    Monsanto PCB Plaintiffs Want $185M Wash. Win Restored

    A group of public school teachers is urging the Washington State Supreme Court to review a state appellate court decision overturning their $185 million win in a PCB tort against Monsanto, contending the ruling stifles plaintiffs' rights in cases stemming from the same school site and other product liability litigation.

  • May 31, 2024

    'Alkaline Water' Blamed For Liver Failures In Latest Trial

    Eight Las Vegas residents on Friday became the latest group to try claims against an "alkaline water" company whose manufacturing process, their lawyer told a jury, introduced a chemical that caused their livers to fail.

  • May 31, 2024

    States, Energy Organizations Urge Demise Of EPA Water Rule

    Conservative-leaning states and energy industry groups have asked a Louisiana federal judge to strike down the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's rule broadening states' and tribes' power to veto projects like pipelines, export terminals and dams over water quality concerns.

  • May 31, 2024

    State Climate Superfund Laws Will Face Fossil Fuel Fightback

    A first-of-its-kind law in Vermont will impose Superfund-like liability and cleanup tabs on fossil fuel companies for climate change-related damages, though legal experts predict the industry will fight such laws as fiercely as it's fought climate tort lawsuits brought by state and local governments.

  • May 31, 2024

    Utah Sues To Throttle Federal Glenn Canyon ATV Limits

    The state of Utah is arguing that federal officials can't enforce a 2021 ban on ATVs and other off-road vehicles in sections of the Glenn Canyon National Recreational Area, in a federal lawsuit claiming immunity from rules that grew out of a 2005 lawsuit brought by environmental groups.

  • May 31, 2024

    4th Circ. Won't Revive NC Homeowners' Storm Coverage Suit

    The Fourth Circuit refused on Friday to revive a suit brought by the owners of a North Carolina beach house accusing certain underwriters at Lloyd's London of stalling a $1 million payout over hurricane damage.

  • May 31, 2024

    Animal Rehab Center Says Subpar Care Suit Must Be Tossed

    Noah's Ark Animal Rehabilitation Center and Sanctuary called on a Georgia federal judge to throw out an Ohio-based nonprofit's latest complaint alleging that the center failed to properly care for its wildlife, citing two substantially similar state court suits it previously filed and lost.

Expert Analysis

  • Lessons In High-Profile Jury Selection Amid NY Trump Trial

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    Richard Gabriel and Michelle Rey LaRocca at Decision Analysis consider how media exposure can affect a prospective juror in a high-profile case, the misunderstood nature of bias, and recommendations for jury selection in these unique situations as the Trump hush money trial continues in New York.

  • How Attys Can Avoid Pitfalls When Withdrawing From A Case

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    The Trump campaign's recent scuffle over its bid to replace its counsel in a pregnancy retaliation suit offers a chance to remind attorneys that many troubles inherent in withdrawing from a case can be mitigated or entirely avoided by communicating with clients openly and frequently, says Christopher Konneker at Orsinger Nelson.

  • Opinion

    We Need A Legislative Path To Power Plant Emissions Cuts

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    With the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's newest regulation targeting power plant carbon emissions likely to be overturned by courts or a future administration, it's time for bipartisan legislation to preserve affordable, reliable electricity while substantially decarbonizing the sector by midcentury, say Jeffrey Holmstead at Bracewell and Samuel Thernstrom at the Energy Innovation Reform Project.

  • Using A Children's Book Approach In Firm Marketing Content

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    From “The Giving Tree” to “Where the Wild Things Are,” most children’s books are easy to remember because they use simple words and numbers to tell stories with a human impact — a formula law firms should emulate in their marketing content to stay front of mind for potential clients, says Seema Desai Maglio at The Found Word.

  • The State Of Play In DEI And ESG 1 Year After Harvard Ruling

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    Almost a year after the U.S. Supreme Court decided Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, attorney general scrutiny of environmental, social and governance-related efforts indicates a potential path for corporate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to be targeted, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • How To Use Exhibits Strategically Throughout Your Case

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    Exhibits, and documents in particular, are the lifeblood of legal advocacy, so attorneys must understand how to wield them effectively throughout different stages of a case to help build strategy, elevate witness preparation and effectively persuade the fact-finders, say Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie and Colorado prosecutor Adam Kendall.

  • Opinion

    NEPA Final Rule Unlikely To Speed Clean Energy Projects

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    A recent final rule from the White House Council on Environmental Quality purports to streamline federal environmental reviews to accelerate the construction of renewable energy infrastructure — but it also expands consideration of climate change and environmental justice, creating vast new opportunities for litigation and delay, says Thomas Prevas at Saul Ewing.

  • Tips For Companies Tapping Into Commercial Cleantech

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    A recent report from the European Patent Office and European Investment Bank examining the global financing and commercialization of cleantech innovation necessary for the green energy transition can help companies understand and solve the issues in developing and implementing the full potential of cleantech, says Eleanor Maciver at Mewburn Ellis.

  • Series

    Being An EMT Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While some of my experiences as an emergency medical technician have been unusually painful and searing, the skills I’ve learned — such as triage, empathy and preparedness — are just as useful in my work as a restructuring lawyer, says Marshall Huebner at Davis Polk.

  • 15 Quick Tips For Uncovering And Mitigating Juror Biases

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    As highlighted by the recent jury selection process in the criminal hush money trial against former President Donald Trump, juror bias presents formidable challenges for defendants, and attorneys must employ proactive strategies — both new and old — to blunt its impact, say Monica Delgado and Jonathan Harris at Harris St. Laurent.

  • In Debate Over High Court Wording, 'Wetland' Remains Murky

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    Though the U.S. Supreme Court's decision limiting the Clean Water Act’s wetlands jurisdiction is now a year old, Sackett v. EPA's practical consequences for property owners are still evolving as federal agencies and private parties advance competing interpretations of the court's language and methods for distinguishing wetlands in lower courts, says Neal McAliley at Carlton Fields.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: Saying What Needs To Be Said

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    Edward Arnold and Bret Marfut at Seyfarth Shaw examine three recent decisions that delve into the meaning and effect of contractual releases, and demonstrate the importance of ensuring that releases, as written, do what the parties intend.

  • Geothermal Energy Has Growing Potential In The US

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    Bipartisan support for the geothermal industry shows that geothermal energy can be an elegant solution toward global decarbonization efforts because of its small footprint, low supply chain risk, and potential to draw on the skills of existing highly specialized oil and gas workers and renewable specialists, say attorneys at Weil.

  • Insurer Quota-Sharing Lessons From $112M Bad Faith Verdict

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    In Indiana GRQ v. American Guarantee and Liability Insurance, an Indiana federal jury recently issued a landmark $112 million bad faith verdict, illustrating why insurers must understand the interplay between bad faith law and quota-sharing before entering into these relatively new arrangements, say Jason Reichlyn and Christopher Sakauye at Dykema. 

  • Insurance Types That May Help Cos. After Key Bridge Collapse

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    Following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, businesses that depend on the bridge, the Port of Baltimore and related infrastructure for shipment and distribution of cargo should understand which common types of first-party insurance coverage may provide recoveries for financial losses, say Bert Wells and Richard Lewis at Reed Smith.

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