Environmental

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • September 17, 2024

    US Growers Say Chilean Grapes A Threat Under Rule Change

    A group of California grape growers has hit the U.S. Department of Agriculture with a suit in California federal court alleging the agency's approval of a "systems approach" for importing Chilean grapes abandons traditional safeguards and exposes U.S. grape producers to significant risks and costs.

  • September 17, 2024

    Fla. Should Get CWA Permitting Back, State Tells DC Circ.

    Florida should be allowed to keep administering its own Clean Water Act permitting program for dredging, the Sunshine State told the D.C. Circuit in an opening brief that noted the state had successfully run the program for three years, and that taking away its ability to do so calls into question a congressional promise.

  • September 17, 2024

    VivoPower Plots $1.13B Merger After Unit's SPAC Deal Closes

    Sustainable energy solutions company VivoPower and hydrogen technology company FAST are mulling a combination valuing the pair at $1.13 billion, in a potential deal that would follow the departure of VivoPower's electric utility vehicle subsidiary through a special purpose acquisition company merger.

  • September 17, 2024

    GC Base Salaries At Big Companies On The Rise

    General counsel base salaries at companies making $5 billion or more in revenue has increased from last year, while their total compensation has decreased, according to a report released Tuesday by the Association of Corporate Counsel and Empsight International LLC.

  • September 17, 2024

    In-House Atty Brings Bias Suit Over Firing After Miscarriage

    A former in-house attorney at chemicals company Arxada has launched a discrimination lawsuit in New Jersey state court accusing the business of unlawfully terminating her in the days after she showed interest in going on leave to recover from a miscarriage.

  • September 17, 2024

    Univ. Can Expand Coastal Campus, Mass. Appeals Court Says

    A Massachusetts university has no obligation to preserve for public use 12 acres of land in a coastal town just north of Boston, the state's intermediate-level appeals court ruled.

  • September 17, 2024

    Competitiveness Outranks Climate In New EU Commission

    European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen shifted her focus from climate change to boosting competitiveness as she proposed her team of commissioners for the next five-year mandate Tuesday, handing out key jobs covering everything from competition enforcement to trade policy.

  • September 17, 2024

    US Utility AES Sells 30% Stake In Ohio Unit For $546M

    Power generation company AES Corp. said Tuesday that it has sold a 30% stake in its Ohio unit to Canadian investment group CDPQ for $546 million to help fund improvements to its infrastructure and meet a growing demand for data centers.

  • September 17, 2024

    Tribes Sue Over Oregon Offshore Wind Farm Leases

    The Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians have hit the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management with a lawsuit over its approval of lease sales for offshore wind energy development along the southern Oregon coast, arguing that the environmental analysis was insufficient and fails to consider potential impacts on tribal resources, cultural sites and tourism development.

  • September 17, 2024

    Conn. AG Balks At Avangrid's $2.55B Take-Private Deal

    Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and Consumer Counsel Claire E. Coleman want the state's utility watchdog to probe a Spanish energy firm's $2.55 billion proposal to take a Constitution State-based utility private, citing fears about reduced regulatory oversight amid soaring electricity and gas prices.

  • September 17, 2024

    PSEG's GC To Retire As Utility Co. Lines Up Her Successor

    The top attorney for Public Service Enterprise Group is retiring next year after more than three decades with the utility provider, the company announced Tuesday.

  • September 16, 2024

    Why A Tactic In The Youth Climate Change Battle Is Risky

    Young people suing the federal government for sweeping changes to climate policy are trying a new tactic, filing a mandamus petition in the U.S. Supreme Court in an effort to get their case to trial. But some lawyers are worried the tactic may backfire, limiting the opportunity for others to use the courts to wage climate battles, experts told Law360. 

  • September 16, 2024

    Biden Methane Rule Is Gov't Overstep, ND Judge Rules

    The Biden administration can't enforce a rule aimed at curbing methane gas emissions from federally held oil and gas leases in a coalition of Republican-led states led by North Dakota after a federal judge found the states had sufficiently shown the government may have overstepped its authority.

  • September 16, 2024

    Ex-Cadwalader Litigation Co-Head Among Duo Added By V&E

    Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP's former global litigation group co-chair is one of two ex-partners in New York bringing their practices to Vinson & Elkins LLP, according to a Monday announcement.

  • September 16, 2024

    Carlyle Commits $1B To Clean Real Estate Finance Co.

    Investment giant Carlyle said Monday that it has taken a stake in and committed $1 billion to real estate finance company North Bridge, which will be used toward green commercial upgrades.

  • September 13, 2024

    The 2024 Regional Powerhouses

    The law firms on Law360's list of 2024 Regional Powerhouses reflected the local peculiarities of their states while often representing clients in deals and cases that captured national attention.

  • September 13, 2024

    NJ Jury Puts $26M Price Tag On Land In Development Battle

    A New Jersey federal jury found that the owner of a 22-acre former Michelin Tire & Rubber Co. factory at the heart of a land-taking battle should get $25.6 million from a borough redevelopment agency that argued the parcel would fetch less than a third of that figure on the market.

Expert Analysis

  • Breaking Down EPA's Rule On PFAS In Drinking Water

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    Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized the first enforceable federal drinking water regulation for PFAS, which, along with reporting and compliance requirements for regulated entities, will have a number of indirect effects, including increased cleanup costs and the possible expansion of existing Superfund sites, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • The Art Of Asking: Leveraging Your Contacts For Referrals

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    Though attorneys may hesitate to ask for referral recommendations to generate new business, research shows that people want to help others they know, like and trust, so consider who in your network you should approach and how to make the ask, says Rebecca Hnatowski at Edwards Advisory.

  • Wave Of Final Rules Reflects Race Against CRA Deadline

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    The flurry of final rules now leaping off the Federal Register press — some of which will affect entire industries and millions of Americans — shows President Joe Biden's determination to protect his regulatory legacy from reversal by the next Congress, given the impending statutory look-back period under the Congressional Review Act, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • EPA Chemical Safety Rule Raises Questions About Authority

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    Stakeholders should consider the practical and economic costs of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recently finalized rule imposing novel board reporting regulations for certain chemical plants and refineries, which signals that the agency may seek a role in regulating corporate governance, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Series

    Being An Equestrian Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Beyond getting experience thinking on my feet and tackling stressful situations, the skills I've gained from horseback riding have considerable overlap with the skills used to practice law, particularly in terms of team building, continuing education, and making an effort to reset and recharge, says Kerry Irwin at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Teach Your Party Representative The Art Of Nonverbal Cues

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    As illustrated by recent reports about President Donald Trump’s nonverbal communication in court, jurors notice what’s happening at counsel table, which may color their perceptions of the case as a whole, so trial attorneys should teach party representatives to self-monitor their nonverbal behaviors, says Clint Townson at Townson Consulting.

  • ECHR Climate Rulings Hint At Direction Of Future Cases

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    Three recent climate rulings from the European Court of Human Rights show the court's tendency toward a more formalistic, hands-off approach to procedural issues but a more hands-on approach to the application of the European Convention on Human Rights, setting the first guiding principles for key issues in EU climate cases, say Stefanie Spancken-Monz and Leane Meyer at Freshfields.

  • Opinion

    Cyber Regulators Should Rely On Existing Sources Cautiously

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    New incident reporting rules proposed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency illustrate how the use of definitions, standards and approaches from existing sources can create a complex patchwork of regulations, demonstrating that it is essential for agencies to be clear about expectations and not create unnecessary confusion, says Megan Brown at Wiley.

  • DOE Funding And Cargo Preference Compliance: Key Points

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    Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the U.S. Department of Energy will disburse more than $62 billion in financing for innovative energy projects — and recipients must understand their legal obligations related to cargo preference, so they can develop compliance strategies as close to project inception as possible, say attorneys at White & Case.

  • 4 Ways To Refresh Your Law Firm's Marketing Strategy

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    With many BigLaw firms relying on an increasingly obsolete marketing approach that prioritizes stiff professionalism over authentic connection, adopting a few key communications strategies to better connect with today's clients and prospects can make all the difference, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law.

  • Cos. Must Prepare For Calif. Legislation That Would Ban PFAS

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    Pending California legislation that would ban the sale or distribution of new products containing intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances could affect thousands of businesses — and given the bill's expected passage, and its draconian enforcement regime, companies must act now to prepare for it, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Opinion

    Seafarer Detention Under Ship Pollution Law Must Have Limits

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    The U.S. Coast Guard should reinstate limits on the number of days that foreign crew members may be forced to remain in the country while the U.S. Department of Justice investigates alleged violations of shipping pollution laws, in order to balance legitimate enforcement interests and seafarer welfare, say attorneys at Blank Rome.

  • 10 Tips For ESG Disclosure Compliance In Private Funds

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    As regulators increase scrutiny of misleading claims about environmental, social and governance investments, private fund sponsors should consider several practical tips for communicating accurately with potential investors, drafting comprehensive disclosures and establishing internal policies that can keep pace with evolving compliance requirements, says Jonathan Rash at Ropes & Gray.

  • Assigning Liability In Key Bridge Collapse May Be Challenging

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    In the wake of a cargo ship's collision with Baltimore's Key Bridge last month, claimants may focus on the vessel's owners and the agencies responsible for the design and maintenance of the bridge — but allocating legal liability to either private or governmental entities may be difficult under applicable state and federal laws, says Clay Robbins at Wisner Baum.

  • Macquarie Ruling Raises The Bar For Securities Fraud Claims

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision last week in Macquarie Infrastructure v. Moab Partners — holding that a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rule does not forbid omissions in company disclosures unless they render other statements false — is a major setback for plaintiffs pursuing securities fraud claims against corporations, say attorneys at Skadden.

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