Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Energy
-
March 27, 2024
BLM Finalizes Methane Venting And Flaring Rule
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management on Wednesday announced its final rule meant to cut the amount of methane released at energy production facilities by reducing leaks and tightening limits on a process known as flaring.
-
March 27, 2024
FERC Finds Fans And Foes Of Wall Street's Utility Ownership
The deadline has just passed for initial comments on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's reexamination of its policy for allowing financial firms to own electric utilities. Here's a recap of what FERC is contemplating and the initial feedback the agency has received from players throughout the U.S. power sector.
-
March 27, 2024
Colo. Judge Unplugs Vague EV-Maker Investor Suit
A Colorado federal judge has dismissed a shareholder suit against commercial electric vehicle company Lightning eMotors, agreeing with a magistrate judge's conclusion that the shareholders failed to bring specific allegations that the company knowingly misled investors on matters like its production capacity.
-
March 27, 2024
DOE, Holtec Ink $1.5B Loan To Restart Mich. Nuclear Plant
The U.S. Department of Energy on Wednesday unveiled an up to $1.52 billion loan to Holtec Palisades aimed at financing a first-of-its-kind nuclear power plant restoration project for the previously shuttered Palisades Nuclear Plant in Covert Township, Michigan.
-
March 27, 2024
Boston Strikes Novel Deal To Contract For Offshore Wind
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on Wednesday announced a novel deal between the city and energy company Avangrid Inc. to purchase up to 15 megawatts of wind-generated electricity from the company, contingent on Avangrid winning a multistate bidding process for new offshore development.
-
March 27, 2024
Judge Won't Sift Through IP Docs For Oil Co.'s Counterclaims
A Colorado federal judge said it's "patently unreasonable" to expect her to comb through hundreds of pages to find support for an oil and gas equipment maker's patent invalidity allegations, as she dismissed three of the company's counterclaims.
-
March 27, 2024
McDermott Completes Global Restructuring
Texas-based energy industry construction firm McDermott International has announced the company successfully completed its cross-border restructuring in the Netherlands and the U.K., noting it has arranged to extend its debt maturities by three years and resolve arbitration liabilities.
-
March 27, 2024
Illegally Stored Oil Waste Threatens Ohio River, AG Suit Says
The Ohio attorney general wants a state court to force the removal of tons of oil and gas industry waste illegally stored near the Ohio River that threatens to contaminate nearby drinking water sources.
-
March 27, 2024
Dykema-Led CPS Energy Buying Texas Gas Assets For $785M
Dykema Gossett PLLC-advised CPS Energy has agreed to buy a Texas power generation portfolio from Talen Energy Corp. for $785 million, the companies said Wednesday.
-
March 26, 2024
Jackson Paints Abortion Clash As Microcosm Of Bigger Brawl
A war of words Tuesday at the U.S. Supreme Court over access to abortion medication marked a climactic moment after a lengthy legal slugfest. But probing questions from Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson illustrated that the main event for reproductive rights was also simply a single round in a much larger fight over the government's regulatory powers.
-
March 26, 2024
8th Circ. Urged To Freeze SEC Climate Rules Once More
An energy company suing the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over its recently finalized climate disclosure rules urged the Eighth Circuit on Tuesday to stay the implementation of the rules, after a stay granted by the Fifth Circuit was recently lifted following the consolidation of various related lawsuits.
-
March 26, 2024
Pennsylvania, Crypto Miner Sued Over Enviro Contamination
A Pennsylvania environmental group sued the Keystone State and a crypto-mining company Tuesday in Philadelphia County Court accusing the state of failing to protect its residents from the company's purported six million tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
-
March 26, 2024
Judge To Let McDermott Investors Seek 2-Subclass Cert.
A Texas federal judge has declined to certify a proposed class of investors in energy industry engineering company McDermott International Inc., siding with a magistrate judge who recommended dismissing the class certification bid so the investors could refile and seek certification for two investor subclasses.
-
March 26, 2024
WTO Calls On Australia To Amend Steel Duties On China
A World Trade Organization panel on Tuesday ruled that Australia flouted certain measures of the intergovernmental organization's so-called Anti-Dumping Agreement when calculating duties on wind towers, stainless steel sinks and railway wheels from China.
-
March 26, 2024
9th Circ. Says Tanker Can't Be Used To Enforce $10M Debt
The Ninth Circuit affirmed on Monday that a nearly 800-foot crude oil tanker could not be seized to enforce some $10 million in arbitral awards against a defunct gas shipping company, ruling that the plaintiffs couldn't prove the tanker's owner had helped to hide the shipping company's assets.
-
March 26, 2024
Oil Cos. Say Partner Kept Them In The Dark On New Facilities
A group of Colorado oil and gas companies have accused a Texas energy company they partnered with of secretly building and running pipelines and other infrastructure to support North Dakota oil and gas wells, cutting the Colorado companies out of their share.
-
March 26, 2024
Ukrainian Gas Cos. Say Russia Can't Escape $35M Award
Several Ukrainian gas companies have urged a D.C. federal court not to grant Russia's bid to toss their claims seeking to enforce a nearly $35 million arbitral award against the Kremlin, saying the arbitrators already rejected Russia's claims that an underlying treaty doesn't apply.
-
March 26, 2024
6th Circ. Won't Let Propane Retailer Nix EEOC's Subpoena
The Sixth Circuit said Tuesday that Ferrellgas LP must provide the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission with information it requested as part of an investigation into a sex and race discrimination charge, backing a lower court's conclusion that the request wasn't too expansive.
-
March 26, 2024
SPAC Investors Misled In $1.35B Stem Deal, Del. Suit Says
A former stockholder of a blank-check company that merged with intelligent energy storage business Stem Inc. filed a proposed class action in Delaware's Court of Chancery Tuesday, alleging breaches of fiduciary duty and unjust enrichment in connection with the April 2021 merger.
-
March 26, 2024
BP, Chevron And Others Hit With Climate Change Suit In Pa.
Bucks County in Pennsylvania has sued BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil and other major oil companies for allegedly deceiving the public about the dangers of fossil fuel pollution, claiming that climate change has caused increasingly severe weather leading to property damage in the county.
-
March 26, 2024
Biden Admin Greenlights 2nd Orsted NY Offshore Wind Farm
The U.S. Department of the Interior on Tuesday approved the construction of Orsted-Eversource's Sunrise Wind project off the New York coast, the seventh offshore wind project given the go-ahead by the Biden administration.
-
March 26, 2024
Greens Sue NRC Over Delayed Diablo Canyon Inspections
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission violated federal law when it rejected community and environmental groups' request for a public hearing over allegedly outdated inspections at Diablo Canyon, California's last remaining nuclear power plant, the groups told the Ninth Circuit on Monday.
-
March 26, 2024
Enbridge Plugs $350M Into Natural Gas Joint Venture
Enbridge Inc., WhiteWater/I Squared Capital and MPLX LP on Tuesday announced that they will be banding together to form a joint venture that will develop, construct, own and operate natural gas pipelines and storage assets that connect the Permian Basin natural gas supply to liquefied natural gas export markets.
-
March 26, 2024
US EV Subsidies Discriminatory, China Tells WTO
Domestic production rules for U.S. electric vehicles to qualify for subsidies under the Inflation Reduction Act are discriminatory, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said Tuesday, announcing it had filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization.
-
March 25, 2024
4th Circ. Sides With Trump Jr. In Ex-Coal CEO's Libel Suit
A Fourth Circuit panel on Monday upheld Donald Trump Jr.'s win against former coal company CEO and U.S. Senate candidate Don Blankenship's defamation suit, saying there's no evidence Trump Jr. acted with actual malice when he called Blankenship a "felon" — instead of a person convicted of a federal misdemeanor — on social media.
Expert Analysis
-
Strategic Succession Planning At Law Firms Is Crucial
Senior partners' reluctance to retire, the rise of the nonequity partner tier and generational differences in expectations are all contributing to an increasing number of departures from BigLaw, making it imperative for firms to encourage retirement among senior ranks and provide clearer leadership pathways to junior attorneys, says Laura Leopard at Leopard Solutions.
-
Why All Cos. Should Take Note Of Calif. GHG Disclosure Laws
Two recent California laws involving the disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's upcoming final rule, focus on financial services firms' so-called financed emissions, meaning vastly more companies than those directly subject to today's reporting mandates will be required to supply climate-related risk disclosures, says David Smith at Manatt.
-
Calif. Climate Disclosure Bills Promise Challenges For Cos.
Two novel climate disclosure bills recently passed by the California Legislature will pose challenges for many businesses — especially private companies that are less familiar with climate-related reporting obligations — and will require investments of significant time and effort in processes, procedures and personnel, say John Rousakis and Chris Bowman at O'Melveny.
-
Maximizing Law Firm Profitability In Uncertain Times
As threats of an economic downturn loom, firms can boost profits by embracing the power of bottom-line management and creating an ecosystem where strategic financial oversight and robust timekeeping practices meet evolved client relations, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.
-
Audit Regulator Review Has Tips On Climate Metric Reporting
The U.K. Financial Reporting Council’s recent review of climate-related metrics and targets in listed companies’ annual reports is an extremely useful guide for issuers considering the quality of their disclosure reporting, with a number of key areas identified as central to further improvement, say lawyers at Bryan Cave.
-
FLSA Ruling Highlights Time Compensability Under State Law
While the Third Circuit's August decision in Tyger v. Precision Drilling endorsed the prevailing standard among federal courts regarding time compensability under the Fair Labor Standards Act, it also serves as a reminder that state laws will often find a broader range of activities to be compensable, say Ryan Warden and Craig Long at White and Williams.
-
5 DOJ Enforcement Priorities To Note From Recent Remarks
Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Marshall Miller’s recent speech provided a glimpse into the U.S. Department of Justice’s corporate criminal enforcement priorities — from national security concerns to mergers and acquisitions — with takeaways for companies’ compliance programs, say Joseph Jay and Jennifer Le at Sheppard Mullin.
-
5th Circ. Ruling Reminds Attys That CBP Can Search Devices
The Fifth Circuit’s recent Malik v. Department of Homeland Security decision adds to the chorus of federal courts holding that border agents don’t need a warrant to search travelers’ electronic devices, so attorneys should consider certain special precautions to secure privileged information when reentering the U.S., says Jennifer Freel at Jackson Walker.
-
Series
ESG Around The World: European Union
As the EU makes ESG regulation a priority, companies — both those based in the EU and others just doing business there — need to keep abreast of myriad new legislation that has either already taken effect or will in the near future, as noncompliance could result in fines, damages and director liability, say attorneys at Steptoe & Johnson.
-
Greenwashing And 'Greenhushing': Lessons For Fashion Cos.
While fashion companies continue to pursue improvements in the environmental impacts of the clothing they produce, they might be wise to note how businesses in other industries have attracted litigation over alleged greenwashing, and consider playing down environmental claims — a phenomenon known as "greenhushing," says Christopher Cole at Katten.
-
Avoiding The Ethical Pitfalls Of Crowdfunded Legal Fees
The crowdfunding of legal fees has become increasingly common, providing a new way for people to afford legal services, but attorneys who accept crowdsourced funds must remember several key ethical obligations to mitigate their risks, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.
-
Energy Trading Cos. Must Review Electronic Comms Policies
After recent enforcement actions by U.S. and U.K. regulators against energy trading firms — and with the possibility of action by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission looming — companies involved in energy markets must take steps to review and strengthen electronic communications protocols, say Tanya Bodell and Christopher Hoyle at StoneTurn.
-
How Investors Can Seize Renewables Opportunities In RE
As governments and stakeholders increasingly focus on sustainability in the real estate sector, investors could capture significant upside by implementing an operational real estate strategy focused on renewable energy sources, say attorneys at Goodwin.
-
Why Calif. Applying Del. Caremark Standard Is A Big Deal
A California court of appeal’s recent Kanter v. Reed ruling, which found for the first time that Delaware's Caremark standard is consistent with California law, demonstrates the importance of creating and using board-level reporting mechanisms that fulfill oversight duties, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
-
What Large Language Models Mean For Document Review
Courts often subject parties using technology assisted review to greater scrutiny than parties conducting linear, manual document review, so parties using large language models for document review should expect even more attention, along with a corresponding need for quality control and validation, say attorneys at Sidley.