Environmental

April 05, 2024
Miner Faces Mounting Financial Woes After Failed Arbitration

Nearly a month after losing its $4.4 billion arbitration against Romania over a blocked gold and silver mining project, Canadian mining company Gabriel Resources said Thursday that it's facing a major cash crunch as it continues to weigh its options to try to revive its claims.
April 05, 2024
NJ Recycler's Fire Damage Suit To Remain In NJ, Judge Rules

A New Jersey federal judge declined to move a paper recycler's fire coverage dispute to New York, but did agree to toss one of its claims against its insurer, finding the recycler's declaratory judgment and breach of contract claims were duplicative.
April 05, 2024
Insurers Fight Kidde-Fenwal's Bid For Coverage Of Foam Suits

Two AIG units and another insurer have told a Delaware bankruptcy court it should reject fire-suppression company Kidde-Fenwal Inc.'s bid to secure their coverage for a bevy of underlying suits alleging the company exposed those plaintiffs to so-called forever chemicals via its production of firefighting foam.
April 05, 2024
Solar Company Hit With TCPA Suit After $13.8M FTC Fine

Months after the Federal Trade Commission slapped lead generation firm Solar Xchange with a $13.8 million fine for sending out millions of pestering calls to people on the National Do-Not-Call Registry, one recipient of those calls has filed suit in Massachusetts federal court to seek his own recompense.
April 05, 2024
Homeowners' Energy Efficient Rebates Not Income, IRS Says

The U.S. Department of Energy rebates awarded to taxpayers who bought an energy efficient home or retrofitted their current residence to reduce energy consumption won't need to be reported in the property owner's gross income, the IRS announced Friday.
April 05, 2024
Green Energy Co. Duped Investors Out Of $40M, Suit Says

A proposed class of investors has hit a purported Chicago green energy outfit and its executives with a federal suit claiming they used promises of extravagant returns to get the plaintiffs to invest but never created any energy or produced the returns they promised.
April 05, 2024
5th Circ. Won't Touch Texas Oil Export Terminal License

The Fifth Circuit has rejected environmentalists' attempt to undo federal approval for a deepwater oil export terminal off Texas' Gulf Coast, finding the U.S. Coast Guard adequately considered the environmental consequences of the facility in its environmental assessment.
April 05, 2024
Utility Atty Who Advised Google JV Opens Environmental Firm

An attorney who advised a Google joint venture on a group of master-planned communities and a California utility on billions of dollars in infrastructure work has launched boutique firm Forrest Environmental Law.
April 05, 2024
US Gas Cos. Delay $7.4B Deal Closing Date Amid FTC Scrutiny

A month after a group of 50 lawmakers urged the Federal Trade Commission to investigate a recent string of mergers and acquisitions in the oil industry, the regulatory agency is putting Chesapeake Energy and Southwestern Energy's planned $7.4 billion merger under the microscope.
April 04, 2024
NY Congestion Pricing Judge Pleads For Predictability

New Jersey state and local governments fighting New York's congestion toll-pricing vision urged a federal judge on Thursday to order environmental justification for the plan, while the judge in turn implored all parties to rely more heavily on precedent and the law.
April 04, 2024
NY Judge Says 'Defeat Device' Co. Protected By Section 230

A New York federal judge tossed part of the federal government's lawsuit against the manufacturers of devices and software that allegedly allow vehicles to bypass pollution control mechanisms, saying the technology itself is "neutral" and has no effect on emissions without third-party content.
April 04, 2024
Homeowner Asks 9th Circ. To Rethink Fire Coverage Ruling

A woman who was prevented from coverage of a 2021 house fire by the Ninth Circuit asked the court to rehear her case, arguing among other things that she did not lie to her insurer about renting her home, because she didn't fill out the insurance application.
April 04, 2024
ND Judge Tosses DAPL Protester's Claims Against Police

A North Dakota federal judge said he is dismissing claims a woman filed against police after suffering "horrific injuries" when she was hit by a flashbang during the Dakota Access Pipeline protests in 2016.
April 04, 2024
Steel Talks Absent From Start Of US-EU Trade Ministerial

Conversations on the first day of the EU-U.S. Trade and Technology Council on Thursday focused on sustainability for both the planet and the transatlantic partnership, but noticeably skirted the pair's foundered effort to reshape the global steel market.
April 04, 2024
NTIA Knocks Out Enviro Hurdles For Broadband Permitting

The list of things that broadband deployment projects will have to conduct in-depth environmental assessments for is getting shorter after the National Telecommunications and Information Administration created 30 new "categorical exclusions" in the hopes of cutting red tape.
April 04, 2024
Judge Recuses Herself From Cartel Case Over Exxon Stock

A Nevada federal judge has recused herself from a batch of antitrust lawsuits claiming U.S. shale oil producers colluded with OPEC to drive up prices at the pump, citing her ownership of a "significant" amount of Exxon Mobil Corp. stock.
April 04, 2024
EPA Names Nonprofits To Get $20B From New GHG Fund

At least $20 billion is heading out of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's door to eight nonprofits that will disburse the money for "green" projects such as distributed energy, net-zero buildings, and zero-emissions transportation projects.
April 04, 2024
W.Va. Plaintiff Drops Telemarketing Claim Against Fla. Firm

A West Virginia woman who alleged in a putative class action that law firms had bombarded her and others with unwanted legal advertising phone calls has announced a joint dismissal with one of the firms involved.
April 04, 2024
SEC Voluntarily Puts Climate Regs On Ice During Court Battle

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced Thursday that it is voluntarily delaying the implementation of climate disclosure regulations while it fights an Eighth Circuit challenge seeking to vacate the rules, with the regulator saying that it hopes the voluntary stay will speed resolution of the case.
April 04, 2024
Squire Patton Adds Polsinelli Enviro Atty Pair In Denver

Squire Patton Boggs LLP announced Thursday that it had added two former Polsinelli PC attorneys to its global environmental, safety and health practice.
April 04, 2024
Great Lakes Fishing Pact Tramples Treaty Rights, Tribe Says

The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians is asking the Sixth Circuit to undo a Great Lakes fishing decree between it and four other tribes and the state of Michigan, arguing the decree was entered without its consent and imposes upon its treaty rights.
April 04, 2024
Project Owners Eager To Sell Energy Tax Credits, Report Says

Project owners are pursuing new financing strategies that would support the early sale of their clean energy tax credits as more projects in their initial development stage this year seek to capitalize on the incentives as early as possible, a report released Thursday said.
April 03, 2024
Hawaii Bio Power Co. Can't Add Merger-Based Antitrust Claims

A Hawaii federal magistrate judge has refused to permit the addition of new allegations, based on a 2017 fossil fuel plant acquisition, to a recently restarted lawsuit accusing the state's largest power company of anticompetitively canceling a contract for a new biomass energy plant.
April 03, 2024
Roadless Rule Doesn't Suit The Tongass, Alaska, Allies Argue

The state of Alaska, electric utilities, and a coalition of towns, mining and business groups, as well as a former Last Frontier governor, are all urging a federal judge to overturn the Biden administration's decision to reinstate roadless area protections for millions of acres of the Tongass National Forest.
April 03, 2024
EU Probing Solar Project Under Foreign Subsidy Rules

European enforcers launched a pair of investigations Wednesday to assess whether companies bidding on a solar project in Romania received an unfair advantage through foreign subsidies.

Expert Analysis

4 Legal Ethics Considerations For The New Year

As attorneys and clients reset for a new year, now is a good time to take a step back and review some core ethical issues that attorneys should keep front of mind in 2024, including approaching generative artificial intelligence with caution and care, and avoiding pitfalls in outside counsel guidelines, say attorneys at HWG.
Environmental Justice: A 2023 Recap And 2024 Forecast

A 2023 executive order directing each federal agency to make environmental justice part of its mission, as well as the many lawsuits and enforcement actions last year, demonstrates that EJ will increasingly surface in all areas of law and regulation, from technically challenging to seemingly ordinary permitting and construction matters, say attorneys at King & Spalding.
What The Law Firm Of The Future Will Look Like

As the legal landscape shifts, it’s become increasingly clear that the BigLaw business model must adapt in four key ways to remain viable, from fostering workplace flexibility to embracing technology, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
4 PR Pointers When Your Case Is In The News

Media coverage of new lawsuits exploded last year, demonstrating why defense attorneys should devise a public relations plan that complements their legal strategy, incorporating several objectives to balance ethical obligations and advocacy, say Nathan Burchfiel at Pinkston and Ryan June at Castañeda + Heidelman.
Food And Beverage Policy Trends Cos. Should Track In 2024

The list of legal issues food and beverage companies should watch out for in 2024 include the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Human Foods Program, the Food Safety and Inspection Service’s salmonella proposal, Proposition 12 and more, say Bob Hibbert and Amaru Sánchez at Wiley.
How 2023 Shaped Drug And Medical Device Legal Trends

2023 brought a number of positive developments for the life sciences industry, including great trial and multidistrict litigation outcomes, but also some heavy-handed regulations and other concerning developments that lay the groundwork for significant litigation, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.
Opinion

What Insurers Gain When Litigating Coverage Denials

Lately, insurance companies have denied coverage for lawsuits alleging liability relating to the ordinary operations of highly regulated businesses, such as those in the pharmaceutical and energy sectors — demonstrating time and again how litigation can be a vehicle for carriers to mitigate their own costs, say attorneys at Reed Smith.
After Headwinds, 2024 May See Offshore Wind Momentum

Despite skyrocketing raw material costs, conflicting state and federal policies, and other setbacks for the offshore wind sector in 2023, the industry appears poised for growth in the coming year, with improving economics, more flexible procurement procedures and increasing legislative support, say Emily Huggins Jones and Ben Cowan at Locke Lord.
5 Trends That Will Affect Food Litigation In 2024

In 2024, food and beverage companies are likely to continue to face threats of litigation relating to so-called forever chemicals, citric and malic acid, and ESG claims, but recent developments in case law have created potential avenues for defense, say Abby Meyer and Khirin Bunker at Sheppard Mullin.
10 Issues To Watch As ESG Remains Alive And Well In 2024

Practitioners and stakeholders should watch a number of key environmental, social and corporate governance issues in the new year, including court rulings and comprehensive research, as the data shows ESG is here to stay, says Heidi Friedman at Thompson Hine.
Law Firm Strategies For Successfully Navigating 2024 Trends

Though law firms face the dual challenge of external and internal pressures as they enter 2024, firms willing to pivot will be able to stand out by adapting to stakeholder needs and reimagining their infrastructure, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants.
Top 10 Employer Resolutions For 2024

From technological leaps to sea changes in labor policy to literal sea changes, 2024 provides opportunities for employers to face big-picture questions that will shape their business for years to come, say Allegra Lawrence-Hardy and Lisa Haldar at Lawrence & Bundy.
The Most-Read Legal Industry Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

A range of legal industry topics drew readers' attention in Law360's Expert Analysis section this year, from associate retention strategies to ethical billing practices.
Considerations for In-House Counsel Before Testing For PFAS

In 2024, federal and state agencies are expected to introduce a plethora of new rules regulating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, with private litigation sure to follow — but in-house counsel should first weigh the risks and benefits before companies proactively investigate their historical PFAS use, say attorneys at Stinson.
5 Most Notable Class Action Standing Cases Of 2023

Key appellate class action decisions this past year continued the trend of a more demanding approach to the threshold issue of standing during each phase of litigation, say attorneys at MoFo.