Environmental

  • May 09, 2025

    States Sue To Nullify Trump's Energy Emergency Order

    States led by Washington and California on Friday challenged President Donald Trump's declaration of a national energy emergency, arguing in a lawsuit that one of his executive orders exceeds presidential authority and directs federal agencies to unlawfully speed up permitting of fossil fuel projects.

  • May 09, 2025

    Renewable Energy SPAC Taps Surging Market For $150M

    EGH Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company targeting energy transition businesses, began trading Friday after raising a $150 million initial public offering, while another SPAC joined the pipeline as new filings continue to rise.

  • May 09, 2025

    EPA Broke Trust Duty In $16M Ovintiv Settlement, Court Told

    A Utah tribe says negotiations between the U.S. government and Ovintiv USA Inc. over a $16 million Clean Air Act consent decree ignored federal protocol and harmed its sovereign interests, telling a federal court that its members will disproportionately suffer from the impacts of energy mineral production.

  • May 09, 2025

    Souter's Clerks Remember Him As Humble, Kind And Caring

    Former clerks of retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter are heartbroken over the death of a man many of them remember more for his conscientiousness, humility, kindness and disdain for the spotlight than for his undeniable brilliance as a jurist.

  • May 09, 2025

    Clients Rely On Enviro Attys' Know-How On Rocky Reg Turf

    The Trump administration's deregulatory agenda, staff reductions and funding threats are creating instability for industries that rely on environmental permits and communities reliant on pollution protections, leading law firms to dig deeper into their wealth of experience to better advocate for clients.

  • May 09, 2025

    Hiker And 'Raconteur': Atty Recalls 50-Year Bond With Souter

    Behind a towering legal legacy was a man who loved to hike mountains, could recall details of things he read decades ago and was always there for those he cared about, a New Hampshire attorney said as he reflected on a lifelong friendship with U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter.

  • May 09, 2025

    A Look At David Souter's Most Significant Opinions

    The retired Justice David Souter defied simple definition, viewed as a staunch conservative until he co-wrote an opinion upholding abortion rights in 1992. He did not hew to partisan lines, but reshaped the civil litigation landscape and took an unexpected stand in an extraordinarily close presidential election.

  • May 09, 2025

    Insurers Urge 1st Circ. To Undo Oil Co. Coverage Ruling

    Insurers for a heating oil company asked the First Circuit to reverse a decision forcing them to defend the company and several executives in a class action alleging damage caused by fuel containing elevated levels of biodiesel, saying the company's "purposeful business choices" do not constitute an occurrence.

  • May 09, 2025

    Justice Souter Was An Unexpected Force Of Moderation

    Justice David Souter, who saw the high court as a moderating force apart from the messiness of politics, subverted the expectations of liberals and conservatives alike during his 19 years on the bench.

  • May 09, 2025

    Taxation With Representation: Paul Weiss, Weil, V&E, Torys

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, 3G Capital takes Skechers private, Sunoco LP buys Parkland Corp., and BCE Inc. and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board launch a wholesale network provider called Network FiberCo.

  • May 09, 2025

    Retired Supreme Court Justice David Souter Dies At 85

    Retired Justice David H. Souter, who served on the U.S. Supreme Court from 1990 to 2009, has died at 85, the court announced Friday. 

  • May 08, 2025

    Feds Urge High Court Not To Take Jury-Right Case

    The government has asked the U.S. Supreme Court not to take up the case of a social media influencer who was denied a jury trial for a misdemeanor, arguing precedent and tradition show that "crimes" meriting a jury are distinct from petty offenses.

  • May 08, 2025

    Colo. Court Sets Next Toxic Tort Bellwether For January

    Two more plaintiffs suing a Colorado medical sterilization company will try their claims that emissions from the company's facility caused their cancer, during a second bellwether trial to begin in January 2026, according to a Colorado state judge's order Thursday.

  • May 08, 2025

    Trump Admin Defends Gov't Restructuring As Lawful

    The Trump administration defended what it says is a lawful executive order looking to reorganize agencies and terminate workers, telling a California federal judge that unions, nonprofits and local governments "waited far too long" to seek a temporary restraining order.

  • May 08, 2025

    10th Circ. Urged To Undo Insurers' Pollution Exclusion Win

    A New Mexico property owner urged the Tenth Circuit to rethink its ruling that separate pollution exclusions in its commercial general liability policies entirely removed two insurers' duty to defend underlying environmental contamination claims, arguing the appeals court overlooked a significant principle under settled New Mexico insurance law.

  • May 08, 2025

    Feds Secure Short-Term Agreements For Colo. River System

    The U.S. Department of the Interior has negotiated the extensions of 18 conservation agreements with stakeholders as part of a plan to conserve water along the Colorado River in California and Arizona.

  • May 08, 2025

    NC Failed To Act On PFAS Pollution, Chemours, EIDP Say

    Arguing that North Carolina knew about forever chemical releases from a manufacturing facility for decades but never acted on that information, two DuPont spinoffs said most of the state's lawsuit over alleged contamination can't proceed.

  • May 08, 2025

    Gotion EV Battery Plant Opponents Meet Skeptical 6th Circ.

    A Sixth Circuit panel appeared unswayed Thursday by the argument that a district court can't order a town to support an electric vehicle battery components factory, though the judges also probed whether the company really faces irreparable harm if its plans don't come to fruition.

  • May 08, 2025

    Milbank Hires King & Spalding Tax Planning Atty In DC

    Milbank LLP has added a former King & Spalding LLP tax attorney as a partner in its global project, energy and infrastructure finance group in Washington, D.C.

  • May 08, 2025

    FERC Says Grid Upgrade Bill For Solar Farm Was Justified

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission defended its decision to affirm a regional transmission operator's assignment of $311 million in upgrade costs for a Texas solar farm to connect to the grid, telling the D.C. Circuit studies of the project's impacts were sound.

  • May 07, 2025

    Ga. Landowner Says Exempt Farm Activities Doom CWA Suit

    Georgia property owners have accused neighbors of polluting streams and lakes on their land while prepping to build a solar farm, but the neighbors this week told a federal judge their actions were for agricultural purposes, which should exempt them from any Clean Water Act claims.

  • May 07, 2025

    Zurich Wants Midtrial Win In Fluor $300M Bad-Faith Case

    Insurer Zurich urged a federal judge Wednesday to find midtrial that former policyholder Fluor has failed to prove up a case for bad-faith refusal to settle regarding a $300 million lead pollution payout, saying there's been no evidence Zurich ever received a proper offer.

  • May 07, 2025

    Sidley-Led Insurer Aspen Leads 2 IPOs Raising $508M Total

    Private equity-backed specialty insurer Aspen Insurance Holdings Ltd., represented by Sidley Austin LLP, on Wednesday raised $397.5 million after pricing an upsized initial public offering, leading one of two insurance listings that netted $507.5 million combined as more companies tiptoe back into the IPO market. 

  • May 07, 2025

    Politics, Tech Issues Top Concerns At Chicago Risk Event

    Insurance and risk professionals around the country gathered in Chicago to discuss potential perils and opportunities for the future, with talks often centering on President Donald Trump's administration, technological developments and statutory reform of the legal system.

  • May 07, 2025

    NC Panel Backs OT Pay For Foresters Who Fought Wildfire

    A North Carolina appeals court largely backed a lower court's wage ruling Wednesday in a 17-year legal battle the Tar Heel State has fought with a group of state foresters about overtime pay they said they were not paid for fighting a 2008 fire.

Expert Analysis

  • Key Insurance Issues Likely To Arise From NY Superfund Law

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    The recently enacted New York Climate Change Superfund Act imposes a massive $75 billion in liabilities on energy companies in the fossil fuel industry, which can be expected to look to their insurers for coverage, raising a slew of coverage issues both old and new, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • How Trump Policies Are Affecting The Right To Repair

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    Recent policy changes by the second Trump administration — ranging from deregulatory initiatives to tariff increases — are likely to have both positive and negative effects on the ability of independent repair shops and individual consumers to exercise their right to repair electronic devices, say attorneys at Carter Ledyard.

  • How Attorneys Can Master The Art Of On-Camera Presence

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    As attorneys are increasingly presented with on-camera opportunities, they can adapt their traditional legal skills for video contexts — such as virtual client meetings, marketing content or media interviews — by understanding the medium and making intentional adjustments, says Kerry Barrett.

  • Series

    Baseball Fantasy Camp Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    With six baseball fantasy experiences under my belt, I've learned time and again that I didn't make the wrong career choice, but I've also learned that baseball lessons are life lessons, and I'm a better lawyer for my time at St. Louis Cardinals fantasy camp, says Scott Felder at Wiley.

  • DOJ Immigration Playbook May Take Cues From A 2017 Case

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    A record criminal resolution with a tree trimming company accused of knowingly employing unauthorized workers in 2017 may provide clues as to how the U.S. Department of Justice’s immigration crackdown will touch American companies, which should prepare now for potential enforcement actions, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • NM Case Shows Power Of Environmental Public Nuisance Law

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    A recent ruling from a New Mexico appeals court finding that a pattern of environmental violations, even without any substantial impact on a nearby community, can trigger nuisance liability — including potential damages and injunctive relief — has important implications for regulated entities in the state, says Kaleb Brooks at Spencer Fane.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From Fed. Prosecutor To BigLaw

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    Making the jump from government to private practice is no small feat, but, based on my experience transitioning to a business-driven environment after 15 years as an assistant U.S. attorney, it can be incredibly rewarding and help you become a more versatile lawyer, says Michael Beckwith at Dickinson Wright.

  • Opinion

    After Fires, Calif. Must Streamline Enviro Reviews For Housing

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    Recent waivers to the California Environmental Quality Act and other laws granted by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to expedite reconstruction of residential property damaged in the Los Angeles wildfires are laudable — but given the state's widespread housing shortage, policymakers should extend the same benefits to other communities, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • State Securities Enforcers May Fill A Federal Enforcement Gap

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission appears poised to take a lighter touch under the new administration, but state enforcement efforts are likely to continue unabated, and potentially even increase, particularly with regard to digital assets and ESG disclosures, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Perfecting Security Interests In Renewable Energy Tax Credits

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    The ability to transfer renewable energy tax credits has created new opportunities for developers, investors and lenders, but it also raises important questions regarding when and how the security interests in these credits are perfected — questions that must be answered definitively to protect credit claims and transactions, says Harry Teichman at Stinson.

  • Firms Still Have Lateral Market Advantage, But Risks Persist

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    Partner and associate mobility data from the fourth quarter of 2024 shows that we’re in a new, stable era of lateral hiring where firms have the edge, but leaders should proceed cautiously, looking beyond expected revenue and compensation analyses for potential risks, say Julie Henson and Greg Hamman at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

  • Opinion

    We Must Allow Judges To Use Their Independent Judgment

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    As two recent cases show, the ability of judges to access their independent judgment crucially enables courts to exercise the discretion needed to reach the right outcome based on the unique facts within the law, says John Siffert at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

  • High Court Water Permit Ruling Lacks Specificity

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    The enforcement impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in San Francisco v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency may not be significant, because while the ruling makes clear that certain water permit provisions must instruct permittees on how to achieve stated goals, it doesn’t clarify the level of necessary instruction, says Daniel Deeb at ArentFox Schiff.

  • The PFAS Causation Question Is Far From Settled

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    In litigation over per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, the general causation question — whether the type of PFAS concerned is actually capable of causing disease — often receives little attention, but the scientific evidence around this issue is far from conclusive, and is a point worth raising by defense counsel, says John Gardella at CMBG3 Law.

  • Series

    Performing Stand-Up Comedy Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Whether I’m delivering a punchline on stage or a closing argument in court, balancing stand-up comedy performances and my legal career has demonstrated that the keys to success in both endeavors include reading the room, landing the right timing and making an impact, says attorney Rebecca Palmer.

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