Environmental

  • March 22, 2024

    Ind. Factory Adds To Historic $112M Bad Faith Coverage Win

    A flooded factory building that was awarded $112 million in a historic bad faith win added to its victory Friday when an Indiana federal court denied its insurers' requests for a new trial and granted the factory more than $7 million in costs and interest.

  • March 22, 2024

    Feds Can't Explain Away Flawed LNG Rule, DC Circ. Told

    Conservation groups and a dozen-plus states are urging the D.C. Circuit to throw out a rule allowing liquefied natural gas to be transported by rail, saying the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration glossed over safety, environmental justice and climate concerns, and now asks for deference it doesn't deserve.

  • March 22, 2024

    IRS Opens Bonus Energy Credits To More Offshore Wind Sites

    The Internal Revenue Service unveiled guidance Friday that would allow more parts of offshore wind facilities to qualify for the bonus production and investment tax credits that provide incentives for clean energy projects being built in so-called energy communities.

  • March 22, 2024

    Push For Camp Lejeune Jury Trials Seen As Long Shot

    The legal strategy to secure jury trials in the massive Camp Lejeune water contamination case hangs on a single phrase in a special law stating "nothing" shall impair such trials, but the plaintiffs' gambit is a long shot because Congress didn't go far enough in creating a framework for such trials against the government.

  • March 22, 2024

    Colo. Water District Illegally Doubled Tax Rate, Panel Says

    A water conservancy district violated the Colorado Constitution when it doubled its property tax rate without voter approval, a state appeals court ruled, reversing a lower court's decision against a proposed class of property owners.

  • March 22, 2024

    DLA Piper Welcomes Energy Attorney To Philly Office

    A transactional attorney specializing in advising clients on renewable energy and sustainability projects has moved her practice from Allen & Overy LLP to DLA Piper's Philadelphia office.

  • March 21, 2024

    FERC Upholds, Clarifies Grid Connection Policy Rewrite

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission affirmed and clarified revised policies finalized last summer that govern how new power projects connect to transmission lines during its monthly meeting Thursday, coinciding with a U.S. Senate committee hearing on President Joe Biden's recent FERC nominations.

  • March 21, 2024

    6th Circ. Skeptical Of Enbridge's Late Pipeline Suit Transfer

    A Sixth Circuit panel questioned how Enbridge Energy LP could move a lawsuit seeking to shut down one of its pipelines to federal court more than two years after it was filed, pressing the company Thursday to justify missing the 30-day cutoff for removals.

  • March 21, 2024

    DC Circ. Mulls Reach Of EPA's Boiler Emission Limits

    A D.C. Circuit panel on Thursday questioned the backward reach of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's updated emissions standards for industrial boilers while appearing amenable to federal regulators' choice of data used to calculate the pollution limits.

  • March 21, 2024

    Feds Defend Congressional Authority To Reduce HFCs

    The EPA is urging the D.C. Circuit to reject coolant industry challenges to a gradual reduction of climate-damaging hydrofluorocarbons, arguing it had a congressional mandate to establish the phase-out and correctly excluded recent years' chemical imports from future quota calculations.

  • March 21, 2024

    Alaska Fails To Remove ESA Protections For Ringed Seals

    An Alaska federal judge on Wednesday rejected the state's effort to eliminate Endangered Species Act protections for Arctic ringed seals.

  • March 21, 2024

    Cos. Push For Held-Up Power Line Through Wildlife Refuge

    Power companies and the U.S. government are asking a Wisconsin federal judge to reject conservation groups' bid to block a land swap allowing the Cardinal-Hickory Creek transmission line to cross the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, with the judge putting any execution of the deal temporarily on hold in advance of a Friday hearing.

  • March 21, 2024

    Exxon Wants Mass. Oil Purchase Docs In Greenwashing Suit

    The Massachusetts attorney general's office told a judge Thursday that Exxon Mobil Corp. is attempting to relitigate already-barred defenses in an alleged "greenwashing" case by seeking documents from at least a dozen state agencies, including ones concerning decisions by those agencies to purchase the energy company's products.

  • March 21, 2024

    DOL Urges 5th Circ. To Back Biden Admin. ESG Investing Rule

    The U.S. Department of Labor urged the Fifth Circuit on Thursday to uphold a rule allowing retirement advisers to consider social issues such as climate change when choosing investments, arguing that conservative states challenging the rule haven't shown it defies federal benefits law.

  • March 21, 2024

    FERC Nominees Carefully Walk Climate Line In Senate Hearing

    Federal Energy Regulatory Commission nominees on Thursday told a U.S. Senate panel that the agency isn't a climate change regulator, but they didn't close the door on FERC ever considering climate impacts in its decision making either.

  • March 21, 2024

    Feds, Green Groups Say Campbell's Is Polluting Lake Erie

    The United States and two environmental groups brought separate complaints on the same day accusing a Campbell's subsidiary of violating the Clean Water Act by polluting Lake Erie and the Maumee River with wastewater from its northwestern Ohio canning facility.

  • March 21, 2024

    8th Circ. Wins SEC Climate Rule Litigation Lottery

    The wave of cases against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently finalized climate disclosure rules will be consolidated and proceed in the Eighth Circuit, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation ordered Thursday, after the agency requested a random draw.

  • March 20, 2024

    Justices Ask How Texas, NM Can Cut Water Deal Without Feds

    U.S. Supreme Court justices on Wednesday questioned whether Texas, New Mexico and Colorado can settle their dispute over Rio Grande water rights without the approval of the federal government — which is arguing the deal could leave the water systems in those states high and dry.

  • March 20, 2024

    Gas Buyers Want Judge Recused From Shale Cartel Suits

    A would-be class of gasoline buyers pursuing antitrust claims against a string of shale oil producers told a Nevada federal judge on Tuesday that her admitted ownership of stock in Exxon Mobil Corp. required her to recuse herself from presiding over the litigation.

  • March 20, 2024

    SEC Proxy Roundup: Verizon, UPS Escape ESG Proposals

    Verizon and UPS may exclude from their proxy statements shareholder proposals on social policy and climate change matters, according to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission staff, who also denied various other requests from corporations looking to escape separate social and politics-related proposals.

  • March 20, 2024

    EU Insurers Warn Regulators Of Gaps In Greenwashing Rules

    European insurers have urged the bloc's insurance and pensions watchdog to be consistent and clear with its greenwashing rules for investment products, pointing to discrepancies between jurisdictions and inconsistencies with other sustainability frameworks.

  • March 20, 2024

    How The Supreme Court Could Narrow Chevron

    After hours of oral argument in a closely watched administrative law case, it appeared that some U.S. Supreme Court justices could be open to limiting the opportunities for lower courts to defer to federal agencies' legal interpretations in disputes over rulemaking — and legal experts said there are a number of ways they could do it.

  • March 20, 2024

    EPA Tightens Auto Emissions Rules But Relaxes Timetable

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday finalized a rule that requires reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from cars, trucks and vans through 2032, although automakers, labor unions and dealers convinced the EPA to relax its timetable.

  • March 20, 2024

    Breaking Down Each State's Climate Priority Policies

    Forty-five states have now completed climate action plans outlining how they'll advance federal climate goals through policy and programs in coming years, with most focusing at least in part on real estate development as a way to reduce emissions.

  • March 20, 2024

    Feds Didn't Consider LNG Rule's Impact On Tribe, Court Told

    The Puyallup Tribe of Indians has fired back at the U.S. Department of Transportation's defense of a rule permitting bulk rail transport of liquefied natural gas, telling the D.C. Circuit the agency failed to engage in meaningful dialogue during the rule's development.

Expert Analysis

  • 10th Circ. Ruling Means More Okla. Oilfield Pollution Litigation

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    By applying Oklahoma's statutory definitions of pollution to a private landowner's claim for negligence for the first time, the Tenth Circuit's recent decision in Lazy S Ranch v. Valero will likely make it harder to obtain summary judgment in oilfield contamination cases, and will lead to more litigation, say attorneys at GableGotwals.

  • How Firms Can Ensure Associate Gender Parity Lasts

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    Among associates, women now outnumber men for the first time, but progress toward gender equality at the top of the legal profession remains glacially slow, and firms must implement time-tested solutions to ensure associates’ gender parity lasts throughout their careers, say Kelly Culhane and Nicole Joseph at Culhane Meadows.

  • How Echoing Techniques Can Derail Witnesses At Deposition

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    Before depositions, defense attorneys must prepare witnesses to recognize covert echoing techniques that may be used by opposing counsel to lower their defenses and elicit sensitive information — potentially leading to nuclear settlements and verdicts, say Bill Kanasky and Steve Wood at Courtroom Sciences.

  • Proposed RCRA Regs For PFAS: What Cos. Must Know

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    Two rules recently proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would lead to more per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances being regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and would increase the frequency and scope of corrective action — so affected industries should prepare for more significant cleanup efforts, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • 7 Common Myths About Lateral Partner Moves

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    As lateral recruiting remains a key factor for law firm growth, partners considering a lateral move should be aware of a few commonly held myths — some of which contain a kernel of truth, and some of which are flat out wrong, says Dave Maurer at Major Lindsey.

  • Proposed Hydrogen Tax Credit Regs May Be Legally Flawed

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    While the recently proposed regulations for the new clean hydrogen production tax credit have been lauded by some in the environmental community, it is unclear whether they are sufficiently grounded in law, result from valid rulemaking processes, or accord with other administrative law principles, say Hunter Johnston and Steven Dixon at Steptoe.

  • Series

    Cheering In The NFL Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Balancing my time between a BigLaw career and my role as an NFL cheerleader has taught me that pursuing your passions outside of work is not a distraction, but rather an opportunity to harness important skills that can positively affect how you approach work and view success in your career, says Rachel Schuster at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Args In APA Case Amplify Justices' Focus On Agency Power

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    In arguments last week in Corner Post v. Federal Reserve, the U.S. Supreme Court justices paid particular importance to the possible ripple effects of their decision, which will address when a facial challenge to long-standing federal rules under the Administrative Procedure Act first accrues and could thus unleash a flood of new lawsuits, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.

  • What Recent Setbacks In Court Mean For Enviro Justice

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    Two courts in Louisiana last month limited the federal government's ability to require consideration of Civil Rights Act disparate impacts when evaluating state-issued permits — likely providing a framework for opposition to environmental justice initiatives in other states, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • New Hydrogen Regulations Show The Need For IP Protections

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    The introduction of hydrogen regulations, such as the IRS' proposed tax credit for clean hydrogen under the Inflation Reduction Act, are reshaping the competitive landscape, with intellectual property rights an area of increased emphasis, say Evan Glass and James De Vellis at Foley & Lardner.

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: Gulf Cooperation Council

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    The Gulf Cooperation Council is in the early stages of ESG policy implementation, but recent commitments by both states and corporations — including increases in sustainable finance transactions, environmental commitments, female representation on boards and human rights enforcement — show continuing progress toward broader ESG goals, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • 6 Pointers For Attys To Build Trust, Credibility On Social Media

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    In an era of information overload, attorneys can use social media strategically — from making infographics to leveraging targeted advertising — to cut through the noise and establish a reputation among current and potential clients, says Marly Broudie at SocialEyes Communications.

  • Why Biz Groups Disagree On Ending Chevron Deference

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    Two amicus briefs filed in advance of last month's U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo highlight contrasting views on whether the doctrine of Chevron deference promotes or undermines the stable regulatory environment that businesses require, say Wyatt Kendall and Sydney Brogden at Morris Manning.

  • A Look Ahead For The Electric Vehicle Charging Industry

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    This will likely be an eventful year for the electric vehicle market as government efforts to accelerate their adoption inevitably clash with backlash from supporters of the petroleum industry, say Rue Phillips at SkillFusion and Enid Joffe at Green Paradigm Consulting.

  • A Post-Mortem Analysis Of Stroock's Demise

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    After the dissolution of 147-year-old firm Stroock late last year shook up the legal world, a post-mortem analysis of the data reveals a long list of warning signs preceding the firm’s collapse — and provides some insight into how other firms might avoid the same disastrous fate, says Craig Savitzky at Leopard Solutions.

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