Environmental

  • December 10, 2025

    Feds Fight Bid To Reopen Years-Old Montana Bison Dispute

    The federal government is fighting a motion by a neighborhood group to reopen a six-year-old dispute over a Yellowstone National Park bison management operation plan for additional environmental review, telling a Montana court that the decisions and documents challenged in the case are no longer operative.

  • December 09, 2025

    Smucker Pet Food Buyers Near Cert. In PFAS Disclosure Fight

    A California federal judge said Tuesday he's inclined to certify a class of consumers who allege The J.M. Smucker Co. failed to disclose risks of so-called PFAS forever chemicals in pet-food packaging contaminating kibble, telling counsel during a hearing that many issues Smucker raises "are better addressed on the merits."

  • December 09, 2025

    Florida Bill Seeks To Shield Landowners From Pollution Suits

    A Florida lawmaker has introduced a bill that would add hurdles to those looking to sue over pollution damages caused by old phosphate mines, giving property owners a new defense to avoid strict liability claims.

  • December 09, 2025

    FERC's Fate Uncertain As Humphrey's Executor Teeters

    The future of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission may hinge on whether the U.S. Supreme Court will remake its 90-year-old precedent that protects members of independent agencies from being fired at will by the president.

  • December 09, 2025

    NJ Slams Town's Bid To 'Unilaterally Rewrite' PFAS Deal

    New Jersey has slammed a bid by Carneys Point Township to intervene in the state's federal suit against Chemours and other companies over PFAS contamination, saying the township shouldn't be allowed to "rewrite" the terms of the deal.

  • December 09, 2025

    Cummins Investors Ink $1.6M Deal Over Emissions Fraud Suit

    Engine manufacturer Cummins Inc. and its investors asked an Indiana federal court to approve a $1.6 million deal that will end claims that the company hurt investors by hiding emissions control devices in certain engines, causing it to owe $2 billion in payments to regulators to settle Clean Air Act claims.

  • December 09, 2025

    Latham Adds Energy Ace From Kirkland In Houston

    Latham & Watkins LLP has strengthened its mergers and acquisitions and private equity practice with a Houston-based partner who came aboard after more than a decade with Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

  • December 08, 2025

    Trump's 'Unlawful' Freeze Of Wind Projects Gets Blocked

    A Massachusetts federal judge Monday blocked President Donald Trump's executive order indefinitely pausing permits for wind farm projects, ruling that the order was arbitrary and capricious and contrary to the law.

  • December 08, 2025

    11th Circ. Vacates Benefits Ruling In Black Lung Case

    The Eleventh Circuit on Monday vacated a ruling that awarded survivors benefits to the widow of a railroad engineer who died after yearslong exposure to coal dust, finding the U.S. Department of Labor review board wrongly determined that a preparation plant was part of an underground coal mine. 

  • December 08, 2025

    What To Do When Jurors Don't 'Trust The Science'

    The pandemic and initiatives from the second administration of President Donald Trump challenging decades of established scientific norms have made science more politicized, and attorneys say picking a jury and presenting scientific evidence is increasingly challenging.

  • December 08, 2025

    Court Remands Malaysian Wind Tower Duties For Details

    The U.S. Department of Commerce must detail certain decisions in a countervailing duty administrative review of a Malaysian utility wind tower producer, according to a Court of International Trade opinion that partially remanded the government's determination for further explanation.

  • December 08, 2025

    3 Firms Advise Antero Natural Gas Asset Buy From HG Energy

    With Vinson & Elkins LLP, Latham & Watkins LLP and Kirkland & Ellis LLP advising, natural gas company Antero Resources Corp. announced an expansion Monday by paying $2.8 billion for assets from HG Energy, while an affiliate reached a separate $1.1 billion acquisition deal with the privately held company.

  • December 08, 2025

    EPA Asks Judge To Let Solar Energy Funding Cuts Stand

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency told a Washington federal district court that its decision to freeze funding for a low-income solar energy program should stand while states pursue a lawsuit to free up the money.

  • December 08, 2025

    Mosaic Says 'Radioactive' Road Done, Legal Challenge Moot

    A Florida fertilizer producer asked the Eleventh Circuit to toss a lawsuit challenging a new roadway on its property using radioactive materials, arguing the court cannot provide any remediation or relief for a road it already constructed.

  • December 08, 2025

    Calif. Tribe Looks To Nix Suits Against $700M Casino Approval

    A California tribe is asking a D.C. federal court to dismiss three challenges to a U.S. Department of the Interior decision to place 160 acres into trust for its $700 million hotel and casino project, arguing that the consequences of denying its intervention in the litigation would be "grave and severe."

  • December 08, 2025

    Feds Ordered To Start Turning Over Climate Panel Documents

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Monday ordered the Trump administration to begin complying with a request by two environmental advocacy groups for records of an ad hoc panel convened by the U.S. Department of Energy, ahead of an anticipated decision to vacate a 2009 finding that greenhouse gases are endangering human health.

  • December 08, 2025

    EPA Wants Suit Over Refiners' Hydrogen Fluoride Use Tossed

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency asked a California federal judge to throw out a suit aiming to force it to stop oil refineries from using hydrogen fluoride, saying the groups behind it rely on speculative hypotheticals to allege harm.

  • December 05, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Questions Whether Ingevity Can Duck $85M Verdict

    The Federal Circuit spent Friday morning debating whether Ingevity Corp.'s argument that it should be immune from an $85 million antitrust verdict holds water because the chemical and carbon product maker thought it was enforcing its patent rights, even though the jury said it was illegal tying.

  • December 05, 2025

    Ex-Derailment Deal Admin Faces Irked Judge In Contempt Bid

    The ex-administrator of Norfolk Southern's $600 million settlement over the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment met skepticism as it admitted to a federal judge Friday that it had made some mistakes in distributing funds, but denied class counsel's key contention that $120 million for personal injury claims had to be divided evenly among all the claimants.

  • December 05, 2025

    Nuclear Waste Storage Worries Too Hypothetical, Justices Told

    A company licensed to temporarily store nuclear waste urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reject a challenge to a condition in its license application to contract with the U.S. Department of Energy once Congress allows it.

  • December 05, 2025

    6th Circ. Partially Overturns EPA's Detroit Ozone Ruling

    The Sixth Circuit reversed a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency determination that the Detroit area meets federal air quality standards, ruling Friday that the state of Michigan failed to implement federally required air pollution controls.

  • December 05, 2025

    Jet Fuel Leak Sparks $2M Suit Against Air Force

    A California general contractor hired to perform drainage work at Travis Air Force Base is seeking $2.17 million over the alleged retaliatory termination of its contract after the business reported the military's discharge of jet fuel into Union Creek.

  • December 05, 2025

    Energy Dept. Defends $7.5B Grant Cuts In Political Bias Case

    The U.S. Department of Energy has urged a federal judge in Washington not to block its termination of energy project grants worth more than $7.5 billion, arguing there is no merit to claims alleging the federal government unconstitutionally targeted funds for Democratic-leaning states.

  • December 05, 2025

    Berry Grower Sues Norfolk Southern Over Drifting Weed Killer

    Toxic herbicides sprayed along sections of Norfolk Southern Railroad Co. track in Georgia are drifting into a commercial blueberry grower's adjacent property and damaging its crops, the grower said in a new federal suit. 

  • December 05, 2025

    Legislation Targets Reversal Of Oak Flat Land Transfer In Ariz.

    An Arizona congressional representative is carrying on her father's initiative to repeal a 2014 National Defense Authorization Act rider that transfers more than 2,422 acres to a copper mining company while litigation to block the move continues to play out in the Ninth Circuit.

Expert Analysis

  • Agentic AI Puts A New Twist On Attorney Ethics Obligations

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    As lawyers increasingly use autonomous artificial intelligence agents, disciplinary authorities must decide whether attorney responsibility for an AI-caused legal ethics violation is personal or supervisory, and firms must enact strong policies regarding agentic AI use and supervision, says Grace Wynn at HWG.

  • Resilience Planning Is New Key To Corporate Sustainability

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    While the current wave of deregulation may reduce government enforcement related to climate issues, businesses still need to evaluate how climate volatility may affect their operations and create new legal risks — making the apolitical concept of resilience increasingly important for companies, says J. Michael Showalter at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Cos. Face EU, US Regulatory Tension On Many Fronts

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    When the European Union sets stringent standards, companies seeking to operate in the international marketplace must conform to them, or else concede opportunities — but with the current U.S. administration pushing hard to roll back regulations, global companies face an increasing tension over which standards to follow, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • How EU Is Tweaking Enviro Laws After US Trade Deal

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    While a recent joint statement from the European Union and the U.S. in the wake of their trade deal does not mention special treatment for U.S. companies, the EU's ongoing commitment to streamline its sustainability legislation suggests an openness to addressing concerns raised by the U.S., say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Series

    Being A Professional Wrestler Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Pursuing my childhood dream of being a professional wrestler has taught me important legal career lessons about communication, adaptability, oral advocacy and professionalism, says Christopher Freiberg at Midwest Disability.

  • Restored Charging Project Funds Revive Hope For EV Market

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    While 2025 began with a host of government actions that prompted some to predict the demise of the U.S. electric vehicle market, the Trump administration's recent restoration of federal funding for EV charging infrastructure under new terms presents market participants with reason for optimism, says Levi McAllister at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Adapting To The Age Of AI

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    Though law school may not have specifically taught us how to use generative artificial intelligence to help with our daily legal tasks, it did provide us the mental building blocks necessary for adapting to this new technology — and the judgment to discern what shouldn’t be automated, says Pamela Dorian at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Ch. 11 Ruling Voiding $2M Litigation Funding Sends A Warning

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    A recent Texas bankruptcy court decision that a postconfirmation litigation trust has no obligations to repay a completely drawn down $2 million litigation funding agreement serves as a warning for estate administrators and funders to properly disclose the intended financing, say attorneys at Kleinberg Kaplan.

  • Demystifying The Civil Procedure Rules Amendment Process

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    Every year, an advisory committee receives dozens of proposals to amend the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, most of which are never adopted — but a few pointers can help maximize the likelihood that an amendment will be adopted, says Josh Gardner at DLA Piper.

  • Parenting Skills That Can Help Lawyers Thrive Professionally

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    As kids head back to school, the time is ripe for lawyers who are parents to consider how they can incorporate their parenting skills to build a deep, meaningful and sustainable legal practice, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Series

    Teaching Trial Advocacy Makes Us Better Lawyers

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    Teaching trial advocacy skills to other lawyers makes us better litigators because it makes us question our default methods, connect to young attorneys with new perspectives and focus on the needs of the real people at the heart of every trial, say Reuben Guttman, Veronica Finkelstein and Joleen Youngers.

  • Navigating Brazil's Regulations, Incentives For Green Projects

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    Brazil's evolving environmental regulatory framework and ongoing moves to attract international capital for climate-focused projects may appeal to U.S.-based companies and investors interested in sustainable development — but taking advantage of these opportunities requires careful planning and meaningful stakeholder engagement, says Milena Angulo at Guimarães.

  • Federal AI Action Plan Marks A Shift For Health And Bio Fields

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    The Trump administration's recent artificial intelligence action plan significantly expands federal commitments across biomedical agencies, defining a pivotal moment for attorneys and others involved in research collaborations, managing regulatory compliance and AI-related intellectual property, says Mehrin Masud-Elias at Arnold & Porter.

  • Data Center Construction Trends, Challenges In Ill. And Texas

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    Data centers in Illinois and Texas are reshaping the industrial landscape, but this growth brings legal complexity, so developers, contractors and corporate legal departments must have a deep understanding of each state's legal terrain and take a proactive approach to risk management, say attorneys at Hicks Johnson.

  • 5 Key Steps To Prepare For Oral Arguments

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    Whether presenting oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court or a local county judge, effective preparation includes the same essential ingredients, from organizing arguments in blocks to maximizing the potential of mock exercises, says Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie.

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