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Environmental
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May 07, 2024
Venable Trade Co-Chair Shares Hot Takes On US Steel-Nippon
Back in December, Venable LLP partner Ashley Craig, co-chair of the firm's international trade group, spoke with Law360 just after U.S. Steel disclosed its agreement to be sold to Nippon Steel. Now, he shares his thoughts on the latest developments, including the White House coming out forcefully against the deal and the U.S. Department of Justice launching a probe into it.
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May 07, 2024
PolyMet Land Swap Discovery Order Paused, For Now
PolyMet Mining doesn't have to produce information it had previously withheld in a Minnesota tribe's challenge to undo a land swap, a federal district court determined after the company asked for emergency relief to avoid any potential harm it said could come from wrongfully disclosing privileged documentation.
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May 07, 2024
Contract's 1-Year Limit Doesn't Block NC Mold Claims
A North Carolina appeals court on Tuesday reinstated a couple's suit against a contractor they say failed to remediate water and mold damage in their house, saying the trial court was wrong to find that the contract's one-year limitation on claims applied to the state's Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
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May 07, 2024
Colo. House OKs Conservation Easement Tax Break Extension
Colorado would extend its conservation easement tax credit through 2031 and raise its statewide annual cap on available credits under legislation approved Tuesday by the state House of Representatives.
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May 07, 2024
Georgia Wants Green Groups' Feral Horses Suit Tossed
The state of Georgia on Monday urged a federal judge to throw out a lawsuit brought by conservation groups who want state and federal authorities to remove feral horses they say are running rampant and endangering wildlife on Cumberland Island.
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May 07, 2024
Shell Violated Order By Refusing Docs, Enviro Group Says
Shell Oil Co. violated a federal court order and civil procedure rules by raising "artificially restrictive and hypertechnical interpretations" of discovery demands in a Conservation Law Foundation Inc. lawsuit over the petroleum producer's preparedness for floods, the environmental watchdog group has told a Connecticut judge.
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May 07, 2024
Faegre Drinker Adds Business, Environmental Litigators In Pa.
Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP expanded its Philadelphia office this week with the addition of two partners whose practices specialize in commercial and securities litigation and environmental law.
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May 07, 2024
Energy Dept. Says Red States Can't Block LNG Export Pause
The U.S. Department of Energy has asked a Louisiana federal judge to toss a group of Republican-led states' lawsuit challenging a pause on reviewing applications to export liquefied natural gas to non-free trade agreement countries, saying the states have created a "false narrative" about the move.
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May 07, 2024
DC Circ. Boots Retired EPA Director's Age Bias Suit
The D.C. Circuit declined Tuesday to revive a suit from a retired U.S. Environmental Protection Agency director who said she was pushed into a junior role to make way for younger workers, finding she couldn't pursue the case because she didn't lose benefits or pay.
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May 06, 2024
New EPA Policy Could Increase Criminal Enforcement
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has rolled out a new policy intended to foster communication and coordination between its civil and criminal enforcement offices, a move experts say could result in an increase in criminal investigations and cases.
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May 06, 2024
US Thrashes Mexico's 'Inaccurate' Portrayal Of GMO Corn
The United States has responded to Mexico's ban on imports of genetically modified corn, calling its portrayal of the risks of such crops an unscientific and "inaccurate" description as well as a violation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
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May 06, 2024
Tribes, Groups Seek 9th Circ. Stay In Power Line Ruling
Two Native American tribes and conservation groups are asking the Ninth Circuit for a stay on an order that allows work to continue on a $10 billion power line, saying that without an emergency injunction, SunZia Transmission LLC will race to finish erecting its remaining towers before an appeal can be resolved.
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May 06, 2024
Cabot Settles Investor Suit Over Groundwater Pollution Claims
Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. and a class of investors have reached a settlement resolving allegations the company misrepresented its environmental regulatory compliance before faulty gas wells polluted Pennsylvania's water supplies.
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May 06, 2024
EPA Finalizes Methane Reporting Regs For Oil And Gas Cos.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday finalized revisions of its Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program regulations for the oil and gas sector, the latest step taken by the Biden administration to clamp down on methane emissions from the industry.
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May 06, 2024
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
A record $100 million settlement, a fishy Facebook decision, a canceled Amazon delivery and an upended $7.3 billion sale dispute topped the news out of Delaware's Court of Chancery last week. There were also new cases involving Hess, Microsoft and the 2022 World Cup.
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May 06, 2024
Feds Agree To Terminate Pipeline's Right-Of-Way Permit
A New York federal judge has paused litigation between the Tonawanda Seneca Nation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for 75 days while the agency terminates a right-of-way permit for a wastewater pipeline, saying it is "in the interest of judicial economy" and recognizing the tribe's concerns.
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May 06, 2024
AIG Unit Will Arbitrate $20M Botched Tunnel Project Claims
An AIG unit agreed to go to arbitration with a Michigan county's water resources agency and sewage disposal system over their claims they incurred more than $20 million in damages due to a design contractor's faulty work on a tunnel project.
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May 06, 2024
Texas Says EPA Methane Rule Would Burden Regulators
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's director of the Office of Air told the D.C. Circuit that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has grossly underestimated the cost of complying with its expanded methane emissions control requirements, and should therefore pause the rule's implementation.
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May 06, 2024
3 Firms Build $6.2B Take-Private Sale Of Allete Energy Biz
A consortium of buyers led by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Global Infrastructure Partners unveiled plans Monday to buy and take private Minnesota-based energy company Allete Inc., in a $6.2 billion deal put together by at least three firms.
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May 06, 2024
Battery Startup Ambri Hits Ch. 11 With Lender Sale Plans
Massachusetts battery developer Ambri Inc. filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware with over $50 million in liabilities and a credit bid stalking horse offer from a group of secured noteholders after fundraising efforts last year fell short.
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May 03, 2024
9th Circ. Orders 2nd Look At Stay In PG&E Wildfire Suit
The Ninth Circuit on Friday told a lower court to reconsider its order staying claims PG&E investors brought against officers, directors and others over wildfire liability, saying more factors should have been considered before the stay was granted.
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May 03, 2024
Navajo Ask Biden To Stop Uranium Movement On Tribal Lands
The Navajo Nation's government leaders are calling on President Joe Biden to halt the transport of uranium ore across the tribe's reservation lands, arguing that the practice disregards its laws and threatens its territorial integrity and sovereignty.
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May 03, 2024
Nikola Ends Board Takeover Suit As Ex-CEO's Noms Withdraw
An Arizona federal judge on Thursday agreed to toss Nikola Corp.'s complaint against its former CEO and convicted felon Trevor Milton and several others accusing them of an illegal board takeover by pushing unqualified candidates, after the defendants withdrew their board nominees and the parties amicably resolved the dispute.
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May 03, 2024
Fed Bill Will Give Ga. Its First Nat'l Park, Protect Burial Lands
Georgia congressional lawmakers have introduced bipartisan legislation that would establish the Peach State's first national park, upgrading the site from its national monument status while also offering protections for more Native American burial mounds.
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May 03, 2024
Fla. Business Groups Line Up Behind State In CWA Permit War
A coalition of national companies and Florida-based business groups is weighing in on behalf of the state in its battle to convince the D.C. Circuit to stay a lower court's ruling that stripped it of the authority to administer a Clean Water Act program.
Expert Analysis
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Risks Of Nonmutual Offensive Collateral Estoppel In MDLs
After the Supreme Court declined to review the Sixth Circuit's ruling in the E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. personal injury litigation, nonmutual offensive collateral estoppel could show up in more MDLs, and transform the loss of a single MDL bellwether trial into a de facto classwide decision that binds thousands of other MDL cases, say Chantale Fiebig and Luke Sullivan at Weil Gotshal.
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What Recent Study Shows About AI's Promise For Legal Tasks
Amid both skepticism and excitement about the promise of generative artificial intelligence in legal contexts, the first randomized controlled trial studying its impact on basic lawyering tasks shows mixed but promising results, and underscores the need for attorneys to proactively engage with AI, says Daniel Schwarcz at University of Minnesota Law School.
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5 Things Trial Attorneys Can Learn From Good Teachers
Jennifer Cuculich at IMS Legal Strategies recounts lessons she learned during her time as a math teacher that can help trial attorneys connect with jurors, from the importance of framing core issues to the incorporation of different learning styles.
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Legal Considerations For Circular Economy Strategies
As circular economy goals — generating revenue at multiple points in a product's life cycle — become nearly ubiquitous in corporate sustainability practices, companies should reassess existing strategies by focusing on government incentives, regulations, and reporting and disclosure requirements, say Rachel Saltzman and Erin Grisby at Hunton.
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SEC's Final Climate Disclosure Rules: What Cos. Must Know
While the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's scaled-back final rules requiring public companies to disclose certain climate-related information still face challenges in court, companies should begin preparing now to comply with the rules, say Celia Soehner and Erin Martin at Morgan Lewis.
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Caremark 2.0 Lends Shareholders Agency Against Polluters
The Caremark doctrine has been liberalized by recent Delaware court decisions into what some have termed a 2.0 version, making derivative cases against corporations far more plausible and invigorating oversight duty on environmental risks like toxic spills and air pollution, say Joshua Margolin and Sean Goldman-Hunt at Selendy Gay.
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Preempting Bottled Water Microplastics Fraud Claims
Food products like bottled water are increasingly likely to be targets of consumer fraud complaints due to alleged microplastics contamination — but depending on the labeling or advertising at issue, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act can provide a powerful preemption defense, say Tariq Naeem and Brenda Sweet at Tucker Ellis.
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Wildfire Challenges For Utility Investors: Regs And Financing
For investors in public utilities, wildfire liability considerations include not only regulatory complexities, but also bankruptcy claims resolution, financing judgments and settlements, and how to leverage organizational structures to maximize investment protections, say David Botter and Lisa Schweitzer at Cleary.
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Business Litigators Have A Source Of Untapped Fulfillment
As increasing numbers of attorneys struggle with stress and mental health issues, business litigators can find protection against burnout by remembering their important role in society — because fulfillment in one’s work isn’t just reserved for public interest lawyers, say Bennett Rawicki and Peter Bigelow at Hilgers Graben.
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Wildfire Challenges For Utility Investors: Liability Theories
The greater frequency and scale of wildfires in the last several years have created operational and fiscal challenges for electric utility companies, including new theories of liability and unique operational and risk management considerations — all of which must be carefully considered by utility investors, say David Botter and Lisa Schweitzer at Cleary.
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5 Ways To Hone Deposition Skills And Improve Results
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Depositions must never be taken for granted in the preparations needed to win a dispositive motion or a trial, and five best practices, including knowing when to hire a videographer, can significantly improve outcomes, says James Argionis at Cozen O'Connor.
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Series
Skiing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
A lifetime of skiing has helped me develop important professional skills, and taught me that embracing challenges with a spirit of adventure can allow lawyers to push boundaries, expand their capabilities and ultimately excel in their careers, says Andrea Przybysz at Tucker Ellis.
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Bid Protest Spotlight: Conflict, Latent Ambiguity, Cost Realism
In this month's bid protest roundup, Markus Speidel at MoFo examines a trio of U.S. Government Accountability Office decisions with takeaways about the consequences of a teaming partner's organizational conflict of interest, a solicitation's latent ambiguity and an unreasonable agency cost adjustment.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Forget Everything You Know About IRAC
The mode of legal reasoning most students learn in law school, often called “Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion,” or IRAC, erroneously frames analysis as a separate, discrete step, resulting in disorganized briefs and untold obfuscation — but the fix is pretty simple, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Recent Rulings Add Dimension To Justices' Maui Decision
The U.S. Supreme Court's 2020 decision in County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund established new factual criteria for determining when the Clean Water Act applies to groundwater — and recent decisions from the Ninth and Tenth Circuits have clarified how litigants can make use of the Maui standard, says Steven Hoch at Clark Hill.