Environmental

  • June 12, 2024

    SPAC Dealmakers Expect Modest Pickup After Market Bottom

    Market professionals expect a slow pickup in deals involving special-purpose acquisition companies starting in the second half of 2024, predicting on Wednesday that a leaner market will emerge following the recent crash and imposition of tighter regulations.

  • June 12, 2024

    11th Circ. Won't Rehear Ruling In Pratt & Whitney Cancer Case

    The full Eleventh Circuit won't review a panel's affirmation of a jury verdict win for defense contractor Pratt & Whitney that found it had failed to exercise reasonable care when disposing of radioactive materials but also freed it from liability for the pediatric cancer cases that emerged in a Florida neighborhood.

  • June 12, 2024

    'Natural' Toothpaste Brand Loaded With PFAS, Moms Say

    Natural toothpaste company RiseWell LLC falsely advertised its kids toothpaste as "natural" and "safe to swallow," two mothers alleged Tuesday in a proposed class action, saying a U.S. Department of Defense-certified laboratory test found 750 times more "forever chemicals" in the toothpaste than researchers found in heavily tainted kale.

  • June 12, 2024

    Energy Co. Says Specialist Can't Get Arbitration Exemption

    A Houston natural gas company told a Texas appellate court Wednesday that an environmental specialist injured in a pipeline explosion isn't covered by an exemption for interstate commerce work in the Federal Arbitration Act, arguing that allowing him to claim the exemption would be akin to allowing a janitor to do the same.

  • June 12, 2024

    Matador Paying $1.9B For EnCap Delaware Basin Assets

    Dallas-based Matador Resources Co. said Wednesday it has agreed to pay just over $1.9 billion for a subsidiary of the EnCap Investments portfolio company Ameredev II Parent, taking control of oil and natural gas producing properties across the Delaware Basin.

  • June 12, 2024

    EPA Urges DC Circ. To Uphold Chemical Rule Deadline

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday asked the D.C. Circuit to reject a Louisiana-based neoprene manufacturer's bid to immediately block the EPA from enforcing a chemical emissions rule that will directly affect the company.

  • June 11, 2024

    Tyco's $750M PFAS Deal In Foam Co. MDL Gets Initial OK

    A South Carolina federal judge gave his blessing Tuesday to the $750 million settlement Johnson Controls International PLC subsidiary Tyco Fire Products LP entered to resolve public water systems' federal claims that some forever chemicals they detected in their supplies came from firefighting foam it made.

  • June 11, 2024

    SIFMA, Missouri Seek Early End To Anti-ESG Rules Suit

    The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association and Missouri state officials have filed dueling summary judgment bids in SIFMA's suit over the state's anti-ESG rules for brokers and advisers, with SIFMA claiming the rules violate the First Amendment, and both sides painting the issue as a matter of states' rights versus federal preemption.

  • June 11, 2024

    Ariz. Wants To Oppose Its Legislature In Monument Lawsuit

    The state of Arizona wants to intervene in a lawsuit by its Republican House and Senate lawmakers that challenges President Joe Biden's proclamation designating an Indigenous site in the Grand Canyon region a national monument, arguing that the legislative body lacks authority to assert those claims in federal district court.

  • June 11, 2024

    Ore. County Climate Suit Sent To State Court

    An Oregon federal judge sent Multnomah County's climate change lawsuit against Chevron, Exxon Mobil Corp. and other fossil fuel companies back to state court, adopting a magistrate judge's findings rejecting arguments the complaint was fraudulently crafted to evade federal jurisdiction.

  • June 11, 2024

    Smoking Habit Can't Nix Retired Miner's Black Lung Benefits

    The Seventh Circuit on Monday backed a review board's decision to uphold black lung benefits for a retired coal worker who smoked cigarettes through his entire career in the mines, saying it wouldn't second-guess medical findings made at the administrative level.

  • June 11, 2024

    NJ Supreme Court Rejects Bid For Roundup Mass Tort

    The New Jersey Supreme Court has rejected a request for litigation against Monsanto Co. and Bayer AG to be designated as multicounty litigation because there are too few cases, according to a notice to the bar published Monday.

  • June 11, 2024

    Watchdog Says EPA's Lead Exposure Notice Program Lagging

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is not on track to roll out a public warning system for exposure to lead in drinking water by an October deadline, the EPA's internal watchdog said in a new report.

  • June 11, 2024

    DOE Urges DC Circ. To Extinguish Furnace Rule Fight

    The U.S. Department of Energy on Monday defended its tighter energy efficiency standards for furnaces and water heaters, telling the D.C. Circuit that arguments that the new regulations unlawfully force a costly switch to new appliances are meritless.

  • June 11, 2024

    Enviro Suit Says BLM Well Policy Leaves Drilling Unchecked

    An environmental group is suing the Bureau of Land Management to invalidate drilling permits in and around Colorado's Pawnee National Grassland, claiming the agency has given up authority to regulate the surface impacts of certain wells in violation of its federal mandates.

  • June 11, 2024

    Restaurant Owner Seeks $414K For Deductible Overpayment

    The owner of two Florida restaurants is seeking reimbursement of over $400,000, telling a federal district court Tuesday that it overpaid a claim deductible for damage stemming from Hurricane Ian after its insurer misapplied the appropriate endorsement.

  • June 11, 2024

    Greenberg Traurig Adds Environmental Team From Steptoe

    Greenberg Traurig LLP has bolstered its environmental practice with the addition of a shareholder and two assistant directors from Steptoe LLP at its Washington, D.C., office.

  • June 11, 2024

    Singleton Schreiber Adds Tribal And Environmental Law Pro

    Robert O. Saunooke, a citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and previously a solo practitioner, has spent the past 30 years representing the underdog, working pro bono in almost every area of tribal law to protect the rights of Native American tribes across the country.

  • June 11, 2024

    Pepsi Bottling Partner Hit With Pollutant Lawsuit In Mass.

    A Massachusetts environmental advocacy group has followed through on plans to sue a bottler of Pepsi products over alleged violations of the Clean Water Act, but a lawyer for the Conservation Law Foundation says the organization is "optimistic" it will be able to resolve the issue.

  • June 10, 2024

    Calif. Targets Oil Giants' Profits In Amended Climate Suit

    California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday tweaked the state's climate deception suit against Exxon Mobil Corp., Shell, Chevron, ConocoPhillips and BP to also target the oil and gas companies' "illegally obtained" profits under a recently enacted state law.

  • June 10, 2024

    9th Circ. Partially Revives Puget Sound Pollution Row

    The Ninth Circuit sided with an environmental group Monday in a regulation enforcement case against the Port of Tacoma, Washington, partially overturning a lower court to find previous iterations of state stormwater permitting rules do extend across marine cargo terminals and other transportation facilities.

  • June 10, 2024

    Coca-Cola Beats False Ad Claims Of PFAS In Juice, For Now

    Coca-Cola defeated, for now, a proposed false advertising class action alleging its line of Simply Tropical fruit juice contains "forever chemicals," when a New York federal judge said Monday the customer lacks standing because his complaint relies on a single allegation of testing without linking the test result to his purchase.

  • June 10, 2024

    Home Flooding Was Unavoidable, Agency Tells Appeals Court

    A Texas river management agency has told a state appeals court that a group of Houston residents' properties would have flooded regardless of its actions to mitigate Hurricane Harvey's effects, urging the appellate court to overturn a trial court order denying its bid for release from the residents' suit.

  • June 10, 2024

    Judge Sides With Tenants In Legionnaires' Coverage Dispute

    A Kentucky federal court declined to exercise jurisdiction in an insurer's attempt to secure a ruling that coverage isn't available to its landlord-insureds in a $4.5 million underlying state court action in which a tenant alleged that the landlords' negligence caused her to contract Legionnaires' disease.

  • June 10, 2024

    Fishermen Challenge Feds' Gulf Of Mexico Fishing Quotas

    The owners of a family fishing business are fighting the National Marine Fisheries Service's 80% cut to fishing quotas for gag grouper fish in the Gulf of Mexico, claiming the agency doesn't have the ability to lawfully approve the new rule.

Expert Analysis

  • 12 Keys To Successful Post-Trial Juror Interviews

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    Post-trial interviews offer attorneys an avenue to gain valuable insights into juror decision making and get feedback that can inform future litigation strategies, but certain best practices must be followed to get the most out of this research tool, say Alexa Hiley and Brianna Smith at IMS Legal.

  • New TSCA Risk Rule Gives EPA Broad Discretion On Science

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    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent final amendments to its framework for evaluating the risks of chemical substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act give it vast discretion over consideration of scientific information, without objective criteria to guide that discretion, say John McGahren and Debra Carfora at Morgan Lewis.

  • Perspectives

    Trauma-Informed Legal Approaches For Pro Bono Attorneys

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    As National Trauma Awareness Month ends, pro bono attorneys should nevertheless continue to acknowledge the mental and physical effects of trauma, allowing them to better represent clients, and protect themselves from compassion fatigue and burnout, say Katherine Cronin at Stinson and Katharine Manning at Blackbird.

  • Series

    Playing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My deep and passionate involvement in playing, writing and producing music equipped me with skills — like creativity, improvisation and problem-solving — that contribute to the success of my legal career, says attorney Kenneth Greene.

  • Contractors Must Prep For FAR Council GHG Emissions Rule

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    With the U.S. Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council expected to finalize its proposed rule on the disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related financial risk this year, government contractors should take key steps now to get ready, say Thomas Daley at DLA Piper, Steven Rothstein at the Ceres Accelerator for Sustainable Capital Markets, and John Kostyack at Kostyack Strategies.

  • Lessons In High-Profile Jury Selection Amid NY Trump Trial

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    Richard Gabriel and Michelle Rey LaRocca at Decision Analysis consider how media exposure can affect a prospective juror in a high-profile case, the misunderstood nature of bias, and recommendations for jury selection in these unique situations as the Trump hush money trial continues in New York.

  • How Attys Can Avoid Pitfalls When Withdrawing From A Case

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    The Trump campaign's recent scuffle over its bid to replace its counsel in a pregnancy retaliation suit offers a chance to remind attorneys that many troubles inherent in withdrawing from a case can be mitigated or entirely avoided by communicating with clients openly and frequently, says Christopher Konneker at Orsinger Nelson.

  • Opinion

    We Need A Legislative Path To Power Plant Emissions Cuts

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    With the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's newest regulation targeting power plant carbon emissions likely to be overturned by courts or a future administration, it's time for bipartisan legislation to preserve affordable, reliable electricity while substantially decarbonizing the sector by midcentury, say Jeffrey Holmstead at Bracewell and Samuel Thernstrom at the Energy Innovation Reform Project.

  • Using A Children's Book Approach In Firm Marketing Content

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    From “The Giving Tree” to “Where the Wild Things Are,” most children’s books are easy to remember because they use simple words and numbers to tell stories with a human impact — a formula law firms should emulate in their marketing content to stay front of mind for potential clients, says Seema Desai Maglio at The Found Word.

  • The State Of Play In DEI And ESG 1 Year After Harvard Ruling

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    Almost a year after the U.S. Supreme Court decided Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, attorney general scrutiny of environmental, social and governance-related efforts indicates a potential path for corporate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to be targeted, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • How To Use Exhibits Strategically Throughout Your Case

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    Exhibits, and documents in particular, are the lifeblood of legal advocacy, so attorneys must understand how to wield them effectively throughout different stages of a case to help build strategy, elevate witness preparation and effectively persuade the fact-finders, say Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie and Colorado prosecutor Adam Kendall.

  • Opinion

    NEPA Final Rule Unlikely To Speed Clean Energy Projects

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    A recent final rule from the White House Council on Environmental Quality purports to streamline federal environmental reviews to accelerate the construction of renewable energy infrastructure — but it also expands consideration of climate change and environmental justice, creating vast new opportunities for litigation and delay, says Thomas Prevas at Saul Ewing.

  • Tips For Companies Tapping Into Commercial Cleantech

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    A recent report from the European Patent Office and European Investment Bank examining the global financing and commercialization of cleantech innovation necessary for the green energy transition can help companies understand and solve the issues in developing and implementing the full potential of cleantech, says Eleanor Maciver at Mewburn Ellis.

  • Series

    Being An EMT Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While some of my experiences as an emergency medical technician have been unusually painful and searing, the skills I’ve learned — such as triage, empathy and preparedness — are just as useful in my work as a restructuring lawyer, says Marshall Huebner at Davis Polk.

  • 15 Quick Tips For Uncovering And Mitigating Juror Biases

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    As highlighted by the recent jury selection process in the criminal hush money trial against former President Donald Trump, juror bias presents formidable challenges for defendants, and attorneys must employ proactive strategies — both new and old — to blunt its impact, say Monica Delgado and Jonathan Harris at Harris St. Laurent.

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