Environmental

  • September 16, 2025

    US Asks Court To Sink Vermont Climate Superfund Law

    The Trump administration, Republican-led states and business groups including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and American Petroleum Institute on Monday asked a Vermont federal court to kill the state's climate Superfund law.

  • September 16, 2025

    Plant Bailout Cost Approvals Were Premature, FERC Told

    Environmental and consumer advocates say the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission jumped the gun in approving plans to charge power consumers for the continued operation of retiring power plants that the Trump administration has controversially ordered to remain open.

  • September 16, 2025

    Feds Oppose Sierra Club's Bid To Freeze $50M In Border Funds

    The Trump administration told a California federal court Monday that forcing it to honor a settlement agreement between the Sierra Club and the Biden administration to use $50 million in border security funds on environmental projects would place the government between two conflicting court orders.

  • September 16, 2025

    Order Halting Ørsted Wind Project Is Valid, Trump Admin Says

    The Trump administration has told a D.C. federal judge that its challenged decision to halt work on an approved and nearly completed offshore wind farm in New England stands on firm legal ground and should not be overturned.

  • September 16, 2025

    Insurer Must Arbitrate Chemical Injury Coverage Dispute

    An insurer must arbitrate its dispute with a homeowners association over coverage for underlying suits claiming that the association's pool contractor allowed hazardous chemicals to spread and injure patrons, a Virginia federal court ruled, finding that the policy's nonbinding arbitration agreement is enforceable under state law.

  • September 16, 2025

    Environmental Groups Say Gov't Won't Share Climate Docs

    Environmental groups have told a Massachusetts federal judge that the Trump administration isn't following his suggestion that it turn over materials related to the work of an advisory panel recommending reversal of the government's position that greenhouse gases are dangerous.

  • September 15, 2025

    FAA, SpaceX Get Early Win In Starship Enviro Review Suit

    A D.C. federal judge Monday handed a win to the Federal Aviation Administration and SpaceX in litigation alleging they failed to complete an adequate environmental review for SpaceX's Starship rocket launch program, ruling that the analysis was "perhaps imperfect" but ultimately well reasoned.

  • September 15, 2025

    Insurer Asks Court To Deny Fla. Tree Co.'s Coverage After Fire

    An Ohio-based insurance company filed a lawsuit against a tree service and a funeral services business in Florida federal court, saying that it should not have to defend the company that was sued over cutting down the tree that caused a fire and resulted in $2 million in damage. 

  • September 15, 2025

    Environmental Rules On Chopping Block For Gov't Contractors

    The General Services Administration and Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council truncated their regulatory agendas, stripping rules aimed at minimizing forever chemicals and greenhouse gas emissions in government contracting, as part of the Trump administration's deregulatory program. Here, Law360 takes a look at the regulatory priorities for the two agencies.

  • September 15, 2025

    11th Circ. Told Fla. 'Radioactive' Road Suit Must Be Tossed

    The U.S. government and a fertilizer producer urged the Eleventh Circuit to toss an environmental nonprofit's challenge to the use of radioactive phosphogypsum on a private roadway, arguing the nonprofit lacks standing. 

  • September 15, 2025

    FERC Abandons Push To Update Pipeline Review Policy

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has ended its long-gestating proceeding aimed at updating its gas infrastructure approval policy, saying the policy the agency initially enacted in 1999 remains sound.

  • September 15, 2025

    Campbell's Soup Admits To Thousands Of Lake Erie Violations

    The Campbell's Soup Co. on Monday admitted to the federal government's and environmental groups' allegations that it violated a Clean Water Act permit more than 5,000 times at its Lake Erie facility, leaving only its penalty to be decided.

  • September 15, 2025

    Energy Trader Tries To Sink CFTC Spoofing Case

    An energy trading firm and its owner asked an Illinois federal judge on Friday to grant summary judgment on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission's allegations they manipulated the crude oil market, saying the agency has put forward no evidence the owner intended to cancel the futures orders in question when he placed them.

  • September 15, 2025

    Stop & Shop Says Too Late To Swap Plaintiff In Wipes Suit

    Stop & Shop on Monday urged a Massachusetts federal court to deny a bid to substitute new plaintiffs in a suit alleging its flushable wipes are not flushable as advertised, saying the plaintiff hasn't shown good cause for the change 14 months after the amendment deadline.

  • September 15, 2025

    Utilities Slam EPA's Lead Water Rule As Too Broad, Rushed

    Drinking water utilities have told the D.C. Circuit that the federal government's 2024 rule ordering the removal of lead service lines imposes unreasonably burdensome compliance requirements, and they urged the court to strike it down.

  • September 15, 2025

    Charleston SC Not Appealing Dismissal Of Climate Suit

    Charleston, South Carolina, has ended its pursuit of climate change-related infrastructure damages from fossil fuel companies, electing not to appeal a state judge's dismissal of the city's lawsuit last month.

  • September 15, 2025

    EPA Backs Off Drinking Water Regs For 4 PFAS

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has asked the D.C. Circuit to vacate part of its rule setting drinking water standards for certain forever chemicals, saying it now believes that those shouldn't have been included in a Biden-era rule.

  • September 15, 2025

    9th Circ. Says Ore. Water Rights Case Is Still Relevant

    The Ninth Circuit won't dismiss the Klamath Irrigation District's appeal over water releases from an Oregon lake as moot, saying a decision would provide relief by affecting how the scarce resource is allocated regardless of the federal government's new position on the application of the Endangered Species Act.

  • September 12, 2025

    8th Circ. Pauses Challenges To Abandoned Climate Regs

    The Eighth Circuit on Friday said it would wait to rule on challenges to Biden-era climate disclosure rules that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has said it will no longer defend, giving the regulator time to decide what it wants to do with the rules.

  • September 12, 2025

    DOJ Says States Can't Reverse Grant Cuts In OMB Reg Fight

    The Trump administration urged a Massachusetts federal judge to throw out a suit brought by a score of states accusing it of misinterpreting an Office of Management and Budget regulation to slash thousands of grants, arguing they must seek relief in another forum.

  • September 12, 2025

    States, Tribes Say New Policy Warrants Ore. Dam Case Restart

    An Oregon federal judge granted a joint motion by two states, environmental groups and tribes to lift a five-year stay in a lawsuit over Columbia River Basin dams' hydropower practices and attempts to restore fisheries, following a Trump administration memo revoking a basin agreement.

  • September 12, 2025

    EPA To Spike Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday proposed repealing a 15-year-old program that requires power plants, fossil fuel and natural gas suppliers, and other facilities to report their greenhouse gas emissions, which the EPA said would save companies money.

  • September 12, 2025

    Liberty Wins Defense Reimbursement In Crane Damage Row

    A subcontractor's insurer must reimburse a Liberty Mutual unit for roughly $477,000 in defense costs stemming from settled litigation over property damage from an unsecured crane, a New York federal court ruled Friday, finding that a self-insured retention only applied with respect to the subcontractor.

  • September 12, 2025

    Chem Industry's Goals For Toxic Substance Law Face Hurdles

    The chemical industry is pushing to overhaul a federal toxic substances law to accelerate the approval of new products, but narrow party margins in Congress, compromises built into the law and environmental groups' opposition weigh heavily against them.

  • September 12, 2025

    Trump Admin Asks Justices To Shut Down Climate Torts

    The Trump administration has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to put an end to climate change lawsuits brought by state and local governments against fossil fuel companies, arguing that such suits are barred by both the U.S. Constitution and Clean Air Act.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Preparing For Corporate Work

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    Law school often doesn't cover the business strategy, financial fluency and negotiation skills needed for a successful corporate or transactional law practice, but there are practical ways to gain relevant experience and achieve the mindset shifts critical to a thriving career in this space, says Dakota Forsyth at Olshan Frome.

  • Strategies To Help Witnesses Manage Deposition Anxiety

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    During and leading up to deposition, witnesses may experience anxiety stemming from numerous sources and manifesting in a variety of ways, but attorneys can help them mitigate their stress using a few key methods, say consultants at Courtroom Sciences.

  • How Cos. Can Mitigate Increasing Microplastics Liability Risk

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    Amid rising scrutiny in the U.S. and Europe of microplastics' impact on health and the growing threat of litigation against consumer product and food and beverage manufacturers, companies can limit liability through compliance with labeling laws, careful contract management and other practices, say attorneys at Rogers Joseph.

  • Strategizing For Renewable Energy Project Success In Texas

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    The Electric Reliability Council of Texas has long been a key market for renewable energy projects, but rising financial and regulatory uncertainty means that developers and investors must prepare for inflation and policy risks, secure robust insurance coverage, and leverage tax equity transferability to ensure success, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • A Cold War-Era History Lesson On Due Process

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    The landmark Harry Bridges case from the mid-20th century Red Scare offers important insights on why lawyers must be free of government reprisal, no matter who their client is, says Peter Afrasiabi at One LLP.

  • How Latin American Finance Markets May Shift Under Trump

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    Changes in the federal government are bringing profound implications for Latin American financial institutions and cross-border financing, including increased competition from U.S. banks, volatility in equity markets and stable green investor demand despite deregulation in the U.S., says David Contreiras Tyler at Womble Bond.

  • Series

    Improv Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Improv keeps me grounded and connected to what matters most, including in my legal career where it has helped me to maintain a balance between being analytical, precise and professional, and creative, authentic and open-minded, says Justine Gottshall at InfoLawGroup.

  • How BigLaw Executive Orders May Affect Smaller Firms

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    Because of the types of cases they take on, solo practitioners, small law firms and public interest attorneys may find themselves more dramatically affected by the collective impact of recent government action involving the legal industry than even the BigLaw firms named in the executive orders, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Opinion

    Lawsuits Shouldn't Be Shadow Assets For Foreign Capital

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    Third-party litigation financing amplifies inefficiencies from litigation and facilitates national exposure to foreign influence in the U.S. justice system, so full disclosure of financing arrangements should be required as a matter of institutional integrity, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

  • How To Accelerate Your Post-Attorney Career Transition

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    Professionals seeking to transition to nonattorney careers may encounter skepticism as nontraditional candidates, but there are opportunities for thought leadership and to leverage speaking and writing to accelerate a post-attorney career transition, say Janet Falk at Falk Communications and Evgeny Efremkin at Toronto Metropolitan University.

  • Key Takeaways From The 2025 Spring Antitrust Meeting

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    Leadership changes, shifting priorities and evolving enforcement tools dominated the conversation at the recent American Bar Association Spring Antitrust Meeting, as panelists explored competition policy under a second Trump administration, agency discretion under the 2023 merger guidelines and new frontiers in conduct enforcement, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • What PFAS-Treated Clothing Tariff Bill Would Mean For Cos.

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    In keeping with a nationwide trend of greater restrictions on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, legislation pending in the U.S. House of Representatives would remove tariff advantages for PFAS-treated clothing — so businesses would be wise to proactively adapt their supply chains and review contracts to mitigate liability, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Be An Indispensable Associate

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    While law school teaches you to research, write and think critically, it often overlooks the professional skills you will need to make yourself an essential team player when transitioning from a summer to full-time associate, say attorneys at Stinson.

  • What 2nd Trump Admin Means For Ship Pollution Compliance

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    As the second Trump administration's civil and criminal enforcement policies take shape, the maritime industry must ensure it complies with both national and international obligations to prevent oil pollution from seagoing vessels — with preventive efforts and voluntary disclosures being some of the best options for mitigating risk, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Mass. AG Emerges As Key Player In Consumer Protection

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    Through enforcement actions and collaborations with other states — including joining a recent amicus brief decrying the defunding of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell has established herself as a thought leader for consumer protection and corporate accountability, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

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