Environmental

  • June 05, 2025

    Feds Invest Millions To Revitalize Former Coal Mine Sites

    The U.S. Department of the Interior is doling out $130 million to help states and tribes redevelop former coal mine sites.

  • June 05, 2025

    Ill. Judge Tosses Dredged Waste Suit After Feds Pull Site Plan

    An Illinois federal judge on Thursday dismissed with prejudice a lawsuit challenging a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plan to expand a disposal site that stores sediments dredged from Chicago waterways, citing the agency's withdrawal of its decision over the Lake Michigan shoreline facility.

  • June 05, 2025

    Honduras Decries Solar Plant Arbitration Seeking $160M

    Honduras has urged an international tribunal to dismiss arbitration claims two Guatemalan citizens lodged seeking roughly $160 million for broken agreements involving a solar plant, calling them "an abuse of the investor-state dispute settlement system."

  • June 05, 2025

    Judge Wants Details On Harm From Trump Wind Farm Pause

    A Massachusetts federal judge Thursday asked a coalition of states and a clean-energy advocacy group for more specifics about the harm they allegedly will be caused by the Trump administration's decision to pause wind farm permitting, and said he wanted to move forward with a trial "promptly."

  • June 05, 2025

    Calif. Assembly OKs Exemption For Returned Tribal Land

    California land that is transferred to a federally recognized Native American tribe would be exempt from state real estate transfer tax under a bill passed in the state Assembly. 

  • June 04, 2025

    Ex-Ga. Chemical Plant Owners Sued For Toxic Waste Dumping

    The owner of an abandoned northwest Georgia chemical plant filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against its former owner-operators alleging that they left hundreds of drums of toxic waste behind, resulting in its new owner facing federal prosecution and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to clean up.

  • June 04, 2025

    Feds Say 'No Viable Path' Forward For Calif. High-Speed Rail

    The U.S. Department of Transportation said Wednesday that the California high-speed rail's overblown budget and ongoing mismanagement indicate that there's "no viable path" to completing the project on schedule, so the federal government is preparing to pull nearly $4 billion in funding.

  • June 04, 2025

    Judge Grills Kidde-Fenwal About Missing Info In Disclosures

    A Delaware bankruptcy judge Wednesday questioned why firefighting foam maker Kidde-Fenwal did not include in plan disclosures details about the recoveries its creditors can expect under its Chapter 11 proposal, as the debtor prepares to send its reorganization plan out for a vote.

  • June 04, 2025

    Trump Ordered To Explain Why Layoffs Don't Flout Injunction

    A California federal judge ordered the Trump administration Wednesday to explain why preparations for layoffs at the State Department and Department of Housing and Urban Development do not violate an injunction she issued last month, saying she needed more details about the agencies' plans to evaluate their compliance.

  • June 04, 2025

    Idaho Mining Co. Hit With Suit Over Dump Site Contamination

    The U.S., Idaho and Native American tribes have hit Nu-West Industries Inc. with a Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act lawsuit, alleging that hazardous substances from phosphate mining are being generated and disposed of at a dump site owned by the company within the Caribou-Targhee National Forest.

  • June 04, 2025

    NC Biogas Co. Sanctioned For Breaking Deal With Lenders

    A North Carolina biogas company has been ordered to fork over a six-figure judgment in an ongoing legal battle with its lenders as a sanction for flouting a state court order related to its pursuit of a renewable energy project.

  • June 04, 2025

    Donlin Gold Says Vacatur Not Warranted In Alaska Mine Case

    A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision confirms that government approvals for a large gold mine in Alaska should not be thrown out even if an agency botched some aspects of an environmental review, the company behind the project told a federal judge.

  • June 04, 2025

    Winston & Strawn, Cravath Guide $19B Industrial Tech Merger

    Chart Industries Inc. and Flowserve Corp. said Wednesday they have agreed to merge in an all-stock deal that values the combined entity at $19 billion, giving it the "scale and resilience" needed to compete, with Winston & Strawn LLP and Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP providing legal guidance.

  • June 03, 2025

    Profs Back Shinnecock Tribe In Long Island Fishing Rights Suit

    A group of law and history professors have backed the Shinnecock Indian Nation in three tribal members' lawsuit claiming New York state and Suffolk County wrongly engaged in a pattern of criminal prosecutions against them for fishing in waters where they have aboriginal rights to fish.

  • June 03, 2025

    Empire Wind Foes Target Feds' Reversal On Stop-Work Order

    A coalition opposed to the Empire Wind project off New York and New Jersey sued the Trump administration Tuesday in New Jersey federal court, saying the administration never justified its decision to lift a stop-work order weeks after pausing construction.

  • June 03, 2025

    BlackRock, Vanguard Want Red States' Coal Suit Extinguished

    Asset managers BlackRock Inc. and The Vanguard Group Inc. have urged a Texas federal judge to toss a suit brought by a coalition of Republican-led states alleging the firms ran a scheme to drive up coal prices as part of an "investment cartel," arguing the case rests on "implausible premises."

  • June 03, 2025

    PacifiCorp Faces $100M Ask In Newest Oregon Wildfire Trial

    Oregonians, including a photographer and a charter boat operator, started the latest trial against utility PacifiCorp over wildfire damage Tuesday, with their lawyer telling a jury the 10 property owners deserve some $100 million for the fraught experiences they endured.

  • June 03, 2025

    Fed. Bill Pushes For Streamlined Access To Tribal Disaster Aid

    A trio of Washington state federal lawmakers has reintroduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would fast-track the process for tribal nations to apply for resources to manage the impact of extreme weather and natural disasters, and address their environmental resiliency and relocation goals.

  • June 03, 2025

    US Withdraws From El Paso Tribal Land Ownership Dispute

    The U.S. says it no longer wants to intervene in a dispute between the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo and the city of El Paso, Texas, over 155 acres of land, a shift in position from the prior administration that argued it never authorized non-Native Americans to usurp the tribe's property.

  • June 03, 2025

    Energize Capital Secures $430M For 3rd Venture Fund

    Climate solutions investor Energize Capital, advised by Foley Hoag LLP, on Tuesday announced that it has clinched its third fund after securing $430 million of limited partner commitments.

  • June 03, 2025

    Oregon Sen. OKs Extending Brownfields Property Tax Break

    Oregon would extend its program of local property tax incentives for brownfield development for six years under legislation passed unanimously by the state Senate on Tuesday.

  • June 03, 2025

    Calif. Mazda Oil Leak Deal Dooms NC Class Claims

    Mazda has escaped class claims alleging leaky valve stems caused cars to burn excessive oil when a North Carolina federal judge ruled that the driver didn't opt out of a similar class action settlement across the country in California.

  • June 03, 2025

    The Law360 400: A Look At The Top 100 Firms

    A rebound in client work sent the nation’s largest law firms into growth mode last year, driving a wave of hiring, mergers and strategic moves that reshaped the top tier of the Law360 400. Here's a preview of the 100 firms with the largest U.S. attorney headcounts.

  • June 03, 2025

    Wachtell-Led Viper Energy Paying $4.1B For Sitio Royalties

    Viper Energy Inc. said Tuesday it will purchase mineral and royalty interests investment firm Sitio Royalties Corp. for approximately $4.1 billion, including net debt of approximately $1.1 billion, in a deal steered by Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz and Vinson & Elkins LLP.

  • June 02, 2025

    Ga. Residents Urge Panel To Revive Sea Island Roads Fight

    A pair of Glynn County, Georgia, residents urged the state's Court of Appeals to revive their lawsuit seeking to prevent the Sea Island Co. from denying public access to roads on Sea Island that they say were never properly transferred to the company.

Expert Analysis

  • Mitigating Import Risks Around Southeast Asian Solar Cells

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    The U.S. Department of Commerce's recent final determinations in its antidumping and countervailing duty investigations into solar cells produced in certain Southeast Asian countries make it important for U.S. purchasers to consider risk mitigation strategies, including modifying supply chains and contractually assigning import responsibilities, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Arbitral Ruling In EU Fisheries Clash Clarifies Post-Brexit Pact

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    The Permanent Court of Arbitration's recent ruling marks a pivotal moment in the evolving jurisprudence surrounding the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, concluded between the U.K. and the EU after Brexit, and sets an important precedent for interpretation and enforcement of trade and environment clauses in cross-border disputes, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.

  • Series

    Playing Guitar Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Being a lawyer not only requires logic and hard work, but also belief, emotion, situational awareness and lots of natural energy — playing guitar enhances all of these qualities, increasing my capacity to do my best work, says Kosta Stojilkovic at Wilkinson Stekloff.

  • Crisis Management Lessons From The Parenting Playbook

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    The parenting skills we use to help our kids through challenges — like rehearsing for stressful situations, modeling confidence and taking time to reset our emotions — can also teach us the fundamentals of leading clients through a corporate crisis, say Deborah Solmor at the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and Cara Peterman at Alston & Bird.

  • 4 Ways To Leverage A Jury's Underdog Perceptions

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    Counsel should consider how common factors that speak to their client's size, power, past challenges and alignment with jurors can be presented to try and paint their client as a sympathetic underdog, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.

  • Why Hiring Former Jurors As Consultants Can Be Risky

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    The defense team's decision to hire former juror Victoria George in the high-profile retrial of Karen Read shines a spotlight on this controversial strategy, which raises important legal, ethical and tactical questions despite not being explicitly prohibited, says Nikoleta Despodova at ND Litigation.

  • What To Watch For As High Court Mulls NRC's Powers

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    If successful, Texas’ challenges to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s authority — recently heard by the U.S. Supreme Court and currently pending before a Texas federal court — may have serious adverse consequences for aspiring NRC licensees, including potential nuclear power plant operators, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From NY Fed To BigLaw

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    While the move to private practice brings a learning curve, it also brings chances to learn new skills and grow your network, requiring a clear understanding of how your skills can complement and contribute to a firm's existing practice, and where you can add new value, says Meghann Donahue at Covington.

  • Cos. Face Enviro Justice Tug-Of-War Between States, Feds

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    The second Trump administration's sweeping elimination of environmental justice policies, programs and funding, and targeting of state-level EJ initiatives, creates difficult questions for companies on how best to avoid friction with federal policy, navigate state compliance obligations and maintain important stakeholder relationships with communities, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Top 3 Litigation Finance Deal-Killers, And How To Avoid Them

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    Like all transactions, litigation finance deals can sometimes collapse, but understanding the most common reasons for failure, including a lack of trust or a misunderstanding of deal terms, can help both parties avoid problems, say Rebecca Berrebi at Avenue 33 and Boris Ziser at Schulte Roth.

  • NEPA Repeal Could Slow Down Environmental Review

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    As the Trump administration has rescinded the Council on Environmental Quality's long-standing National Environmental Policy Act regulations, projects that require NEPA review may be bogged down by significant regulatory uncertainty and litigation risks, potentially undermining the administration's intent to streamline the permitting process, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • How Attys Can Use A Therapy Model To Help Triggered Clients

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    Attorneys can lean on key principles from a psychotherapeutic paradigm known as the "Internal Family Systems" model to help manage triggered clients and get settlement negotiations back on track, says Jennifer Gibbs at Zelle.

  • How Attorneys Can Make The Most Of A Deposition Transcript

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    With recent amendments to federal evidence rules now in effect, it’s more important than ever to make sure that deposition transcripts are clear and precise, and a few key strategies can help attorneys get the most out of a transcript before, during and after a deposition, says Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie.

  • 3 Steps For In-House Counsel To Assess Litigation Claims

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    Before a potential economic downturn, in-house attorneys should investigate whether their company is sitting on hidden litigation claims that could unlock large recoveries to help the business withstand tough times, says Will Burgess at Hilgers Graben.

  • Despite SEC Climate Pause, Cos. Must Still Heed State Regs

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    While businesses may have been given a reprieve from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's rules aimed at standardizing climate-related disclosures, they must still track evolving requirements in states including California, Illinois, New Jersey and New York that will soon require reporting of direct and indirect carbon emissions, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

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