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Environmental

  • May 08, 2025

    Gotion EV Battery Plant Opponents Meet Skeptical 6th Circ.

    A Sixth Circuit panel appeared unswayed Thursday by the argument that a district court can't order a town to support an electric vehicle battery components factory, though the judges also probed whether the company really faces irreparable harm if its plans don't come to fruition.

  • May 08, 2025

    Milbank Hires King & Spalding Tax Planning Atty In DC

    Milbank LLP has added a former King & Spalding LLP tax attorney as a partner in its global project, energy and infrastructure finance group in Washington, D.C.

  • May 08, 2025

    FERC Says Grid Upgrade Bill For Solar Farm Was Justified

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission defended its decision to affirm a regional transmission operator's assignment of $311 million in upgrade costs for a Texas solar farm to connect to the grid, telling the D.C. Circuit studies of the project's impacts were sound.

  • May 07, 2025

    Ga. Landowner Says Exempt Farm Activities Doom CWA Suit

    Georgia property owners have accused neighbors of polluting streams and lakes on their land while prepping to build a solar farm, but the neighbors this week told a federal judge their actions were for agricultural purposes, which should exempt them from any Clean Water Act claims.

  • May 07, 2025

    Zurich Wants Midtrial Win In Fluor $300M Bad-Faith Case

    Insurer Zurich urged a federal judge Wednesday to find midtrial that former policyholder Fluor has failed to prove up a case for bad-faith refusal to settle regarding a $300 million lead pollution payout, saying there's been no evidence Zurich ever received a proper offer.

  • May 07, 2025

    Sidley-Led Insurer Aspen Leads 2 IPOs Raising $508M Total

    Private equity-backed specialty insurer Aspen Insurance Holdings Ltd., represented by Sidley Austin LLP, on Wednesday raised $397.5 million after pricing an upsized initial public offering, leading one of two insurance listings that netted $507.5 million combined as more companies tiptoe back into the IPO market. 

  • May 07, 2025

    Politics, Tech Issues Top Concerns At Chicago Risk Event

    Insurance and risk professionals around the country gathered in Chicago to discuss potential perils and opportunities for the future, with talks often centering on President Donald Trump's administration, technological developments and statutory reform of the legal system.

  • May 07, 2025

    NC Panel Backs OT Pay For Foresters Who Fought Wildfire

    A North Carolina appeals court largely backed a lower court's wage ruling Wednesday in a 17-year legal battle the Tar Heel State has fought with a group of state foresters about overtime pay they said they were not paid for fighting a 2008 fire.

  • May 07, 2025

    Shell Says Conn. Draft Shows Climate Review Wasn't Needed

    Two Shell Oil subsidiaries have asked a Connecticut federal judge to pause expert discovery in an environmental group's challenge to pollution prevention efforts at a New Haven petroleum terminal along Long Island Sound, claiming state regulators have clarified that their current permit does not squarely require a climate change review.

  • May 07, 2025

    16 States Sue DOT Over EV Charging Infrastructure Funds

    The Trump administration has illegally cut off congressionally approved funding for electric-vehicle charging infrastructure projects, a group of states alleged in a federal lawsuit filed on Wednesday.

  • May 07, 2025

    NY Eyes Injunction Against Feds In Congestion Price Fight

    New York transportation agencies have asked a federal judge to block the U.S. Department of Transportation from following through on its threat to withhold federal funding for Manhattan roadway projects if the Empire State doesn't halt congestion pricing.

  • May 07, 2025

    AI-Focused SPAC Raises $125M As Blank-Check Filings Surge

    Dune Acquisition Corp. II, a special purpose acquisition company targeting artificial intelligence and various technologies, began trading Wednesday after raising $125 million, the latest SPAC to join the market as three more such vehicles filed IPOs in recent days.

  • May 07, 2025

    Geely Lobs Offer To Take Chinese EV Maker Zeekr Private

    Chinese carmaker Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. on Wednesday announced it has submitted a non-binding proposal to take Chinese electric-vehicle maker Zeekr private by acquiring the remaining shares it does not already own.

  • May 06, 2025

    CO2 Conversion Co. Sues Wash. Neighbor Over Toxic Fumes

    A carbon conversion technology firm has launched a lawsuit in Washington federal court over noxious gases that have allegedly drifted onto its state project site from a neighboring chemical storage facility, making conditions "unbearable" for workers building a new sustainable aviation fuel plant.

  • May 06, 2025

    Colo. Judge Wary Pausing Dam Construction Can't Be Done

    A Colorado federal judge said at the end of a daylong hearing Tuesday that she still had not heard what she needed to decide if further construction is necessary to ensure a partially constructed dam won't create public safety risks, after she had previously halted the project for further environmental review.

  • May 06, 2025

    Ruling Doesn't Bind FERC Auction Approval, DC Circ. Told

    A Federal Energy Regulatory Commission determination that a court ruling required it to let a grid operator proceed with a flawed electricity capacity auction cannot be squared with its duty to modify unjust or unreasonable rates, consumer advocates and public utilities told the D.C. Circuit.

  • May 06, 2025

    Group Says $1.6M Funding Cut Derails Native History Efforts

    The National Congress of American Indians says a recent $1.6 million funding cut to Native American boarding school research by the Trump administration will derail efforts to document the history of Indigenous communities, survivors and those who never made it home.

  • May 06, 2025

    Benton Harbor Must Face Lead Contamination Mass Tort

    A Michigan city's officials must face claims that they failed to protect children from drinking lead-contaminated tap water, a split Sixth Circuit said Tuesday, finding the city's conduct plausibly violated the children's constitutional rights.

  • May 06, 2025

    Texas Jury Clears Marathon Oil In $123M Force Majeure Case

    A Texas federal jury has freed Marathon Oil Co. from a $123.7 million contract dispute stemming from a natural gas delivery impeded in 2021 by Winter Storm Uri.

  • May 06, 2025

    Fuel Refiners Say EPA Shirked Duty To Grant Biofuel Waiver

    A refining industry trade group has urged a D.C. federal judge to order the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to scale back its cellulosic biofuel blending requirements for 2023, saying the agency shirked an obligation to do so after production fell short of projections.

  • May 06, 2025

    Oil Cos. Bet On Trump Order To Try Dodging Climate Tort Suit

    Energy companies told a South Carolina state judge that President Donald Trump's executive order aimed at curtailing certain state climate actions is all the more reason to dismiss Charleston's climate tort suit seeking monetary damages for alleged greenhouse gas pollution.

  • May 06, 2025

    DOD Says It Has Standing To Halt Labor Contracts

    The U.S. Department of Defense asked a court not to end its lawsuit over President Donald Trump's move to end collective bargaining with its workers, saying it cannot manage its workforce "without facing substantial legal uncertainty."

  • May 06, 2025

    Mistrial Declared On Punitive Damages In Bard Cancer Case

    A Georgia state judge declared a mistrial as to punitive damages Tuesday in a suit alleging C.R. Bard's ethylene oxide emissions caused a man's cancer, leaving a $20 million compensatory damages verdict in place but inviting a round of briefing on the unusual situation.

  • May 06, 2025

    Marshall Fire Suit Must Stay In Colo., Plaintiffs' Attys Say

    Local governments and individuals accusing Xcel Energy Inc. in a lawsuit of failing to mitigate risks leading up to the devastating 2021 Marshall Fire in Colorado said the company must stand trial in the state, rebuffing the notion that the state's court had no jurisdiction.

  • May 06, 2025

    EPA Urges DC Circ. To Block Climate Change NGO Grants

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency asked the D.C. Circuit to allow it to restart its effort to reclaim billions of dollars in congressionally approved funding for nonprofits the Biden administration picked to carry out climate change projects.

Expert Analysis

  • Tax-Free Ways To Help Employees After The LA Wildfires

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    Following the recent wildfires in Los Angeles, there are various tax-free ways to give employees the resources and flexibility they need, including simpler methods like disaster relief payments under Internal Revenue Code Section 139 and leave-sharing programs, and others that require more planning, says Ligeia Donis at Baker McKenzie.

  • Improving Comms Between Trial Attys And Tech Witnesses

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    In major litigation involving complex technology, attorneys should employ certain strategies to collaborate with companies' technical personnel more effectively to enhance both the attorney's understanding of the subject matter and the expert's ability to provide effective testimony in court, say attorneys at Buchalter.

  • As EPA Backs Down, Expect Enviros To Step Up Citizen Suits

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    As President Donald Trump's U.S. Environmental Protection Agency draws down federal enforcement efforts, environmental groups will step into the void and file citizen suits — so companies should focus on compliance efforts, stay savvy about emerging analytical and monitoring methods, and maintain good relations with neighbors, say attorneys at Beveridge & Diamond.

  • Series

    Collecting Rare Books Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My collection of rare books includes several written or owned by prominent lawyers from early U.S. history, and immersing myself in their stories helps me feel a deeper connection to my legal practice and its purpose, says Douglas Brown at Manatt Health.

  • Rethinking How To Engage Shareholders, Activists Via Proxies

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    ​​​​​​​This proxy season, companies should consider visually driven proxy statements that highlight the board's strengths, the alignment between executive compensation and performance, and a commitment to sustainability and risk management to earn the support of investors and fend off hostile acquirers, say Craig Clay and Ron Schneider at DFIN.

  • Opinion

    Judge Should Not Have Been Reprimanded For Alito Essay

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    Senior U.S. District Judge Michael Ponsor's New York Times essay critiquing Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for potential ethical violations absolutely cannot be construed as conduct prejudicial to the administration of the business of the courts, says Ashley London at the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University.

  • 5 Key Takeaways From Energy Secretary's Confirmation

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    The recent confirmation hearing for U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright highlighted several important themes, including his vision for transforming the DOE, his nuanced stance on renewables, and a renewed emphasis on energy abundance and affordability, says Connor McCulloch at Ankura Consulting Group.

  • What Day 1 Bondi Memos Mean For Corporate Compliance

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    After Attorney General Pam Bondi’s flurry of memos last week declaring new enforcement priorities on issues ranging from foreign bribery to diversity initiatives, companies must base their compliance programs on an understanding of their own core values and principles, says Hui Chen at CDE Advisors.

  • Lights, Camera, Ethics? TV Lawyers Tend To Set Bad Example

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    Though fictional movies and television shows portraying lawyers are fun to watch, Hollywood’s inaccurate depictions of legal ethics can desensitize attorneys to ethics violations and lead real-life clients to believe that good lawyers take a scorched-earth approach, says Nancy Rapoport at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

  • Steel Cases Test Executive Authority, Judicial Scope

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    Lawsuits challenging former President Joe Biden’s order blocking the merger of Japan's Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel may shape how future administrations wield presidential authority over foreign investment in the name of national security, says Hdeel Abdelhady at MassPoint Legal.

  • What Calif. Bill Could Mean For Battery Energy Storage

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    A newly proposed bill in the California Legislature would place major restrictions on the development of battery energy storage system projects in the state — but with Gov. Gavin Newsom's strong support for clean energy technology, the legislation will likely face significant obstacles, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • 3 Ways Trump Can Nix SEC's Climate Disclosure Rules

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    Given President Donald Trump's campaign statements and agency appointments, it's likely that his administration will try to annul the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate disclosure rules, but his options for doing so present unique opportunities and challenges, with varying levels of permanence and impact, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • Perspectives

    Accountant-Owned Law Firms Could Blur Ethical Lines

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    KPMG’s recent application to open a legal practice in Arizona represents the first overture by an accounting firm to take advantage of the state’s relaxed law firm ownership rules, but enforcing and supervising the practice of law by nonattorneys could prove particularly challenging, says Seth Laver at Goldberg Segalla.

  • Reg Waiver Eases Calif. Rebuilding, But Proceed With Care

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    California Gov. Gavin Newsom's executive order suspending some environmental review and permitting requirements for the reconstruction of homes and businesses damaged by recent wildfires may streamline rebuilding efforts, but will require careful navigation of the evolving regulatory landscape, says Gregory Berlin at Alston & Bird.

  • The Post-Macquarie Securities Fraud-By-Omission Landscape

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    While the U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 opinion in Macquarie v. Moab distinguished inactionable "pure omissions" from actionable "half-truths," the line between the two concepts in practice is still unclear, presenting challenges for lower courts parsing statements that often fall within the gray area of "misleading by omission," say attorneys at Katten.

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