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Environmental

  • June 06, 2025

    DC Circ. Backs FERC Extension For Southgate Pipeline Work

    A D.C. Circuit panel on Friday affirmed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's construction deadline extension for the Mountain Valley Pipeline's southern spur, with one judge characterizing a suit challenging it as "typical" of litigation that has stymied American progress.

  • June 06, 2025

    Wyo. Landowners' Attys Score $5M From Anadarko Deal

    A Wyoming federal judge awarded more than $5 million in attorney fees and expenses Friday to attorneys for a class of landowners that accused an oil extraction company of hoarding permits to block oil and gas projects.

  • June 06, 2025

    6th Circ. Sends GM Emissions Fraud Claims Back To Michigan

    The Sixth Circuit on Friday partly revived drivers' claims alleging General Motors deceptively marketed Chevrolet Cruze vehicles as clean vehicles when they were actually outfitted with emissions-cheating software, punting a question of preemption back to Michigan federal court.

  • June 06, 2025

    LA Fire Victims Say AAA, USAA Left Many Unable To Rebuild

    California homeowners accused AAA and USAA of systematically undervaluing the replacement cost of their homes all while advertising adequate coverage and financial security, telling a state court that many cannot now afford to replace or rebuild their homes following the wildfires in Los Angeles earlier this year.

  • June 06, 2025

    Feds Want Comments On Altering ESA Conservation Rule

    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Friday said it's considering altering a Biden-era rule intended to increase participation in voluntary conservation programs, and asked the public for input.

  • June 06, 2025

    NY Tribe Urges Supreme Court To Overturn Eel Fishing Ruling

    A Long Island tribe is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to undo a Second Circuit ruling that rejected its challenge to New York's regulations on eel fishing harvests, arguing that if the decision is held, it would set a precedent allowing district courts to give up their gatekeeping roles on expert testimony.

  • June 06, 2025

    Arizona Mining Co. Challenges $417M Ruling In Peru Dispute

    Peru breached its U.S. trade agreement by imposing $417 million in penalties and interest on the unpaid royalties of an Arizona-based mining company's local operator, the company said while asking international arbiters to partially annul an award that it claimed mistakenly ignored the issue.

  • June 06, 2025

    US Steel Says Consultant Data Protected By Privilege

    U.S. Steel is fighting subpoenas from neighbors suing the steelmaker over alleged nuisance emissions from its facilities outside Pittsburgh, claiming that recommendations, reports and data from two consultants in the wake of a 2018 fire were covered by various privileges and confidentiality agreements.

  • June 06, 2025

    Feds Tee Up Redo Of Vehicle Fuel Economy Standards

    The U.S. Department of Transportation said Friday that vehicle fuel economy standards issued by the Biden administration improperly factored electric vehicles into the calculus, resulting in overly stringent standards that the Trump administration will soon revise.

  • June 06, 2025

    4th Circ. Stays Ruling Restoring Frozen Federal Grant Funding

    A split Fourth Circuit panel has blocked a South Carolina federal judge's order directing the federal government to restore 32 congressionally funded grants that were frozen by the Trump administration, while casting doubt on nonprofits' and cities' legal challenge.

  • June 06, 2025

    Goldberg Segalla Adds Toxic Torts Expert In NY

    Civil litigation firm Goldberg Segalla LLP has added a trial lawyer who is an expert in complex asbestos litigation, product liability, personal injury and commercial litigation matters to its toxic torts and environmental law group in Garden City, New York.

  • June 06, 2025

    Taxation With Representation: Winston, Stibbe, Weil, Goodwin

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, Chart Industries Inc. and Flowserve Corp. merge, Aedifica NV and Cofinimmo NV unite, Sanofi buys Blueprint Medicines Corp., and Kimberly-Clark Corp. sells a majority stake in its international tissue business to Suzano.

  • June 05, 2025

    'Sparse' OPM Record On Mass Firings Backs Win, Unions Say

    A "sparse and self-serving" record provided by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management still shows the agency unlawfully directed federal agencies to fire probationary employees en masse, so a California federal court can reach a final decision now and "unwind" those terminations, a coalition including unions and advocacy groups said Thursday.

  • June 05, 2025

    USDA Sued Over Ending 600 Grants Via Flawed Form Letters

    A group of environmental and food sustainability nonprofits hit the U.S. Department of Agriculture with a lawsuit in D.C. federal court Thursday, accusing the Trump administration of unconstitutionally exceeding its authority by abruptly rescinding nearly 600 grants via "minimally edited form letters" that had errors and lacked detailed explanations.

  • June 05, 2025

    Feds Slam 'Flawed' Critique Of Camp Lejeune Water Expert

    The U.S. Department of Justice pushed to keep its water quality expert in North Carolina federal court on Wednesday, saying that the Camp Lejeune toxic water plaintiffs' critique of him was "fundamentally flawed" and experts on both sides relied on some of the same science.

  • June 05, 2025

    SEC Beats Challenge To Stricter Shareholder Proposal Rule

    A Washington, D.C., federal judge Thursday upheld the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's rule that raises eligibility requirements for submitting shareholder proposals, disagreeing with investor advocacy groups that the requirements "severely impair" investors' input on corporate policies.

  • June 05, 2025

    States Push To Block Feds From Slashing EV Charging Funds

    Sixteen states have pressed a Washington federal judge to block the Trump administration from cutting off congressionally approved funding for electric-vehicle charging infrastructure projects, saying state budgets and procurement processes are being upended by the administration's unilateral actions.

  • June 05, 2025

    2 Firms Guide Vermillion In $120M Sale Of US Assets

    Vermilion Energy Inc., advised by Torys LLP and Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP, said Thursday it has struck a deal to sell its remaining U.S. assets for $120 million in cash, completing its exit from the country and continuing its broader plan to refocus on long-term, gas-weighted assets in Canada and Europe.

  • 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.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Series

    Teaching College Students Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Serving as an adjunct college professor has taught me the importance of building rapport, communicating effectively, and persuading individuals to critically analyze the difference between what they think and what they know — principles that have helped to improve my practice of law, says Sheria Clarke at Nelson Mullins.

  • 5 Areas Contractors Should Watch After 1st 100 Days

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    Federal agencies and contractors face challenges from staff reductions, contract terminations, pending regulatory reform and other actions from the second Trump administration's first 100 days, but other areas stand to become more efficient and cost-effective, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From DOJ Enviro To Mid-Law

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    Practitioners leaving a longtime government role for private practice — as when I departed the U.S. Department of Justice’s environmental enforcement division — should prioritize finding a firm that shares their principles, values their experience and will invest in their transition, says John Cruden at Beveridge & Diamond.

  • Why Trade Cases May Put Maple Leaf Deference On Review

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    When litigation challenging the president’s trade actions reaches the Federal Circuit, the court will have to reevaluate the Maple Leaf standard in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 Loper Bright decision limiting Chevron-like deference to cases involving statutory provisions in which Congress delegated discretionary authority to the executive branch, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • Key Questions When Mediating Environmental Disputes

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    As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency implements dramatic regulatory changes, companies seeking to use mediation to manage increased risks and uncertainties around environmental liabilities should keep certain essential considerations in mind to help reach successful outcomes, says Edward Cohen at Thompson Coburn.

  • 3 Change Management Tools To Boost Compliance Efforts

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    As companies grapple with rapidly changing regulations and expectations, leaders charged with implementing their organizations’ compliance programs should look to change management principles to make the process less costly and more effective, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Trump DOE's Plan On AI Offers Challenges, Opportunities

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    The Trump administration's push to make federal land available for development of artificial intelligence data centers follows a similar Biden administration proposal — but a new request for information from the U.S. Department of Energy envisions a rapid timeline that may prove challenging for both the DOE and industry stakeholders, say attorneys at HWG.

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