Ƶ

Environmental

  • 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.

  • May 06, 2025

    Firms Beat Malpractice Suit Over Chicken Plant Pollution

    Delaware's Supreme Court on Tuesday affirmed a trial court's dismissal of a malpractice suit against Brockstedt Mandalas Federico LLC and Schochor Staton Goldberg & Cardea PA for their alleged mishandling of claims associated with a child's "catastrophic injuries" purportedly caused by contamination from a chicken plant.

  • May 06, 2025

    Nuclear Plant Renewal Rules Are Sound, Backers Tell DC Circ.

    New U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission license renewal rules adequately account for environmental risks from accidents, aging equipment and climate change, industry players told the D.C. Circuit, urging it to reject a challenge brought by anti-nuclear power groups.

  • May 05, 2025

    DC Circ. Judge Doubts Fla. Plan To Permit Clean Water

    At least one D.C. Circuit judge came to the table Monday morning extremely skeptical about the government's argument to restore the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's approval of Florida's plan to assume control of a Clean Water Act permitting program, and she wasn't pulling any punches.

  • May 05, 2025

    Judge Poised To Decide If Mich. Will Face Dam Collapse Trial

    A state judge will decide next week whether thousands of flood victims can proceed to trial on their claims that the state of Michigan is to blame for a hydroelectric dam collapse that caused widespread flooding.

  • May 05, 2025

    5th Circ. Says Biden Climate Officials' Info Not Protected

    The Fifth Circuit on Monday ordered the U.S. Department of State to give the names of Biden administration officials who helped set the nation's greenhouse gas emissions targets to a conservative Texas-based legal group that's seeking climate change policy information.

  • May 05, 2025

    California Sues Feds Over Koi Nation Land Trust Approval

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom is asking a federal court to vacate a Department of the Interior decision to take 70 acres into trust for the construction of a proposed hotel and casino by the Koi Nation, arguing that without reversal, the state may forfeit any regulatory control over gaming on the site.

  • May 05, 2025

    Calif. Chamber Gets Acrylamide Cancer Warnings Deleted

    A California federal judge has sided with the state's Chamber of Commerce in a suit challenging Proposition 65's requirement that companies warn buyers about dietary acrylamide in their products, finding that it violates the First Amendment's protections against compelled speech.

  • May 05, 2025

    Sunoco Expands Into Canada With $9.1B Parkland Acquisition

    Sunoco LP on Monday said it has agreed to buy Canadian gas station and refinery operator Parkland Corp. in a cash and equity deal worth approximately $9.1 billion, including assumed debt, a deal that greatly expands Sunoco's North American fuel distribution business.

Expert Analysis

  • Navigating The Uncertain Future Of The Superfund PFAS Rule

    Author Photo

    The D.C. Circuit's recent grant of a pause in litigation while the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reviews the Biden-era designation of two per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances as "hazardous" under the Superfund law creates new uncertainty for companies — but more lawsuits are likely as long as the rule remains in effect, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • What To Know About Insurance Coverage For Greenwashing

    Author Photo

    As the number of public and private lawsuits relating to greenwashing dramatically grows, risk managers of companies making environmental claims should look to several types of insurance for coverage in the event of a suit, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • 7 Tips For Associates To Thrive In Hybrid Work Environments

    Excerpt from
    Author Photo

    As the vast majority of law firms have embraced some type of hybrid work policy, associates should consider a few strategies to get the most out of both their in-person and remote workdays, says James Argionis at Cozen O’Connor.

  • Series

    Playing Beach Volleyball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    My commitment to beach volleyball has become integral to my performance as an attorney, with the sport continually reminding me that teamwork, perseverance, professionalism and stress management are essential to both undertakings, says Amy Drushal at Trenam.

  • Managing Anti-Corporate Juror Views Revealed By CEO Killing

    Author Photo

    After the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson laid bare deep-seated anti-corporate sentiments among the public, companies in numerous industries will have to navigate the influence of related juror biases on litigation dynamics, say Jorge Monroy and Keith Pounds at IMS Legal Strategies.

  • Opinion

    California Climate Lawsuit Bill Is Constitutionally Flawed

    Author Photo

    A bill in the California Legislature that would let victims of climate-related disasters like the Los Angeles wildfires sue oil and gas producers for spreading misinformation about climate change is too vague, retroactive and focused on one industry to survive constitutional scrutiny, says Kyla Christoffersen Powell at the Civil Justice Association of California.

  • How Law Firms Can Counteract The Loneliness Epidemic

    Author Photo

    The legal industry is facing an urgent epidemic of loneliness, affecting lawyer well-being, productivity, retention and profitability, and law firm leaders should take concrete steps to encourage the development of genuine workplace connections, says Michelle Gomez at Littler and Gwen Mellor Romans at Herald Talent.

  • 5 Keys To Building Stronger Attorney-Client Relationships

    Author Photo

    Attorneys are often focused on being seen as the expert, but bonding with clients and prospects by sharing a few key personal details provides the basis for a caring, trusted and profoundly deeper business relationship, says Deb Feder at Feder Development.

  • BlackRock Suit Highlights Antitrust Risks Of ESG

    Author Photo

    In Texas v. BlackRock, pending in Texas federal court, 13 state attorneys general are suing large institutional investors in the coal business, underscoring key reasons companies may want to alter their approach to developing and implementing policies related to environmental, social, and governance factors, especially if coordination with competitors is involved, say attorneys at Manatt.

  • Evidence Rule May Expand Use Of Out-Of-Court Statements

    Author Photo

    A proposed amendment to Federal Rule of Evidence 801(d)(1)(A) would broaden the definition of nonhearsay, reflects a more pragmatic approach to regulating the admissibility of out-of-court statements by declarant-witnesses, and could help level the playing field between prosecutors and criminal defendants, say attorneys at Hangley Aronchick.

  • How Courts Can Filter Nonmeritorious Claims In Mass Torts

    Author Photo

    Nonmeritorious claims have been a key obstacle to settlement in many recent high-profile mass torts, but courts may be able to use tools they already have to solve this problem, says Samir Parikh at Wake Forest University.

  • Series

    Racing Corvettes Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    The skills I use when racing Corvettes have enhanced my legal practice in several ways, because driving, like practicing law, requires precision, awareness and a good set of brakes — complete with the wisdom to know how and when to use them, says Kat Mateo at Olshan Frome.

  • Opinion

    Attorneys Must Act Now To Protect Judicial Independence

    Author Photo

    Given the Trump administration's recent moves threatening the independence of the judiciary, including efforts to impeach judges who ruled against executive actions, lawyers must protect the rule of law and resist attempts to dilute the judicial branch’s authority, says attorney Bhavleen Sabharwal.

  • The Math Of Cross-Examination: Less Is More, More Is Less

    Author Photo

    When conducting cross-examination at trial, attorneys should remember that “less is more, and more is less” — limiting both the scope of questioning and the length of each query in order to control the witness’s testimony and keep the factfinders’ attention, says Thomas Innes at the Defender Association of Philadelphia.

  • Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises

    Author Photo

    “No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Environmental archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!