Energy

  • January 22, 2025

    Colo. Judge 'Dumbfounded' Oil Co. Hasn't Disclosed Deal

    A Colorado state judge on Wednesday said she was "totally dumbfounded" by an oil and gas exploration company's failure to disclose a deal that it appeared to have entered into while telling the court that it had no deals, in a suit brought by an Anschutz oil subsidiary alleging theft of trade secrets.

  • January 22, 2025

    Exxon Says Investors Shared Confidential Info With Ex-Worker

    Exxon Mobil Corp. has urged a Texas federal judge to reject investors' broad reading of what confidential information they're allowed to share and with whom in litigation accusing the oil giant of overvaluing its Permian Basin holdings by billions of dollars.

  • January 22, 2025

    Full DC Circ. Stands By Wipeout Of FERC Pipeline Approvals

    The D.C. Circuit has rejected Williams Cos.' requests to reconsider a panel's decision scrapping Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approvals of a five-state expansion of the company's Transco pipeline system, despite more than a half-dozen amicus parties backing the rehearing requests.

  • January 22, 2025

    Navajo Nation Looks To Block Federal Mineral Leasing Ban

    The Navajo Nation has sued the U.S. Department of the Interior in a bid to block a Biden administration order withdrawing federal land from new mineral leasing and development near a national park in New Mexico, saying the ban would cause tribal allottees to suffer financial hardships.

  • January 22, 2025

    Army, SD Tribe Fight For Early Win In Dakota Access Row

    The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers are both asking for early wins in a challenge to shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline over alleged violations of federal environmental laws.

  • January 22, 2025

    White House Shutters DEI Offices, Puts Workers On Leave

    The U.S. Office of Personnel Management told federal agencies to close offices focused on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives by Wednesday evening and lay off staffers by Jan. 31, part of President Donald Trump's larger efforts to combat workplace diversity programs.

  • January 22, 2025

    Dentons Adds International Arbitration Pro As Partner In NYC

    Dentons has boosted its international arbitration capabilities with the addition of a partner in New York who brings more than three decades of experience in cross-border disputes to the global firm.

  • January 21, 2025

    What Gov't Contractors Must Know About Trump Exec Actions

    President Donald Trump's flood of executive orders following his inauguration included a number of measures targeted at or broadly affecting federal contractors, such as lifting Biden administration antidiscrimination and climate change-related requirements and restarting border wall construction.

  • January 21, 2025

    Stanley Tumbler Lead Contamination Suit Gets Shelved

    A Washington federal judge has tossed a proposed class action against the maker of the popular "Stanley" tumbler for selling it without disclosing that it contained lead, saying the claims failed due to overly vague allegations of harm, but allowed the consumers to revise their lawsuit.

  • January 21, 2025

    SEC Sues Ex-Investment Firm Reps, GC Over 'Sham' Energy Co.

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has accused former representatives of a wealth management firm of selling shares of a "sham" oil and gas company, and separately accused the firm's general counsel and chief compliance officer of playing an "active role" in the alleged misconduct by drawing up liability releases for the firm.

  • January 21, 2025

    EPA Defends Power Plant Effluent Rule At 8th Circ.

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is asking the Eighth Circuit to reject challenges to its rule setting new wastewater limitations for coal-fired power plants that have been lodged by green groups, Republican-led states, utilities and industry organizations.

  • January 21, 2025

    Miner Wins Challenge Of Ghana's Arbitrator In $277M Claim

    An Australian mining company said Tuesday it has successfully challenged the Republic of Ghana's choice of arbitrator in its $277 million breach of contract claim before an ad hoc arbitral tribunal seated in the West African country's capital city of Accra.

  • January 21, 2025

    SoCal Edison Must Hand Over Data In Eaton Fire Suit

    A Los Angeles County judge ordered Southern California Edison Co. on Tuesday to produce data from its distribution circuits in the Altadena, California, neighborhood to a victim of the Eaton Fire, the first step in litigation over this month's deadly and destructive blaze.

  • January 21, 2025

    Union Hits Kinder Morgan With Counterclaim In Firing Fight

    The United Steelworkers hit energy infrastructure giant Kinder Morgan with a counterclaim asking a Texas federal judge to enforce an employee discipline arbitration decision that the company has challenged in court.

  • January 21, 2025

    EPA Tells DC Circ. Its PFAS Superfund Rule Is On Solid Ground

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has claimed that it is perfectly within its authority to label two forever chemicals as "hazardous substances" under the federal Superfund law, urging the D.C. Circuit to toss an industry group's challenge to its designation powers.

  • January 21, 2025

    EPA Tells Justices That Air Pollution Cases Belong In DC Circ.

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is urging the nation's highest court to rule that most judicial challenges to its air pollution rules belong in the D.C. Circuit, while small petroleum refiners say other, regional circuit courts are proper venues.

  • January 21, 2025

    Trump EV Rollbacks Spell Regulatory Whiplash For Auto Cos.

    President Donald Trump's rollback of Biden administration policies intended to accelerate the U.S. auto industry's movement toward electric vehicles creates new uncertainties for a domestic EV supply chain that was already grappling with slowing consumer demand, experts say.

  • January 21, 2025

    Trump Moratorium Is An Ill Wind For Project Development

    President Donald Trump's sweeping directive to halt federal reviews and permitting of wind farms creates fresh uncertainty over whether many projects slated to be built can secure necessary approval and financing.

  • January 21, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Refuses To Restore Solar Cell Patent Claims

    An Indian industrial conglomerate failed on Tuesday to persuade Federal Circuit judges to breathe new life into a patent covering a way of assembling solar cells that it had asserted in Delaware federal court against a Korean rival.

  • January 21, 2025

    4 Plaintiffs' Firms Is Too Many, Chrysler Says In EV Class Suit

    Fiat Chrysler slammed an "extremely excessive" bid asking a Michigan federal court to appoint four law firms as plaintiffs' counsel in a suit accusing the automaker of selling electric vehicles with defective batteries, telling the court there was no way that many firms could be efficient.

  • January 21, 2025

    Texas Sues Biden Administration Over Offshore Drilling Ban

    Texas sued the Biden administration one last time during the administration's final hours, saying in a complaint Monday that orders banning oil and gas leasing in more than 625 million acres of federal waters run "afoul of the Constitution."

  • January 21, 2025

    Bacon Giant Smithfields Leads 3 IPOs Primed To Exceed $1B

    Bacon maker Smithfields Foods Inc. led a trio of companies unveiling price ranges for initial public offerings Tuesday that could raise $1.3 billion combined over the next week, with 10 law firms guiding the IPOs in various capacities.

  • January 21, 2025

    New SEC Task Force Eyes 'Sensible' Crypto Regulations

    A day after being appointed acting chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Mark T. Uyeda on Tuesday launched a cryptocurrency task force to develop "a comprehensive and clear regulatory framework" for such assets.

  • January 21, 2025

    FTC Gives Nod To Chevron's $53B Hess Buy, With Conditions

    The Federal Trade Commission has formally approved a consent order resolving antitrust concerns over Chevron Corp.'s planned $53 billion acquisition of Hess Corp., one that bars CEO John Hess from joining the combined company's board.

  • January 21, 2025

    Trump Elevates Mark Christie To FERC Chairmanship

    Republican Commissioner Mark Christie thanked President Donald Trump on Monday for appointing him to lead the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, while touting his own emphasis on addressing the "reliability crisis."

Expert Analysis

  • High Stakes In Justices' Review Of Clean Air Act Venue Fights

    Author Photo

    Disputes over the Clean Air Act's venue provision may seem arcane, but a forthcoming U.S. Supreme Court decision encompassing three cases will affect core principles of the separation of powers and constitutional due process in ways that could have significant consequences for the regulated community, say J. Michael Showalter and David Loring at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Testing The Waters As New Texas Biz Court Ends 2nd Month

    Author Photo

    Despite an uptick in filings in the Texas Business Court's initial months of operation, the docket remains fairly light amid an apparent wait-and-see approach from some potential litigants, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • Opinion

    Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules

    Author Photo

    The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules' recent decision to consider developing a rule for litigation funding disclosure is a welcome development, ensuring that the result will be the product of a thorough, inclusive and deliberative process that appropriately balances all interests, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.

  • The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO

    Author Photo

    The impact on law firms of the recent CrowdStrike outage underscores that the business of law is no longer merely about providing supplemental support for legal practice — and helps explain why some law firms are appointing dedicated, full-time CEOs to navigate the challenges of the modern legal landscape, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Strategies.

  • The Ups And Downs Of SEC's Now-Dissolved ESG Task Force

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Climate and ESG Enforcement Task Force, which was quietly disbanded sometime over the summer, was marked by three years of resistance from some stakeholders to ESG regulation, a mixed record in the courts and several successful enforcement actions, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • What Hawaii High Court Got Right And Wrong In AIG Ruling

    Author Photo

    Though the Hawaii Supreme Court in its recent Aloha Petroleum v. National Union Fire Insurance decision correctly adopted the majority rule that recklessly caused harm is an accident for coverage purposes, it erred in its interpretation of the pollution exclusion by characterizing climate change as "traditional environmental pollution," say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • Series

    Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    The practice of patent law and beekeeping are not typically associated, but taking care of honeybees has enriched my legal practice by highlighting the importance of hands-on experience, continuous learning, mentorship and more, says David Longo at Oblon McClelland.

  • Useful Product Doctrine May Not Shield Against PFAS Liability

    Author Photo

    Courts have recognized that companies transferring hazardous recycled materials can defeat liability under environmental laws by showing they were selling a useful product — but new laws in California and elsewhere restricting the sale of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances may change the legal landscape, says Kyle Girouard at Dickinson Wright.

  • Opinion

    It's Time To Sound The Alarm About Lost Labor Rights

    Author Photo

    In the Fifth Circuit, recent rulings from judges appointed by former President Donald Trump have dismantled workers’ core labor rights, a troubling trend that we cannot risk extending under another Trump administration, say Sharon Block and Raj Nayak at the Center for Labor and a Just Economy.

  • CFTC Anti-Fraud Blitz Is A Warning To Carbon Credit Sellers

    Author Photo

    With its recent enforcement actions against a carbon offset project developer and its senior executives for reporting false information about the energy savings of the company's projects, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is staking out its position as a primary regulator in the voluntary carbon credit market, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Opinion

    Legal Institutions Must Warn Against Phony Election Suits

    Author Photo

    With two weeks until the election, bar associations and courts have an urgent responsibility to warn lawyers about the consequences of filing unsubstantiated lawsuits claiming election fraud, says Elise Bean at the Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy.

  • How Cos. Can Build A Strong In-House Pro Bono Program

    Author Photo

    During this year’s pro bono celebration week, companies should consider some key pointers to grow and maintain a vibrant in-house program for attorneys to provide free legal services for the public good, says Mary Benton at Alston & Bird.

  • Series

    Home Canning Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Making my own pickles and jams requires seeing a process through from start to finish, as does representing clients from the start of a dispute at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board through any appeals to the Federal Circuit, says attorney Kevin McNish.

  • A Narrow Window Of Opportunity To Fix Energy Transmission

    Author Photo

    A post-election effort of the coming lame-duck congressional session may be the only possibility to pass bipartisan legislation to solve the national grid's capacity deficiencies, which present the greatest impediment to realizing state and federal energy transition and emissions reduction goals, says David Smith at Manatt.

  • How Project 2025 Could Upend Federal ESG Policies

    Author Photo

    If implemented, Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation's policy playbook for a Republican presidential administration, would likely seek to deploy antitrust law to target ESG initiatives, limit pension fund managers' focus to pecuniary factors and spell doom for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate rule, say attorneys at Mintz.

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 Energy 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!