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Energy
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April 29, 2025
BNSF Says Tribe's $400M Trespass Win Unjustly Taps Profits
BNSF Railway Co. has urged the Ninth Circuit to derail the nearly $400 million a trial judge ruled it owes for years of illegally running oil cars across a Washington tribe's land, saying the disgorgement judgment goes after legitimate profits far removed from where the trespassing occurred.
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April 29, 2025
Trump Can't Reorganize Gov't Without Congress, Groups Say
President Donald Trump lacks the power to reorganize the executive branch and push for mass terminations of workers when Congress hasn't given its blessing, unions and other groups told a California federal court.
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April 29, 2025
PacifiCorp Hit With $11M Verdict In Latest Wildfire Case
A Portland, Oregon, jury awarded around $10.8 million in noneconomic damages Tuesday to nine plaintiffs who suffered property damage in a group of 2020 wildfires attributed to PacifiCorp's negligence, with the awards likely to be increased to account for punitive damages.
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April 29, 2025
FERC Wrongly Greenlighted Kan. Grid Projects, DC Circ. Told
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission unlawfully approved a Kansas electric co-operative's transmission development projects despite rejecting a regional grid operator's plan to divide the costs of such projects, the D.C. Circuit heard Monday.
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April 29, 2025
Sullivan M&A Chief Sees Opportunities Amid Tariff Turmoil
After a rocky start to 2025, the mergers and acquisitions landscape is grappling with economic volatility, shifting trade policies and a complex regulatory environment. But even in a "choppy" market, there are always deals to be made, says Melissa Sawyer, global head of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP's M&A group and co-head of its corporate governance practice.
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April 29, 2025
No 'Hobson's Choice' For Foley & Lardner, Ex-Clients Say
Two former Foley & Lardner LLP clients are slamming the law firm for telling a Texas appellate court it was faced with a "Hobson's choice" in their suit alleging the firm failed to disclose conflicts of interest.
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April 29, 2025
Holtec Embezzlement Suit Paused In NJ For Ohio Case
A New Jersey state court froze energy technology company Holtec International's suit accusing its former general counsel and its one-time chief financial officer of tricking the firm into paying $700,000 to a consulting entity the duo owned so that a similar suit in Ohio can be resolved first.
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April 29, 2025
Kirkland Guides Allied Industrial On $300M Fund Close
Houston-based Allied Industrial Partners has closed its inaugural fund at its $300 million hard cap, achieving the objective under the legal guidance of Kirkland & Ellis LLP.
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April 29, 2025
Stonepeak Buying Stake In Spain's Repsol For $340M
Vinson & Elkins LLP-advised Stonepeak has agreed to purchase a 46.3% stake in Latham & Watkins LLP-advised Repsol's 777-megawatt solar and storage portfolio in the U.S. for $340 million, according to a Tuesday announcement.
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April 28, 2025
Exxon Asks Full 5th Circ. To Rethink NLRB Flip In Labor Case
An ExxonMobil unit Monday urged the full Fifth Circuit to undo a panel of judges' decision backing the National Labor Relations Board in holding the company liable for unfair labor practices despite the board freeing it from allegations years prior, warning of a "politicization" of federal labor laws.
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April 28, 2025
Feds' Bid To Spring False Biden Accuser Shot Down By Judge
A California federal judge rejected a request Monday by prosecutors to release a former FBI informant imprisoned for lying to federal agents that former President Joe Biden accepted bribes, saying he does not agree the court made a mistake at sentencing that should result in his release pending appeal.
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April 28, 2025
Biz Groups Fight NY's Bid To Join Their Climate Suit With States'
Fossil fuel industry groups countered the New York attorney general's bid to transfer their lawsuit fighting a $75 billion tab they must pay for climate change adaptation projects, saying joining their suit with one from a group of Republican states would serve neither justice nor judicial economy.
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April 28, 2025
Court Urged To Reconsider Jurisdiction In Tribal Tariff Row
Blackfeet Nation members are asking a Montana federal judge to reconsider an order to transfer their challenge against President Donald Trump's tariffs on imports from Canada and abroad to the U.S. Court of International Trade, saying the decision is based on the constitutional question of the Indian commerce clause.
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April 28, 2025
EPA Waiver Lifts Summer Ban On High-Ethanol Fuel Sales
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday formally suspended the usual summer ban on sales of higher-ethanol gasoline blends, the fourth year in a row the agency has done so.
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April 28, 2025
Green Group Says Shell Case Discovery Fees Are Too Costly
A Philadelphia-based environmental group suing Shell over pollution from a Western Pennsylvania chemical plant balked at a federal court's order that it pay 15% of the cost to resolve a discovery dispute, arguing it could be left with a potentially devastating tab.
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April 28, 2025
Judge Weighs Impact Of Top Court Ruling On DOE Grant Cap
A federal judge hearing a challenge to a Department of Energy grant cap on Monday expressed concerns about the case's potential overlap with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that cast doubt on a bid to revive federal teacher training grants.
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April 28, 2025
5th Circ. Grants DOL 30-Day Stay In States' ESG Rule Appeal
The Fifth Circuit on Monday granted the U.S. Department of Labor's request to stay an appeal from Republican-led states in a suit challenging the agency's rule that allows retirement fiduciaries to consider issues like climate change and social justice when choosing investments, but limited the pause to 30 days.
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April 28, 2025
EPA Restarts Voluntary Retirement Program
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday refreshed its effort to convince employees to take a voluntary retirement package that was rolled out in the early days of the Trump administration but has been dormant until now.
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April 28, 2025
Nikola Seeks Court OK For $9M Climate-Credit Sale Process
Electric truck maker Nikola Corp. has asked a Delaware bankruptcy judge to approve a sale process for environmental credits the company earned by selling zero-emission vehicles, saying it has secured an $8.97 million bid that will set a floor price for the assets.
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April 28, 2025
EPA Touts Intention To Act On PFAS Contamination
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday said it's planning a series of actions to address pollution from forever chemicals, including the designation of a leader for PFAS regulation and issues at the EPA.
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April 28, 2025
10th Circ. Says EPA Overlooked Colo. Air Pollution Concerns
The Tenth Circuit on Monday said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency inappropriately approved changes to Colorado's air pollution standards that a green group claimed allow regulators to disregard emissions during drilling, fracking and well completion processes.
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April 28, 2025
Feds No Longer Want Convicted Ex-Ill. Speaker To Forfeit $3M
The federal government has reversed course on a bid for former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan to forfeit more than $3 million in the wake of his partial conviction on public corruption, saying it stands by its legal arguments but was backing off as "a matter of discretion."
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April 28, 2025
Union Tells 3rd Circ. Healthcare Fight Belongs In Arbitration
A Pennsylvania federal judge properly concluded that a healthcare dispute between a power plant operator and an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers local was arbitrable, the union said, asking the Third Circuit to uphold the judge's decision to send the fight to arbitration.
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April 25, 2025
PacifiCorp Should Pay $96M To Wildfire Victims, Jury Told
Nine plaintiffs who fled from wildfires started by PacifiCorp's negligence should get $95.5 million in noneconomic damages, an Oregon state jury heard in closing arguments Friday, while PacifiCorp's lawyer told the jury to focus on what the evidence actually supports and award roughly $2.2 million in that category.
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April 25, 2025
Okla. Backs Wind Farm At 10th Circ. In Osage Mineral Dispute
Oklahoma is backing Enel Power in its Tenth Circuit bid to undo a $4.2 million judgment and order requiring it to remove 84 wind turbines from the Osage Nation reservation, saying the project provides tax revenue, employment and a stable power source for tens of thousands of homes.
Expert Analysis
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Navigating The Trump Enviro Rollback And Its Consequences
The Trump administration's rapid push for environmental deregulation will lead to both opportunities and challenges, requiring companies to adopt strategic approaches to a complex, unpredictable legal environment in which federal rollbacks are countered by increased enforcement by states, and risks of citizen litigation may be heightened, say attorneys at Beveridge & Diamond.
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4 Do's And Don'ts For Trial Lawyers Using Generative AI
Trial attorneys who use artificial intelligence tools should review a few key reminders, from the likelihood that prompts are discoverable to the rapid evolution of court rules, to safeguard against embarrassing missteps, says Nate Sabri at Perkins Coie.
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Defense Strategies For Politically Charged Prosecutions
Politically charged prosecutions have captured the headlines in recent years, providing lessons for defense counsel on how to navigate the distinct challenges, and seize the unique opportunities, such cases present, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.
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Series
Competitive Weightlifting Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The parallels between the core principles required for competitive weightlifting and practicing law have helped me to excel in both endeavors, with each holding important lessons about discipline, dedication, drive and failure, says Damien Bielli at VF Law.
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8 Ways Cos. Can Prep For Termination Of Their Enviro Grants
The federal government appears to be reviewing energy- and infrastructure-related grants and potentially terminating grants inconsistent with the Trump administration's stated policy goals, and attorneys at DLA Piper provide eight steps that recipients of grants should consider taking in the interim.
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The Syria Sanctions Dilemma Facing Trump Administration
Parties looking to engage in transactions involving Syria will be watching the expiration of General License 24 in July, when the Trump administration will need to decide whether to make significant changes to the Syrian sanctions program and reconsider the de facto government's status as a foreign terrorist organization, says Charlie Lyons at Ferrari & Associates.
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How Trump EPA Could Fix Carbon Combustion Residuals Rule
The Trump administration is likely targeting the recently adopted carbon combustion residual rule, especially since it imposes very stringent, detailed and expedited requirements on coal power plants — but even if the rule is not vacated entirely, there are measures that could greatly reduce its regulatory burden, says Stephen Jones at Post & Schell.
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Nippon Order Tests Gov't Control Over Foreign Investments
The U.S. government is primarily interested in restraining foreign transactions involving countries of concern, but former President Joe Biden’s January order blocking the merger of Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel shows that all foreign direct investments are under the federal government’s microscope, say attorneys at Blank Rome.
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Opinion
Inconsistent Injury-In-Fact Rules Hinder Federal Practice
A recent Third Circuit decision, contradicting a previous ruling about whether consumers of contaminated products have suffered an injury in fact, illustrates the deep confusion this U.S. Supreme Court standard creates among federal judges and practitioners, who deserve a simpler method of determining which cases have federal standing, says Eric Dwoskin at Dwoskin Wasdin.
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How Trump Orders Roll Back Energy Efficiency Mandates
President Donald Trump's first-day executive orders — including a freeze on administrative rules, an order to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, and a directive to broaden consumers' appliance choices — have shifted federal policy on energy efficiency, and bring new considerations for companies engaging with the U.S. Department of Energy, say attorneys at HWG.
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In-House Counsel Pointers For Preserving Atty-Client Privilege
Several recent rulings illustrate the challenges in-house counsel can face when attempting to preserve attorney-client privilege, but a few best practices can help safeguard communications and effectively assert the privilege in an increasingly scrutinized corporate environment, says Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics.
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What Banks Need To Know About Trump's Executive Orders
While the numerous executive orders and memos from the last few weeks don't touch on many of the issues the banking industry expected the Trump administration to address, banks still need to pay attention to the flurry of orders from strategic, compliance and operational perspectives, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.
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Emerging Energy Trends Reflect Shifting Political Landscape
As the Trump administration settles in, some emerging energy industry trends, like expanded support for fossil fuel production, are right off of its wish list — while others, like the popularity of Inflation Reduction Act energy tax credits, and bipartisan support for carbon capture, reflect more complex political realities, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.
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As EPA Backs Down, Expect Enviros To Step Up Citizen Suits
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.
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How Criminal Enforcement Of Trump Tariffs May Work
While tariff enforcement has traditionally been handled as a civil matter, tariffs are central to President Donald Trump's broader economic, immigration and national security agendas — making it likely that the U.S. Department of Justice will be tasked with criminal enforcement of tariff evasion, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.