Energy

  • June 11, 2025

    Vedder Price Boosts IP, Exec Compensation Teams In NY

    Vedder Price PC has bulked up its New York office with the addition of an intellectual property attorney from Vinson & Elkins LLP and an executive compensation and employee benefits pro from Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP.

  • June 11, 2025

    Trade Groups Revive Suit Over Colo., Denver Efficiency Rules

    A collection of trade groups renewed their arguments in Colorado federal court against rules set by the state and city of Denver establishing energy efficiency standards for buildings and limiting the use of natural gas appliances after the policies underwent a recent revision.

  • June 10, 2025

    UK Refiner Wins A Round In $200M EU Energy Tax Dispute

    An international tribunal has ruled that a British oil refiner's claim challenging a €175 million ($200 million) windfall tax in Europe will proceed without bifurcation, concluding that jurisdictional objections lodged by Germany, Denmark and the European Union should be weighed concurrently with the merits.

  • June 10, 2025

    Yukos Says $5B Russia Award Suit Must Proceed

    Yukos Oil Co.'s financing arm has told a D.C. federal court that a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision rejecting the Ninth Circuit's outlier interpretation of a jurisdictional question moots Russia's request that the court pause enforcement of a $5 billion arbitral award against the country.

  • June 10, 2025

    Jury Awards $28M In Latest PacifiCorp Wildfire Trial

    Oregonians, including a photographer and a charter boat operator, were awarded $27.97 million in noneconomic damages in the latest trial against utility PacifiCorp over wildfire damage, much less than the amount requested for the 10 plaintiffs.

  • June 10, 2025

    Mazda Driver Says Emissions Claims Distinct From Calif. Case

    A North Carolina federal judge didn't fairly consider how a Mazda driver's claims of excessive emissions in the state were distinct from a California matter that ended in a settlement he didn't opt out of, the driver argued in a motion to revive the case.

  • June 10, 2025

    Power Co. Asks Justices To Settle Split In Tribal Tax Dispute

    Arizona courts were wrong to rule that an energy company located on tribal land is subject to property taxes, the company told the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, urging it to address an "intolerable" state-federal split.

  • June 10, 2025

    Trump Wind Farm Pause Has Stalled Projects, Judge Hears

    A coalition of blue states and industry advocates told a federal judge on Tuesday that the recent mothballing of a New Jersey offshore wind project exemplifies the damage being inflicted by the Trump administration's unlawful decision to pause wind farm permitting.

  • June 10, 2025

    Green Energy Battery Co. Files Ch. 11 With Sale, Spinoff Plans

    A company that manufactures batteries for green energy projects sought Chapter 11 protection in New Jersey bankruptcy court Tuesday, saying it is planning a spinoff and a sale to deal with its $325 million in debt, and citing an "untenable" liquidity situation and claims asserted by unhappy customers.

  • June 10, 2025

    GrafTech Brass Face Derivative Suit Over Enviro Disclosures

    A GrafTech International shareholder has sued the electrode-maker's top brass in Ohio federal court over their alleged long-running cover-up of the company's environmental contamination in Monterrey, Mexico.

  • June 10, 2025

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Delaware's Court of Chancery showed new resistance to suits alleging corporate weaponizing of advance notice bylaws, and a new report highlighted the high fees that attorneys are cashing in on in Delaware courts compared to the federal court system. Several new suits were also filed concerning allegedly under- or overvalued sales and acquisitions being pushed through.

  • June 10, 2025

    Reed Smith Int'l Arbitration Pro Jumps To Bracewell In NYC

    Bracewell LLP has added an international arbitration practitioner with more than two decades of BigLaw experience across a range of industries and locations, including most recently as a partner at Reed Smith LLP, to its New York roster, as the firm looks to grow the practice area.

  • June 09, 2025

    Battery Startup, CEO To Pay $300K Over SEC Fraud Claims

    Battery developer NDB Inc. and its CEO have agreed to pay $300,000 in civil penalties to settle allegations by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that they raised $1.2 million from about 70 investors on misleading claims about a "nano diamond battery" NDB aimed to make.

  • June 09, 2025

    Texas, BlackRock Face Judge's Questions Over Coal Suit

    A Texas federal judge on Monday questioned BlackRock Inc. and a Republican-led coalition over claims that the asset manager conspired with others in the industry to drive down coal production through its investment in publicly traded energy companies, wondering whether pressure placed on the companies to provide more detailed climate disclosures was enough to move the lawsuit forward.

  • June 09, 2025

    Treasury Warns Of Iranian 'Shadow Banking,' Oil Smuggling

    The Treasury Department has laid out red flags that financial institutions should monitor for identifying and reporting possible sanctions evasion schemes and other suspicious activity tied to the Islamic Republic of Iran, including illicit oil smuggling and the use of "shadow banking" networks.

  • June 09, 2025

    Venezuela Ordered To Pay $108M Over Withheld Oil Dividends

    A D.C. federal judge on Monday ordered Venezuela to pay an arbitral award owed to a Barbadian oilfield investor now worth some $108 million, ruling in an apparently novel opinion that enforcing the award would not contravene the U.S. government's recognition of Caracas' interim government.

  • June 09, 2025

    Vicor Short Sellers Lose Shareholder Suit Over AI Chip Deal

    A California federal judge has dismissed a proposed class action brought by short sellers, who alleged power systems manufacturer Vicor misled investors about an anticipated artificial intelligence chip deal, ruling the company's statements were forward-looking projections and potentially not false when made.

  • June 09, 2025

    Enviro Groups, Tribes Can Intervene In Coal Leasing Ban Row

    A Wyoming federal judge allowed a coalition of tribes and environmental groups to intervene in a challenge to the Biden administration's 2024 decision ending new coal leasing on public lands in the Powder River Basin, citing the groups' participation in prior suits over leasing at the site.

  • June 09, 2025

    Senate Confirms Gibson Dunn Partner For EPA's No. 2 Post

    The U.S. Senate on Monday confirmed David Fotouhi, a partner at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP, to serve in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's No. 2 post.

  • June 09, 2025

    Feds Approve Mont. Coal Mine Expansion Amid Controversy

    The Interior Department has said it will expand by nine years the mining plan for a Montana coal mine at the center of litigation over the mine's environmental impacts, authorizing Signal Peak Energy to recover 57 million tons of coal in a move that aligns with the Trump administration's energy emergency directive.

  • June 09, 2025

    FCC Says Power Cos. Can Call Customers About Usage

    The Federal Communications Commission ruled Monday that power companies are free to call or text customers who have supplied their telephone numbers to inform them about so-called "demand management" programs aimed at cutting usage during peak hours.

  • June 09, 2025

    US Eyes Deal With China On Rare Earths, Chips, Official Says

    The U.S. government hoped to reach an agreement Monday with China's government to loosen export controls on rare earth elements in exchange for the U.S. relaxing controls on semiconductors, the White House National Economic Council director said. 

  • June 09, 2025

    Madigan Denied Acquittal, New Trial Ahead Of Sentencing

    An Illinois federal judge on Monday denied former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan's bid for acquittal or a new trial, clearing the way for him to be sentenced for bribery, wire fraud and conspiracy later this week.

  • June 09, 2025

    Tesla Buyers End 'Right To Repair' Monopoly Suit

    Tesla drivers have agreed to permanently end their consolidated proposed class action accusing the company of running an illegal monopoly on parts for its electric vehicles and repair services, according to a proposed stipulation that a California federal judge signed off on Monday.

  • June 09, 2025

    Justices Urged To Keep Pause On 'Breakneck' Gov't Overhaul

    The U.S. Supreme Court should leave in place a California federal judge's order barring implementation of layoffs and reorganizations at various federal departments and agencies, several unions and nonprofits argued Monday, claiming a decision allowing the changes would irreversibly harm the federal government and render Congress and the judiciary powerless.

Expert Analysis

  • Crisis Management Lessons From The Parenting Playbook

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    The parenting skills we use to help our kids through challenges — like rehearsing for stressful situations, modeling confidence and taking time to reset our emotions — can also teach us the fundamentals of leading clients through a corporate crisis, say Deborah Solmor at the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and Cara Peterman at Alston & Bird.

  • What To Watch For As High Court Mulls NRC's Powers

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    If successful, Texas’ challenges to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s authority — recently heard by the U.S. Supreme Court and currently pending before a Texas federal court — may have serious adverse consequences for aspiring NRC licensees, including potential nuclear power plant operators, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • 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.

  • Foreign Countries Have Strong Foundation To Fill FCPA Void

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    Though the U.S. has paused enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, liberal democracies across the globe are well equipped to reverse any setback in anti-corruption enforcement, potentially heightening prosecution risk for companies headquartered in the U.S., says Stephen Kohn at Kohn Kohn.

  • 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.

  • 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.

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