Energy

  • July 25, 2025

    4th Circ. Sends Power Plant Labor Row Back To Arbitration

    The Fourth Circuit ruled Friday that Wheeling Power Co.'s attempt to vacate an arbitrator's finding of liability in favor of a coal plant's labor union was premature because the decision wasn't final when Wheeling Power took the issue to court.

  • July 25, 2025

    ​​​​​​​Airgas Says Pa. Teamsters Workers Violating No-Strike Clause

    Airgas alleges multiple Teamsters pickets over the last month at the gas supplier's facility in Allentown, Pennsylvania, violate a no-strike clause in the union's collective bargaining agreement, according to a new lawsuit filed in federal court.

  • July 25, 2025

    Russia Loses Bid To Nix Enforcement Of $63B Awards

    A Singapore court on Friday denied Russia's bid to dodge litigation seeking the enforcement of more than $63 billion in arbitral awards issued to former investors in Yukos Oil Co. 11 years ago, rejecting the Kremlin's argument that it never agreed to arbitrate the dispute.

  • July 25, 2025

    Michigan, Green Groups Challenge Feds' Coal Plant Order

    Michigan's attorney general and a coalition of environmental groups have appealed the Trump administration's decision to order a Consumers Energy coal power plant to operate through summer, delaying the plant's retirement.

  • July 25, 2025

    Latham, Sidley Advise Deal In $5B Power Infrastructure Push

    Latham & Watkins LLP and Sidley Austin LLP advised ArcLight Capital Partners' acquisition of power developer and manager Advanced Power in an investment that could grow to more than $5 billion over the next five years based on AI and data center infrastructure demand.

  • July 24, 2025

    Trump AI Push Runs Up Against Cost, Enviro Concerns

    President Donald Trump's push to rapidly build infrastructure for the booming artificial intelligence industry could drive up energy costs in markets supporting data center growth and even hit roadblocks if state and local governments resist new developments.

  • July 24, 2025

    Phillips 66's $12.5M Class Wage Deal Gets 1st OK In Calif.

    A class of about 1,750 current and former Phillips 66 employees working at its San Francisco and Los Angeles refineries received preliminary approval by a California federal judge Thursday of a $12.5 million settlement resolving allegations they weren't given breaks or compensated for donning and doffing personal protective equipment off-the-clock.

  • July 24, 2025

    Toxic Waste Site Owner Can't Sue After Guilty Plea, Court Told

    The estates of two former owners of a Georgia chemical company accused of dumping toxic waste at a disused plant asked a federal judge this week to throw out a suit from the current property owner, arguing its hands are far from clean in the site's contamination after its principal's 2022 guilty plea for illegal dumping.

  • July 24, 2025

    Fluor Investor Attys Awarded $2.4M For Derivative Suit Deal

    A Texas federal judge on Thursday awarded $2.4 million in attorney fees and expenses in a settlement that resolved a derivative suit against the top brass of Fluor Corp. over claims that executives covered up the engineering and construction giant's improper bidding practices for years and caused billions of dollars in losses to the company.

  • July 24, 2025

    FERC Chair Bids Goodbye At Last Monthly Meeting

    Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Mark Christie presided over his final monthly open meeting on Thursday, after President Donald Trump nominated Vinson & Elkins LLP energy regulatory counsel Laura Swett to fill the Republican commissioner's seat.

  • July 24, 2025

    Bellwether Plaintiffs Want Redo Of GE Pollution Trial

    The plaintiffs in a bellwether pollution suit against General Electric Co. and a former subsidiary are asking for a new trial, arguing the jury should not have been able to find in the subsidiary's favor after it had admitted to responsibility in prior court filings.

  • July 24, 2025

    Green Groups Cleared To Join EV Funding Freeze Challenge

    A Washington federal judge will let the Sierra Club and other environmental organizations enter a multistate lawsuit against the federal government seeking to preserve funding for new electric-vehicle charging infrastructure, concluding the groups have a significant interest in protecting the project funds.  

  • July 24, 2025

    Equitrans Charged Over 2-Week Gas Leak In Pennsylvania

    Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday on Thursday charged energy company Equitrans LP with failing to properly maintain a facility where natural gas leaked for 14 days into the air, ground and water, contaminating the nearby area and several neighboring states.

  • July 24, 2025

    CapVest Seeks $11.7B Stake In Stada, Plus More Rumors

    British private equity firm CapVest Partners is looking to take a major stake in German drugmaker Stada Arzneimittel in a roughly $11.7 billion deal, Comedy Central's "South Park" creators have nabbed a $1.5 billion five-year streaming rights deal with Paramount, and ExxonMobil wants to explore deepwater blocks in Trinidad and Tobago for oil and gas. Here, Law360 breaks down these and other deal rumors from the past week.

  • July 24, 2025

    GAO Urges DOE Watchdog To Rethink Audit Division Costs

    A U.S. Department of Energy watchdog significantly underestimated how much it would cost to audit billions of dollars of inherently risky incurred cost contracts the department has awarded, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

  • July 23, 2025

    Enviro Groups Slam FAA For SpaceX Review Shortcuts

    The Federal Aviation Administration knew SpaceX's plans to restore migratory birds' coastal habitats in the event of an explosion at its Boca Chica, Texas, launch site were inadequate, but allowed the company to bypass a full environmental impact statement nonetheless, environmental groups said Wednesday in D.C. federal court.

  • July 23, 2025

    PREPA Bondholders Say Utility Swiped $2.9 Billion

    The electric utility for Puerto Rico on Wednesday defended itself in New York bankruptcy court from allegations that it had improperly spent its revenues, which the bondholders claim as collateral for $8.5 billion worth of bonds.

  • July 23, 2025

    DOE Nixes $4.9B Loan Commitment To Grain Belt Express

    The U.S. Department of Energy on Wednesday pulled the plug on its conditional commitment to a $4.9 billion loan guarantee for the first phase of the Grain Belt Express, a transmission line slated to cross parts of Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.

  • July 23, 2025

    Trump Wins 9th Circ. Block On Order Providing Reorg Plans

    The Ninth Circuit greenlighted the Trump administration's request to pause a lower court ruling requiring the government to turn over its layoff and reorganization plans in the case disputing whether the president can lawfully reshape federal agencies without congressional approval.

  • July 23, 2025

    Siemens Energy Failed To Cut Shoddy 401(k) Fund, Suit Says

    A Siemens Energy employee said the company cost workers millions in retirement savings by failing to trim an underperforming fund from its $3 billion retirement plan and by using forfeited funds to pay for its match obligations instead of plan fees, according to his Texas federal suit.

  • July 23, 2025

    SEC Asks 8th Circ. To Rule On Abandoned Climate Regs

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission asked the Eighth Circuit on Wednesday to decide the fate of Biden-era climate disclosure rules that the agency has said it will no longer defend against challenges brought by Republican-led states and business interests.

  • July 23, 2025

    Feds Seek 15 Months For Lobbyist Over Madigan Scheme

    Federal prosecutors have urged an Illinois federal judge to sentence ex-ComEd lobbyist Jay Doherty to one year and three months in prison for his "critical role" in a scheme to bribe former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, whose associates were paid as "subcontractors" under Doherty's lobbying contract with the utility even though they did little to no work.

  • July 23, 2025

    7th Circ. Revives Part Of Solar Firm's Panama Grid Suit

    The Seventh Circuit on Tuesday largely upheld an Illinois federal judge's ruling that Spanish energy company Avanzalia Solar could not pursue its claims that Goldwind Americas blocked and delayed access to the Panamanian power grid.

  • July 23, 2025

    CFTC Settles With Puerto Rico-Based Gas Futures Trader

    The Commodity Futures Trading Commission and a Puerto Rico-based natural gas futures trader on Wednesday announced that they had reached a settlement, ending the agency's suit alleging that the trader used nonpublic information to make profitable energy trades.

  • July 23, 2025

    Trump Publishes AI 'Action Plan' With 90 Policy Proposals

    In an effort to secure America's leadership in artificial intelligence, the Trump administration released a blueprint Wednesday outlining ideas to accelerate innovation, modernize infrastructure and foster international collaboration while safeguarding national security.

Expert Analysis

  • How States Are Taking The Lead On Data Center Regulation

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    While support for data center growth is a declared priority for the current administration, federal data center policy has been slow to develop — so states continue to lead in attracting and regulating data center growth, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • When Legal Advocacy Crosses The Line Into Incivility

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    As judges issue sanctions for courtroom incivility, and state bars advance formal discipline rules, trial lawyers must understand that the difference between zealous advocacy and unprofessionalism is not just a matter of tone; it's a marker of skill, credibility and potentially disciplinary exposure, says Nate Sabri at Perkins Coie.

  • Series

    Volunteering At Schools Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Speaking to elementary school students about the importance of college and other opportunities after high school — especially students who may not see those paths reflected in their daily lives — not only taught me the importance of giving back, but also helped to sharpen several skills essential to a successful legal practice, says Guillermo Escobedo at Constangy.

  • DOE Grant Recipients Facing Termination Have Legal Options

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    Federal grant recipients whose awards have recently been rescinded by the U.S. Deparment of Energy have options for successfully challenging those terminations through litigation, say attorneys at Bracewell.

  • Attacks On Judicial Independence Tend To Manifest In 3 Ways

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    Attacks on judicial independence now run the gamut from gross (bald-faced interference) to systemic (structural changes) to insidious (efforts to undermine public trust), so lawyers, judges and the public must recognize the fateful moment in which we live and defend the rule of law every day, says Jim Moliterno at Washington and Lee University.

  • A Look At Texas Corp. Law Changes Aimed At Dethroning Del.

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    Seeking to displace Delaware as the preferred locale for incorporation, Texas recently significantly amended its business code, including changes like codifying the business judgment rule, restricting books and records demands, and giving greater protections for officers and directors in interested transactions, say attorneys at Fenwick.

  • Justices Hand Agencies Broad Discretion In NEPA Review

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    By limiting the required scope of reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act, the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County could weaken the review process under NEPA, while also raising questions regarding the degree of deference afforded to agencies, say attorneys at Foley Hoag.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Appreciating Civil Procedure

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    If you’re like me, law school’s often complex and theoretical approach to teaching civil procedure may have contributed to an early struggle with the topic, but when seen from a practical perspective, new lawyers may find they enjoy mastering these rules, says Chloe Villagomez at Foster Garvey.

  • Calif. Bar Exam Fiasco Shows Why Attys Must Disclose AI Use

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    The recent revelation that a handful of questions from the controversial California bar exam administered in February were drafted using generative artificial intelligence demonstrates the continued importance of disclosure for attorneys who use AI tools, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • Max Pressure On Iran May Raise Secondary Sanctions Risk

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    New sanctions designations announced June 6 are the latest in a slew of actions the administration has taken to put pressure on Iran’s military programs and petroleum exports that will likely increase non-U.S. businesses’ secondary sanctions risk, says John Sandage at Berliner Corcoran.

  • Justices Widen Gap Between Federal, Calif. Enviro Reviews

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    While the U.S. Supreme Court's recent opinion in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado, narrowed the scope of National Environmental Policy Act reviews, it may have broadened the gulf between reviews conducted under NEPA and those under the California Environmental Quality Act, say attorneys at Hanson Bridgett.

  • In 2nd Place, Va. 'Rocket Docket' Remains Old Reliable

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    The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia was again one of the fastest civil trial courts in the nation last year, and an interview with the court’s newest judge provides insights into why it continues to soar, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • How Attorneys Can Become Change Agents For Racial Equity

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    As the administration targets diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and law firms consider pulling back from their programs, lawyers who care about racial equity and justice can employ four strategies to create microspaces of justice, which can then be parlayed into drivers of transformational change, says Susan Sturm at Columbia Law School.

  • Public Cos. Must Heed Disclosure Risks Amid Trade Chaos

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    Ongoing uncertainties caused by President Donald Trump's shifting stances on tariffs and trade restrictions have exponentially escalated financial reporting pressures on public companies, so businesses must ensure that their operations and accounting practices align with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's standards, say Jennifer Lee at Jenner & Block and Edward Westerman at Secretariat Advisors.

  • Seven County Ruling Should Trim Agency Enviro Analysis

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County provides needed clarity for infrastructure projects by expressly directing agencies to narrow environmental reviews, and reducing the threat of litigation if even tangential issues are not exhaustively evaluated, say attorneys at Dentons.

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