Energy

  • May 08, 2025

    Power Cos. Fight New Deadline In Pole Attachment Regs

    Power companies are pushing back against a telecom industry proposal that would give utility pole owners just 30 days to approve third-party contractors for "make-ready" work in preparation for communications attachments, telling the government that the proposal would effectively strip utilities of their agency in contracting work on their poles.

  • May 08, 2025

    Gotion EV Battery Plant Opponents Meet Skeptical 6th Circ.

    A Sixth Circuit panel appeared unswayed Thursday by the argument that a district court can't order a town to support an electric vehicle battery components factory, though the judges also probed whether the company really faces irreparable harm if its plans don't come to fruition.

  • May 08, 2025

    Milbank Hires King & Spalding Tax Planning Atty In DC

    Milbank LLP has added a former King & Spalding LLP tax attorney as a partner in its global project, energy and infrastructure finance group in Washington, D.C.

  • May 08, 2025

    FERC Says Grid Upgrade Bill For Solar Farm Was Justified

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission defended its decision to affirm a regional transmission operator's assignment of $311 million in upgrade costs for a Texas solar farm to connect to the grid, telling the D.C. Circuit studies of the project's impacts were sound.

  • May 08, 2025

    Rising Tide Of Trump Pardons Not Lifting All Boats, Attys Say

    President Donald Trump signed off on more pardons and commutations during his first 100 days in office than any president in modern history while bypassing the traditional clemency process that goes through the U.S. Department of Justice, potentially giving false hope to those who believe they have a chance to benefit from the executive actions but lack White House connections.

  • May 07, 2025

    Spain Asks High Court To Resolve Sovereign Immunity Split

    Spain has now filed its highly anticipated petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a D.C. Circuit ruling greenlighting litigation to enforce more than $400 million in arbitral awards, in which the country argues that the case raises two questions of "critical importance" for foreign sovereigns.

  • May 07, 2025

    Glove Box Warranty Supports Arbitration In EV Suit, FCA Says

    An attorney for FCA US LLC told a Michigan federal judge Wednesday that agreements in so-called glove box warranties are enough to send a class action alleging the automaker knowingly sold certain electric vehicles with defective batteries to arbitration, while a lawyer for the consumers said such a request is "unprecedented."

  • May 07, 2025

    Ga. Landowner Says Exempt Farm Activities Doom CWA Suit

    Georgia property owners have accused neighbors of polluting streams and lakes on their land while prepping to build a solar farm, but the neighbors this week told a federal judge their actions were for agricultural purposes, which should exempt them from any Clean Water Act claims.

  • May 07, 2025

    Zurich Wants Midtrial Win In Fluor $300M Bad-Faith Case

    Insurer Zurich urged a federal judge Wednesday to find midtrial that former policyholder Fluor has failed to prove up a case for bad-faith refusal to settle regarding a $300 million lead pollution payout, saying there's been no evidence Zurich ever received a proper offer.

  • May 07, 2025

    Texas Bill May Limit Full Redress For Personal Injury Victims

    A Texas bill aimed at reining in allegedly excessive jury awards granted to personal injury victims would be a boon for insurance companies, but it may threaten victims' ability to get full compensation for the consequences of another party's negligence.

  • May 07, 2025

    $525M Nuke Services Deal Faces Canada Competition Probe

    Canada's competition regulator said Wednesday it has obtained court orders to get information from several companies as part of its investigation of nuclear technology firm BWX Technologies Inc.'s proposed $525 million acquisition of nuclear engineering company Kinetrics Inc.

  • May 07, 2025

    Politics, Tech Issues Top Concerns At Chicago Risk Event

    Insurance and risk professionals around the country gathered in Chicago to discuss potential perils and opportunities for the future, with talks often centering on President Donald Trump's administration, technological developments and statutory reform of the legal system.

  • May 07, 2025

    3rd Circ. Backs Judge's Authority In Bankruptcy Appeal

    The Third Circuit on Wednesday affirmed a magistrate judge's jurisdiction over a partnership's mineral royalties fight against a company tied to a bankrupt driller, but it sent a dispute over whether the partnership was owed almost $140,000 in royalty payments back to the judge for further consideration.

  • 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

    Solar Firm Says Conn. Regulator Acted Without Valid Members

    The three Public Utilities Regulatory Authority commissioners who signed a final decision against a solar energy developer and in favor of an Avangrid Inc. unit were not "validly sitting" at the time the edict was issued in March, according to an administrative appeal in Connecticut state court.

  • May 07, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Affirms Army Win In Practice Bomb Contract Fight

    The Federal Circuit upheld an Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals decision that granted summary judgment to the Army in a dispute over a contract to procure practice bombs.

  • 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

    Polsinelli Lands Energy Vet From Pillsbury In San Francisco

    Polsinelli PC said Wednesday it is boosting its new project finance group by bringing in a Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP energy and infrastructure project expert as a principal in its San Francisco office.

  • 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 07, 2025

    Canadian Asbestos Miner Seeks Ch. 15 To Wrangle Lawsuits

    A Quebec mining company asked a New York bankruptcy judge to recognize Canadian insolvency proceedings where it hopes to resolve thousands of asbestos personal injury lawsuits across multiple jurisdictions.

  • 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

    Judge Scolds US Over 'Vague' Bid To Stay $380M Award Row

    A California federal judge has scolded the Trump administration as it tries to seize part of a $380 million arbitral award purportedly tied to embezzled Malaysian funds, saying it has not constructively engaged in the discovery process while seeking a stay during related criminal proceedings.

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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