Environmental

  • March 04, 2026

    Kids Ask Alaska Justices To Revive LNG Project Climate Fight

    Eight young Alaskans urged the state's justices to revive litigation seeking to block the only permitted liquefied natural gas export project on the nation's Pacific coast, arguing they've sufficiently alleged the project's scale would cause "a colossal level of climate pollution" harming their constitutional rights to public trust resources.

  • March 04, 2026

    $7.25B Nationwide Roundup Deal Gets First Approval

    A Missouri state court on Wednesday gave a preliminary nod of approval to a settlement that could pay up to $7.25 billion over 21 years to resolve current and future claims across the U.S. that weed killer Roundup causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma, two weeks after the deal was announced.

  • March 04, 2026

    Unions Sue Trump Over Moves To Ease Civil Servants' Firing

    The Trump administration cannot strip tens of thousands of federal workers of their job protections without violating their right to due process and treading on Congress' territory, a coalition of labor groups argued Wednesday, filing their latest challenge to the administration's quest to make federal workers easier to fire.

  • March 04, 2026

    Chuckwalla Case To Stay In Michigan As Tribes Join Fight

    A Michigan federal judge has decided that transferring a miner's case challenging the establishment of the Chuckwalla National Monument out of her court is "not inappropriate," while also ruling that a slew of tribal nations and environmental groups may intervene in the lawsuit.

  • March 04, 2026

    BLM, Energy, FERC Nominees Clear Senate Committee

    The U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday approved former New Mexico Republican Congressman Steve Pearce to lead the Bureau of Land Management by an 11-9 vote, advancing that nominee to the full Senate for consideration in addition to two others.

  • March 04, 2026

    Texas Couple Owes $1.8M From Nix Of Farming Deduction

    A Texas couple that had claimed three years of farming losses owes deficiencies of just over $1.8 million for 2015-18, the U.S. Tax Court said in an order and decision upholding IRS computations in the case.

  • March 04, 2026

    Tax Court Urged To Restore $20M Easement Deduction

    A partnership belonging to two conservationists challenged the Internal Revenue Service's rejection of its $20 million tax deduction for donating a protective easement in South Carolina, telling the U.S. Tax Court that land values around the property had risen substantially.

  • March 04, 2026

    Enviro Groups Fight Montana Mine Expansion Approval

    Conservation groups are looking to vacate the federal government's approval of operation expansion plans for a Montana coal mine at the center of years worth of past litigation, telling a federal court that the agencies "make a mockery of the required environmental review process."

  • March 04, 2026

    How AI's Power Surge Is Rewriting Energy Deal Strategy

    The surge in electricity demand from artificial intelligence and data centers is redrawing the U.S. energy investment map, tilting capital back toward natural gas even as global dealmakers continue to deploy billions into renewable platforms.

  • March 04, 2026

    Mass. Justices Doubt New Suit Over Hot-Button Housing Law

    Massachusetts' top court on Wednesday seemed poised to knock down a challenge to a controversial law requiring multifamily housing near Boston-area transit facilities, hinting that a town challenging the new measure had made compliance more difficult and expensive than it needed to be.

  • March 03, 2026

    Trump Plan To Reopen Coal Plant Is Illegal, Wash. AG Says

    Washington state's attorney general and five environmental watchdogs are challenging the Trump administration's effort to reopen a decommissioned coal power plant in Chehalis, Washington, arguing that the U.S. Department of Energy lacks the authority to force the plant back into operation.

  • March 03, 2026

    Judge Lifts Stay After 9th Circ. Ruling In Gila River Dispute

    An Arizona federal judge has lifted a stay in a water rights lawsuit following a Ninth Circuit decision finding he prematurely sided with the Gila River Indian Community in a separate but similar suit when landowners appealed a summary judgment order favoring the tribal group.

  • March 03, 2026

    EPA Fights Fluoridated Water IQ Risk Finding At 9th Circ.

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency urged the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday to reverse a ruling that the EPA's current "optimal" level of fluoride in drinking water poses an unreasonable risk of lowering children's IQ, arguing that the trial judge improperly held his ruling in abeyance for years to await more scientific evidence.

  • March 03, 2026

    Split 9th Circ. Tells EPA To Review Cadmium's Species Impact

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency must analyze how its revised water quality standards for cadmium would affect endangered species, a split Ninth Circuit ruled Tuesday, upholding a conservation organization's victory in a lawsuit over the agency's guidance tripling the levels of the heavy metal allowed in U.S. waters.

  • March 03, 2026

    EV Maker Lucid Investor Seeks Class Cert. In Production Suit

    An investor in electric-vehicle maker Lucid Group Inc. is seeking certification of its proposed class in litigation alleging the company misled investors about how many cars it could make in 2022, hurting investors when it disclosed months later it was on track to make about a third of its earlier estimate.

  • March 03, 2026

    Tunnel Funding Freeze Fight Is In Wrong Court, 2nd Circ. Told

    New York and New Jersey's federal lawsuit challenging a freeze on Gateway Tunnel funding must be dismissed because it falls within the exclusive jurisdiction of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, the U.S. Department of Transportation argued to the Second Circuit on Tuesday.

  • March 03, 2026

    Feds, State AGs And Biz Groups Back Monsanto At High Court

    The federal government, 15 state attorneys general and business groups, among others, urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to strike down a $1.25 million verdict in a suit over claims Monsanto's Roundup weed killer causes cancer, saying that "patchwork" labeling regulations would harm the nation's farmers.

  • March 03, 2026

    Judge Says Accounts Of DOJ And FEMA 'Completely Different'

    A California federal judge overseeing a lawsuit by federal worker unions, local governments and nonprofits challenging Trump administration layoffs expressed deep frustration Tuesday after a U.S. Department of Justice attorney contradicted a senior Federal Emergency Management Agency official's sworn declaration in the case.

  • March 03, 2026

    Fla. House Passes Land Use Bill With Local Preemptions

    The Florida House on Tuesday passed a bill weakening local government control over land use law with steps that its sponsor said are necessary to address a housing affordability crisis but that critics decried as a handout to developers.

  • March 03, 2026

    Jury Awards $34M In 16th PacifiCorp Wildfire Trial

    An Oregon jury awarded $34 million in noneconomic damages Tuesday in the 16th damages trial against PacifiCorp over the state's Labor Day 2020 fires.

  • March 03, 2026

    House OKs Effort To Ease Broadband Builds On Federal Land

    The U.S. House voted Tuesday to direct land management agencies to study how they can ease the process for allowing broadband infrastructure to run through public lands.

  • March 03, 2026

    Hawaiian Electric Investors Get First OK Of $48M Wildfire Deal

    Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. and its investors have received initial approval of their nearly $48 million deal settling a California federal suit blaming it for the downturn in its stock price following a deadly 2023 fire on Maui.

  • March 03, 2026

    Wash. Tribes Want Shot At Remaining $184M In Salmon Funds

    Two Washington tribes are looking to temporarily block the federal government from awarding millions in tribal hatchery grants to 27 Indigenous nations, arguing that they and the Pacific salmon will suffer irreparable harm if the money is disbursed without their communities being able to apply for the funding.

  • March 03, 2026

    DOE Contractor Pays $3.45M To Settle Time Card Fraud Case

    A contractor paid the U.S. Department of Energy $3.45 million to settle a dispute over alleged time card fraud at the decommissioned Hanford nuclear site in Washington where workers took naps, watched movies and read while on the clock.

  • March 03, 2026

    Gov't Goes After $19M In Biofuel Tax Credit Fraud Case

    A businessman who owes more than $19 million to a company subject to forfeiture over its involvement in a $511 million biofuel tax credit fraud must hand over the money to the federal government now that a catfishing scheme targeting him is resolved, the government told a Utah federal court.

Expert Analysis

  • Restored Charging Project Funds Revive Hope For EV Market

    Author Photo

    While 2025 began with a host of government actions that prompted some to predict the demise of the U.S. electric vehicle market, the Trump administration's recent restoration of federal funding for EV charging infrastructure under new terms presents market participants with reason for optimism, says Levi McAllister at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Adapting To The Age Of AI

    Author Photo

    Though law school may not have specifically taught us how to use generative artificial intelligence to help with our daily legal tasks, it did provide us the mental building blocks necessary for adapting to this new technology — and the judgment to discern what shouldn’t be automated, says Pamela Dorian at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Ch. 11 Ruling Voiding $2M Litigation Funding Sends A Warning

    Author Photo

    A recent Texas bankruptcy court decision that a postconfirmation litigation trust has no obligations to repay a completely drawn down $2 million litigation funding agreement serves as a warning for estate administrators and funders to properly disclose the intended financing, say attorneys at Kleinberg Kaplan.

  • Demystifying The Civil Procedure Rules Amendment Process

    Author Photo

    Every year, an advisory committee receives dozens of proposals to amend the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, most of which are never adopted — but a few pointers can help maximize the likelihood that an amendment will be adopted, says Josh Gardner at DLA Piper.

  • Parenting Skills That Can Help Lawyers Thrive Professionally

    Author Photo

    As kids head back to school, the time is ripe for lawyers who are parents to consider how they can incorporate their parenting skills to build a deep, meaningful and sustainable legal practice, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Series

    Teaching Trial Advocacy Makes Us Better Lawyers

    Author Photo

    Teaching trial advocacy skills to other lawyers makes us better litigators because it makes us question our default methods, connect to young attorneys with new perspectives and focus on the needs of the real people at the heart of every trial, say Reuben Guttman, Veronica Finkelstein and Joleen Youngers.

  • Navigating Brazil's Regulations, Incentives For Green Projects

    Author Photo

    Brazil's evolving environmental regulatory framework and ongoing moves to attract international capital for climate-focused projects may appeal to U.S.-based companies and investors interested in sustainable development — but taking advantage of these opportunities requires careful planning and meaningful stakeholder engagement, says Milena Angulo at Guimarães.

  • Federal AI Action Plan Marks A Shift For Health And Bio Fields

    Author Photo

    The Trump administration's recent artificial intelligence action plan significantly expands federal commitments across biomedical agencies, defining a pivotal moment for attorneys and others involved in research collaborations, managing regulatory compliance and AI-related intellectual property, says Mehrin Masud-Elias at Arnold & Porter.

  • Data Center Construction Trends, Challenges In Ill. And Texas

    Author Photo

    Data centers in Illinois and Texas are reshaping the industrial landscape, but this growth brings legal complexity, so developers, contractors and corporate legal departments must have a deep understanding of each state's legal terrain and take a proactive approach to risk management, say attorneys at Hicks Johnson.

  • 5 Key Steps To Prepare For Oral Arguments

    Author Photo

    Whether presenting oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court or a local county judge, effective preparation includes the same essential ingredients, from organizing arguments in blocks to maximizing the potential of mock exercises, says Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie.

  • Definitions Of 'Waters Of The United States' Ebb And Flow

    Author Photo

    The issue of defining whether "waters of the United States" include streams and channels that sometimes have water and sometimes do not has been fraught since the U.S. Supreme Court's 2006 Rapanos decision, but a possible new rule may help property owners stay out of court, says Neal McAliley at Carlton Fields.

  • Unpacking A New Era of Compliance For Submarine Cables

    Author Photo

    After decades of operating under its old regulatory framework, the Federal Communications Commission has modernized its oversight of submarine cable infrastructure, which presents a complex array of legal and policy challenges, including heightened national security vulnerabilities, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • How Sustainability Reporting Changed In The 1st Half Of 2025

    Author Photo

    Sustainability reporting is evolving rapidly, with fewer S&P 500 companies publishing reports in the first half of 2025 than in the same period last year, suggesting that companies are becoming more selective and intentional about their reporting, say analysts at Orrick.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From Texas AUSA To BigLaw

    Author Photo

    As I learned when I transitioned from an assistant U.S. attorney to a BigLaw partner, the move from government to private practice is not without its hurdles, but it offers immense potential for growth and the opportunity to use highly transferable skills developed in public service, says Jeffery Vaden at Bracewell.

  • Advice For 1st-Gen Lawyers Entering The Legal Profession

    Author Photo

    Nikki Hurtado at The Ferraro Law Firm tells her story of being a first-generation lawyer and how others who begin their professional journeys without the benefit of playbooks handed down by relatives can turn this disadvantage into their greatest strength.

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 Environmental archive.