Environmental

  • March 11, 2024

    Kirkland, Latham Guide $35B EQT-Equitrans Gas Merger

    Kirkland & Ellis LLP-guided EQT Corp. and Latham & Watkins LLP-backed Equitrans Midstream Corp. said Monday they have agreed to merge, creating a $35 billion natural gas giant that will be "well positioned to be a globally competitive American energy leader."

  • March 08, 2024

    Biden Administration Must Use Border Wall Funds, For Now

    A Texas federal judge on Friday ordered the Biden administration to use funds Congress specifically designated for the Southwest border wall to continue construction, issuing a preliminary injunction and finding that Texas and Missouri could face substantial harm to their state budgets without the injunction.

  • March 08, 2024

    Inside The Climactic Clash Over Skyrocketing MDL Caseloads

    A seven-year showdown over the nation's swelling docket of ultra-high-stakes consumer suits is hurtling toward its moment of truth, as a judicial oversight panel weighs impassioned input from big-name attorneys and judges endorsing everything from sweeping overhauls to the tiniest of tweaks.

  • March 08, 2024

    La. Judge Won't Halt Clean Water Rule Favoring States, Tribes

    A Louisiana federal judge has rejected red states' and industry groups' effort to block the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new clean water rule that broadens states' and tribes' power to veto projects like pipelines, export terminals and dams over water quality concerns.

  • March 08, 2024

    SEC's Climate Regs Face Multipronged Courtroom Attack

    The future of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's long-awaited corporate climate disclosure regulations is up in the air as the agency stares down lawsuits challenging its authority to promulgate the rules, with even more parties threatening to force the agency to defend its decision in court for years.

  • March 08, 2024

    Feds Win Houseboat Obstruction Suit Against Fla. Man

    The federal government scored a win in Florida federal court in its suit alleging former financial trader and self-described activist Fane Lozman's "floating home" is a structure that obstructs a navigable waterway, with the judge finding there is no genuine dispute that Lozman violated the Rivers and Harbors Appropriation Act.

  • March 08, 2024

    Feds, Tribes Say Marine Cos., DOT Polluted Duwamish River

    Two companies and Washington's transportation department would collectively pay about $275,000 to settle claims they polluted the Lower Duwamish River and Elliott Bay in Seattle under a proposed consent decree filed by the U.S. government, the Suquamish Indian Tribe of the Port Madison Reservation, the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe and Washington state.

  • March 08, 2024

    Debt-Stricken Homeowners Fight Back After High Court Ruling

    Ten months after a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision finding a Minnesota county wrongly held onto excess proceeds it reaped after seizing a woman’s condominium and selling it to settle a tax debt, states are scrambling to reexamine their laws as financially distressed homeowners file new suits challenging the practice.

  • March 08, 2024

    Green Groups Want Fla. CWA Permitting Back With Feds

    Conservation groups that successfully challenged the U.S. government's approval of Florida's Clean Water Act permitting program have told a federal judge that the Sunshine State's bid to retain some permitting authority in the meantime would only cause confusion and fail to safeguard endangered species.

  • March 08, 2024

    Calif. County Hasn't Fixed Oil Permitting Rules, Court Says

    A California appeals court again nixed a Kern County, California, ordinance that paves the way for faster oil and gas development in the area, saying the court-ordered, revised policy still doesn't comply with the state's bedrock environmental law.

  • March 08, 2024

    Texas Challenges EPA Methane Rule 'Overreach'

    Texas on Friday sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over sweeping methane emissions control requirements for oil and gas infrastructure that include the first-ever requirements for existing sources.

  • March 08, 2024

    NJ Residents Can Intervene in Verizon Cell Tower Suit

    A federal judge is giving Belmar, New Jersey, residents the green light to intervene on the side of Monmouth County as it defends against a Verizon suit over blocked small cell towers.

  • March 08, 2024

    Pa. County Agrees To Update Air Pollution Permits

    The Allegheny County Health Department will move ahead on issuing updated air pollution permits for two Pittsburgh-area chemical plants, settling a lawsuit brought by an environmental group that claimed the county's missed deadlines hamstrung citizen engagement and enforcement efforts.

  • March 08, 2024

    Mich. Justices Punt On Time Limits For Ballot Petition Drives

    The Michigan Supreme Court on Friday rejected an appeal from fracking opponents whose proposed ban didn't make the ballot because many gathered signatures were too old, though one justice said the court should have ruled on whether those time limits pass muster.

  • March 08, 2024

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    This past week in London has seen Barclays initiate legal proceedings against top Russian private bank JSC Alfa-Bank; Lex Greensill, founder of the collapsed Greensill Capital, suing the U.K.'s Department for Business and Trade; Wikipedia's parent company hit with a libel claim; and a sports journalism teacher filing a data protection claim against Manchester United FC. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • March 08, 2024

    Direct Pay Regs Would Lift Major Barrier For Energy Projects

    A U.S. Treasury Department proposal to give partnerships access to direct payments of tax credits for green energy projects would lift a significant barrier that has prevented tribes, municipalities, schools and nonprofits from capitalizing on joint ownership arrangements. 

  • March 07, 2024

    Petition Watch: Student Athletes, Oil Spills & Preemption

    The U.S. Supreme Court receives thousands of petitions for review each term, but only a few make the news. Here, Law360 looks at four petitions filed in the past three weeks that you might've missed: questions over whether student athletes have a business interest in being eligible to play college sports, how much oil is needed to qualify as an oil spill, whether an exemption to the Fourth Amendment applies to artificial intelligence and whether consumers can sue drug companies under state law for violating federal regulations.

  • March 07, 2024

    Xcel Energy Says It May Be To Blame For Texas Wildfire

    Xcel Energy Inc. said Thursday that its facilities may have been involved in igniting one of the massive wildfires ravaging the Texas Panhandle, though it said it disputes the notion that it was negligent in maintaining and operating its infrastructure.

  • March 07, 2024

    DC Circ. Mulls Groundwater In Coal Ash Closure Fight

    A D.C. Circuit panel on Thursday seemed wary of an energy industry coalition's claim that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency illegally strengthened regulations to clean up coal ash waste impoundments by stretching regulatory definitions to cover facilities in contact with groundwater.

  • March 07, 2024

    Wells Fargo, Goldman Escape Some Climate Proxy Proposals

    The Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Wells Fargo & Co. may exclude from their upcoming proxy statements shareholder proposals calling for reports on their clients' climate change commitments, according to the U.S. Securities and Exchange staff, which also wouldn't let Wells Fargo or Texas Instruments Inc. escape including separate labor and human rights-related proposals.

  • March 07, 2024

    Energy Cos. Still Have Work To Do In Final SEC Climate Rule

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's scaled-back climate change disclosure rule unquestionably lightens the compliance load for energy companies, but they still have plenty of work to satisfy the agency's requirements, attorneys say.

  • March 07, 2024

    Feds Look To Douse $48M Washington Ranch Wildfire Claim

    The federal government wants a Washington ranch's $48 million negligence suit alleging that the Bureau of Indian Affairs is liable for damages from a 2020 forest fire dismissed, saying that the plaintiff cannot argue that a smoldering pile of leaves and ash warrant jurisdiction under the Federal Tort Claims Act.

  • March 07, 2024

    Green Groups Try To Protect Wildlife Refuge From Power Line

    Three environmental groups have accused the federal government of unlawfully allowing private developers to run a massive high-voltage transmission line through the protected Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, in violation of the 1997 National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act. 

  • March 07, 2024

    Feds Designate 1.1M Acres Of Habitat For Imperiled Fla. Bat

    In a move conservation groups characterized as much welcomed and long delayed, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has designated about 1.1 million acres in southern and central Florida as critical habitat for the endangered Florida bonneted bat.

  • March 07, 2024

    Exxon Investors Say Shareholder Proposal Suit Is Moot

    Activist investors Arjuna Capital and Follow This have again urged a Texas federal judge to dismiss a case against them brought by Exxon Mobil Corp., saying the company "refuses to take 'yes' for an answer" and is trying to run a proxy battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission through the case.

Expert Analysis

  • 5 Securities Litigation Issues To Watch In 2024

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    There is yet another exciting year ahead for securities litigation, starting with the U.S. Supreme Court hearing argument next week in a case presenting a key securities class action question that has eluded review for the last eight years, say attorneys at Willkie.

  • Antitrust And ESG: Maximizing Targets, Ensuring Compliance

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    Jennifer McAlpin at Verizon and Michaela Spero at Amadeus consider the convergence of antitrust and environmental, social and corporate governance factors, providing an executive overview of areas to watch, including mergers and acquisitions, as well as practical implementation tips for general counsel.

  • Growing Green Tech Demand Spells Trouble For Groundwater

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    Increasing demand for green technology is depleting the groundwater reserves used to extract and process the necessary minerals, making a fundamental shift toward more sustainable water use practices necessary at both the state and federal levels, says Sarah Mangelsdorf at Goldberg Segalla.

  • What One Litigator Learned Serving On A Jury

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    Kilpatrick attorney April Isaacson shares insights for trial lawyers from her recent experience serving on a jury for the first time, including lessons about the impact of frequent sidebars, considerations for using demonstratives, the importance of clear jury instructions, and the unconscious habits that can drive jurors mad.

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: South Africa

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    While South Africa has yet to mandate the reporting of nonfinancial and environmental, social, and corporate governance issues, policy documents and recent legislative developments are likely to have a material impact in the country's transition to a low-carbon economy and in meeting its international obligations, say Glynn Kent at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • 4 Legal Ethics Considerations For The New Year

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    As attorneys and clients reset for a new year, now is a good time to take a step back and review some core ethical issues that attorneys should keep front of mind in 2024, including approaching generative artificial intelligence with caution and care, and avoiding pitfalls in outside counsel guidelines, say attorneys at HWG.

  • Environmental Justice: A 2023 Recap And 2024 Forecast

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    A 2023 executive order directing each federal agency to make environmental justice part of its mission, as well as the many lawsuits and enforcement actions last year, demonstrates that EJ will increasingly surface in all areas of law and regulation, from technically challenging to seemingly ordinary permitting and construction matters, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • What The Law Firm Of The Future Will Look Like

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    As the legal landscape shifts, it’s become increasingly clear that the BigLaw business model must adapt in four key ways to remain viable, from fostering workplace flexibility to embracing technology, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.

  • 4 PR Pointers When Your Case Is In The News

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    Media coverage of new lawsuits exploded last year, demonstrating why defense attorneys should devise a public relations plan that complements their legal strategy, incorporating several objectives to balance ethical obligations and advocacy, say Nathan Burchfiel at Pinkston and Ryan June at Castañeda + Heidelman.

  • Food And Beverage Policy Trends Cos. Should Track In 2024

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    The list of legal issues food and beverage companies should watch out for in 2024 include the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Human Foods Program, the Food Safety and Inspection Service’s salmonella proposal, Proposition 12 and more, say Bob Hibbert and Amaru Sánchez at Wiley.

  • How 2023 Shaped Drug And Medical Device Legal Trends

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    2023 brought a number of positive developments for the life sciences industry, including great trial and multidistrict litigation outcomes, but also some heavy-handed regulations and other concerning developments that lay the groundwork for significant litigation, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • Opinion

    What Insurers Gain When Litigating Coverage Denials

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    Lately, insurance companies have denied coverage for lawsuits alleging liability relating to the ordinary operations of highly regulated businesses, such as those in the pharmaceutical and energy sectors — demonstrating time and again how litigation can be a vehicle for carriers to mitigate their own costs, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • After Headwinds, 2024 May See Offshore Wind Momentum

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    Despite skyrocketing raw material costs, conflicting state and federal policies, and other setbacks for the offshore wind sector in 2023, the industry appears poised for growth in the coming year, with improving economics, more flexible procurement procedures and increasing legislative support, say Emily Huggins Jones and Ben Cowan at Locke Lord.

  • 5 Trends That Will Affect Food Litigation In 2024

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    In 2024, food and beverage companies are likely to continue to face threats of litigation relating to so-called forever chemicals, citric and malic acid, and ESG claims, but recent developments in case law have created potential avenues for defense, say Abby Meyer and Khirin Bunker at Sheppard Mullin.

  • 10 Issues To Watch As ESG Remains Alive And Well In 2024

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    Practitioners and stakeholders should watch a number of key environmental, social and corporate governance issues in the new year, including court rulings and comprehensive research, as the data shows ESG is here to stay, says Heidi Friedman at Thompson Hine.

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