Environmental

  • August 08, 2025

    Exxon, Suncor Urge Justices To Halt Colo. Climate Suit

    Exxon Mobil Corp. and Suncor Energy Inc. on Friday urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review the Colorado Supreme Court's decision allowing the city and county of Boulder's climate change tort against the companies to proceed in state court, arguing that the localities' claims are preempted by federal law.

  • August 08, 2025

    Calif. Justices Rip Deference To Regulator's Solar Ruling

    The Golden State's highest court unanimously struck down a lower court ruling that the justices said gave too much deference to the California Public Utilities Commission in a dispute over rooftop solar rates, saying when reviewing decisions of the state's utilities regulator, courts "remain the final arbiters of statutory meaning."

  • August 08, 2025

    Judge Says Insurer Must Face $100M Biz Interruption Claim

    A chemicals manufacturer accusing a reinsurer of failing to fully cover its roughly $100 million business interruption claim over a chemical plant explosion can still pursue its coverage claims, a Texas federal court ruled, finding the Texas Supreme Court would likely adopt the same holding.

  • August 08, 2025

    NJ Legislation Highlights From The 1st Half Of 2025

    During the first half of 2025, New Jersey lawmakers addressed a long-standing judicial vacancy crisis, strengthened protections for utility customers and streamlined the asbestos remediation process for Jersey City's historic courthouse.  

  • August 08, 2025

    Trade Group Sues Colorado Over Gas Stove Labeling Law

    A home appliances trade association has told a Colorado federal judge that recently passed state legislation mandating that a health warning be placed on all gas stoves is unconstitutional.

  • August 08, 2025

    Trump EO Requires Appointee Oversight Of US Grantmaking

    President Donald Trump has issued an executive order requiring that all funding opportunity announcements and grant awards be reviewed by his political appointees and allowing for grants to be terminated that fall outside the administration's priorities. 

  • August 08, 2025

    EV Makers Challenge New Fuel Economy Rule In DC Circ.

    An electric vehicle industry group is challenging the Trump administration's rollback of Biden-era fuel economy standards, claiming that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's freeze on compliance notifications is threatening the business models of American electric automakers.

  • August 08, 2025

    NY Says 1676 Order Can't Help Tribe In Eel Fishing Regs Row

    The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is fighting a Supreme Court bid by the Unkechaug Nation to undo a Second Circuit decision rejecting its challenge to the state's regulations on eel fishing harvests, arguing that a 1676 British colonial governor's order is not federal law.

  • August 08, 2025

    Trump Admin Invites Legal Fights With Clean Energy Moves

    Recent Trump administration moves to saddle renewable energy projects with additional regulatory and permit burdens are likely to face court challenges from the industry even as developers are forced to think long and hard about the viability of their projects.

  • August 08, 2025

    NC AG Has Power To Pursue PFAS Pollution Suit, Judge Rules

    Two DuPont spinoffs can't shirk a forever chemical contamination suit brought by the North Carolina Attorney General's Office, a state court judge has ruled, finding Attorney General Jeff Jackson does have the authority to pursue the case even after lawmakers curbed his powers.

  • August 07, 2025

    ConocoPhillips Agrees To $1.3B Sale Of Anadarko Assets

    ConocoPhillips, with guidance from Haynes Boone, is selling its Anadarko Basin assets for $1.3 billion, with the sale expected to close at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the independent oil producer announced on Thursday.

  • August 07, 2025

    Judge Orders Chemours To Cut Discharges At W.Va. Plant

    A West Virginia federal judge on Thursday ordered Chemours to take any steps needed to stop its Washington Works manufacturing plant from continuing to discharge excessive amounts of a harmful "forever chemical" into the Ohio River.

  • August 07, 2025

    Insurers Say Property Co.'s $7M Ida Claim Must Be Arbitrated

    A lower court order forcing a New Orleans property owner to arbitrate its $7 million Hurricane Ida damage claim against its domestic insurers should be reinstated, a group of carriers told the Fifth Circuit on Thursday, saying the New York Convention mandates the enforcement of the policy's arbitration provision.

  • August 07, 2025

    6th Circ. Halts FirstEnergy Production Of Bribery Probe Docs

    The Sixth Circuit on Thursday prevented shareholders of FirstEnergy Corp. from immediately accessing investigative documents prepared by BigLaw firms in the wake of a $1 billion bribery scandal, ruling that the utility company was likely to succeed in its claims that the disclosures were protected by attorney-client privilege.

  • August 07, 2025

    Teamsters Say Airgas Released Hazardous Gas On Strikers

    Members of a New Jersey-based Teamsters union have sued Airgas, alleging that the company released an unknown hazardous gas on them as they were peacefully picketing outside company facilities in New Jersey and Illinois, with both releases creating a "dense white cloud plume" that enveloped the striking workers.

  • August 07, 2025

    FCC Plans To Narrow Enviro Rules For Broadband Projects

    The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday proposed to make it easier for broadband providers to clear FCC reviews required by the National Environmental Policy Act.

  • August 07, 2025

    SC Judge Tosses Charleston Climate Suit Against Energy Cos.

    A South Carolina state judge has ruled that a city of Charleston lawsuit seeking damages from oil and gas companies for greenhouse gas pollution and climate change impacts is barred under the U.S. Constitution and federal Clean Air Act.

  • August 07, 2025

    NC Town Alleges Chem. Giants Hid PFAS Health Risks

    A North Carolina town sued Arkema Inc., Dynax and other chemical manufacturers on Wednesday over the infiltration of toxic "forever chemicals" into its drinking water, alleging the companies knew for decades that the compounds were dangerous and willfully ignored it.

  • August 07, 2025

    5th Circ. Sends Refinery Biofuel Exemption Fight To DC Circ.

    A Fifth Circuit panel on Thursday sent a string of small refinery cases challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's denial of renewable fuel blending requirement waivers over to the D.C. Circuit.

  • August 07, 2025

    Fla. Judge Pauses Everglades Detention Facility Construction

    A Florida federal judge on Thursday issued a temporary restraining order in the lawsuit against the Everglades immigration detention center dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," briefly halting the construction of additional tents and other infrastructure for two weeks while allowing facility operations to continue.

  • August 07, 2025

    NC Biz Court Bulletin: Divorce Dust-Ups And Judicial Rebukes

    Litigation in the North Carolina Business Court is heating up this summer with new complaints centered on fears a former state politician's divorce proceedings will impede his companies' operations and accusations that a climate technology company has failed to pay out a former engineer's ownership interest.

  • August 06, 2025

    Judge Blocks Mich. Landfill From Taking Radioactive Waste

    A Michigan state judge on Wednesday blocked a Detroit-area landfill from accepting thousands of cubic yards of radioactive material stemming from the Manhattan Project, holding that it could be sent to a less-populated area and pose less risk.

  • August 06, 2025

    Calif. Water Toxicity Test Flouts Federal Law, Court Rules

    A California state appeals court has barred state regulators from requiring wastewater entities to use a new water pollution test for discharge permits, but said the Golden State's adoption of new toxicity provisions was proper under state law.

  • August 06, 2025

    Ga. Judges Weigh Birth Defect Ruling in Sterigenics Case

    A group of Georgia residents who alleged they were injured by emissions from a Sterigenics sterilization plant urged the Georgia Court of Appeals on Wednesday to overturn a lower court's grant of partial summary judgment to the company on the issue of whether the plant's emissions caused birth defects.

  • August 06, 2025

    Insurer Can't Escape La. Church's $5M Hurricane Ida Suit

    An insurer can't escape a Louisiana church's suit seeking nearly $5 million in coverage for claimed Hurricane Ida damage, a federal court ruled Wednesday, rejecting the insurer's contention that the church breached the policy's cooperation requirement and failed to provide timely proof of loss.

Expert Analysis

  • High Court Cert Spotlights Varying Tests For Federal Removal

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    A recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to review Chevron v. Plaquemines Parish, a case involving the federal officer removal statute, highlights three other recent circuit court decisions raising federal removal questions, and serves as a reminder that defendants are the masters of removal actions, says Varun Aery at Hollingsworth.

  • Trump Air Emissions Carveouts Cloud The Regulatory Picture

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    President Donald Trump's new proclamations temporarily exempting key U.S. industries from air toxics standards, issued under a narrow, rarely-used provision of the Clean Air Act, will likely lead to legal challenges and tighter standards in some states, contributing to further regulatory uncertainty, say attorneys at GableGotwals.

  • How Property Insurers Serve As Climate Change Harbingers

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    Thomas Dawson at McDermott discusses the role that U.S. property insurers may play in identifying and assessing climate risk, as well as in financing climate change adaptation projects, in light of global warming and shifting geopolitical realities.

  • Series

    Playing Baseball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing baseball in college, and now Wiffle ball in a local league, has taught me that teamwork, mental endurance and emotional intelligence are not only important to success in the sport, but also to success as a trial attorney, says Kevan Dorsey at Swift Currie.

  • Managing Risks As State AGs Seek To Fill Enforcement Gap

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    Given an unprecedented surge in state attorney general activity resulting from significant shifts in federal enforcement priorities, companies must consider tailored strategies for navigating the ever-evolving risk landscape, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • A Deep Dive Into 14 Nixed Gensler-Era SEC Rule Proposals

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last month formally withdrew 14 notices of proposed rulemaking, including several significant and widely criticized proposals that had been issued under former Chair Gary Gensler's leadership, signaling a clear and definitive shift away from the previous administration, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Skillful Persuasion

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    In many ways, law school teaches us how to argue, but when the ultimate goal is to get your client what they want, being persuasive through preparation and humility is the more likely key to success, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • A Look At Trump 2.0 Antitrust Enforcement So Far

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    The first six months of President Donald Trump's second administration were marked by aggressive antitrust enforcement tempered by traditional structural remedies for mergers, but other unprecedented actions, like the firing of Federal Trade Commission Democrats, will likely stoke heated discussion ahead, says Richard Dagen at Axinn.

  • Litigation Inspiration: How To Respond After A Loss

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    Every litigator loses a case now and then, and the sting of that loss can become a medicine that strengthens or a poison that corrodes, depending on how the attorney responds, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Tips For Cos. From California Climate Reporting FAQ

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    New guidance from the California Air Resources Board on how businesses must implement the state's sweeping climate reporting requirements should help companies assess their exposure, understand their disclosure obligations and begin documenting good-faith compliance efforts, says Thierry Montoya at Frost Brown.

  • What Calif. Insurance Ruling Means For Smoke Damage Limits

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    As California continues to grapple with an increasing number of wildfire claims, a state court's recent Aliff v. California FAIR Plan decision serves as a clear directive to insurers that policy language that narrows the scope of fire coverage below the California Insurance Code's minimum standards is impermissible, say attorneys at Wood Smith.

  • The Metamorphosis Of The Major Questions Doctrine

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    The so-called major questions doctrine arose as a counterweight to Chevron deference over the past few decades, but invocations of the doctrine have persisted in the year since Chevron was overturned, suggesting it still has a role to play in reining in agency overreach, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Series

    Playing Mah-Jongg Makes Me A Better Mediator

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    Mah-jongg rewards patience, pattern recognition, adaptability and keen observation, all skills that are invaluable to my role as a mediator, and to all mediating parties, says Marina Corodemus.

  • Calif. Air Waivers Fight Fuels Automakers', States' Uncertainty

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    The unprecedented attempt by Congress and the Trump administration to kill the Clean Air Act waivers supporting California's vehicle emissions standards will eventually end up in the U.S. Supreme Court — but meanwhile, vehicle manufacturers, and states following California's standards, are left in limbo, says John Watson at Spencer Fane.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Navigating Client Trauma

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    Law schools don't train students to handle repeated exposure to clients' traumatic experiences, but for litigators practicing in areas like civil rights and personal injury, success depends on the ability to view cases clinically and to recognize when you may need to seek help, says Katie Bennett at Robins Kaplan.

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