Environmental

  • September 04, 2025

    Solar Co. Meyer Burger Unit Gets OK For $29M Ch. 11 Sale

    The U.S. unit of Swiss solar-panel maker Meyer Burger secured a Delaware bankruptcy judge's approval Thursday to sell its assets for $28.7 million in Chapter 11, defeating an objection to the deal from unsecured creditors who charged that it benefits secured creditors but no one else.

  • September 04, 2025

    Solar Co. Mosaic Gets OK For Debt-For-Equity Ch. 11 Plan

    A Texas bankruptcy judge Thursday approved residential solar panel financing firm Mosaic's plan to reorganize and hand ownership of its loan servicing business to its secured lender, after no buyers came forward at a Chapter 11 auction.

  • September 04, 2025

    Trump's Wind Project Halt Faces Suits From Conn., RI, Ørsted

    The decision by President Donald Trump's administration to stop a nearly completed wind project slated to power the New England region was met with two lawsuits on Thursday, with the attorneys general of Connecticut and Rhode Island and developer Ørsted seeking to resume construction.

  • September 04, 2025

    FERC Nominee Says He Supports Review Of Removal Protections

    A Federal Energy Regulatory Commission nominee said Thursday that he hopes the U.S. Supreme Court will rethink long-standing tenure protections guaranteed for members of independent agencies, raising the eyebrows of U.S. senators concerned about FERC's future under President Donald Trump.

  • September 04, 2025

    Feds Sue SoCal Edison Over Eaton, Fairview Wildfires

    The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday sued Southern California Edison, seeking a combined $77 million in a pair of lawsuits alleging that its negligence in maintaining its infrastructure caused the catastrophic Eaton wildfire in January and devastating Fairview fire in 2022.

  • September 04, 2025

    Unions Defend Challenge To Federal Work Safety Agency Cuts

    Unions representing nurses, teachers, miners and factory workers have asked a Washington, D.C., federal judge to preserve their challenge to the Trump administration's cuts to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, saying they have standing to sue because they "rely on NIOSH's lifesaving work."

  • September 04, 2025

    Wash. Justices To Review Voter Measure Backing Natural Gas

    The Washington State Supreme Court has agreed to weigh in on a dispute over a law approved by voters that prevents local governments and code officials in the state from passing rules restricting or discouraging the use of natural gas.

  • September 04, 2025

    Cube Highways Trust Mulls $600M IPO, Plus More Rumors

    Indian infrastructure investment trust Cube Highways Trust is considering a $600 million initial public offering, premium diaper brand Coterie is in talks to be acquired by consumer goods business Mammoth Brands, and European antitrust regulators have reportedly paused their investigation into ADNOC's $17.1 billion acquisition of German chemicals producer Covestro.

  • September 03, 2025

    Ga. County Can't Recoup Bio-Lab Emergency Response Costs

    A Georgia federal judge said a metro Atlanta county can't recover its emergency services expenses in responding to the massive Bio-Lab chemical plant fire last year, but left the door open for the county to win damages from the resulting economic fallout of the disaster.

  • September 03, 2025

    How Morgan & Morgan Got Ousted As Top Federal Tort Filer

    Heavyweight injury firm Morgan & Morgan PA was ousted from the top spot for most federal court filings in the past three years thanks to more than 2,000 individual cases filed in Mississippi over drinking water there, according to a new analysis by Lex Machina, whose rich trend data also shows how other firms fared over the same period.

  • September 03, 2025

    DOI Casino Approval Overturned For Ignoring Tribal Input

    The U.S. Department of the Interior went beyond its authority and failed to properly consult with another local tribe when it approved the Koi Nation's plan to build a casino on newly acquired trust land, a California federal judge has ruled.

  • September 03, 2025

    Ex-Latham Atty Who Quit Over Trump Deal Joins Stoel Rives

    Former BigLaw associate Sam Wong, who publicly quit Latham & Watkins LLP earlier this year in response to a deal it reached with the Trump administration to avoid executive orders targeting the firm, said he has joined Stoel Rives LLP, where he will be advising clients on energy projects, regulatory matters and more. 

  • September 03, 2025

    Feds Move To Sink Mass. Offshore Wind Farm Approval

    The federal government said Wednesday it will yank approval for a Massachusetts offshore wind farm 20 miles south of Martha's Vineyard, the latest in a series of moves by the Trump administration to stymie U.S. offshore wind development.

  • September 03, 2025

    Enviro Groups Urge 11th Circ. To Keep Detention Center Shut

    Seven environmental groups filed an amicus brief Tuesday in the appeal of an order shutting down an Everglades immigration detention center, arguing that the district court was right to enjoin the center because the federal government failed to fulfill its obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act.

  • September 03, 2025

    9th Circ. Upholds Ruling Against Wash. Tribe's Fishing Claims

    A Ninth Circuit panel Wednesday affirmed a lower court's ruling that determined a Washington tribe fell short of its evidentiary burden to establish that a 19th century treaty included its customary fishing grounds near the Puget Sound after vacating the dispute for further review last year.

  • September 03, 2025

    4th Circ. Says Md. Immunity Doesn't Apply In Tugboat Case

    The Fourth Circuit said Wednesday that a tugboat owner's petition seeking to limit its liability over a 2015 accident involving Maryland's Nanticoke River Memorial Bridge does not infringe on the state's sovereign immunity, so it can proceed in the district court.

  • September 03, 2025

    Feds Seek $140M Fine For Mich. Energy Co. Over Air Pollution

    The federal government on Tuesday advocated for $140 million in penalties for a Michigan energy company the government alleges shares responsibility for air pollution resulting from coke production, while the energy company maintained it tried to comply with the state-issued permit, in briefs filed this week ahead of a bench trial later this month.

  • September 03, 2025

    9th Circ. Saves Tribes' Cultural Superfund Claims Against Teck

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday revived the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation's natural resource damages claims against Teck Cominco Metals Ltd. for the company's alleged pollution of the Columbia River.

  • September 03, 2025

    Wash. Court Pressed To Immediately End EV Funding Freeze

    Clean energy advocates have urged a Washington federal judge to wipe out the Trump administration's decision to freeze funding for new electric-vehicle charging infrastructure, saying the government can't be allowed to drag its feet on a pledge to restore funding.

  • September 03, 2025

    EPA Withdraws Slaughterhouse Water Pollution Rule

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday withdrew a Biden-era proposal that would have imposed stricter water discharge regulations on meat and poultry slaughtering, processing and rendering facilities across the country.

  • September 03, 2025

    Calif. Senate Panel OKs Property Tax Break For Tribes

    Native American tribes in California would be eligible for open space exemptions to property taxes under legislation approved by a state Senate panel that's heading for a final vote.

  • September 02, 2025

    DC Circ. Says EPA Can Freeze Climate Grant Funds

    A D.C. Circuit panel vacated an injunction on Tuesday ordering Citibank to relinquish grant funding frozen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, finding green groups are not likely to succeed on the merits of their "essentially contractual" claims.

  • September 02, 2025

    Two Unions Fight Trump Order Ending Labor Rights

    Unions representing thousands of employees of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the National Weather Service challenged in a lawsuit Tuesday in D.C. federal court an executive order by President Donald Trump ending their collective bargaining agreements. 

  • September 02, 2025

    11th Circ. Affirms Slashing Ex-Braves' $47M Easement Break

    A $47 million conservation easement deduction for a partnership founded by two former Atlanta Braves players was overvalued, the Eleventh Circuit affirmed Tuesday, saying none of the partnership's arguments undermined the U.S. Tax Court's finding that the easement property was worth far less than it claimed.

  • September 02, 2025

    Dow Faces Investor Suit Over Tariff-Related Disclosures

    Raw materials supplier Dow Chemical Co. has been hit with a proposed shareholder class action alleging its decision to reduce shareholder payouts earlier this year contradicted its earlier claims of its ability to withstand economic uncertainty, including tariffs.

Expert Analysis

  • Calif. Climate Superfund Bill Faces Legal, Technical Hurdles

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    California could soon join other states in sending the fossil fuel industry a massive bill for the costs of coping with climate change — but its pending climate Superfund legislation, if enacted, is certain to face legal pushback and daunting implementation challenges, says Donald Sobelman at Farella Braun.

  • $38M Law Firm Settlement Highlights 'Unworthy Client' Perils

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    A recent settlement of claims against law firm Eckert Seamans for allegedly abetting a Ponzi scheme underscores the continuing threat of clients who seek to exploit their lawyers in perpetrating fraud, and the critical importance of preemptive measures to avoid these clients, say attorneys at Lockton Companies.

  • Only Certainty About FAR Reform Order Is Its Uncertainty

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    The president’s recent order overhauling the Federal Acquisition Regulation, which both contractors and agencies rely on to ensure predictability and consistency in federal procurement, lacks key details about its implementation, which will likely eliminate many safeguards that ensure contractors are treated fairly and that procurements are awarded in a reasonable manner, say attorneys at Miles & Stockbridge.

  • Series

    Teaching Business Law Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Teaching business law to college students has rekindled my sense of purpose as a lawyer — I am more mindful of the importance of the rule of law and the benefits of our common law system, which helps me maintain a clearer perspective on work, says David Feldman at Feldman Legal Advisors.

  • Enviro Justice Efforts After Trump's Disparate Impact Order

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    The Trump administration's recent executive order directing the U.S. Department of Justice to unwind disparate impact regulations may end some Biden-era environmental justice initiatives — but it will not end all efforts, whether by state or federal regulators or private litigants, to address issues in environmentally overburdened communities, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • The Risks Of Trump's Plan To Fast-Track Deregulation

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    A recent memorandum issued by President Donald Trump directing the repeal of so-called unlawful regulations, and instructing that agencies invoke the good cause exception under the Administrative Procedure Act, signals a potentially far-reaching deregulatory strategy under the guise of legal compliance, say attorneys at GableGotwals.

  • Deregulation Memo Presents Risks, Opportunities For Cos.

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    A recent Trump administration memo providing direction to agencies tasked with rescinding regulations under an earlier executive order — without undergoing the typical notice-and-review process — will likely create much uncertainty for businesses, though they may be able to engage with agencies to shape the regulatory agenda, say attorneys at Blank Rome.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Mastering Discovery

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    The discovery process and the rules that govern it are often absent from law school curricula, but developing a solid grasp of the particulars can give any new attorney a leg up in their practice, says Jordan Davies at Knowles Gallant.

  • What New Study Means For Recycling Compliance In Calif.

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    Companies must review the California recycling agency's new study to understand its criteria for assessing claims of product and packaging recyclability under a law that takes effect next year, and then decide whether the risks of making such claims in the state outweigh the benefits, say attorneys at Keller & Heckman.

  • Opinion

    Proposals Against Phillips 66 Threaten Corporate Law

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    Activist investor Elliott Investment Management's latest attempted tactic — initiating a high-stakes proxy contest against Phillips 66 — goes too far and would cause the company to both violate Delaware law and avoid the legal exception to the shareholder proposal process, says J.W. Verret at George Mason University.

  • Balancing Deep-Sea Mining Executive Order, Int'l Agreements

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    President Donald Trump's recent executive order directing exploration and exploitation of deep-sea mineral resources appears to conflict with the evolving international framework regulating such activities, so companies and investors should proceed with care and keep possible future legal challenges in mind, say attorneys at Dentons.

  • Mitigating Import Risks Around Southeast Asian Solar Cells

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    The U.S. Department of Commerce's recent final determinations in its antidumping and countervailing duty investigations into solar cells produced in certain Southeast Asian countries make it important for U.S. purchasers to consider risk mitigation strategies, including modifying supply chains and contractually assigning import responsibilities, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Arbitral Ruling In EU Fisheries Clash Clarifies Post-Brexit Pact

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    The Permanent Court of Arbitration's recent ruling marks a pivotal moment in the evolving jurisprudence surrounding the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, concluded between the U.K. and the EU after Brexit, and sets an important precedent for interpretation and enforcement of trade and environment clauses in cross-border disputes, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.

  • Series

    Playing Guitar Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Being a lawyer not only requires logic and hard work, but also belief, emotion, situational awareness and lots of natural energy — playing guitar enhances all of these qualities, increasing my capacity to do my best work, says Kosta Stojilkovic at Wilkinson Stekloff.

  • 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.

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