Environmental

  • October 27, 2025

    Exxon Sues Calif. Over Climate Disclosure Laws

    Exxon Mobil Corp. is suing California over state laws the company says violate its First Amendment rights by forcing it "to serve as a mouthpiece" for ideas it disagrees with, including that large companies are uniquely responsible for climate change.

  • October 27, 2025

    NC Lot Owners Fight $1.45M Fee Assessment After Helene

    Property owners in a private gated community in the mountains of North Carolina are suing to block a $1.45 million special assessment levied by the property association to pay for damage caused by Hurricane Helene.

  • October 27, 2025

    Feds Push To Keep Challenge To Calif. Truck Rules Alive

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is urging a California federal court not to dismiss its intervenor claims alleging that the state violated the Clean Air Act through its adoption of new emissions standards for heavy duty trucks.

  • October 24, 2025

    Mining Co. Denied Access To Tribal Docs In Minn. Land Row

    A Minnesota federal magistrate judge has denied a request for discovery by Northshore Mining Co. against the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians in the tribe's lawsuit over a land exchange, saying the tribe did not cause any unreasonable delays that require discovery.

  • October 24, 2025

    Bulgaria Will Fight $71M Energy Award OK At DC Circ.

    Bulgaria will ask the D.C. Circuit to review a ruling enforcing a €61 million ($70.9 million) arbitral award issued to a renewable energy investor, in which a D.C. federal judge dismissed its jurisdictional objections as "nothing more than a latinized" version of an argument already rejected by the appeals court.

  • October 24, 2025

    Judge Won't Block Empire Wind Project

    A D.C. federal judge declined to stop work on an 80,000-acre offshore wind project off the New York and New Jersey coasts Friday, saying the nearby residents challenging the project failed to show that the windfarm would injure migratory bottlenose dolphins.

  • October 24, 2025

    Spain Must Pay €13M Renewable Award, DC Court Hears

    A D.C. federal court is being asked to disregard a Swedish appellate court's decision setting aside a nearly €13 million ($15.1 million) arbitral award against Spain that was originally issued to a Luxembourgian renewable energy investor and to enforce the award instead.

  • October 24, 2025

    Admin Of $600M Derailment Deal Accused Of 'Alarming' Errors

    Class counsel who inked a $600 million derailment settlement with Norfolk Southern called on an Ohio federal judge to revoke nearly $10 million in fees paid to the case's prior settlement administrator after an initial audit found "alarming, large-scale errors" in its claims management.

  • October 24, 2025

    DOE's Wright Urges FERC To Boost Data Center Grid Access

    U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright is pressing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to enact rules to speed up the connection of data centers to the grid, claiming the agency has the federal authority to do so.

  • October 24, 2025

    Minn. Court Backs Insurer In Hail Damage Coverage Dispute

    A Hanover Insurance unit has no duty to cover a Minnesota school district for hail damage to the roofs of both its schools, a Minnesota federal court ruled, finding an exclusion barring coverage for "cosmetic damage" applied.

  • October 24, 2025

    Judge Backs DOI, Calif. Tribe In $21M Waste Lease Dispute

    A federal judge has given a quick win to the U.S. Department of the Interior and a California tribe in a challenge by a waste management company over a decision to cancel its 25-year project lease, saying the determination was not arbitrary or capricious.

  • October 24, 2025

    Taxation With Representation: Latham, Wachtell, Gibson Dunn

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, Meta announces a joint venture with Blue Owl Capital to fund the development of a data center campus in Louisiana, private equity giants acquire medical technology company Hologic Inc., and National Fuel Gas Co. buys CenterPoint Energy Inc.'s Ohio natural gas utility business.

  • October 24, 2025

    Talks On Shipping Carbon Price Continue Despite Plan's Delay

    The United Nations' maritime agency continued talks on the details of a global carbon price plan for shipping this past week despite the recent postponement of the plan amid U.S. opposition, experts taking part in the process said Friday.

  • October 24, 2025

    Partnership Fights For $15M Easement Deduction In Tax Court

    The Internal Revenue Service didn't explain its determinations and therefore violated administrative law when it denied an Alabama partnership a $14.8 million deduction for donating a conservation easement in 2020, the partnership told the U.S. Tax Court.

  • October 24, 2025

    Verite Capital Plugs $300M Into Used Cooking Oil Energy Co.

    Buffalo Biodiesel Inc., a company that recycles used cooking oil and turns it into renewable green energy, on Friday unveiled a capital and growth partnership with private investment firm Verite Capital Partners that includes a $300 million funding program.

  • October 23, 2025

    EV-Maker Rivian Will Pay $250M To End Investors' Fraud Suit

    Rivian Automotive Inc. investors asked a California federal judge Thursday to greenlight a $250 million settlement resolving their claims that the company underpriced its electric vehicles and misrepresented its profitability ahead of a blockbuster 2021 initial public offering, just one day before a summary judgment hearing.

  • October 23, 2025

    Energy Cos. Face Permit, Regulatory Delays Due To Shutdown

    Energy companies are starting to feel the pinch of the federal government shutdown, as scaled-back operations and new furlough announcements at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency threaten the approval of needed permits and the issuance of highly anticipated regulations.

  • October 23, 2025

    11th Circ. Halts Fla. Detention Center Appeal Amid Shutdown

    The Eleventh Circuit has stayed an appeal over the operation of a Florida Everglades immigrant detention center dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" after the government requested a halt to proceedings due to the federal government shutdown. 

  • October 23, 2025

    Calif. Tribe Joins Suit Seeking To Halt Barred Owl Culling Plan

    An Oregon federal judge has let the Yurok Tribe intervene in an animal advocacy group's lawsuit seeking to block the U.S. government from killing thousands of protected barred owls as a means to save the threatened northern spotted owl, saying the tribe has a specific interest in the action.

  • October 23, 2025

    4th Circ. Pushed To Retain Block On Chemours PFAS Dumping

    A pair of environmental groups is urging the Fourth Circuit to leave in place an injunction blocking The Chemours Co. FC LLC from continuing to discharge so-called forever chemicals into the Ohio River, saying the company is using strawman arguments to get its way.

  • October 23, 2025

    US Oil Cos. Pay More Tax Abroad Than At Home, Report Says

    American oil and gas companies with foreign extraction operations paid more than 80% of their total taxes abroad in recent years despite producing more oil and gas in the U.S. than everywhere else combined, a corporate transparency group said Thursday.

  • October 23, 2025

    Japan's Jera Paying $1.5B For Louisiana Shale Gas Assets

    Japanese power company Jera Co. said Thursday it has agreed to acquire shale gas assets in Louisiana from Williams Cos. and GEP Haynesville II LLC for about $1.5 billion, with Baker Botts LLP steering Jera on the deal. 

  • October 23, 2025

    Wash. Judge Halts Feds From Pulling $9M In Climate Funds

    A Washington federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from scrapping more than $9 million of climate resiliency agreements with Washington state, finding state officials likely to prevail on claims the administration acted unlawfully when it abruptly ended them.

  • October 23, 2025

    One Nuclear Energy To Go Public Via $1B SPAC Merger

    One Nuclear Energy LLC, led by Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, on Thursday unveiled plans to go public through a merger with Sidley Austin LLP-guided special purpose acquisition company Hennessy Capital Investment Corp. VII, in a deal that values the energy company at $1 billion in pre-money equity.

  • October 23, 2025

    Derailment Counsel Fee Provision 'Troubles' 6th Circ. Judge

    A three-judge Sixth Circuit panel on Thursday seemed skeptical that counsel representing victims of the fiery 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, was blindsided by a "quick-pay" provision in the attorney fee agreement that saw class lawyers get paid before their clients.

Expert Analysis

  • New DOJ Penalty Policy Could Spell Trouble For Cos.

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    In light of the U.S. Department of Justice’s recently published guidance making victim relief a core condition of coordinated resolution crediting, companies facing parallel investigations must carefully calibrate their negotiation strategies to minimize the risk of duplicative penalties, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Clean Energy Tax Changes Cut Timelines, Add Red Tape

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    With its dramatic changes to energy tax credits, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will reshape project financing and investment planning — and wind and solar developers, especially those in the early stages of projects, face stricter timelines and heightened compliance challenges, says Dan Ruth at Balch & Bingham.

  • 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.

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