Environmental

  • August 22, 2025

    Split 9th Circ. Halts Land Swap With Idaho Tribes' Backing

    A split Ninth Circuit panel on Friday upheld a lower court's decision to invalidate an Interior Department land transfer in Idaho for the expansion of a phosphogypsum plant, saying that a 1900 federal law limits the disposal of treaty-ceded lands.

  • August 22, 2025

    Green Groups Lodge 5th Circ. Challenge Over La. LNG Permits

    Environmentalists have asked the Fifth Circuit to cancel air permits issued by Louisiana environmental regulators for a liquefied natural gas export terminal, saying the permits were unlawfully issued and will increase pollution for nearby communities.

  • August 22, 2025

    Rubin And Rudman Adds Environmental Land Use Law Expert

    Rubin and Rudman LLP has hired a partner to the firm's environmental, land use and zoning practice group whose transactional and regulatory compliance focus will complement the firm's bench of environmental land use law and real estate law experts and litigators.

  • August 22, 2025

    Pillsbury Hires Renewable Energy Pro From Holland & Knight

    The former co-head of Holland & Knight LLP's renewable energy team has joined Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP as a partner in New York.

  • August 22, 2025

    DC Circ. Rejects NM Ranchers' Bird Protection Challenge

    The D.C. Circuit on Friday rejected New Mexico ranchers' challenge to the federal government's decision to preserve Endangered Species Act protections for a small, migratory songbird.

  • August 22, 2025

    IRS Guidance Sparks Mixed Reaction For Solar, Wind Projects

    The IRS recently narrowed the way large solar and wind energy development projects can set their construction start dates to qualify for certain tax credits, a change offering relief for some developers but new hurdles for others depending on the stage, type and size of the project.

  • August 22, 2025

    BBK Taps Gov't Affairs Director From Interior Leadership

    Best Best & Krieger LLP has hired a U.S. Department of the Interior leader who helped advance drought resilience plans and advise the agency's secretary on water and science policy as the new director of its government affairs group, the firm announced.

  • August 22, 2025

    Fla. Appeals Order To Wind Down Detention Center Operations

    A Florida official filed notice late Thursday that the state will appeal a federal judge's ruling ordering the government to begin winding down operations at the Everglades immigration detention center after finding the plaintiffs challenging it are likely to prevail on their environmental claims.

  • August 21, 2025

    Fla. Judge Orders Wind Down Of Everglades Detention Center

    A Florida federal judge Thursday ordered the government to stop bringing new detainees to the Everglades immigration detention center dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" and to begin winding down operations after finding the plaintiffs challenging the center are likely to prevail on their environmental claims.

  • August 21, 2025

    Nikola SPAC, Related Settlements Reach $33.75M In Del.

    A multi-court string of settlements has produced a $33.75 million proposed payout for stockholders who alleged in direct and derivative state and federal actions that they were misled in deals that took electric vehicle maker Nikola Corp. public.

  • August 21, 2025

    'Sustainable' Fintech Leader Cops To $248M Investor Fraud

    The co-founder of bankrupt financial services company Aspiration Partners Inc. agreed on Thursday to plead guilty to defrauding investors and lenders.

  • August 21, 2025

    Biz Groups Appeal Calif. Climate Reporting Ruling To 9th Circ.

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups have appealed a court order rejecting their bid to block new California state regulations requiring large companies to publicly disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related financial risks that they claim violate their First Amendment rights.

  • August 21, 2025

    Consumer Advocates Blast FERC Inaction On Power Auction

    Consumer advocates and municipal utilities have told the D.C. Circuit that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission can't use a Third Circuit ruling to claim it is powerless to prevent the rerunning of a flawed electricity capacity auction that overcharged consumers by $183 million.

  • August 21, 2025

    NC Senator Says Whirlpool Rigged TED Talk For Ad Campaign

    Sen. DeAndrea Salvador, a Norh Carolina Democrat, accused appliance manufacturer Whirlpool Corp. of using manipulated portions of her old TED Talk on energy affordability to burnish its international ad campaign, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in North Carolina federal court.

  • August 21, 2025

    UC Grant Cuts Over DEI Likely Stifle Speech, 9th Circ. Says

    The Ninth Circuit on Thursday refused to pause a preliminary injunction requiring three federal agencies to reinstate research grants terminated following two of President Donald Trump's executive orders seeking to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion, saying the terminations likely aimed to suppress speech favorable of DEI and environmental justice.

  • August 21, 2025

    9th Circ. Rejects Rehearing On Alaskan Willow Oil Project

    A Ninth Circuit panel won't undo its ruling to uphold the federal government's decision to only move forward with alternative versions of the ConocoPhillips Willow project that strayed from its original plans and that Alaskan Native and environmental advocacy groups say will result in full development of the Arctic oil reservoir.

  • August 21, 2025

    NJ Court Halts Tower Linked To Menendez Co-Conspirator

    A New Jersey state court judge ordered a developer to halt construction on a mixed-use project formerly headed by a businessman convicted alongside former U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, finding the buildings' height is "clearly exceeding" plans approved in 2018.

  • August 21, 2025

    HHS Wants Out Of Unions' Suit Over Layoffs, Agency Cuts

    The Department of Health and Human Services fought back against amended claims from several unions over layoff notices and the alleged dismantling of an agency focused on worker safety, telling a D.C. federal judge that the unions are pursuing "judicial overreach" in their suit.

  • August 21, 2025

    EPA Denies 'Sitting On Its Hands' On Pesticide Ban Request

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday asked the Ninth Circuit to reject green groups' effort to force it to respond to their petition to ban organophosphate pesticides, saying it "has not unreasonably delayed action."

  • August 21, 2025

    Engineering Consultant Fights 'Sweeping' Ban On Job Move

    A former principal for a California environmental consulting firm asked a Michigan federal judge Thursday to dissolve or narrow a restraining order barring her from taking a job at a competitor, calling the order a "sweeping" ban that would "destroy" her career.

  • August 21, 2025

    Feds Extend Mich. Coal Plant Order Amid Court Fight

    The U.S. Department of Energy has renewed an order keeping a Michigan power plant open past its retirement date for another three months, as the government faces court challenges to its exercise of emergency powers.

  • August 20, 2025

    9th Circ. Blocks Alaska's Bid To Loosen Federal Fishing Regs

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday said Alaska state officials may not open part of the Kuskokwim River to gill net fishing by all residents of the state because that would violate a federal law that favors rural, subsistence fishers.

  • August 20, 2025

    Wash. Seeks To Stop NOAA's Climate Change Grant Cuts

    The state of Washington is urging a Seattle federal judge to save more than $9.3 million in climate change resiliency funding that it claims is "on the chopping block" as the Trump administration moves to eliminate programming to promote environmental justice and reduce carbon emissions.

  • August 20, 2025

    States Say Kidde-Fenwal Ch. 11 Disclosures Still Inadequate

    Attorneys for seven states and Washington, D.C., have told a Delaware bankruptcy court that firefighting foam maker Kidde-Fenwal Inc. failed to meet court-directed disclosure statement requirements for its latest, fifth-amended Chapter 11 liquidation plan and called for rejection of the document.

  • August 20, 2025

    Colo. AG Pans EPA Plan To End Vehicle-Emission Standards

    Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser testified before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday to advocate against the agency's proposal to eliminate air pollution standards for motor vehicles.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Communicating With Clients

    Author Photo

    Law school curricula often overlook client communication procedures, and those who actively teach this crucial facet of the practice can create exceptional client satisfaction and success, says Patrick Hanson at Wiggam Law.

  • Justices' NRC Ruling Raises New Regulatory Questions

    Author Photo

    In Nuclear Regulatory Commission v. Texas, the U.S. Supreme Court avoided ruling on the NRC's authority to license private, temporary nuclear waste storage facilities — and this failure to reach the merits question creates new regulatory uncertainty where none had existed for decades, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • 3 Judicial Approaches To Applying Loper Bright, 1 Year Later

    Author Photo

    In the year since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Chevron deference in its Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision, a few patterns have emerged in lower courts’ application of the precedent to determine whether agency actions are lawful, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

  • Bill Leaves Renewable Cos. In Dark On Farmland Reporting

    Author Photo

    A U.S. Senate bill to update disclosure requirements for foreign control of U.S. farmland does not provide much-needed guidance on how to report renewable energy development on agricultural property, leaving significant compliance risks for project developers, say attorneys at Hodgson Russ.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From US Rep. To Boutique Firm

    Author Photo

    My transition from serving as a member of Congress to becoming a partner at a boutique firm has been remarkably smooth, in part because I never stopped exercising my legal muscles, maintained relationships with my former colleagues and set the right tone at the outset, says Mondaire Jones at Friedman Kaplan.

  • Opinion

    Senate's 41% Litigation Finance Tax Would Hurt Legal System

    Author Photo

    The Senate’s latest version of the Big Beautiful Bill Act would impose a 41% tax on the litigation finance industry, but the tax is totally disconnected from the concerns it purports to address, and it would set the country back to a time when small plaintiffs had little recourse against big defendants, says Anthony Sebok at Cardozo School of Law.

  • 3 Juror Psychology Principles For Expert Witness Testimony

    Author Photo

    Expert witnesses can sometimes fall into traps when trying to teach juries complex topics by failing to consider the psychology of juror comprehension, but attorneys can help witnesses avoid these pitfalls with a deeper understanding of cognitive lag, chunking and learning styles, says Steve Wood at Courtroom Sciences.

  • In NRC Ruling, Justices Affirm Hearing Process Still Matters

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Nuclear Regulatory Commission v. Texas safeguards the fairness, clarity and predictability of the regulatory system by affirming that to challenge an agency's decision in court, litigants must first meaningfully participate in the hearing process that Congress and the agency have established, says Jonathan Rund at the Nuclear Energy Institute.

  • Series

    Performing As A Clown Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    To say that being a clown in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has changed my legal career would truly be an understatement — by creating an opening to converse on a unique topic, it has allowed me to connect with clients, counsel and even judges on a deeper level, says Charles Tatelbaum at Tripp Scott.

  • How Energy Cos. Can Prepare For Potential Tax Credit Cuts

    Author Photo

    The Senate Finance Committee's version of the One Big Beautiful Bill act would create a steep phaseout of renewable energy tax credits, which should prompt companies to take several actions, including conduct a project review to discern which could begin construction before the end of the year, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Rejecting Biz Dev Myths

    Author Photo

    Law schools don’t spend sufficient time dispelling certain myths that prevent young lawyers from exploring new business opportunities, but by dismissing these misguided beliefs, even an introverted first-year associate with a small network of contacts can find long-term success, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

  • Move Beyond Surface-Level Edits To Master Legal Writing

    Author Photo

    Recent instances in which attorneys filed briefs containing artificial intelligence hallucinations offer a stark reminder that effective revision isn’t just about superficial details like grammar — it requires attorneys to critically engage with their writing and analyze their rhetorical choices, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.

  • 9th Circ. Has Muddied Waters Of Article III Pleading Standard

    Author Photo

    District courts in the Ninth Circuit continue to apply a defunct and especially forgiving pleading standard to questions of Article III standing, and the circuit court itself has only perpetuated this confusion — making it an attractive forum for disputes that have no rightful place in federal court, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • Future Of Enviro Crimes Under Trump's Federal Regs Order

    Author Photo

    President Donald Trump's recent executive order about fighting overcriminalization in federal regulations creates new advocacy opportunities for defense counsel to argue that particular environmental crime investigations and matters ought to be limited or declined based on the policy priorities reflected in the order, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Series

    Competing In Modern Pentathlon Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Opening myself up to new experiences through competing in modern Olympic pentathlon has shrunk the appearance of my daily work annoyances and helps me improve my patience, manage crises better and remember that acquiring new skills requires working through your early mistakes, says attorney Mary Zoldak.

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.