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Environmental
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January 22, 2025
Investor Alleges Utility Put Profits Above Storm Preparation
CenterPoint Energy Inc.'s board of directors was hit with a lawsuit Wednesday from a shareholder who alleges the company's handling of Hurricane Beryl revealed it engaged in "financial engineering" designed to boost profits over operational efficiency.
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January 22, 2025
Space Explorer Voyager Technologies Confidentially Files IPO
Defense and space exploration company Voyager Technologies Inc. said Wednesday it has confidentially filed plans for an initial public offering, marking the second company from the industry to join the IPO pipeline this week and potentially benefiting from increased government funding for space travel.
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January 22, 2025
'The Hills' Reality Stars Latest To Sue Over Palisades Fire
"The Hills" reality TV show stars Spencer and Heidi Pratt are among the latest Palisades Fire victims to sue the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power alleging an empty local reservoir made it more difficult for first responders to put out the devastating blaze.
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January 22, 2025
8th Circ. Finds Monsanto PCB Case Can Stay In Federal Court
The Eighth Circuit on Wednesday allowed General Electric Co. and others to keep in Missouri federal court a suit by Monsanto Co. seeking defense for suits against Monsanto over polychlorinated biphenyls, finding that the suit was removed to federal court on time.
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January 22, 2025
Full DC Circ. Stands By Wipeout Of FERC Pipeline Approvals
The D.C. Circuit has rejected Williams Cos.' requests to reconsider a panel's decision scrapping Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approvals of a five-state expansion of the company's Transco pipeline system, despite more than a half-dozen amicus parties backing the rehearing requests.
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January 22, 2025
Navajo Nation Looks To Block Federal Mineral Leasing Ban
The Navajo Nation has sued the U.S. Department of the Interior in a bid to block a Biden administration order withdrawing federal land from new mineral leasing and development near a national park in New Mexico, saying the ban would cause tribal allottees to suffer financial hardships.
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January 22, 2025
Army, SD Tribe Fight For Early Win In Dakota Access Row
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers are both asking for early wins in a challenge to shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline over alleged violations of federal environmental laws.
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January 22, 2025
White House Shutters DEI Offices, Puts Workers On Leave
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management told federal agencies to close offices focused on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives by Wednesday evening and lay off staffers by Jan. 31, part of President Donald Trump's larger efforts to combat workplace diversity programs.
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January 21, 2025
What Gov't Contractors Must Know About Trump Exec Actions
President Donald Trump's flood of executive orders following his inauguration included a number of measures targeted at or broadly affecting federal contractors, such as lifting Biden administration antidiscrimination and climate change-related requirements and restarting border wall construction.
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January 21, 2025
Navy, Tetra Tech Strike $97M Deal Over Navy Cleanup Work
The U.S. Navy and a Tetra Tech unit have reached two settlements amounting to $97 million, resolving claims the subsidiary billed the Navy for radiation remediation services at a former Navy shipyard in San Francisco that it did not actually perform.
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January 21, 2025
EPA Defends Power Plant Effluent Rule At 8th Circ.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is asking the Eighth Circuit to reject challenges to its rule setting new wastewater limitations for coal-fired power plants that have been lodged by green groups, Republican-led states, utilities and industry organizations.
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January 21, 2025
SoCal Edison Must Hand Over Data In Eaton Fire Suit
A Los Angeles County judge ordered Southern California Edison Co. on Tuesday to produce data from its distribution circuits in the Altadena, California, neighborhood to a victim of the Eaton Fire, the first step in litigation over this month's deadly and destructive blaze.
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January 21, 2025
EPA Tells DC Circ. Its PFAS Superfund Rule Is On Solid Ground
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has claimed that it is perfectly within its authority to label two forever chemicals as "hazardous substances" under the federal Superfund law, urging the D.C. Circuit to toss an industry group's challenge to its designation powers.
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January 21, 2025
EPA Tells Justices That Air Pollution Cases Belong In DC Circ.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is urging the nation's highest court to rule that most judicial challenges to its air pollution rules belong in the D.C. Circuit, while small petroleum refiners say other, regional circuit courts are proper venues.
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January 21, 2025
Trump EV Rollbacks Spell Regulatory Whiplash For Auto Cos.
President Donald Trump's rollback of Biden administration policies intended to accelerate the U.S. auto industry's movement toward electric vehicles creates new uncertainties for a domestic EV supply chain that was already grappling with slowing consumer demand, experts say.
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January 21, 2025
Too Early For Liability In Pollution Suit, Sherwin-Williams Says
Sherwin-Williams has urged a New Jersey court to reject the Garden State's bid to find it liable for natural resource damages at the site of one of its former paint manufacturing plants, arguing the state's motion is premature.
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January 21, 2025
Trump Moratorium Is An Ill Wind For Project Development
President Donald Trump's sweeping directive to halt federal reviews and permitting of wind farms creates fresh uncertainty over whether many projects slated to be built can secure necessary approval and financing.
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January 21, 2025
Fed. Circ. Refuses To Restore Solar Cell Patent Claims
An Indian industrial conglomerate failed on Tuesday to persuade Federal Circuit judges to breathe new life into a patent covering a way of assembling solar cells that it had asserted in Delaware federal court against a Korean rival.
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January 21, 2025
Texas Sues Biden Administration Over Offshore Drilling Ban
Texas sued the Biden administration one last time during the administration's final hours, saying in a complaint Monday that orders banning oil and gas leasing in more than 625 million acres of federal waters run "afoul of the Constitution."
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January 21, 2025
Colo. Justices Say Elephants Don't Get Habeas Rights
The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday said the state's habeas statute only gives humans the right to petition against unlawful detention, upholding the dismissal of a habeas petition filed on behalf of five elderly elephants at a zoo.
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January 21, 2025
Tax Court Slashes $33M Easement Deduction
The U.S. Tax Court reduced a partnership's claimed $33 million tax deduction for a donation of a Georgia conservation easement Tuesday, saying the easement was only worth $4.7 million, partly because the partnership overestimated its development potential in a rural area.
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January 21, 2025
Bacon Giant Smithfields Leads 3 IPOs Primed To Exceed $1B
Bacon maker Smithfields Foods Inc. led a trio of companies unveiling price ranges for initial public offerings Tuesday that could raise $1.3 billion combined over the next week, with 10 law firms guiding the IPOs in various capacities.
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January 21, 2025
Water Main Co. Will Pay $1M After Connecticut Fish Kill
A water main cleaning company has waived indictment and admitted to a federal charge that it discharged a pollutant into a Connecticut brook while refurbishing a culvert pipe in 2019, causing the deaths of more than 150 fish, according to the U.S. attorney's office.
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January 21, 2025
NJ Unveils Plans To Retool Congestion-Pricing Fight
Undeterred by the denial of its bid to temporarily halt New York City's controversial congestion toll pricing plan, the state of New Jersey has notified a federal judge that it plans to drop its Third Circuit appeal and pursue a new plan of attack in district court.
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January 21, 2025
Ex-Chemical Biz Atty Drops Claims Against Bain Capital
A former in-house attorney for chemicals company Arxada has agreed to remove Bain Capital as a defendant in her New Jersey state court suit alleging that she was unlawfully dismissed after she discussed taking leave to recover from a miscarriage.
Expert Analysis
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Series
Flying Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Achieving my childhood dream of flying airplanes made me a better lawyer — and a better person — because it taught me I can conquer difficult goals when I leave my comfort zone, focus on the demands of the moment and commit to honing my skills, says Ivy Cadle at Baker Donelson.
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Post-Election Implications For The EPA's Methane Rules
Amid the U.S. Supreme Court's recent denial of requests to halt implementation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's methane rule in two suits, and given the outcome of the election, a complete reversal of the methane rule is expected, but state-level policymaking and enforcement will continue, says John Watson at Spencer Fane.
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Series
Circus Arts Make Me A Better Lawyer
Performing circus arts has strengthened my ability to be more thoughtful, confident and grounded, all of which has enhanced my legal practice and allowed me to serve clients in a more meaningful way, says Bailey McGowan at Stinson.
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3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less
Today’s junior lawyers are experiencing a skills gap due to pandemic-era disruptions, but firms can help bring them up to speed by offering high-impact skill building content in bite-sized, interactive training sessions, say Stacey Schwartz at Katten, Diane Costigan at Winston & Strawn and Lauren Tierney at Freshfields.
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8 Tech Tips For Stress-Free Remote Depositions
Court reporter Kelly D’Amico shares practical strategies for attorneys to conduct remote depositions with ease and troubleshoot any issues that arise, as it seems deposition-by-Zoom is here to stay after the pandemic.
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What Trump Presidency May Mean For Climate Reporting
While the Trump administration will likely take a hands-off approach to climate-related disclosures and rescind regulations promulgated under the Biden administration, state and international ESG laws mean the private sector may not reverse course on such disclosures, say attorneys at Seyfarth.
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Expect Surging Oil And Gas Industry Under New Trump Admin
Throughout his recent campaign, President-elect Donald Trump promised increased oil and natural gas production and reduced reliance on renewables — and his administration will likely bring more oil and gas dealmaking, faster federal permitting and attempts to roll back incentives for green energy, say attorneys at Sidley.
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SEC Action Indicates Continued Focus On ESG Disclosures
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently settled enforcement action against Invesco Advisers provides a road map for how regulatory agencies will continue to focus on ESG-related disclosures going forward, and underscores a focus on greenwashing, say attorneys at V&E.
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4 Ways Attorneys Can Emotionally Prepare For Trial
In the course of litigation, trial lawyers face a number of scenarios that can incite an emotional response, but formulating a mental game plan in advance of trial can help attorneys stay cool, calm and collected in the moment, says Rachel Lary at Lightfoot Franklin.
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The Bar Needs More Clarity On The Discovery Objection Rule
Almost 10 years after Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 34 was amended, attorneys still seem confused about what they should include in objections to discovery requests, and until the rules committee provides additional clarity, practitioners must beware the steep costs of noncompliance, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law Office.
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Key Plaintiff Litigation Strategies For Silicosis Lawsuits
A California stone worker's recent $52 million jury award highlights the growing silicosis crisis among employees in the stone fabrication industry — and points to the importance of a strategic approach to litigating silicosis cases against employers and manufacturers, says David Matthews at Matthews & Associates.
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Presidential Campaign Errors Provide Lessons For Trial Attys
Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign employed numerous strategies that evidently didn’t land, and trial attorneys should take note, because voters and jurors are both decision-makers who are listening for how one’s case presentation would affect them personally, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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What's Still Up In The Air After Ruling On Calif. Climate Laws
A California federal court's recent ruling on challenges to California's sweeping climate disclosure laws resolved some issues, but allows litigation over the constitutionality of the laws to continue, and leaves many important questions on what entities will need to do to comply with the laws unanswered, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.
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Series
Being A Navy Reservist Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Serving this country in uniform has not only been one of the greatest honors of my life, but it has also provided me with opportunities to broaden my legal acumen and interpersonal skills in ways that have indelibly contributed to my civilian practice, says Phillip Smith at Weinberg Wheeler.
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Cos. Should Inventory Issues To Prep For New Congress
As the legislative and oversight agendas of the 119th Congress come into sharper focus, corporate counsel should assess and plan for areas of potential oversight risk — from tax policy changes to supply chain integrity — even as much uncertainty remains, say attorneys at WilmerHale.