Environmental

  • August 28, 2025

    Commonwealth Fusion Systems Wraps $863M Funding Round

    Private fusion company Commonwealth Fusion Systems on Thursday revealed that it clinched an $863 million Series B2 funding round, marking what the company says is the "largest amount raised" among deep tech and energy companies since its 2021 $1.8 billion Series B funding round.

  • August 27, 2025

    Buyers Drop State Claims In Target Deceptive 'Clean' Label Suit

    A proposed class of consumers alleging Target's Clean range of beauty products actually contain chemicals harmful to humans and the environment agreed Wednesday to voluntarily dismiss their specific state law claims without prejudice.

  • August 27, 2025

    Tribe Wins Limited Approval Of Bid To Intervene In Casino Suit

    A California federal judge said the Koi Nation may intervene in the state's lawsuit over a U.S. government plan to put land into trust for the tribe's proposed casino, but she also ruled it hasn't waived its sovereign immunity so it will not be joined to the litigation as an indispensable party.

  • August 27, 2025

    Colorado Sues Mobile Home Park Over Unsafe Drinking Water

    Colorado health officials told a state judge on Wednesday that a local mobile home park's drinking water tested positive for potentially dangerous bacteria, and the mobile home park is violating state law by ignoring mandated further testing and refusing to notify residents of the test results.

  • August 27, 2025

    Solar Co. Failed To Give Proper Layoff Notice, Suit Says

    Solar energy company PosiGen failed to provide proper notice before terminating hundreds of employees as part of a mass layoff affecting workers at sites in Pennsylvania, Louisiana and other states, according to a proposed class action filed in Delaware federal court.

  • August 27, 2025

    Miner, Recreationists Oppose Intervention In Monument Fight

    A California miner and a public recreation nonprofit are opposing bids by nine environmental groups and five tribal nations to intervene "as of right" in a suit challenging the Chuckwalla National Monument's protected status, telling a Michigan federal judge they're not entitled to intervention.

  • August 27, 2025

    Feds, Blue States Clash Over Future Of EV Funding Fight

    The Trump administration says its recent decision to release funding for new electric-vehicle charging infrastructure moots Democratic-led states' litigation challenging the prior revocation of the funding, but the states said they're still being harmed and their lawsuit should proceed.

  • August 27, 2025

    Greenberg Traurig Adds Real Estate Pro From DR Horton

    Greenberg Traurig LLP has added a real estate and construction pro, who joins the firm from an in-house role at homebuilding company D.R. Horton, to its real estate practice.

  • August 26, 2025

    Proposed NIH Class Can Join UC Grant Cuts Suit, Judge Says

    A California federal judge ruled Tuesday that a proposed class action seeking to reinstate grants awarded to University of California researchers that were nixed pursuant to President Donald Trump's executive orders can amend the complaint to add researchers whose National Institutes of Health grants have been recently suspended.

  • August 26, 2025

    Mich. Paper Mill Settles Noxious Odor Suit

    After losing their bid for class certification, property owners who complained about a rotten-egg smell coming from a nearby paper mill have reached a deal with Graphic Packaging International, according to an order by a Michigan federal judge, who dismissed the case on Tuesday.

  • August 26, 2025

    Delta To Pay LA Residents $79M For Dumping Fuel On Them

    Delta Air Lines Inc. and a certified class of Angelenos urged a California federal judge to vacate his summary judgment ruling and preliminarily approve their $78.75 million deal under which class counsel would receive up to $26 million to end consolidated litigation over a 2020 jet fuel dumping incident.

  • August 26, 2025

    Farmers Defend Climate Superfund Law Against Challenges

    Farmers and environmentalists are asking a Vermont federal judge to toss the U.S. government's, industry groups' and red states' lawsuits challenging the state's climate change Superfund law, saying it's a lawful method to pay for damages caused by the phenomenon.

  • August 26, 2025

    FOIA Results Wanted Before Ruling In DOGE Disclosure Suit

    A D.C. federal judge said he wants to see how the Trump administration responds to Freedom of Information Act requests submitted in February before deciding on the government's motion to dismiss an environmental group's suit claiming that DOGE teams working in federal agencies have violated transparency laws.

  • August 26, 2025

    Puerto Rico Utility Bondholders Say They'll End Reorg Deal

    A group of Puerto Rican electric utility bondholders have told a New York federal judge they will pull out of a three-year-old deal to support the utility's proposed restructuring plan if it is not confirmed by October.

  • August 26, 2025

    Feds Look To Dismiss Calif. Tribe's $700M Casino Dispute

    The U.S. Department of the Interior, with the backing of two tribes and the California Gaming Association, is looking to dismiss a lawsuit over its decision to temporarily nix eligibility for a proposed $700 million casino and hotel project, arguing it doesn't constitute a final agency action under the Administrative Procedure Act.

  • August 26, 2025

    Wash. Cities Settle Yacht Club's Clean Water Act Suit

    Two Washington cities have tentatively settled a yacht club's federal lawsuit claiming the municipalities muddied the waters of its marina by failing to maintain critical stormwater infrastructure and allowing the discharge of silt-laden runoff.

  • August 25, 2025

    Fla. ICE Official Warns Detention Center Closure Risks Safety

    The field office director for U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement in Miami urged a Florida federal court to keep a temporary detention center in the Everglades in operation, saying in a motion to pause an injunction that closing the facility will endanger the community. 

  • August 25, 2025

    Detroit Coke Plant Found Liable For Clean Air Act Violations

    A federal judge on Monday ruled a Detroit facility that produces coke for steelmaking violated the Clean Air Act with increased air pollution, teeing up a trial to determine if parent company DTE Energy shares responsibility.

  • August 25, 2025

    Texas Wants To Back Trump In Calif. Vehicle Waiver Fight

    Texas has told a federal court that California shouldn't be allowed to adopt vehicle emissions standards that are stricter than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's because other states essentially have to go along with them even if they disagree.

  • August 25, 2025

    Feds, Wind Farm Backers Duel For Wins In Permitting Fight

    As the Trump administration moves to halt work on multiple offshore wind projects, the government and wind farm backers have blasted each other's bids for quick wins in litigation challenging the stoppage of all federal reviews of wind projects.

  • August 25, 2025

    Trade Court Remands Belgian Citric Acid Exporter Review

    The U.S. Court of International Trade remanded the U.S. Department of Commerce's antidumping duty investigation of citric acid imports from a Belgium exporter after finding that the government failed to properly account for costs associated with production.

  • August 25, 2025

    Ex-TSA Attorney Among 3 New Lawyers At Kaplan Kirsch

    A former Transportation Security Administration attorney is among three lawyers who recently joined Kaplan Kirsch LLP, a Denver-based law firm that specializes in representing state, local and tribal government agencies on projects such as airport expansions and new rail lines.

  • August 25, 2025

    3 Firms Advise On Crescent's $3.1B Vital Energy Acquisition

    Crescent Energy Co. will acquire Vital Energy Inc. in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $3.1 billion, including Vital's net debt, the companies said Monday, with three law firms advising on the transaction.

  • August 25, 2025

    Unions Ask Judge To Block DOD, EPA From Ending Contracts

    A D.C. federal judge should stop the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and four other agencies from canceling their union contracts, a group of unions said, asking him to block the agencies from complying with an executive order that let them terminate these contracts.

  • August 25, 2025

    Judge Pauses CWA Suit Over Chemours' Ohio River Pollution

    A West Virginia federal judge put a Clean Water Act citizen suit nearing trial on hold as Chemours appeals a preliminary injunction ruling holding that an environmental group can challenge its allegedly excessive discharges of a "forever chemical" into the Ohio River.

Expert Analysis

  • Tips For US Investors Eyeing Middle East Data Centers

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    While Middle East data center investment presents a compelling opportunity in light of renewed U.S.-Gulf cooperation on artificial intelligence and critical technologies, these projects require a nuanced understanding of regional legal and regulatory regimes, says Haykel Hajjaji at Covington.

  • 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.

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