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Environmental
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June 02, 2025
Sunnova Energy Sends Unit Into Ch. 11 With Over $100M Debt
A unit of residential solar company Sunnova Energy International Inc. filed for Chapter 11 protection in Texas bankruptcy court with up to $500 million in both assets and debt, saying it has considered a potential sale of the business or a restructuring deal.
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June 02, 2025
Va. Landfill Says Waste Treatment Costs Sent It Into Ch. 11
The owner of a closed-down Virginia landfill has filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware bankruptcy court with just over $183 million in debt, saying its costs for treating toxic wastewater exploded after an ex-employee falsified reports.
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May 30, 2025
Split 9th Circ. Won't Unblock Trump's Gov't Overhaul
A split Ninth Circuit on Friday refused to lift a California federal judge's preliminary block of President Donald Trump's executive order directing layoffs at federal agencies, handing a win to a coalition of unions, nonprofits and cities that argue the order exceeded the president's authority.
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May 30, 2025
Enviro-Focused Community Bank Exits FDIC Consent Orders
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has freed Maryland-based Forbright Bank from the penalty box, terminating a pair of consent orders that had restricted its growth and required anti-money laundering improvements.
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May 30, 2025
Court Sinks Iowa Farm's Challenge To 'Swampbuster' Law
An Iowa federal judge has rejected a farm owner's effort to overturn the "Swampbuster" conservation law that aims to protect wetlands in agricultural areas, ruling that the statute passes constitutional muster.
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May 30, 2025
Shell Speculated About Conn. Environment Goals, Group Says
Two Shell Oil Co. subsidiaries speculated about Connecticut's regulatory goals while using the draft of a new state permit to interpret a prior permit governing a New Haven petroleum terminal, relitigating theories a judge rejected in 2023, an environmental group has said in its challenge to the terminal's flood readiness plans.
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May 30, 2025
Judge Says Stalled Colo. Dam Construction Poses Big Risks
A Colorado federal judge has reversed course and will no longer bar Denver Water from completing a half-built dam, writing in an order that while the project was approved without a proper environmental review, there could be serious risks to people as well as the environment if the dam remains uncompleted.
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May 30, 2025
DOE Yanks $3.7B In Funding For Clean Energy Projects
An ExxonMobil hydrogen project in Texas and carbon capture projects throughout the U.S. are among two dozen clean energy projects that have seen a combined $3.7 billion in funding rescinded by the Department of Energy, the agency said Friday.
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May 30, 2025
No Point In Vacating NEPA Ruling, Gov't Tells 8th Circ.
The Trump administration on Friday urged the Eighth Circuit to preserve a North Dakota federal judge's decision striking down Biden-era National Environmental Policy Act regulations, a ruling that states and environmental groups say should be vacated.
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May 30, 2025
Mass. Transportation Agencies Sued For $1.2M In Runoff Fees
Boston's Water and Sewer Commission is accusing the Massachusetts transportation and public transit agencies of failing to pay a new stormwater assessment that went into effect last year.
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May 30, 2025
Wachtell, Akin Steer EOG On $5.6B Energy Deal
Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld are advising EOG Resources Inc. on an agreement to acquire Encino Acquisition Partners from the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board for $5.6 billion including debt, EOG said on Friday.
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May 30, 2025
Trump Admin Says States Can't Fight Wind Permit Pause
The Trump administration said a Massachusetts federal judge should reject states' push to block a decision to pause permitting for wind energy projects, saying their claims amount to nothing more than a policy disagreement with no place in court.
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May 30, 2025
Mass. Can't Delay Developer's Suit Over Brownfields Credit
Massachusetts tax officials who have taken more than two years to consider the appeal of a denied brownfields tax credit must hand over the administrative record in the case so that a developer can pursue a motion for judgment on the pleadings, a state court justice has ordered.
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May 30, 2025
Strathcona Lobs $4.3B Offer For MEG, Snags PE Investment
North American oil producer Strathcona Resources Ltd. on Friday launched an unsolicited takeover offer to acquire Canadian thermal oil producer MEG Energy Corp. in a cash-and-stock deal, while simultaneously announcing a $662 million investment from Waterous Energy Fund in connection with the transaction.
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May 29, 2025
Shell Told To Disclose Climate Risk Docs In RI Terminal Case
A Rhode Island federal judge Thursday ordered Shell Oil Co. to answer the Conservation Law Foundation's inquiries concerning its knowledge behind the construction and operation of a bulk storage terminal in Providence that the conservation group claims is unprepared for flooding and other weather events expected in a changing climate.
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May 29, 2025
Projects Get Some NEPA Relief, But How Much Is Unknown
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision limiting judicial review of environmental analyses of infrastructure projects, combined with the Trump administration's drive to ease approval processes, may boost developers' optimism — but the extent to which reviews can be narrowed remains unknown.
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May 29, 2025
Monsanto-Funded Researcher Influenced Panel, Jury Hears
A Missouri jury hearing the latest trial over cancer claims related to Monsanto's glyphosate pesticides heard Thursday that a Monsanto-funded researcher was able to change the course of a prestigious international panel weighing the chemical's carcinogenicity.
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May 29, 2025
Judge Sees No Harm In BLM Drill Permits Near Colo. Grassland
A Colorado federal judge said an environmental group failed to show standing for a suit challenging the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's refusal to mitigate surface pollution from oil and gas wells on state and private lands on and around the Pawnee National Grassland.
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May 29, 2025
Texas Justices Keep Court Orders On $3.4B Water Pipeline
A Texas appeals court mostly kept intact court orders barring a groundwater company from interfering with several leases as a part of a $3.4 billion pipeline venture to supply water to San Antonio, finding in a Thursday opinion the company was undercutting its lessee.
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May 29, 2025
Insurer Waived Arbitration For Many Reasons, NJ Panel Rules
An insurer waived its right to arbitration for many reasons, a New Jersey appellate panel affirmed, finding a pier owner's coverage dispute concerning underlying litigation brought against it by public utilities blaming it for a fluid leak in the Hudson River must head to trial.
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May 29, 2025
DOT Calls States' EV Charging Funding Suit Premature
The U.S. Department of Transportation urged a Washington federal judge to reject an attempt by 16 states to block the Trump administration from cutting off funding for electric vehicle charging projects, saying their claims aren't yet ripe for review.
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May 29, 2025
Monsanto Won't Get Damages Offset In $100M PCB Tort Loss
A Washington state judge has denied Monsanto's bid to reduce the latest $100 million verdict in a chemical poisoning tort series that's yielded more than $1 billion in punitive damages, concluding that the agro-chemical giant hid the health dangers of PCBs for decades in pursuit of profit.
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May 29, 2025
Fla. Appeals Order To Monitor Indian River Manatees
Florida's Department of Environmental Protection said Wednesday it is appealing an injunction requiring the agency to implement new manatee monitoring programs after a federal judge found it violated the Endangered Species Act by allowing wastewater pollution into the North Indian River Lagoon watershed.
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May 29, 2025
Big Oil Caused Woman's Heat Wave Death, Novel Suit Says
The daughter of a Seattle woman who died during a 2021 heat wave filed a first-of-its kind wrongful death suit in Washington state court Thursday against oil and gas giants — including BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips and Shell — alleging the companies knew for decades their fossil fuel products would one day "claim lives."
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May 29, 2025
Interior OKs Utah Mine In First Fast-Tracked Energy Review
The U.S. Department of the Interior has greenlit a uranium and vanadium mine in southeastern Utah, the first to be approved under a new, expedited 14-day environmental review process.
Expert Analysis
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Opinion
California Climate Lawsuit Bill Is Constitutionally Flawed
A bill in the California Legislature that would let victims of climate-related disasters like the Los Angeles wildfires sue oil and gas producers for spreading misinformation about climate change is too vague, retroactive and focused on one industry to survive constitutional scrutiny, says Kyla Christoffersen Powell at the Civil Justice Association of California.
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How Law Firms Can Counteract The Loneliness Epidemic
The legal industry is facing an urgent epidemic of loneliness, affecting lawyer well-being, productivity, retention and profitability, and law firm leaders should take concrete steps to encourage the development of genuine workplace connections, says Michelle Gomez at Littler and Gwen Mellor Romans at Herald Talent.
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5 Keys To Building Stronger Attorney-Client Relationships
Attorneys are often focused on being seen as the expert, but bonding with clients and prospects by sharing a few key personal details provides the basis for a caring, trusted and profoundly deeper business relationship, says Deb Feder at Feder Development.
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BlackRock Suit Highlights Antitrust Risks Of ESG
In Texas v. BlackRock, pending in Texas federal court, 13 state attorneys general are suing large institutional investors in the coal business, underscoring key reasons companies may want to alter their approach to developing and implementing policies related to environmental, social, and governance factors, especially if coordination with competitors is involved, say attorneys at Manatt.
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Evidence Rule May Expand Use Of Out-Of-Court Statements
A proposed amendment to Federal Rule of Evidence 801(d)(1)(A) would broaden the definition of nonhearsay, reflects a more pragmatic approach to regulating the admissibility of out-of-court statements by declarant-witnesses, and could help level the playing field between prosecutors and criminal defendants, say attorneys at Hangley Aronchick.
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How Courts Can Filter Nonmeritorious Claims In Mass Torts
Nonmeritorious claims have been a key obstacle to settlement in many recent high-profile mass torts, but courts may be able to use tools they already have to solve this problem, says Samir Parikh at Wake Forest University.
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Series
Racing Corvettes Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The skills I use when racing Corvettes have enhanced my legal practice in several ways, because driving, like practicing law, requires precision, awareness and a good set of brakes — complete with the wisdom to know how and when to use them, says Kat Mateo at Olshan Frome.
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Opinion
Attorneys Must Act Now To Protect Judicial Independence
Given the Trump administration's recent moves threatening the independence of the judiciary, including efforts to impeach judges who ruled against executive actions, lawyers must protect the rule of law and resist attempts to dilute the judicial branch’s authority, says attorney Bhavleen Sabharwal.
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The Math Of Cross-Examination: Less Is More, More Is Less
When conducting cross-examination at trial, attorneys should remember that “less is more, and more is less” — limiting both the scope of questioning and the length of each query in order to control the witness’s testimony and keep the factfinders’ attention, says Thomas Innes at the Defender Association of Philadelphia.
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Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises
“No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.
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Fund Names Rule FAQs Leave Some Interpretative Uncertainty
Although recently released FAQs clarify many specific points of the 2023 expansion to the Investment Company Act's fund names rule, important questions remain about how U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission staff will interpret other key terms when the end-of-year compliance date arrives, say attorneys at Dechert.
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How Design Thinking Can Help Lawyers Find Purpose In Work
Lawyers everywhere are feeling overwhelmed amid mass government layoffs, increasing political instability and a justice system stretched to its limits — but a design-thinking framework can help attorneys navigate this uncertainty and find meaning in their work, say law professors at the University of Michigan.
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Tools For Witness Control That Go Beyond Leading Questions
Though leading questions can be efficient and effective for constraining a witness’s testimony, this strategy isn’t appropriate for every trial and pretrial scenario, so techniques like headlining and looping can be deployed during direct examination, depositions and even witness interviews, says Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie.
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Opinion
US Steel-Nippon Merger Should Not Have Been Blocked
The Biden administration's block of the U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel merger on national security grounds was unconstitutional overreach and needs to be overturned, with the harms remedied in federal court, says attorney Chuck Meyer.
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10 Issues To Watch In Aerospace And Defense Contracting
This year, in addition to evergreen developments driven by national security priorities, disruptive new technologies and competition with rival powers, federal contractors will see significant disruptions driven by the new administration’s efforts to reduce government spending, regulation and the size of the federal workforce, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.