Analysis

EPA's Policy Repeals May Spell Exit From Climate Regulation

By Keith Goldberg

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's latest move to undo Biden-era greenhouse gas emissions rules lays legal groundwork for the agency to completely abandon climate change regulation, though it remains to be seen whether courts will endorse a full-blown retreat.

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Conn. Agency Rejects Avangrid Units' Bids For Higher Rates

By Tom Lotshaw

Connecticut's Public Utilities Regulatory Authority decreased rates for Avangrid Inc. subsidiaries Connecticut Natural Gas Corp. and Southern Connecticut Gas in a pair of decisions issued after a state judge remanded prior decisions on their rate amendment applications for additional proceedings.

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CFTC Probing Carbon Credit Markets, Enforcement Chief Says

By Aislinn Keely

U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission Enforcement Director David Miller said Wednesday that the division is investigating carbon credit markets as part of his agency's commitment to policing fraud in emerging markets.

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House Clears Russia Sanctions Bill With New Tariff Powers

By Dylan Moroses

The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation Wednesday that would enhance President Donald Trump's economic tools to pressure Russia and Iran, including new tariff authorities to impose duties on imports from countries found to economically support Russia, sending the bill to his desk.

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EU Eyes Canada As First Associate Member Amid Rift With US

By Dylan Moroses

The European Union may take steps to include Canada as its first associate member in the wake of growing U.S. trade uncertainty, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday.

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Troutman, Latham Lead $585M Midstream Assets Sale

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

Private midstream company Silver Creek Midstream Holdings LLC, advised by Troutman Pepper Locke LLP, on Wednesday revealed that it is selling its Powder River Basin crude oil midstream assets to Latham & Watkins LLP-advised Plains All American Pipeline LP and Plains GP Holdings in a deal valued at roughly $585 million.

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Brief

Oil Parts Co. Moves To Settle Suit Over Trimmed Wages

By MJ Koo

About 2,500 offshore oil and gas workers have asked a Texas federal court to approve a settlement resolving claims that their employer failed to include quarterly retention bonuses in overtime pay calculations, according to court filings seeking collective certification and settlement approval.

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10th Circ. Clears The Way To Fill Denver's Expanded Reservoir

By Elaine Briseño

The Tenth Circuit has cleared the way for Denver Water to begin filling an expanded reservoir that holds the city's water supply, finding the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers did not err when approving a permit for the project.

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Brief

Power Plant Drops $14M Lost Revenue Coverage Fight

By Tom Lotshaw

The owner of a power plant in Dover Plains, New York, voluntarily dismissed its lawsuit accusing Factory Mutual Insurance Co. of wrongfully withholding more than $14 million in coverage for revenue losses stemming from an outage.

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Solar Co. Users Seek OK On $15M Deal To End Defect Claims

By Mike Curley

A proposed class of solar panel users is asking a Wisconsin federal court to give final approval to a $15 million settlement to end claims that components of the solar systems are defective and prone to overheating.

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DTE Faces Suit Alleging Retaliation Over Fermi 2 Safety Data

By Susan Smiley

A longtime employee of utility DTE Electric Co.'s Fermi 2 nuclear energy plant has said he was forced out of his job because he reported safety data discrepancies to upper management and human resources, accusing the company of retaliation in Michigan federal court.

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EU Threatens To Block MMG's $500M Nickel Mine Deal

By Bryan Koenig

European Union antitrust enforcers took the next step Wednesday toward blocking MMG's planned purchase of Anglo American's nickel business out of concern the buyer, which is majority owned by the Chinese government, could divert supplies of an alloy needed for stainless steel production.

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Willkie Hires Ex-Akerman Data Center Pros For Dallas Office

By Isaac Monterose

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP has hired four former Akerman LLP real estate attorneys as partners for its data centers and digital infrastructure team in Dallas, the firm announced Wednesday.

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NJ's Greenbaum Rowe Launches New Data Center Practice

By Nate Beck

New Jersey firm Greenbaum Rowe Smith & Davis LLP said Wednesday that it has launched a data center development and infrastructure practice to support lenders, operators, investors and other parties involved in developing the projects.

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1 Year And $1B Later, Trade Fraud Remains Key Priority

The Trade Fraud Task Force's success obtaining major settlements in its first year, along with the Justice Department signaling long-term commitment to customs enforcement, shows that importers should plan to make global supply chain oversight a board-level priority for years to come, says Kimberly Paschall at Riley Safer.

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Why Pa. Push For Brownfield Renewables May Not Be Enough

A recent executive order from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro directed state regulators to expedite siting of clean energy development on former industrial sites — but additional reforms may be needed to effectively eliminate barriers to these types of projects, says Louis Dodge at Langsam Stevens.

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Series

Law School's Missed Lessons: Cultivating Good Judgment

Law schools generally overlook the role that solid judgment skills play in real-world practice, but attorneys can bridge the gap by strengthening their abilities to assess a case’s strengths and weaknesses, develop and execute effective strategies, and provide clear recommendations to clients, says Manny Caixeiro at Venable.

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Senate Confirms Kirkland Partner To Texas Federal Bench

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate voted 49-45 on Thursday to confirm Kasdin Miller Mitchell, a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, to serve as a U.S. district judge for the Northern District of Texas.

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Analysis

Sue To Stop AI Armageddon? Not So Fast, Attys Say

By Y. Peter Kang

As executives at leading artificial intelligence companies increasingly assert that their own technology could one day pose an existential threat to humanity, a natural question follows: If the risk is real, can anyone sue to stop it before disaster strikes?

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Clancy Atty Denies Malpractice Claim By Man Serving Life

By Julie Manganis

A prominent Massachusetts criminal defense attorney best known for representing Lindsay Clancy has been accused in a separate case of "abandoning" a client who is serving life sentences for second-degree murder and home invasion, allegations the lawyer denies.

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AI Flubs, More Secure PACER Get Judiciary Forum Spotlight

By Jeff Overley

Misuse of artificial intelligence tools and a "state-of-the-art" revamp of electronic dockets in federal cases were among the hottest topics Thursday at a major meeting of judiciary leaders, who also heard a lawmaker warn of eroding trust in the U.S. Department of Justice.

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Analysis

For Single-Party FTC, Easier Suits May Come With A Cost

By Bryan Koenig

The Federal Trade Commission has ditched its historical multimember, multiparty ethos for a one-party regime in which fewer dissents might make it easier for Chairman Andrew Ferguson to pursue his agenda, but it also forecloses the potential "moderating influence" that comes with winning broad buy-in from commissioners of two parties.

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Immigration Attorney Wants SEC Sanctioned In EB-5 Case

By Tom Lotshaw

An immigration attorney and her firm asked a New York federal judge to sanction the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for failing to reasonably investigate an allegedly bogus unregistered securities claim it brought against them in an EB-5 immigrant investor case.

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Weaponization Fund Plaintiffs Say Discovery Ruling Was Right

By Jared Foretek

Plaintiffs suing over the Trump administration's once-proposed "anti-weaponization fund" are telling a Virginia federal judge to reject the U.S. Department of Justice's objections to a magistrate judge's discovery order, accusing the administration of stonewalling their requests and urging prompt discovery production.

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