DC Circ. Backs Nuclear Plant Enviro Review Rules

By Keith Goldberg

The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday upheld the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's updated rules for renewing nuclear power plant licenses, rejecting arguments from antinuclear groups that the rules don't adequately account for climate change risks.

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Norway's Var Energi To Combine With BlueNord In $1.3B Deal

By Al Barbarino

Norway's Var Energi said Tuesday that it has agreed to acquire BlueNord in a deal valuing the Danish-focused oil and gas producer at about 12.8 billion Norwegian crowns ($1.3 billion), creating what Var said will be Europe's largest independent oil and gas producer.

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18 State AGs Sue EPA Over Hydrofluorocarbons Rollback

By Craig Clough

Eighteen Democratic attorneys general and the city of New York filed a petition with the D.C. Circuit Tuesday over a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule they argue will weaken federal limits on hydrofluorocarbons, which are refrigerants used in air conditioning and cooling systems.

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Sen. Warner Unveils 4-Part AI Guardrail Package

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., proposed legislation Tuesday that would create guardrails on artificial intelligence and impose disclosure requirements on data centers' demands on power and water infrastructure and effects on the environment.

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Jordan Secures 10% Forced Labor Tariff Rate With US Deal

By Dylan Moroses

The U.S. and Jordan signed a trade agreement Tuesday that would lower non-tariff trade barriers on U.S. exports in exchange for a U.S. commitment to impose a 10% tariff rate on imports from the kingdom when new duties to address goods produced with forced labor take effect.

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High Court Ruling Doesn't Impact Pipeline Fight, 9th Circ. Told

By Keith Goldberg

California and environmental groups have told the Ninth Circuit that a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision clarifying federal arbitration jurisdictional lines has no bearing on their lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's assertion of jurisdiction over an in-state oil pipeline system.

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Wash. Tribe, Enviro Org. Say FERC Hydro Delay Imperils Sites

By Crystal Owens

A Washington tribe and an environmental group are asking the Ninth Circuit to deny a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission bid to hold a challenge against the agency's issuance of a hydroelectric license in abeyance, arguing that it won't stop the project from moving toward construction that will destroy resources.

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Burnham Removes Tax On Electric Bills To Ease Living Costs

By Josh White

Electricity bills will be freed from value-added tax to relieve financial pressure on British households and small businesses this winter, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Tuesday.

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Heritage Coal Trustee Says Ex-Owners Hid Fraud

By Rick Archer

The liquidating trustee for Heritage Coal and the company that acquired it has sued the mining firm's former owner in Delaware bankruptcy court, accusing them of costing the new owner millions of dollars by concealing that they had been secretly shipping low-grade coal to Heritage's largest customers for years.

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A&O Shearman Hires Davis Polk Restructuring Pro In NY

By Tracey Read

Allen Overy Shearman Sterling has hired a former Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP counsel as a restructuring partner in New York.

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USDA Rule Would Broaden Foreign Co. Reporting Burden

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's recently proposed overhaul of foreign landholder reporting obligations would expand covered agricultural uses, mandate more detailed online disclosures and toughen penalties, so organizations must proactively reassess U.S. land interests and prepare for a more stringent compliance regime, say attorneys at Skadden.

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High Court Rulings Could Alter Agency Strategy For Cos.

The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decisions in Trump v. Slaughter and Trump v. Cook mark major turning points in the law of independent agencies and in how regulated companies should think about federal enforcement, rulemaking and agency-facing strategy, say attorneys at Holtzman Vogel.

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How Competitive Is Your Pay? Last Call To Take Our Survey

Is your compensation keeping pace with the rate of inflation? Do you know what your colleagues made last year? Help Law360 Pulse answer these questions and more in this year's Law Firm Compensation Survey.

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Simpson Thacher Caused 'Chaos' With Deal, Jury Hears

By Cara Salvatore

The former chief financial officer of Patriot National Inc. testified to a Florida jury on Tuesday that "chaos" broke loose as funds that Simpson Thacher helped steward for the insurance services company hit public markets and executives found out that its terms differed from their understanding of them.

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Dems Press Skadden On Trump Pro Bono Pact, Intel Deal Work

By Lauren Berg

A group of Democrats demanded Tuesday that Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP disclose details of its pro bono arrangement with the Trump administration in light of allegations the firm advised both Intel Corp. and the U.S. Department of Commerce when the administration received a 10% company stake.

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Blanche Denies Conflict With Family's Firearms Company

By Courtney Bublé

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has close ties through his wife's family to a gun manufacturer that does federal contracting, but he told senators in questions following his confirmation hearing there is no conflict of interest, despite his service on a Justice Department task force aimed at rolling back gun control initiatives around the country.

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Trump, DOJ Sued For Firing Court-Appointed Seattle US Atty

By Bonnie Eslinger

Roger Rogoff, a former Washington state judge who was sworn in as Seattle's new U.S. attorney last week and then swiftly fired by the Trump administration, filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against President Donald Trump and the U.S. Department of Justice, saying their "attempt to fire him cannot stand."

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Reagan-Appointed NC Federal Judge To Take Senior Status

By Courtney Bublé

U.S. District Judge Terrence William Boyle of the Eastern District of North Carolina plans to take senior status — a form of semi-retirement that gives federal judges a reduced caseload — at a date yet to be determined, according to a recent update from the federal judiciary.

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Senate Confirms Trade Court Pick Despite Past GOP Posts

By Courtney Bublé

The U.S. Senate voted 50-48 Tuesday evening to confirm Kara Westercamp, associate counsel to the president, to the U.S. Court of International Trade, who said during her confirmation in March she regretted her past social media posts critical of Republicans, including Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and the late Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

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Bronx Public Defenders Set Strike Deadline

By Emily Sawicki

More than 300 unionized workers at legal aid organization The Bronx Defenders are set to walk out on July 27 if they cannot agree on a contract with the legal nonprofit's management, according to a Tuesday announcement.

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