FERC Chair Maintains Push To Fast-Track Gas Pipeline Work

By Keith Goldberg

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Laura Swett on Thursday lauded the agency's efforts to speed up permitting of gas infrastructure, and emphasized that projects that won't have major impacts on pipeline operations or ratepayers shouldn't be subject to unnecessary additional scrutiny.

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Illinois, Nicor Gas Cut $140M Rate Reduction Deal

By Lauraann Wood

Nicor Gas customers will see less than half of the 14% rate increase Illinois' largest gas utility service had initially sought as part of a rate reduction settlement valued around $140 million, state Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced Wednesday.

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3 Firms Steer $2.55B Enbridge-Tallgrass Crude Oil Deal

By Al Barbarino

Enbridge Inc. has agreed to buy the crude oil business of Tallgrass Energy for $2.55 billion in cash, expanding its pipeline network in the U.S. Rockies, with three law firms advising on the transaction. 

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Unharmed Class Members Don't Sink US Steel Pollution Suit

By Matthew Santoni

A Pennsylvania state judge denied U.S. Steel's bid to undo a class of residents surrounding the company's Clairton Coke Works on Wednesday, after the steelmaker argued that some class members attested they were not harmed by an increase in sulfur pollution after a 2018 fire.

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Energy Dept. Sued Again Over 'Blue State' Grant Terminations

By Carolyn Muyskens

The U.S. Department of Energy was hit with another complaint alleging it unlawfully canceled grants destined for states that voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.

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China Aims For Early Rollout Of $30B US Tariff Cut Package

By Dylan Moroses

China and the U.S. are working toward implementing a package of tariff reductions for $30 billion worth of goods that cross the countries' borders, a Chinese official for the Ministry of Commerce said during a press briefing Thursday.

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Wash. High Court Takes Up Yakama Nation Fuel Tax Dispute

By Joyce Hanson

The Washington State Supreme Court has granted a Yakama Nation fuel distributor's bid for direct review in a case challenging the state Department of Licensing's attempt to collect on a state fuel tax assessment.

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Mich. Tribes, Enviro Groups Challenge Line 5 Tunnel Permits

By Melanie Dorsey

Four Michigan Tribal Nations and four environmental groups on Thursday separately challenged state permits for Enbridge Energy LP's proposed Line 5 tunnel beneath the Straits of Mackinac, seeking to overturn approvals facing renewed scrutiny after a Michigan Supreme Court ruling required broader environmental review of the project.

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Hess Corp. Says Insurers Must Cover Cancer Suits

By Danielle Ferguson

Hess Corp. has told a New Jersey federal court that insurers must defend and indemnify it against personal injury suits brought by employees of a transportation company who allege their exposure to benzene in Hess gasoline contributed to their cancer diagnoses.

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Ex-Lighting Co. Workers Must Face Trade Secret Suit

By Elliot Weld

Three former employees of a lighting company lost a bid to escape a suit alleging they conspired for years to encourage customers to use products supplied by competing companies they operated, with a Connecticut federal judge ruling Thursday that all elements needed to plead a trade secret claim were met.

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Solar Farms Owner Hits Ch. 11 With More Than $100M Debt

By Clara Geoghegan

PGR Lessee I and 18 affiliates that operate solar farm projects in Rhode Island, North Carolina and South Carolina filed for bankruptcy protection in Texas, estimating up to $500 million in liabilities.

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Fulcrum Trust Wants To Claw Back $13.5M Insider Payments

By Rick Archer

The liquidation trust for defunct fuel-to-waste refiner Fulcrum is asking a Delaware bankruptcy judge to allow it to recover $13.5 million in payments that the trust says were made to company insiders while the company was sliding into bankruptcy.

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US, Ohio Settle 15-Year Dam Mining Dispute

By Isaac Monterose

The federal government and Ohio have decided to settle their more than 15-year legal battle over the state's authorization of coal mining near a federal dam and reservoir.

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Deals Rumor Mill

TPG, Blue Owl, CVC Exploring Deals, And More Rumors

By Al Barbarino

Private equity firm TPG may be looking to sell Lyric, which could value the healthcare software company at $5 billion; asset manager Blue Owl Capital is exploring the launch of a real estate investment trust; and CVC Capital Partners could sell personal care company Arthea at a $2 billion valuation. 

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What Bulk-Power Gear Import EO Means For US Energy Cos.

Though President Donald Trump's recent executive order restricting imports of foreign-produced bulk-power system electrical equipment imposes no immediate obligations on private parties, stakeholders can take near-term steps to mitigate supply chain and contractual risks, as much of the order's ultimate impact will depend on implementing regulations, say attorneys at Orrick.

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Series

Juggling And Unicycling Make Me A Better Lawyer

Because I juggle (sometimes with fire) and ride the unicycle, friends and family used to joke that I should join the circus, but I pursued the practice of law instead and learned that my hobbies benefit my profession in several important ways, says Morgan Eddy at Smith Currie.

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ABA Study Shows 20% Of Attys Under Severe Mental Distress

By Tracey Read

About one-fifth of attorneys across the country meet moderate-to-extremely severe symptom thresholds for depression, anxiety and stress, according to the largest-ever study of mental health and well-being in the legal profession.

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Mass. Judge Sanctioned Over Handling Of ICE At Courthouse

By Julie Manganis

Massachusetts' highest court on Thursday sanctioned a judge over her handling of a case involving a defendant wanted by immigration agents in 2018, an incident that led to federal charges that were dismissed after the judge agreed to a disciplinary process.

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Ed Martin Reprimanded Over Unauthorized FBI Contacts

By Courtney Bublé

Last summer, when Ed Martin was still head of the weaponization working group at the U.S. Department of Justice, he was reprimanded after his team communicated with the FBI without authorization, according to recently released emails.

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2 At DOJ Sued Over Conn. Immigration Court Record Access

By Christine DeRosa

The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Connecticut has filed suit in Connecticut federal court challenging the Hartford Immigration Court's refusal to provide access to immigration court records.

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JPMorgan Aided Ex-Atty Kossoff's $18.5M Theft, Trustee Says

By Hailey Konnath

The Chapter 7 trustee representing bankrupt firm Kossoff PLLC on Wednesday sued JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, claiming the bank helped the firm's principal steal at least $18.5 million from clients, and it "should be made to account."

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Analysis

Executive Privilege Questions Cloud Congressional Probe Prep

By Phillip Bantz

As corporate leaders brace for the possibility of Democrats retaking control of Congress and launching aggressive investigations into the Trump administration's dealings with a vast array of companies, attorneys say a U.S. Justice Department opinion on executive privilege could complicate the probes.

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DOJ Urges High Court To Revisit 9th Circ.'s Bar Of Nev. US Atty

By Madison Arnold

The Justice Department has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit a recent Ninth Circuit ruling disqualifying the Trump administration's top federal prosecutor in Nevada, calling it a decision that imposes "ongoing confusion" in the executive branch.

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Jay-Z Can't Undo Buzbee's Win In Rapper's Defamation Suit

By Y. Peter Kang

A California state appeals court has refused to revive claims that Texas attorney Tony Buzbee defamed and extorted music superstar Jay-Z by roping him into a sexual abuse suit against Sean "Diddy" Combs, saying the case was properly thrown out under California's free speech statute.

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