¼«ËÙÈü³µ

Environmental

  • August 07, 2025

    ConocoPhillips Agrees To $1.3B Sale Of Anadarko Assets

    ConocoPhillips, with guidance from Haynes Boone, is selling its Anadarko Basin assets for $1.3 billion, with the sale expected to close at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the independent oil producer announced on Thursday.

  • August 07, 2025

    Judge Orders Chemours To Cut Discharges At W.Va. Plant

    A West Virginia federal judge on Thursday ordered Chemours to take any steps needed to stop its Washington Works manufacturing plant from continuing to discharge excessive amounts of a harmful "forever chemical" into the Ohio River.

  • August 07, 2025

    Insurers Say Property Co.'s $7M Ida Claim Must Be Arbitrated

    A lower court order forcing a New Orleans property owner to arbitrate its $7 million Hurricane Ida damage claim against its domestic insurers should be reinstated, a group of carriers told the Fifth Circuit on Thursday, saying the New York Convention mandates the enforcement of the policy's arbitration provision.

  • August 07, 2025

    6th Circ. Halts FirstEnergy Production Of Bribery Probe Docs

    The Sixth Circuit on Thursday prevented shareholders of FirstEnergy Corp. from immediately accessing investigative documents prepared by BigLaw firms in the wake of a $1 billion bribery scandal, ruling that the utility company was likely to succeed in its claims that the disclosures were protected by attorney-client privilege.

  • August 07, 2025

    Teamsters Say Airgas Released Hazardous Gas On Strikers

    Members of a New Jersey-based Teamsters union have sued Airgas, alleging that the company released an unknown hazardous gas on them as they were peacefully picketing outside company facilities in New Jersey and Illinois, with both releases creating a "dense white cloud plume" that enveloped the striking workers.

  • August 07, 2025

    FCC Plans To Narrow Enviro Rules For Broadband Projects

    The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday proposed to make it easier for broadband providers to clear FCC reviews required by the National Environmental Policy Act.

  • August 07, 2025

    SC Judge Tosses Charleston Climate Suit Against Energy Cos.

    A South Carolina state judge has ruled that a city of Charleston lawsuit seeking damages from oil and gas companies for greenhouse gas pollution and climate change impacts is barred under the U.S. Constitution and federal Clean Air Act.

  • August 07, 2025

    NC Town Alleges Chem. Giants Hid PFAS Health Risks

    A North Carolina town sued Arkema Inc., Dynax and other chemical manufacturers on Wednesday over the infiltration of toxic "forever chemicals" into its drinking water, alleging the companies knew for decades that the compounds were dangerous and willfully ignored it.

  • August 07, 2025

    5th Circ. Sends Refinery Biofuel Exemption Fight To DC Circ.

    A Fifth Circuit panel on Thursday sent a string of small refinery cases challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's denial of renewable fuel blending requirement waivers over to the D.C. Circuit.

  • August 07, 2025

    Fla. Judge Pauses Everglades Detention Facility Construction

    A Florida federal judge on Thursday issued a temporary restraining order in the lawsuit against the Everglades immigration detention center dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," briefly halting the construction of additional tents and other infrastructure for two weeks while allowing facility operations to continue.

  • August 07, 2025

    NC Biz Court Bulletin: Divorce Dust-Ups And Judicial Rebukes

    Litigation in the North Carolina Business Court is heating up this summer with new complaints centered on fears a former state politician's divorce proceedings will impede his companies' operations and accusations that a climate technology company has failed to pay out a former engineer's ownership interest.

  • August 06, 2025

    Judge Blocks Mich. Landfill From Taking Radioactive Waste

    A Michigan state judge on Wednesday blocked a Detroit-area landfill from accepting thousands of cubic yards of radioactive material stemming from the Manhattan Project, holding that it could be sent to a less-populated area and pose less risk.

  • August 06, 2025

    Calif. Water Toxicity Test Flouts Federal Law, Court Rules

    A California state appeals court has barred state regulators from requiring wastewater entities to use a new water pollution test for discharge permits, but said the Golden State's adoption of new toxicity provisions was proper under state law.

  • August 06, 2025

    Ga. Judges Weigh Birth Defect Ruling in Sterigenics Case

    A group of Georgia residents who alleged they were injured by emissions from a Sterigenics sterilization plant urged the Georgia Court of Appeals on Wednesday to overturn a lower court's grant of partial summary judgment to the company on the issue of whether the plant's emissions caused birth defects.

  • August 06, 2025

    Insurer Can't Escape La. Church's $5M Hurricane Ida Suit

    An insurer can't escape a Louisiana church's suit seeking nearly $5 million in coverage for claimed Hurricane Ida damage, a federal court ruled Wednesday, rejecting the insurer's contention that the church breached the policy's cooperation requirement and failed to provide timely proof of loss.

  • August 06, 2025

    Feds Launch Safety Probe Of SEPTA After EV Bus Fires

    The Federal Transit Administration has launched an inquiry into the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority's storage of decommissioned electric buses, which the federal agency said comes after a lithium-ion battery fire in one of SEPTA's yards.

  • August 06, 2025

    Battle Lines Form Around Interior's Updated NEPA Rule

    The U.S. Department of the Interior is facing stiff resistance from green groups and blue states that oppose its new environmental review process for infrastructure projects, but some industry groups said the agency has taken the right approach.

  • August 06, 2025

    Ceramics Co. Seeks Biz Interruption Coverage Over Hurricane

    A ceramics and home goods retailer accused a Travelers unit of violating North Carolina's unfair claims settlement practices and deceptive trade practices laws, telling a federal court the insurer deliberately misrepresented statements from its chief financial officer to support its denial of the retailer's Hurricane Helene claim.

  • August 06, 2025

    Interior Dept. Reverses Approval Of Idaho Wind Farm

    The U.S. Department of the Interior on Wednesday said it would reverse a Biden-era approval of a controversial wind farm in Idaho, the latest move by the Trump administration to restrict U.S. wind energy development.

  • August 06, 2025

    Toshiba Unit Can't Appeal Bench Trial Bid In Hydro Plant Row

    A Michigan federal judge refused Wednesday to clear the way for a subsidiary of Toshiba to appeal her order denying a bench trial in a dispute over allegations that the electronics giant botched a $560 million upgrade at a power plant owned by DTE Electric Co. and Consumers Energy.

  • August 05, 2025

    Challenge To GOP Enviro Grant Cutoff Can Proceed, Judge Told

    Attorneys for environmental infrastructure grant recipients told a D.C. federal judge Tuesday that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's own emails show that a proposed class action challenging the blanket termination of a climate justice and resilience grant program can move forward despite Congress' recent recission of "unobligated" funds.

  • August 05, 2025

    Feds Aim To Shut Off Kids' Challenge To Trump Energy Orders

    A lawsuit filed by youths alleging that President Donald Trump's energy policy directives harm their future by exacerbating climate change should be dismissed because their claims can't be addressed by courts, the federal government said Monday.

  • August 05, 2025

    Calif. City Sanctioned Over Missing Reports In Dow, PPG Case

    A San Francisco Superior Court judge found that a California city that's pursued decades-long litigation against Dow Chemical and PPG Industries over dry cleaning chemicals that allegedly contaminated city sites "committed egregious discovery violations" by destroying and concealing 1991 reports related to the chemicals leaking into the city's groundwater.

  • August 05, 2025

    States Win Ruling To Shield FEMA Disaster Prevention Funds

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Tuesday temporarily barred the Trump administration from redirecting more than $4 billion in funds allocated by Congress for natural disaster mitigation efforts toward other Federal Emergency Management Agency programs.

  • August 05, 2025

    Property Co. Backs Calif. Tribe In $700M Casino Row

    A property owner has urged a D.C. federal judge in an amicus brief to grant the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians' quick win bid in the tribe's suit accusing the federal government of wrongfully blocking the tribe's $700 million casino project in Vallejo, California.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Creating Botanical Art Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Pressing and framing plants that I grow has shown me that pursuing an endeavor that brings you joy can lead to surprising benefits for a legal career, including mental clarity, perspective and even a bit of humility, says Douglas Selph at Morris Manning.

  • Opinion

    PFAS Reg Reversal Defies Water Statute, Increasing Risks

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent moves delaying the deadlines to comply with PFAS drinking water limits, and rolling back other chemical regulations, violate the Safe Drinking Water Act, and increase the likelihood that these toxins could become permanent fixtures of the water supply, says Vineet Dubey at Custodio & Dubey.

  • Opinion

    The Legal Education Status Quo Is No Longer Tenable

    Author Photo

    As underscored by the fallout from California’s February bar exam, legal education and licensure are tethered to outdated systems, and the industry must implement several key reforms to remain relevant and responsive to 21st century legal needs, says Matthew Nehmer at The Colleges of Law.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Relevance Redactions

    Author Photo

    In recent cases addressing redactions that parties sought to apply based on the relevance of information — as opposed to considerations of privilege — courts have generally limited a party’s ability to withhold nonresponsive or irrelevant material, providing a few lessons for discovery strategy, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Opinion

    Section 1983 Has Promise After End Of Nationwide Injunctions

    Author Photo

    After the U.S. Supreme Court recently struck down the practice of nationwide injunctions in Trump v. Casa, Section 1983 civil rights suits can provide a better pathway to hold the government accountable — but this will require reforms to qualified immunity, says Marc Levin at the Council on Criminal Justice.

  • CEQA Reform May Spur More Housing, But Devil Is In Details

    Author Photo

    A recently enacted law reforming the California Environmental Quality Act has been touted by state leaders as a fix for the state's housing crisis — but provisions including a new theoretically optional traffic mitigation fee could offset any potential benefits, says attorney David Smith.

  • What EPA Chemical Data Deadline Extension Means For Cos.

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's extension for manufacturers and importers of 16 chemical substances to report unpublished health and safety studies under the Toxic Substances Control Act could lead to state regulators stepping into the breach, while creating compliance risks and uncertainty for companies, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Series

    Playing Soccer Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Soccer has become a key contributor to how I approach my work, and the lessons I’ve learned on the pitch about leadership, adaptability, resilience and communication make me better at what I do every day in my legal career, says Whitney O’Byrne at MoFo.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Learning From Failure

    Author Photo

    While law school often focuses on the importance of precision, correctness and perfection, mistakes are inevitable in real-world practice — but failure is not the opposite of progress, and real talent comes from the ability to recover, rethink and reshape, says Brooke Pauley at Tucker Ellis.

  • How Courts Are Addressing The Use Of AI In Discovery

    Author Photo

    In recent months, several courts have issued opinions on handling discovery issues involving artificial intelligence, which collectively offer useful insights on integrating AI into discovery and protecting work product in connection with AI prompts and outputs, says Philip Favro at Favro Law.

  • How Justices' Ruling On NEPA Reviews Is Playing Out

    Author Photo

    Since the U.S. Supreme Court's May decision in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, narrowing the scope of agencies' required reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act, the effects of the ruling are starting to become visible in the actions of lower courts and the agencies themselves, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.

  • Deep-Sea Mining Outlook Murky, But May Be Getting Clearer

    Author Photo

    U.S. companies interested in accessing deep-sea mineral resources face uncertainty over new federal regulations and how U.S. policy may interact with pending international agreements — but a Trump administration executive order and provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act should help bring clarity, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From ATF Director To BigLaw

    Author Photo

    As a two-time boomerang partner, returning to BigLaw after stints as a U.S. attorney and the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, people ask me how I know when to move on, but there’s no single answer — just clearly set your priorities, says Steven Dettelbach at BakerHostetler.

  • Tips For US Investors Eyeing Middle East Data Centers

    Author Photo

    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.

    Author Photo

    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.

Want to publish in ¼«ËÙÈü³µ?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here