¼«ËÙÈü³µ

Environmental

  • July 22, 2025

    Greenberg Traurig Adds Ex-Miami-Dade Asst. County Atty

    Greenberg Traurig LLP has hired an attorney who formerly worked for Miami-Dade and Broward counties to bolster its litigation practice and ability to handle commercial matters.

  • July 22, 2025

    Ore. Extends Brownfield Development Tax Breaks

    Oregon extended its program of local property tax incentives for brownfield development by six years under a bill signed by the governor.

  • July 21, 2025

    DC Circ. Urged To Leave FERC Project Approvals Alone

    Grid operator Southwest Power Pool Inc. urged the D.C. Circuit to deny utility petitions challenging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's approval of four transmission projects developed by Kansas-based Sunflower Electric Power Corp.

  • July 21, 2025

    Energy Litigation To Watch In The 2nd Half Of 2025

    Courtroom showdowns between the Trump administration and blue states over U.S. energy and climate change policy will dominate the energy litigation landscape for the rest of 2025. Here is what the energy industry will be watching closely in the second half of the year.

  • July 21, 2025

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Last week at the Delaware Court of Chancery, a major settlement between Meta Platforms Inc. and its investors reached on the proverbial courthouse steps during day two of a trial ended an $8 billion-plus suit accusing the company's directors and officers of breaching privacy regulations and corporate fiduciary duties tied to allegations dating to the Cambridge Analytica scandal more than a decade ago.

  • July 21, 2025

    EPA Asks 9th Circ. To Reverse Calif. Judge In Fluoride Suit

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is asking the Ninth Circuit to reverse a California federal judge who ruled that the EPA's current "optimal" level of fluoride in drinking water poses an unreasonable risk of lowering children's IQ.

  • July 21, 2025

    CME Group, NYMEX Dodge Carbon Futures Suit

    A New York federal judge has tossed a suit brought by three investment funds against CME Group Inc. and the New York Mercantile Exchange, alleging they improperly interpreted and failed to enforce rules governing carbon offset futures contracts, finding the plaintiffs do not have statutory standing to bring a private right of action under the Commodity Exchange Act.

  • July 21, 2025

    Judge Allows Calif. Tribe In Casino Suit, Denies Dismissal Bid

    A California tribe at the center of a dispute over a decision to take 70 acres into trust for its proposed Sonoma County hotel and casino project can intervene in the litigation, a federal judge said, while finding that the Indigenous nation cannot dismiss the case based on sovereign immunity.

  • July 21, 2025

    Top 4 Texas Cases To Watch: A Midyear Report

    Several major cases are taking shape in the Lone Star State, including the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association's suit seeking to hold Boeing accountable for lost revenue after the 737 Max was grounded, as well as the continuing fallout of a former Houston judge's romance scandal that could cost a Texas firm millions of dollars. Here's a look at the top cases to watch in Texas through the rest of the year.

  • July 18, 2025

    ¼«ËÙÈü³µ Names 2025's Top Attorneys Under 40

    ¼«ËÙÈü³µ is pleased to announce the Rising Stars of 2025, our list of more than 150 attorneys under 40 whose legal accomplishments belie their age.

  • July 18, 2025

    Judge Demands Layoff Plans From Trump Administration

    A California federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to hand over reorganization and reduction-in-force plans linked to an executive order directing layoffs at federal agencies, finding that the government's privilege claim was outweighed by the plaintiffs' need for the information to pursue their claims under the Administrative Procedure Act.

  • July 18, 2025

    Calif. Sues Trump Admin Over $4B High-Speed Rail Fund Cuts

    California's High-Speed Rail Authority hit the Trump administration with an Administrative Procedure Act lawsuit in California federal court Friday, claiming the Federal Railroad Administration's abrupt termination of $4 billion in grants to the electric rail project was arbitrary, politically motivated and based on Trump's "extreme antipathy toward California."

  • July 18, 2025

    EPA To Lay Off Science Office Workers Amid Reorganization

    Scientists performing independent research that often supports regulations intended to protect human health and the environment are set to lose their jobs as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency eliminates its Office of Research and Development.

  • July 18, 2025

    Feds Fight Bid To Block Pacific Monument Fishing Permits

    The federal government is fighting a bid by conservation groups to vacate a letter by the Trump administration that they say gave the go-ahead for permit holders to commercially fish in a Pacific Coast national monument, arguing it wasn't an agency decision that has any legal rights or obligations.

  • July 18, 2025

    Interior Process Tweaks Will Further Stymie Wind And Solar

    The wind and solar energy industries, already stressed by Trump administration and congressional regulatory and financial restraints, face a new roadblock as the Department of the Interior will increasingly involve its political leadership in project approval process details.

  • July 18, 2025

    Hearing Set In Phoenix For Oak Flat Copper Mine Lawsuits

    An Arizona federal judge has set an August hearing date to consider injunction bids by the San Carlos Apache Tribe and environmental groups in their lawsuits seeking to block Resolution Copper Co.'s mining project on Oak Flat, an ancient tribal worship site.

  • July 18, 2025

    Ga. Facility Exposed Workers, Families To Mercury, Suit Says

    A group of former employees and contractors, as well as their family members, have filed suit in Georgia federal court over allegations they were exposed to dangerous and harmful levels of mercury at Olin Corp.'s Augusta, Georgia, facility from 1965 forward.

  • July 18, 2025

    FTC Nixes Exxon-Pioneer, Chevron-Hess Board Ban Deals

    The Biden-era Federal Trade Commission settlements clearing Exxon's purchase of Pioneer and Chevron's acquisition of Hess are no more, after the now Republican-controlled agency said there was no need to condition acquisition approvals on banning the CEOs of Pioneer and Hess from the boards of the combined companies.

  • July 18, 2025

    Texas Court Tosses Cities' Challenge To 'Death Star' Bill

    A state appeals court tossed three Texas cities' challenge to a bill nicknamed the "Death Star," writing that they hadn't properly shown they'd be injured by the bill's mandate that state law preempt local ordinances.

  • July 18, 2025

    Trump Flexes Air Law Power To Delay Compliance Deadlines

    President Donald Trump has postponed deadlines to comply with air pollution standards for companies in the coal power, chemical manufacturing, medical sterilization and iron ore industries, relying on special presidential power contained in the Clean Air Act.

  • July 18, 2025

    Top 5 Energy Decisions Of 2025: A Midyear Report

    A game-changing U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could significantly narrow federal environmental reviews of energy projects punctuated a busy first half of 2025 for the industry in the courts. Here are several court decisions that stood out for energy attorneys in the first half of this year.

  • July 18, 2025

    Snake Spotting Voids OK Of Sprawling Calif. Housing Plan

    A federal judge has halted a 314-acre master-planned development in Chico, California, after finding federal officials wrongly concluded in 2020 that the endangered giant garter snake had not been observed on the site despite a sighting of the animal in the area a dozen years prior.

  • July 17, 2025

    Calif. Tribe Renews $700M Casino Suit With Lobbying Claim

    A D.C. federal judge will let a California tribe amend its suit against the U.S. Department of the Interior for axing its eligibility to run a proposed $700 million casino on new claims that a competing tribe successfully orchestrated a politically influential lobbying campaign.

  • July 17, 2025

    Norfolk Southern Blames Quarry For $2.1M Sinkhole Costs

    Norfolk Southern has sued the current and former owners of a Philadelphia-area quarry for more than $2.1 million, alleging Wednesday that their decades of mining operations opened up a sinkhole that caused a 2023 train derailment.

  • July 17, 2025

    EPA Merging Offices As Reorganization Continues

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday said it's consolidating and shuffling some of its internal offices, including those handling finance and enforcement, the latest in a series of changes and cutbacks at the EPA.

Expert Analysis

  • Calif. Air Board Offers Early Hints On Climate Reporting

    Author Photo

    As initial reporting deadlines for California's new climate reporting laws approach, guidance provided by the California Air Resources Board in a virtual public workshop sheds some light on rulemaking to come, and how to prepare for compliance during this period of uncertainty, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Supporting A Trial Team

    Author Photo

    While students often practice as lead trial attorneys in law school, such an opportunity likely won’t arise until a few years into practice, so junior associates should focus on honing skills that are essential to supporting a trial team, including organization, adaptability and humility, says Lucy Zelina at Tucker Ellis.

  • Opinion

    Address Nationwide Injunction Issues With Random Venues

    Author Photo

    Many of the qualms about individual district court judges' authority to issue nationwide injunctions could be solved with a simple legislative solution: handling multiple complaints about the same agency action filed in different district courts by assigning a venue via random selection, says Harvey Reiter at Stinson.

  • FAR Rewrite May Cloud Key Gov't Contract Doctrine

    Author Photo

    The Trump administration's government procurement overhaul, under which sections of the Federal Acquisition Regulation are eliminated by default, is bound to collide with a doctrine that allows courts to read omitted clauses into government contracts if they represent long-standing pillars of federal procurement law, say attorneys at Rogers Joseph.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From US Attorney To BigLaw

    Author Photo

    When I transitioned to private practice after government service — most recently as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia — I learned there are more similarities between the two jobs than many realize, with both disciplines requiring resourcefulness, zealous advocacy and foresight, says Zach Terwilliger at V&E.

  • Opinion

    Aviation Watch: A Supersonic 'Boom' Going Nowhere Fast

    Author Photo

    Legislation recently introduced in Congress to repeal the Federal Aviation Administration's ban on supersonic flight over U.S. territory appears to benefit a single company with an uncertain business plan, and is not truly in the public interest, says Alan Hoffman, a retired attorney and aviation expert.

  • Measuring The Impact Of Attorney Gender On Trial Outcomes

    Author Photo

    Preliminary findings from our recent study on how attorney gender might affect case outcomes support the conclusion that there is little in the way of a clear, universal bias against attorneys of a given gender, say Jill Leibold, Olivia Goodman and Alexa Hiley at IMS Legal Strategies.

  • The Ins And Outs Of Consensual Judicial References

    Author Photo

    As parties consider the possibility of judicial reference to resolve complex disputes, it is critical to understand how the process works, why it's gaining traction, and why carefully crafted agreements make all the difference, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Opinion

    The BigLaw Settlements Are About Risk, Not Profit

    Author Photo

    The nine Am Law 100 firms that settled with the Trump administration likely did so because of the personal risk faced by equity partners in today's billion‑dollar national practices, enabled by an ethics rule primed for modernization, says Adam Forest at Scale.

  • House Bill Tax Tweaks Would Hinder Renewable Projects

    Author Photo

    Provisions in the budget reconciliation bill recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives would rapidly phase out clean energy tax credits, constrain renewable energy financing arrangements and impose sweeping restrictions on projects with foreign ties, which may create compliance and supply chain issues for many developers, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.

  • What Gene Findings Mean For Asbestos Mesothelioma Claims

    Author Photo

    Recent advances in genetic research have provided substantial evidence that significant numbers of malignant mesothelioma cases may be caused by inherited mutations rather than asbestos exposure — a finding that could fundamentally change how defendants approach personal injury litigation over mesothelioma, say David Schwartz at Lumanity and Kirk Hartley at LSP Group.

  • Series

    Brazilian Jiujitsu Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Competing in Brazilian jiujitsu – often against opponents who are much larger and younger than me – has allowed me to develop a handful of useful skills that foster the resilience and adaptability necessary for a successful legal career, says Tina Dorr of Barnes & Thornburg.

  • Oft-Forgotten Evidence Rule Can Be Powerful Trial Tool

    Author Photo

    Rule 608 may be one of the most overlooked provisions in the Federal Rules of Evidence, but as a transformative tool that allows attorneys to attack a witness's character for truthfulness through opinion or reputation testimony, its potential to reshape a case cannot be overstated, says Marian Braccia at Temple University Beasley School of Law.

  • Energy Order Brings Risks For Lenders And Borrowers Alike

    Author Photo

    A recent executive order directing the attorney general to submit a report next month with recommendations for halting enforcement of state laws the administration says are hampering energy resources presents risks for lenders and borrowers using state-generated carbon credits, but proactive steps now can help insulate against adverse consequences, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • What's At Stake As Trump Admin Targets Carbon Markets

    Author Photo

    Trading in greenhouse gas emissions and reductions has long been touted as a way to leverage market forces to tackle climate change cost-effectively, and that theory may be put to the test amid momentous progress and fresh challenges, particularly as the Trump administration takes aim at climate initiatives, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

Want to publish in ¼«ËÙÈü³µ?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Environmental archive.