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Environmental
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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."
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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July 17, 2025
Chevron, Syngenta Can't Get Paraquat Mass Tort Out Of Philly
A Pennsylvania state judge called a request from Chevron and Syngenta to move several paraquat weedkiller cases out of the Philadelphia court's mass tort system for purported greener pastures "daft," defending the system as specifically designed for such litigation.
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July 17, 2025
Mass. Cities Seek Order Forcing Trash Hauler To Honor Pacts
Nearly three weeks after Republic Services workers went on strike, six Massachusetts communities went to court Thursday seeking an order compelling the trash hauler to immediately address what they say is a public health nuisance.
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July 17, 2025
Insurer Says Pollution Exclusion Applies To Asbestos Suits
A Berkshire Hathaway unit said it doesn't owe coverage to a paint and drywall product manufacturer in a number of asbestos exposure suits, telling a Texas federal court Thursday that coverage is barred by a pollution exclusion in its umbrella and excess policies.
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July 17, 2025
NJ Sewer Agency Sued Over $232M Skanska Gas Plant Project
A community group and the city of Newark filed separate lawsuits in New Jersey state court to stop a regional sewerage authority from building a $232 million gas-fired backup power plant in the city, citing the state's Environmental Justice Law.
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July 17, 2025
Neb. Asks Justices To Resolve River Dispute With Colo.
Nebraska is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve its claims that Colorado is failing to deliver water from the South Platte River according to the terms of an early 20th-century compact.
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July 17, 2025
Pyrophyte's 2nd SPAC Raises $175M To Target Energy Biz
Special purpose acquisition company Pyrophyte Acquisition Corp. II began trading on the public markets on Thursday after raising $175 million in its initial public offering.
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July 16, 2025
Travelers Avoids Bad Faith Claim In Yacht Damage Dispute
A Travelers unit did not act in bad faith when handling a yacht owner's claim for coverage after its yacht was destroyed during Hurricane Irma, a Florida federal court ruled Wednesday, saying, at the time, it was unclear whether Florida law or federal maritime law applied.
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July 16, 2025
FCC Looks To Streamline Regs For Enviro Reviews
The Federal Communications Commission expects to move a plan forward in August that would overhaul its rules for scrutinizing telecom and broadband projects under the National Environmental Policy Act.
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July 16, 2025
9th Circ. Tosses Atty-Farmer's Suit Over USDA Organic Label
The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday upheld a U.S. Department of Agriculture rule allowing farm collectives in the U.S. and other countries to be certified as "organic" under one certificate and not inspected annually, tossing an attorney-turned-Oregon hazelnut farmer's suit alleging Turkish growers were defrauding the system.
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July 16, 2025
FEMA Targeted In 20-State Suit Over Pre-Disaster Grant Cuts
A coalition of 20 states led by Washington and Massachusetts sued the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Boston federal court Wednesday, accusing the Trump administration of illegally cutting off billions of dollars in grants for proactive disaster mitigation projects across the country.
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July 16, 2025
US Fights NY's Bid To Move Climate Superfund Suit Upstate
The federal government is urging a Southern District of New York judge not to transfer its lawsuit challenging the state's climate change Superfund law to the Northern District, where it would join similar litigation filed by several Republican-led states.
Expert Analysis
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A Look At Texas Corp. Law Changes Aimed At Dethroning Del.
Seeking to displace Delaware as the preferred locale for incorporation, Texas recently significantly amended its business code, including changes like codifying the business judgment rule, restricting books and records demands, and giving greater protections for officers and directors in interested transactions, say attorneys at Fenwick.
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Justices Hand Agencies Broad Discretion In NEPA Review
By limiting the required scope of reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act, the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County could weaken the review process under NEPA, while also raising questions regarding the degree of deference afforded to agencies, say attorneys at Foley Hoag.
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Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: Appreciating Civil Procedure
If you’re like me, law school’s often complex and theoretical approach to teaching civil procedure may have contributed to an early struggle with the topic, but when seen from a practical perspective, new lawyers may find they enjoy mastering these rules, says Chloe Villagomez at Foster Garvey.
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Calif. Bar Exam Fiasco Shows Why Attys Must Disclose AI Use
The recent revelation that a handful of questions from the controversial California bar exam administered in February were drafted using generative artificial intelligence demonstrates the continued importance of disclosure for attorneys who use AI tools, say attorneys at Troutman.
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Justices Widen Gap Between Federal, Calif. Enviro Reviews
While the U.S. Supreme Court's recent opinion in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado, narrowed the scope of National Environmental Policy Act reviews, it may have broadened the gulf between reviews conducted under NEPA and those under the California Environmental Quality Act, say attorneys at Hanson Bridgett.
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In 2nd Place, Va. 'Rocket Docket' Remains Old Reliable
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia was again one of the fastest civil trial courts in the nation last year, and an interview with the court’s newest judge provides insights into why it continues to soar, says Robert Tata at Hunton.
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How Attorneys Can Become Change Agents For Racial Equity
As the administration targets diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and law firms consider pulling back from their programs, lawyers who care about racial equity and justice can employ four strategies to create microspaces of justice, which can then be parlayed into drivers of transformational change, says Susan Sturm at Columbia Law School.
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Seven County Ruling Should Trim Agency Enviro Analysis
The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County provides needed clarity for infrastructure projects by expressly directing agencies to narrow environmental reviews, and reducing the threat of litigation if even tangential issues are not exhaustively evaluated, say attorneys at Dentons.
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Series
Running Marathons Makes Me A Better Lawyer
After almost five years of running marathons, I’ve learned that both the race itself and the training process sharpen skills that directly translate to the practice of law, including discipline, dedication, endurance, problem-solving and mental toughness, says Lauren Meadows at Swift Currie.
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Calif. Air Board Offers Early Hints On Climate Reporting
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.
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Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: Supporting A Trial Team
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.
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Opinion
Address Nationwide Injunction Issues With Random Venues
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.
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FAR Rewrite May Cloud Key Gov't Contract Doctrine
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.
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Series
Adapting To Private Practice: From US Attorney To BigLaw
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.
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Opinion
Aviation Watch: A Supersonic 'Boom' Going Nowhere Fast
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.