Environmental Law

Calif. to Sue EPA for Blocking State’s Tough Emissions Standards

The state of California plans to sue the Environmental Protection Agency for rejecting its plan to implement tougher air quality standards for cars and trucks. Aides to California Attorney General Jerry Brown confirmed the state will file suit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, where…

Dec 21, 2007 4:15 PM CST

Man Could Get 35 Years in ‘Arborcide’

A 60-year-old Nevada man who was convicted by a jury last month of slaughtering trees worth some $250,000 in one what attorney termed an “arborcide” reportedly faces up to 35 years in prison. However, a lawyer for Douglas Hoffman plans to ask for probation for his client, who is presently…

Dec 4, 2007 6:23 PM CST

Nixon Peabody Appoints Sustainability Officer

Nixon Peabody has appointed a chief sustainability officer to bolster the law firm’s environmental efforts as well as its image with clients. Carolyn Kaplan, a lawyer in the firm’s energy and environmental practice, will spend a quarter of her time in the new position, the Recorder reports. She told the…

Nov 26, 2007 2:19 PM CST

Appeals Court Tosses SUV Emissions Standards

A federal appeals court has tossed new fuel economy standards for light trucks, saying the government failed to consider the economic impact of emissions that contribute to global warming. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also said the government should explain why it set lower standards for light trucks,…

Nov 16, 2007 11:38 AM CST

Appeals Court Orders Narrowed Relief in Whale Sonar Case

A federal appeals court is requiring the Navy to lessen the harm caused by its sonar to whales and other marine life. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said a solution needs to be worked out before naval exercises begin in January off the coast of Southern…

Nov 14, 2007 7:05 PM CST

Consumer Group Plans iPhone Lawsuit

A Greenpeace report that contends Apple’s iPhone contains toxic chemicals has spurred a consumer group to initiate legal proceedings. The Center for Environmental Health has filed a notice of an intent to file a lawsuit that contends the chemicals violate California laws, Associated Content reports. The group says in a…

Nov 9, 2007 1:36 PM CST

California Sues EPA Over Global Warming

California has sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in its effort to require automakers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The state applied two years ago for a waiver that would allow it to force a 30 percent cut in emissions by 2016, the Recorder reports. The suit (PDF posted by…

Nov 9, 2007 12:51 PM CST

‘Green’ Industry: Environmental Law

For those seeking a “green” career, law practice offers an increasing number of opportunities. In a list of 10 industries with “great green potential,” the current issue of E magazine ranks as No. 5 the field of environmental law. (Other fields, such as land use and planning, which is also…

Nov 8, 2007 10:19 PM CST

States to Sue US EPA Over Global Warming

More than a dozen states are readying a lawsuit that claims foot-dragging by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the fight against global warming. The suit will claim the agency has failed to grant a waiver requested by California that would allow it to require reduced greenhouse emissions from cars,…

Oct 24, 2007 5:16 PM CDT

BP Expected to Settle Refinery, Market Manipulation Charges

The British energy company BP is expected to plead guilty to environmental charges to settle a criminal investigation into an explosion at a Texas oil refinery two years ago that killed 15 people. The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports the oil giant is expected to pay a $50 million…

Oct 24, 2007 1:47 PM CDT

DOJ Cuts Billion $$ Emissions Deal

A utility company has reached a pollution agreement that will be one of the largest environmental settlements in the history of the Justice Department. The deal is expected to be announced today. CNN and the Associated Press reported that American Electric Power agreed to install $4.6 billion in equipment to…

Oct 9, 2007 1:25 PM CDT

Clotheslines Entangle Homeowners in Legal Disputes

Homeowners associations are butting heads with environmentally conscious homeowners, and threatened legal action is the result. The fight is over clotheslines, used by homeowners trying to do their part to reduce global warming, the Wall Street Journal reports (sub. req.). Clothesline advocates point to statistics that show clothes dryers eat…

Sep 18, 2007 11:22 AM CDT

Car Public Nuisance Suit Tossed

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the California attorney general that contends six car companies created a public nuisance by making vehicles that produce greenhouse gases. U.S. District Judge Martin Jenkins of San Francisco said the suit would have required him to balance the interest in reducing…

Sep 18, 2007 11:00 AM CDT

Judge Backs State Emissions Controls

Vermont’s attempt to regulate greenhouse gases in vehicle emissions is not pre-empted by federal fuel-economy standards, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge William Sessions III of Burlington yesterday rejected an attempt to block the rules, which are modeled on California standards requiring reduced emissions, the Washington Post reports.…

Sep 13, 2007 4:06 PM CDT

Green Lawyers Can Rile SOX Enforcers

Five years ago last week, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act took effect, giving the government a whole new set of tools to fight corporate corruption. Its anti-fraud provisions immediately affected public companies with tougher auditing requirements for officers, directors and outside advisers, including accountants and lawyers. For the first time, prison became…

Aug 11, 2007 9:41 PM CDT