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

Save the Whales, Judge Says

A federal judge in Los Angeles has ordered the Navy to stop using sonar in training exercises that can harm whales and other marine mammals. Judge Florence-Marie Cooper said mass strandings of whales have occurred after sonar is used and the Navy failed to mitigate the harm, the New York…

Aug 7, 2007 2:37 PM CDT

City Code Cases Over Front-Yard Food

Corn. Tomatoes. Sunflowers. All are mainstays in many backyard gardens throughout the country. But now that so-called edible estates are replacing front lawns in urban areas, some neighboring residents are up in arms over the otherwise innocuous veggies. An increasing movement toward replacing the lawns in front of houses with…

Jul 31, 2007 10:19 PM CDT

Court Backs EPA Action (Updated)

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against environmentalists who sought to protect endangered species in a dispute with the Environmental Protection Agency. The case involves conflicting mandates in the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act, Associated Press reports. The court ruled for the EPA, which ignored the species…

Jun 25, 2007 5:30 PM CDT

Toxic Tap Water for Years at Marine Base

At least twenty-five years after toxins were found to have seeped into the water supply at a North Carolina marine base, the situation is still being studied. A report released Tuesday, as emotional testimony began at a hearing by the House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee by individuals who say they…

Jun 13, 2007 11:05 PM CDT

DC Firm Racks Up Big Bill in RI Case

A well-known Washington, D.C., law firm is sending the state of Rhode Island six-figure monthly bills for ongoing representation in a huge environmental clean-up case. When the state asked Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan to represent R.I. in the case concerning a Southern Union Co. site in Tiverton, it anticipated monthly…

Jun 12, 2007 1:00 AM CDT

Court Strengthens Superfund

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled today that the federal Superfund law permits companies to sue to recover costs of voluntarily cleaning up hazardous material.

The ruling helps strengthen the Superfund cleanup program, the Associated Press reports.

Jun 11, 2007 9:02 PM CDT

Bounty-Hunters Irk Calif. AG

About a dozen law firms are filing lawsuits that help enforce a California law requiring businesses to tell consumers when they are exposed to cancer-causing substances. Their suits generate 100 to 150 settlements totaling about $10 million a year, according to the state attorney general’s office. It has taken issue…

Jun 11, 2007 3:22 PM CDT

Seven Accused of Killing Pigeon Predators

Federal agents went undercover to find evidence that members of roller pigeon clubs were illegally killing hawks and falcons that were eating specially bred birds. Roller pigeons are bred to suffer seizures in flight that send them plummeting to the ground, according to the Los Angeles Times. Enthusiasts have contests…

May 29, 2007 6:07 PM CDT

Activists: Timber Suit Based on Draft Regulations

In a lawsuit characterized as “downright bizarre” by a Seattle newspaper blog, a timber industry lawyer who formerly worked for the Bush administration has made a legal claim based on draft environmental regulations. Mark Rutzick, now a private practitioner in Portland, Ore., was formerly a special counsel at the National…

May 1, 2007 11:03 AM CDT

Calif. Governor Threatens EPA Lawsuit

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger gave the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency six months to issue a waiver allowing a state clean air law to take effect. “The clock is ticking,” the governor said, according to a story in the Los Angeles Times. “If we don’t see quick action from the federal…

Apr 26, 2007 5:36 PM CDT

U.S. Mining Executive Innocent in Indonesia

A 21-month criminal trial in Indonesia against a major U.S. mining company and one of its executives ended today with a not-guilty verdict by the judge. Despite a reported demonstration outside the courthouse by an estimated 1,000 protesters, Judge Ridwan Damanik held there was not enough evidence to prove that…

Apr 24, 2007 8:26 PM CDT

Vermont Emissions Law on Trial

Trial begins in a Vermont court on Tuesday in a case challenging states’ efforts to limit vehicle emissions. The case will be heard in U.S. District Court in Burlington, Reuters reports. “This trial is about whether or not states have the authority to set their own fuel-economy standards. And we…

Apr 10, 2007 1:30 PM CDT

Green Fees

Anticipating more business, some firms bolster their climate-change practices

Jan 5, 2007 12:33 AM CST