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Climate Change
Suit alleges Energy refuses to turn over Granholm, Proterra records; DOE says it's focused on 'equitable clean energy future'
Granholm continued to hold stock options in Proterra even as President Joe Biden and other White House officials actively promoted Proterra, according to media reports. She eventually divested the holdings in a transaction that netted her a reported $1.6 million.
Climate Change
Big Oil squares off against Honolulu in quest for federal court jurisdiction
HONOLULU (Legal Newsline) - Arguments were heard Thursday at the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in a lawsuit that pits the City of Honolulu and the Island County of Maui against oil and gas companies, alleging the companies bear responsibility for degrading Hawaii’s environment from fossil fuels production and promotion.
Climate Change
Delaware's climate change case on hold during appeal
WILMINGTON, Del. (Legal Newsline) – A Delaware federal judge has stayed important climate change litigation in that state while federal appeals courts around the country try to figure out where these cases should be heard.
Climate Change
Minnesota Senate advances bill limiting hiring of outside attorneys by state AG's office
ST. PAUL (Legal Newsline) - The Minnesota State Senate on Wednesday advanced a bill designed to limit the hiring by the Attorney General’s office of outside attorneys who could be politically motivated by the nonprofits and agencies that provide them.
Climate Change
FOIA Lawsuit: EPA failing to turn over docs on high level Biden appointees
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - A federal government watchdog has sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) alleging that it is wrongfully withholding records it is entitled to review under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Climate Change
Alaska Supreme Court rejects climate suit over state's oil policy
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Legal Newsline) - The Alaska Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit claiming the state’s young residents had a constitutional right to block oil and gas development in the state in order to reduce human-induced global warming, saying the elected branches, not the courts, were the place to decide energy policy.
Climate Change
GOP lawmaker asks Interior IG to audit ethics office after watchdog complaint
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - The credibility of the Department of Interior’s ethics office is at stake if it is allowed to continue to dodge questions about employees who have appearances of conflicts of interest based on previous work affiliations, according to a GOP lawmaker.
Climate Change
Justice says AG's argument for withholding climate litigation communication: 'makes no sense to me, zero'
ST. PAUL, Minn. (Legal Newsline) - The Minnesota Supreme Court heard arguments last Wednesday in a lawsuit alleging that the office of State Attorney General Keith Ellison improperly concealed from the public communications with out-of-state climate activists and AG offices.
Climate Change
Oil companies lose key decision in Delaware, plan appeal to Third Circuit
WILMINGTON, Del. (Legal Newsline) - Rejecting arguments that Delaware was trying to use its own courts to interfere with federal energy policy, a federal judge ordered a climate lawsuit spearheaded by private lawyers back to state court where it could stand higher chances of success.
Climate Change
Washington AG allowed to withhold info on possible climate change litigation
TACOMA, Wash. (Legal Newsline) – An appeals court has backed Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson as he fights to keep materials related to climate change litigation secret.
Climate Change
Fight for transparency in AG's climate litigation awaits hearing at Minn. Supreme Court
ST. PAUL, Minn. (Legal Newsline) - A nonprofit government watchdog organization has filed an amicus brief against Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison for his refusal to release records pertaining to communications between his office and other states.
Climate Change
In fight for UCLA records showing academics 'going after climate denialism,' Enron's interest in green industry revealed
LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) - A government watchdog group has filed a trial brief and declarations in Los Angeles Superior Court to investigate the involvement of law faculty from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the climate litigation industry.
Climate Change
Attribution science 'suggested with courts in mind' may fail as world leaders gather in Glasgow
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - "Attribution science" - defined as a branch of climatology that attempts to link and quantify extreme weather events to the human influence on climate - is expected to be in focus at the 26th world summit on climate change (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland where world leaders, including President Biden and a cadre of his cabinet members, have gathered.
Climate Change
Gosar: Democrats to play mind games on oil execs at upcoming Oversight hearing
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - Democrats in Washington are “hell-bent" on demonizing all domestic energy production, according to Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), who says the grilling of Big Oil executives in committee Thursday will serve to destroy traditional energy while pumping up the green industrial complex.
Climate Change
House Dems prepping to scold energy companies; Exxon says it cooperated with their demands
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – Expect plenty of friction when House Democrats on board with President Biden’s green-energy policies get their chance to attack the fossil fuel industry at a hearing on Thursday.
Climate Change
As private lawyers try to muscle climate change cases into state courts, King County drops its federal case
On Sept. 28, King County, WA withdrew its lawsuit from federal court seeking hundreds of millions of dollars from energy companies for climate change damages.
Climate Change
Minnesota professor played key role in developing state AG's climate suit; New lawsuit seeks answers
MARSHALL, Minn. (Legal Newsline) - A government watchdog organization has filed suit against Minnesota Attorney General Ellison for failing to release public records that could reveal why his office issued an official email account to a University of Minnesota law professor.
Climate Change
Despite judge's ruling, ethics info on Interior Dept. official released
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - A federal judge says a national nonprofit failed to justify expedited processing of ethics records related to a top Interior Department official, but those files have been turned over anyway.
Climate Change
Hoboken's climate change case sent back to state court over defendants' protest
TRENTON, N.J. (Legal Newsline) – A New Jersey federal judge has sent climate change litigation back to state court.
Climate Change
Evidence of coordination in climate litigation is eroding AG arguments for keeping cases in state court, watchdog says
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - A nonprofit government watchdog group is sounding the alarm after mounting evidence suggests that the attorneys general in Minnesota and Washington D.C engaged in a covertly coordinated effort to carry out similar climate change lawsuits.