Germany’s gas plant subsidy plan risks breaching EU state aid rules, lawyers warn
Germany’s latest plans to subsidise new gas-fired power capacity are incompatible with EU state aid rules, the environmental law firm ClientEarth warned on Wednesday, calling on Brussels to open an in-depth investigation rather than approve the scheme.
Read MoreTrump administration seeks injunction to halt state climate lawsuit against energy producers
The Trump-led US Department of Justice (DOJ) asked a federal court on Monday to block Minnesota from pursuing its climate lawsuit against energy producers, one week after suing the state over what it called an unlawful attempt to regulate global GHG emissions through state law.
Read MoreNZ govt slammed over move to ban climate tort claims
Planned amendments to New Zealand’s core climate change law to limit tort claims arising from climate impacts has been criticised, with one legal observer telling Carbon Pulse it marks an “egregious departure” from government norms.
Read MoreClimate Litigation Roundup: Deception claims survive US federal challenges as VCM legal risks come into focus
The past month in climate litigation saw US courts preserve state-law deception claims against fossil fuel companies while pushing back on federal attempts to block them, the Dutch government move to appeal a ruling on climate duties for Bonaire, and fresh questions emerge about legal accountability in the voluntary carbon market (VCM).
Read MoreNo response from Chinese developer requested to replace credits, says Verra
Verra is unable to reach a project proponent that was asked to replace credits from four Chinese projects that were found to have fallen foul of the standard body’s regulations, the voluntary carbon standard body told Carbon Pulse this week.
Read MoreAustralia’s top court to hear first climate case over coal mine expansion
Australia’s highest court will hear its first-ever climate change case next week, in a legal battle between a local community and a coal company over mine expansion.
Read MoreIowa governor signs bill limiting climate liability over GHG emissions
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds (R) approved legislation limiting civil and criminal liability for alleged climate harms linked GHG emissions, creating a new statutory defence for agricultural, petroleum, and renewable fuel sources in the state.
Read MoreWashington tribes’ climate deception lawsuit survives oil companies’ dismissal bid
A Washington state judge denied oil companies’ bid to dismiss climate deception claims brought by two Tribal governments, allowing most of the case to proceed while giving the tribes 30 days to amend allegations against one defendant.
Read MoreTrump administration moves to block state climate lawsuit, citing federal primacy over emissions
The US federal government has filed a lawsuit seeking to halt a state-level climate case, arguing that regulation of interstate and international pollution falls under federal authority.
Read MoreCompanies face climate litigation risk from internal inconsistency, not lack of ambition -report
Companies face growing exposure to climate litigation not from a lack of environmental ambition but from gaps between public commitments and operational reality, a report published on Thursday found.
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