Legal shifts reshape EJ

Environmental fights are moving onto new legal turf, with courts in Washington, Amsterdam and New Jersey shaping where pollution cases get heard next. (supremecourt.gov) On April 17, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-0 that Chevron can move a Louisiana coastal-damage suit into federal court under the federal-officer removal law. The case came from Plaquemines Parish, where a state jury had awarded about $745 million over wetlands damage tied to decades-old oil activity. (supremecourt.gov) Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the lawsuit could be removed because Plaquemines’ claims “relate to” Chevron’s work refining aviation fuel for the U.S. military during World War II. Louisiana officials and trial lawyers said the ruling could affect more than 40 similar coastal suits against oil and gas companies. (supremecourt.gov) (lailluminator.com) The venue fight matters because state and federal courts can produce different juries, judges and procedural rules before a case ever reaches the merits. The Plaquemines verdict is now in doubt as the dispute heads back into federal court for another round. (usnews.com) (lailluminator.com) In Amsterdam, Greenpeace International said this week that a Dutch court heard arguments in its case against Energy Transfer under the European Union’s anti-SLAPP directive. A SLAPP is a lawsuit critics say is filed to drain time and money from speech on public issues. (greenpeace.org) (vu.nl) Greenpeace says Energy Transfer’s U.S. litigation over Dakota Access Pipeline protests was abusive and is asking the Amsterdam District Court for a declaration that the company acted unlawfully and for damages. The court said it will decide by June 3, 2026, whether to dismiss the case or let it proceed. (greenpeace.org) Energy Transfer has argued that Greenpeace is using Europe’s anti-SLAPP rules to avoid accountability for protest-related damages awarded in North Dakota. That North Dakota judgment was reduced to $345 million after post-trial rulings, according to rights-tracking and legal summaries cited by groups following the case. (business-humanrights.org) (brusselssignal.eu) In New Jersey, Representative Frank Pallone on April 17 asked the Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state agencies to investigate a suspected cancer cluster near the former Aeromarine landfill in Keyport. His office said residents had identified more than 40 cancer cases, including 28 on one street. (pallone.house.gov) NJ.com reported that neighbors have spent years pressing for answers about contamination around the site, including fears about groundwater and vapor intrusion. Pallone asked for environmental testing, a public-health review and immediate steps to reduce exposure if agencies find a link. (nj.com) (pallone.house.gov) Taken together, the week’s moves show three parts of environmental justice law at once: companies seeking federal forums, advocates testing new speech protections, and residents pushing agencies to treat illness reports as urgent evidence. The next dates are already set by courts and investigators, not by the pollution disputes themselves. (supremecourt.gov) (greenpeace.org) (pallone.house.gov)