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Interesting — Texas Court Rules Unpaid Royalty Payments not Subject to Compound Interest

Are unpaid royalty payments for oil-and-gas leases subject to simple or compound interest? Simple, the Texas Supreme Court said in Samson Exploration, LLC v. Bordages on June 7, 2024....more

Royalty Class Actions: The Rise of Class Certification and Defenses to Avoid It

The recent rise in royalty class action lawsuits brought by the plaintiffs’ bar, that generally coincides with the ebb in crude oil prices, is a growing risk for oil and gas companies. Class action certifications in royalty...more

Federal Court Upholds Pennsylvania Act 85, Says Cross-Unit Well Didn’t Breach Lease Agreement 

The Pennsylvania Act 85 of 2019 amended the Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Lease Act to add a section permitting cross-unit drilling. On Jan. 24, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania upheld Act 85...more

2/22/2024  /  Energy Sector , Leases , Natural Gas , Oil & Gas

Texas Appellate Court: Water Created During Fracking Is Oil and Gas Waste, Not Water

In July 2023, the El Paso Court of Appeals held that produced water created in the fracking process is considered an oil and gas waste rather than water — meaning it belonged to the mineral lessee, not the surface owners. See...more

Federal Court Denies Attempt to Enjoin Appeal Before Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board

On June 5, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania denied Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Co. LLC’s (Transco) attempt to enjoin an administrative appeal proceeding before the Pennsylvania...more

Ownership of Pore Space and Its Relation to Surface Estate

Land rights and interests continue to be a prominent fixture in the legal landscape. Among other things, the ownership of highly sought-after pore space has been at the center of multiple property rights cases and legislation...more

Compliance Deadlines Approaching: Pipeline Safety Mega Rule

Regulators are looking at a ticking time clock for covered entities in the gas transmission industry to ensure their compliance with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s “Mega Rule” — a rulemaking...more

2/22/2024  /  Energy Sector , Oil & Gas , PHMSA , Pipelines

11 Key Elements of New EPA Rule Regulating Methane and VOC Emissions

On Dec. 2, 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency issued its final rule titled “Standards of Performance for New, Reconstructed, and Modified Sources and Emission Guidelines for Existing Sources: Oil and Natural Gas Sector...more

TSA Strengthens Cybersecurity Monitoring for “Critical” Pipelines and LNG Facilities

Regulatory interest in securing the nation’s energy infrastructure continued in 2023. On July 26, 2023, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced significant updates to its security directive aimed at...more

Old Wells: A New Frontier for Crypto-Mining and Complaints

Cryptocurrency mining is an emerging industry that must overcome the watchful eyes of communities and regulators. This unique process uses computers to solve complex math problems on a blockchain, which rewards miners with...more

Education Department to Hold Owners, Individuals, Board Members Liable for Higher Education Institutions

On March 2, 2023, the U.S. Department of Education announced it will hold individuals representing corporations or other legal entities, including a member of the board of directors or a chief executive officer, personally...more

Department of Education to Hold Owners and Investors Liable for College and University Liabilities

On March 23, 2022, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced its intention to hold corporate owners, investors and controlling parties of private institutions of higher education directly liable for the school’s...more

Third Circuit Confirms Right to Immediate Possession in Federal Condemnation Actions

On Oct. 30, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit issued a precedential opinion confirming what other federal courts already have made reasonably clear — that natural gas transmission companies operating under the...more

Rule of Capture Does Not Apply to Hydraulic Fracturing

On April 2, the Pennsylvania Superior Court held that hydraulic fracturing that results in the extraction of natural gas from adjoining land may constitute a claim for trespass. In Briggs v. Southwestern Energy Production...more

Appeals Court Thwarts Trump Effort to Stall Implementation of Methane Rules

Although the fight remains ongoing, a recent U.S. Court of Appeals decision requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to immediately enforce Obama-era rules intended to reduce emissions from new oil and gas...more

Oklahoma Federal Court Denies Injunctive Relief in Wind Farm Nuisance Suit

A recent decision in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, Terra Walker et al. v. Kingfisher Wind, LLC, No. 5:14-cv-914-D, Doc. 160 (W.D. Okla. Oct. 13, 2016), could sound a death knell for nuisance...more

District Court Strikes Down Controversial BLM Fracking Rule

In a decision sending shockwaves across the nation’s oil and gas industry, the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming yesterday set aside the Bureau of Land Management’s rule to govern hydraulic fracturing on federal...more

Ohio Supreme Court: Form Oil and Gas Lease Not Void as Against Public Policy

Earlier this week, in an unsurprising but nevertheless meaningful decision, the Ohio Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the standard form oil and gas lease at issue was not “perpetual,” and thus was not void as against...more

Fourth Circuit Joins Courts in Pennsylvania and Ohio in Holding that Dual Purpose Oil and Gas Lease Is Not Severable

As we have often reported, landowners’ efforts to evade the plain terms of “dual purpose” leases, providing for both production and natural gas storage, have almost universally failed. Most recently, on December 28, 2015, the...more

Pennsylvania Superior Court Affirms Striking of 24-Year-Old Default Judgment, and Holds That Leasing Is Not Enough to Claim...

The development of the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania has led to a number of disputes about historical judgments that purportedly divested reserved oil and gas rights from their owners. During the 20th century, surface...more

Pennsylvania Court: Using Property for Gas Storage Holds Production Rights Under “Dual Purpose” Leases

A recent trial victory for Range Resources – Appalachia LLC and Columbia Energy Ventures LLC (CEV) fills gaps left by the prior leading decisions on “dual purpose” storage and production leases, and cements the rights of...more

EPA Issues Landmark Hydraulic Fracturing Study, Finds “No Widespread, Systemic Impacts on Drinking Water”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a draft of its hotly anticipated hydraulic fracturing study, finding that the controversial practice has not led to widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water, as some...more

Ohio Supreme Court Invalidates Local Oil and Gas Regulation

Good news for the oil and gas industry in Ohio came last week in the form of a Supreme Court decision invalidating local ordinances that sought to regulate oil and gas production activities, weighing in on what has recently...more

2/27/2015

Pa. Supreme Court Denies Equitable Tolling of Oil and Gas Lease’s Primary Term

Last week, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, on certification from the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, ruled that the primary term of an oil and gas lease would not be equitably tolled during the pendency...more

Pennsylvania Superior Court: Storage Activities Hold Production Rights Under "Dual Purpose" Lease

The explosion of natural gas production in the Appalachian Basin in recent years has led to litigation involving landowners trying to get out of existing oil and gas leases to take advantage of the fierce competition among...more

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