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Texas Supreme Court to Decide Whether Groundwater Estate Should Be Granted Accommodation Status Similar to Mineral Estate

On October 14, 2015, the Texas Supreme Court heard argument in a case styled Coyote Lake Ranch, LLC v. The City of Lubbock, which dealt with the question of whether the accommodation doctrine should apply when a groundwater...more

Texas Wastewater Injection Wells Off the Hook for Causing Earthquakes

On September 10, the Texas Railroad Commission absolved a second oil and gas company of causing a series of earthquakes in northern Texas finding that the seismic activity was due to “natural tectonic processes.” The...more

Texas Operator Pushes Back on Seismic Claims at Railroad Commission Hearing

Earlier this week, the Texas Railroad Commission held its first “show cause” hearing under the rule amendments adopted last October to address issues related to disposal wells located in potential high-risk seismic areas....more

Texas Legislature Takes Further Aim at Local/Municipal Fracking Bans

On Tuesday, March 11, 2015, the Texas Legislature’s 84th Session gained another bill directed at combating future local and municipal fracking bans. State Rep. Drew Darby (R-San Angelo), Chairman of the Texas House Energy...more

BakerHostetler's Shale Oil and Gas Industry 2014 Year in Review and 2015 Look Forward

Once again, shale oil and gas production dominated energy headlines in 2014, with a number of key economic, political, and legal developments making news across the country. Bolstered by technologies like hydraulic...more

The Supreme Court of Texas Marries Contractual Limitations to Insurance Policies

In a case that has been closely watched by the oil and gas industry and its insurers, the Supreme Court of Texas issued its opinion in In re Deepwater Horizon on February 13, 2015, and settled the debate concerning whether a...more

2015 Texas Legislative Session Includes Twin Bills Concerning Municipal Fracking Bans

With the opening of the 84th Session of the Texas Legislature on January 13, 2015, two of the more closely watched bills in the energy arena will be House Bill 539 (HB539) and House Bill 540 (HB540). HB539, filed on December...more

Local and National Environmental Groups Seek to Intervene in Denton Fracking Case

On Thursday, December 4, 2014, in Texas Oil and Gas Assoc. v. City of Denton, Cause No. 14-08933-431, 431st District Court, Denton County, Texas, the Denton Drilling Awareness Group and Earthworks filed a Joint Petition in...more

Denton Ban Emboldens Fracking Opponents in Other Texas Cities

After the first municipal ban on hydraulic fracturing in Texas went into effect on December 2in Denton, residents of other Texas cities are considering whether to pursue bans in their own backyards. Residents from disparate...more

Railroad Commission Chairwoman: “It’s My Job to Give Permits, Not Denton’s”

At a November 6 event, Texas Railroad Commission Chairwoman Christi Craddick unequivocally stated that the Commission would continue to issue drilling permits to operators in Denton, despite the November 4 vote making it the...more

11/12/2014  /  Fracking , Infrastructure , Railroads

Texas Railroad Commission Adopts Rules for Disposal Wells in Potential High-Risk Seismic Areas

On Tuesday, October 28, 2014, the Texas Railroad Commission unanimously adopted amendments to rules concerning disposal wells in areas that have experienced or are likely to experience seismic activity. As covered by the...more

Suit by Denton, Texas, Royalty Interest Owners Could be Harbinger of More Suits If Proposed Hydraulic Fracturing Ban Passes

Ahead of the November 4th vote that could make it the first city in Texas to ban hydraulic fracturing, the City of Denton has been sued by a group of royalty interest owners claiming that the city’s current temporary ban...more

TX House Subcommittee Hears Testimony from Railroad Commission Seismologist on Proposed Rules Related to Disposal Wells in...

Following the Texas Railroad Commission’s recent proposal for additional rules related to disposal wells in “high-risk” seismic areas, on Monday, August 25, members of the Texas House Subcommittee on Seismic Activity heard...more

Texas Railroad Commission Proposes New Regulations for High-Risk Seismic Areas

On Tuesday, amidst claims that hydraulic fracturing could be causing earthquakes in some parts of Texas, the Texas Railroad Commission proposed amendments to permitting regulations for injection wells. The proposed rules...more

8/15/2014  /  Earthquakes , Fracking , Railroads , Railways

Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Calls Proposed Denton Fracking Ban ‘Extremely Misguided’; Asks City Council to Reject Measure

On July 11th, Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Barry Smitherman sent a letter to the mayor and city council members for Denton, Texas asking that the council reject a proposal to ban hydraulic fracturing in Denton. Chairman...more

Drought Conditions Cause Eagle Ford Operators to Find Wastewater Recycling Solutions

Amidst what the National Drought Mitigation Center has classified as abnormal to severe drought conditions, operators in Texas’ Eagle Ford Shale formation are taking steps to increase their ability to recycle wastewater...more

St. Tammany Parish (LA) Citizens Group Seeks TROs to Halt Permitting Process for Proposed Well

A citizens group named Concerned Citizens of St. Tammany has filed applications for temporary restraining orders in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District Court of Louisiana in New Orleans and the Louisiana 19th...more

Denton (TX) City Council Enacts Drilling Moratorium and Will Consider Possible Ban on Fracking

Amidst complaints from citizens, the Denton, Texas city council unanimously enacted a drilling moratorium, which will be in effect until September 9th. The ordinance, which was adopted by the council at its May 6th meeting,...more

Texas Family Awarded $2.9 Million in Damages from Fracking Nuisance Claims

On April 22, 2014, a Dallas County, Texas jury awarded a family $2.9 million dollars for personal injury and property damages arising out of their suit against Aruba Petroleum, Inc. The jury’s verdict includes damage awards...more

Development of Horizontal Drilling Techniques Drives Global Demand for Associated Fluids and Chemicals

Research and Markets, a leading international market research and market data firm, has released its report on Global Trends and Forecasts for Fracking Chemicals and Fluid Markets. The report estimates that the global...more

4/10/2014  /  Chemicals , Fracking , Oil & Gas

Advances in Drilling Techniques Push U.S. Oil Rig Count to New Record High

Operators’ ability to develop previously untapped oil reserves through horizontal drilling techniques has led to a record 1,443 oil rigs currently in operation in the U.S. according to a report released last week by Baker...more

EPA Releases Revised Guidance on Use of Diesel Fuels in Hydraulic Fracturing Operations

On February 11, 2014, the EPA released its long awaited revised permitting guidance for wells that use diesel fuels during hydraulic fracturing activities. The guidance details the EPA’s view on how to implement provisions of...more

White House Proposes Sustainable Shale Gas Growth Zones; Praises Role of Natural Gas in U.S. Energy Policy

A fact-sheet released by the White House following Tuesday’s State of the Union Address announced the Obama Administration’s intent to work with Congress, State and local governments to create Sustainable Shale Gas Growth...more

Texas’ Eagle Ford Formation Leads U.S. in Oil-and-Gas Transactions in 2013

In a year where overall upstream oil-and-gas transactions were down significantly from the previous year, the Eagle Ford shale formation in South Texas proved to be an active region for companies looking to make a deal....more

Researchers Examine Potential Connection Between Disposal Wells and Earthquakes in North Texas

Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey and Southern Methodist University are currently monitoring seismic activity around Azle, Texas amidst claims that a series of small earthquakes that occurred in the area in late...more

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