Energy & Utilities Law, Election & Politics Law, Zoning, Planning & Land Use

EPA Declines to Create New Air Pollution Control Program for Coal Mines – For Now.

by Christopher "Kip" B. Power | Dinsmore & Shohl LLP on 5/20/2013

By letter dated April 30, 2013, EPA Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe denied a petition filed by the Sierra Club and other groups, seeking to have the agency issue a determination pursuant to section 111 of the federal...more

House Bill Would Speed Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting

by Jack N. Semrani, Dena E. Wiggins | Ballard Spahr LLP on 5/13/2013

Representative Mike Pompeo (R-KS) has introduced a bill (H.R. 1900) that would expedite the permitting of new interstate natural gas pipelines. Such projects require approvals from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission...more

Aboriginal Consultation Levy Act Introduced into the Alberta Legislature

by Shawn Denstedt Q.C., Suzanne MacMillan, Terri-Lee Oleniuk | Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP on 5/9/2013

On May 8, 2013, Alberta’s Aboriginal Relations Minister introduced Bill 22, the Aboriginal Consultation Levy Act, into the Legislature in an effort to provide Aboriginal groups in Alberta with the capacity and funding...more

Regulatory Issues Cause ConocoPhillips to Join Shell Oil in Suspending its Drilling Program in Arctic Waters off Alaska

by Mike Jungreis | Davis Wright Tremaine LLP on 4/12/2013

Today, ConocoPhillips announced that it is suspending its drilling program in the Chukchi Sea off the northwest coast of Alaska for 2014, due to uncertainty regarding the changing regulatory requirements. ...more

Youngstown City Hydraulic Fracturing Ban Approved for May Ballot

by George Skupski | BakerHostetler on 3/21/2013

In late February, we covered the state and federal legislative and enforcement responses to the release of hydraulic fracturing waste into a Youngstown, Ohio area tributary by a local oil and gas drilling operator. Shortly...more

MISS Dig Bills Pass In Michigan Senate, Stall In House

by Aaron M. Phelps | Varnum LLP on 12/21/2012

Legislation creating a new MISS Dig law passed the Michigan Senate on November 29 in a 26-12 vote, but failed to make it through the House before the 2012 Legislative Session closed on December 13. Supporters plan to...more

Longmont Sued By Colorado Oil and Gas Association

by Jason Yearout | BakerHostetler on 12/18/2012

Last week we reported that the state of Colorado would not directly sue the town of Longmont to challenge the ban on hydraulic fracturing that town voters enacted in the November election....more

President Obama Orders Chinese-Owned Corporation To Divest From Wind Farm In Oregon by Shannon Doyle

by King & Spalding on 11/15/2012

On September 28, 2012, President Obama blocked Ralls Corporation from acquiring ownership of four wind farm companies in Oregon near a U.S. naval weapons systems training facility due to national security concerns. Ralls is a...more

White House Announces Expedited Schedule for Renewable Energy Projects

by Burr & Forman on 10/26/2012

On August 7, the White House announced an expedited approval schedule for seven solar and wind projects on federal and tribal lands in Arizona, California, Nevada and Wyoming totaling 5,000 megawatts (MW) of energy-producing...more

The State of Drilling in the Empire State

by Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC on 10/8/2012

Despite being home to the first natural gas well in the United States, the State of New York has prohibited the use of hydraulic fracturing within its borders. Since the election of Governor Andrew Cuomo, the question in the...more

Judicial Activism and Judicial Restraint: The 5th Circuit Vacates EPA's Disapproval of Texas SIP Revisions Concerning Minor...

by Foley Hoag LLP - Environmental Law on 8/15/2012

On Friday, in Texas v. EPA, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals vacated EPA’s decision rejecting Texas’s SIP revisions that would have implemented (and did implement, for 16 years) a Flexible Permit Program for minor NSR...more

Ohio Takes Next Step to Implement Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact

by K&L Gates LLP on 7/27/2012

Ohio House Bill 473 (“H.B. 473” or the “Act”) authorizes the Division of Soil and Water Resources within the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (“ODNR”) to establish a water-withdrawal and consumptive-use permitting program...more

Ohio Governor Signs Legislation to Address Horizontal Drilling Issues

by Dinsmore & Shohl LLP on 6/18/2012

On June 11, 2012, Ohio Governor John Kasich signed into law Senate Bill 315, ushering in several changes to Ohio’s existing oil and gas laws. The law, pushed by the Kasich Administration, addresses what had been perceived as...more

Limited Gas Drilling in New York?

by Cullen and Dykman LLP on 6/15/2012

The New York Times recently reported that Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s administration is quietly contemplating allowing hydraulic fracturing to occur on a limited basis in towns that welcome drilling and in areas where the...more

The Shale Play Today - February 2012

by Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC on 2/29/2012

In This Issue: - Judicial Hostility Toward Fracking in N.Y. Reinforces Anti-drilling Perception - Pa. Gov. Corbett Signs New Oil & Gas Legislation - Wheeling, W.Va. Center of Gas Industry Activity - Useful...more

Act 13 of 2012 – Implementation of Unconventional Gas Well Impact Fee Act

by McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC on 2/27/2012

On February 14, 2012, Governor Corbett signed House Bill 1950 into law as Act 13 of 2012, the Unconventional Gas Well Impact Fee Act ("Act 13"). Act 13 provides for an impact fee, Oil and Gas Act (Title 58)...more

Gas Tax Advances, Statute Of Repose Comes Out of Repose

by Davis Brown Law Firm on 2/20/2012

SSB3141, a bill that would increase Iowa’s gas tax by five cents per year in 2013 and 2014, took another tentative step forward this week when it was voted out of the Senate Transportation Committee. The bill would...more

Spilman News Alert: Pa. Gov.Corbett Signs New Oil & Gas Legislation

by Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC on 2/14/2012

On February 13, 2012, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett signed House Bill No. 1950 into law, approving major changes to the Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Act, most notably an impact fee on unconventional drilling operations. Along...more

Pa. Township Council Beats Back Referendum to Ban Drilling

by Duane Morris LLP on 11/30/2011

A referendum banning drilling in a western Pennsylvania township failed when it received less than 20 percent of the vote in the November elections. Solicitor for Peters Township William Johnson said that he and council...more

Chance for Marcellus Shale Legislation Approval in Pennsylvania Before Year's End

by Duane Morris LLP on 11/30/2011

The Pennsylvania House and Senate approved separate versions of legislation to strengthen environmental rules surrounding drilling in the Marcellus Shale, and to impose a per-well impact fee to fund local infrastructure. The...more

Zoning over Pooling for Drillers in Fall Legislative Session

by Duane Morris LLP on 10/3/2011

One of the key goals for drillers during the fall legislative session in Harrisburg is gaining approval of a measure preventing local governments from using zoning ordinances to shut them out, according to an official with a...more

Deepwater Drilling: Offshore Oil Progress Delayed Under "Slowmatorium"

by Dinsmore & Shohl LLP on 6/16/2011

Just over a year ago, in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon accident, the future of offshore oil exploration looked bleak. With the nation fixated on video of crude oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, President Obama quickly...more

Congress Investigating Fracturing

by Duane Morris LLP on 3/4/2010

The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee is investigating the impact on the environment of hydraulic fracturing-a process used in natural gas drilling. U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), the committee chair, sent letters...more

Energy And Environment Update - January 18, 2010

by Mintz Levin on 1/20/2010

IN THIS UPDATE: *Energy and Climate Legislation *Senate *House ..Van Hollen on Green Bank ..Energy Efficiency Legislation Introduced ..Science and Technology Committee to Focus on DOE...more

California Passes Comprehensive Water Legislation, Setting Historic Precedents in Water Policy

by Morrison & Foerster LLP on 11/11/2009

Following an all-night special session, the morning of November 4 saw the comprehensive "2009 Delta/Water Legislation" pass the California Legislature. The several bills that make up the package set out guidance for managing...more

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Energy & Utilities Law › Election & Politics Law › Zoning, Planning & Land Use