Energy & Utilities Law, Maritime Law

Infrastructure Alert - May 21, 2013

by Cozen O'Connor on 5/22/2013

On May 17, President Obama issued a presidential memorandum to aid in streamline permitting processes for infrastructure projects. The memorandum creates a steering committee whose goal is to cut project completion times in...more

U.S. Coast Guard and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Sign Agreement on Offshore Oversight

by David Dickman, Megan Roberts-Satinsky | Venable LLP on 5/15/2013

On May 9, 2013, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) announced that they had entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) concerning offshore safety and environmental regulations....more

Infrastructure Alert - April 17, 2013

by Cozen O'Connor on 4/17/2013

Last week, President Obama released his FY2014 budget, outlining several proposals to fund new infrastructure programs. The budget proposes $40 billion for “Fix it First” projects to repair existing infrastructure, as well...more

REGULATORY: Mining and Natural Resources Regulatory; Maritime Deep Seabed Mining: The Next Wave -- U.S. Seabed Mining Regulatory...

by King & Spalding on 4/17/2013

Part I of this article appeared in the December 2012 Energy Newsletter and provided an introduction to the three principal types of seabed ore deposits, a history of exploration efforts, and an overview of the 1982 United...more

Bureau Of Safety And Environmental Enforcement Announces New Rule For Safety And Environmental Management Systems

by Paul B. Smyth, Robert (Bob) P. Thibault | Perkins Coie on 4/10/2013

In an effort to reduce the occurrence of accidents, injuries and spills during oil and gas activities on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) of the U.S. Department of...more

Jurgens And Bercaw Establish A Tension Leg Platform Is Not A Vessel

by James D. Bercaw, George Jurgens, III | King, Krebs & Jurgens, PLLC on 3/11/2013

Jack Jurgens and Jim Bercaw succeeded in obtaining a partial summary judgment from District Judge Lance M. Africk that the MATTERHORN SEASTAR, a floating tension leg platform (“TLP”) secured to the Outer Continental Shelf off...more

Fourth Circuit Refuses to Pierce the Corporate Veil in Oil Spill Case

by Dean Razavi, Bruce Sabados | Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP on 2/20/2013

The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has refused to enforce a judgment against an entity with ties to the judgment debtor, finding that the judgment creditor had not adequately pled an alter ego claim....more

Infrastructure Alert - February 13, 2013

by Cozen O'Connor on 2/13/2013

President Obama called for increased infrastructure and transportation spending in last night’s State of the Union address, stressing the need to fix failing infrastructure first and utilizing public-private partnerships...more

Infrastructure Alert - January 29, 2013

by Cozen O'Connor on 1/29/2013

The current International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) contract extension expires at the end of February 6. Carrier-paid container royalties remain the central issue in the negotiation. ...more

Shipbuilders Council of America and OSHA Settle Lawsuit, OSHA Issues First Interpretation Letter for Shipyard Industry on Subpart...

by Tressi L. Cordaro | Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,... on 1/25/2013

On August 1, 2011, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) standards for General Working Conditions in Shipyard Employment (1915, Subpart F) became effective. These standards included requirements covering...more

TRANSACTIONAL: Corporate/London: Maritime Boundaries: UNCLOS and disputes over the right to explore and develop offshore reserves...

by King & Spalding on 1/17/2013

Despite the 1982 United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) providing nations with a 200 mile offshore area (an “Exclusive Economic Zone) for exploiting maritime reserves, international waters remain...more

Supreme Ct. Adds Employment-Related Case To Schedule

by David B. Weisenfeld | XpertHR - Partnered with LexisNexis on 1/15/2013

The Supreme Court will soon hear a case involving a controversial Port of Los Angeles rule that would require trucking companies to hire their drivers as employees rather than independent contractors. The Court added American...more

Jones Act Status Remains Unavailable On SPARS

by Douglas Matthews | King, Krebs & Jurgens, PLLC on 1/14/2013

Jones Act status remains unavailable on SPAR Platforms, a type of deepwater floating oil drilling and production facility used in the offshore petroleum industry. While, as noted in the recent blog by Joseph Devall, Jr., the...more

TRANSACTIONAL: Transaction: Allocation of Ship-Shore Liability: Use of Port Liability Agreements to Provide Protection and...

by King & Spalding on 12/11/2012

The use of port liability agreements to allocate ship-shore liability in a marine casualty event has been widely adopted by U.S. LNG import terminals. As many of these terminals transition to bi-directional operations, they...more