Fracking, Contamination

Speculative Report Opens PFAS Front Against Fracking

Vinson & Elkins LLP on 7/29/2021

On July 12, 2021, Physicians for Social Responsibility (“PSR”) issued a highly speculative report that raised concerns about a chemical approved by the EPA in 2011 for use in hydraulic fracturing fluid that “might” degrade...more

Currents - Energy Industry Insights - October 2018

Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC on 10/5/2018

China's Provinces are Secretly Building Coal Plants in Defiance of the National Government - "CoalSwarm, a global network of researchers tracking fossil-fuel infrastructure, analyzed satellite imagery as of July 2018, and...more

The Oil and Gas Juror: Look for Both Familiarity and Contempt

Holland & Hart - Your Trial Message on 5/7/2018

You’ve heard the expression: “Familiarity breeds contempt.” Maybe there is a relationship between the two, but in the courtroom, and in the practical task of assessing experience and attitudes during voir dire, they are two...more

Wyoming Federal Court Strikes Down BLM Fracking Rule

Gray Reed on 7/6/2016

U.S. District Court Judge Scott Skavdahl in State of Wyoming et al v. U.S. Department if Interior et al. struck down Bureau of Land Management regulations applying to hydraulic fracking on federal and Indian lands. He...more

Options to Help Oklahoma Alleviate Its Emerging Oilfield Water Crisis

BakerHostetler on 3/23/2016

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission has restricted injection well activity over a combined zone of nearly 10,000 square miles—approximately the size of Massachusetts (Exhibit 1). In Central Oklahoma, the OCC seeks to reduce...more

Pennsylvania Jury Awards $4.2 Million in Groundwater Contamination Case

BakerHostetler on 3/14/2016

On Thursday, a federal jury in Pennsylvania ordered Cabot Oil & Gas to pay more than $4.2 million in damages to two Pennsylvania families who sued in 2009 alleging that the Texas-based company’s drilling operations...more

Energy Technology Connections Newsletter: Your Law Firm Link to Industry News - December 2015

Mintz on 12/30/2015

A Note from the Editors - Our December edition of Energy Technology Connections brings you recent industry highlights, the latest news from Capitol Hill, and a list of upcoming energy industry events. First, we feature...more

EQT’s Lengthy Battle With the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Gets Its Day in State Supreme Court

BakerHostetler on 11/23/2015

On November 17, 2015, Pittsburgh-based energy company EQT Production Co. (“EQT”) presented its oral argument before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, requesting it set aside a February 20, 2015, ruling of Commonwealth Court...more

California Environmental Law & Policy Update - August 2015 #3

Allen Matkins on 8/24/2015

Environmental and Policy Focus: Clean Water Act rule faces challenges from both sides - Courthouse News Service - Aug 18: A widely publicized new rule clarifying the definition of ’waters of the United States’ under the...more

Fracking, Trigger Warnings, and a Safe Room

Gray Reed on 7/23/2015

First, an apology. I have brought shame to my own self and this blog for failing to invoke trigger warnings about activities I will mention again, after the appropriate trigger warning. (I had no idea there were so many.)...more

Hydraulic Fracturing: State Regulatory Roundup Vol. 43

Kelley Drye & Warren LLP on 7/17/2015

Fracking Insider Readers: We are pleased to bring you Volume 43 of our State Regulatory Roundup, including updates in California, New York, and Ohio. As we explained in earlier volumes, we designed the Roundup to provide...more

Plaintiff Seeks to Use Anti-Discrimination Law to Stop Fracking

Stoel Rives LLP on 7/16/2015

On July 14, a complaint was filed in Sacramento County Superior Court against Governor Brown and the Division of Oil, Gas & Geothermal Resources (“DOGGR”) Supervisor Steve Bohlen. The lawsuit claims Governor Brown and...more

How an Expert Can Affect Your Oil and Gas Claim

Gray Reed on 7/1/2015

Your well consultant just cemented 10,000 feet of tubing inside the casing of your eight million dollar well, … a neighboring operator frac’ed his Eagle Ford well into your Austin Chalk completion, thereby trespassing and...more

EPA Further Delays Hydraulic Fracturing Study as Controversy Builds

Burr & Forman on 11/4/2014

EPA’s current estimate of the completion time for a draft of its study of the risks posed by hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) to drinking water is now projected by the agency to be developed in early 2015. This is based on...more

Studies Identify Flawed Well Construction (not Fracturing) as Source of Gas Contamination

King & Spalding on 10/10/2014

For the past several years, the rapid growth of oil and natural gas production from shale and other unconventional sources has prompted vocal and often sensationalized concerns regarding the potential for migration of gas...more

Studies Identify Flawed Well Construction (not Fracturing) as Source of Gas Contamination: More Questions Posed for Further...

King & Spalding on 9/22/2014

For the past several years, the rapid growth of oil and natural gas production from shale and other unconventional sources has prompted vocal and often sensationalized concerns regarding the potential for migration of gas...more

Texas Environmental Update

Bracewell LLP on 9/12/2014

Proximity to Natural Gas Wells and Reported Health Status: Results of a Household Survey in Washington County, Pennsylvania Environmental Health Perspectives, September 10, 2014 - "We conducted a hypothesis...more

Texas Supreme Court to Hear Defamation Case Involving Fracking Claims

BakerHostetler on 8/28/2014

On August 21, 2014, the Texas Supreme Court agreed to hear oral arguments in an ongoing dispute between a homeowner and Texas-based oil driller Range Resources Corp. The case is not a typical homeowner vs. oil driller...more

A "Diesel Fuel" by Any Other Name – EPA Narrows Definition of "Diesel Fuel" in Revised Hydraulic Fracturing Guidance

King & Spalding on 3/7/2014

On February 12, 2014, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued long-awaited final guidance on permitting the use of diesel fuels in hydraulic fracturing operations. This guidance is important because any...more

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

BakerHostetler on 2/13/2014

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

ODNR Confirms Hydraulic Fracturing in Ohio Has Not Contaminated Groundwater; Plans to Propose Rules Authorizing Impoundments

BakerHostetler on 10/23/2013

A recent article published in the Akron Beacon Journal indicates that of the 183 water-well complaints received by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) between 2010 and mid-October 2013, “only six water supplies...more

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