A Focus on Energy: M&A Trends in the Energy Sector
Hogan Lovells' Stefan Krantz on the floor of Hogan Lovells Global Energy Summit
Local Governments Continue to Fight States for Right to Govern Fracking
Two new developments of enormous significance passed under the radar last week, buried by the growing threat of an outright Russia/Ukraine war and governmental encroachment on democracy in Canada. These developments, however,...more
U.S. Shale Producers Race for Federal Permits Ahead of Presidential Election - "Federal permitting in the largest U.S. oilfield in the Permian Basin, located in Texas and New Mexico, is up 80 percent in about the last three...more
Chevron’s Patience Pays Off with Bargain Deal for Noble Energy - "Like Anadarko, Noble is also a major player in the oil-rich DJ Basin of Colorado, as well as the oil-rich southwestern piece of the Eagle Ford Shale region." ...more
Russian, Colombian Competition Continuing to Slow U.S. Thermal Coal Exports - "'Central Appalachian and Northern Appalachian exports remain out of the money for shipment to Europe and Illinois Basin coal has significant...more
Big Oil’s Climate Change Reckoning Finally Arrives in Court - "New York’s $1.6 billion lawsuit arose from a national effort to hold Big Oil responsible for global warming." Why this is important: The most important...more
FERC Proposes to Modernize PURPA Regulations - "The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission proposed to modernize its regulations governing small power producers and cogenerators under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies...more
Romney Helps GOP Look for New Path on Climate Change - "But a group of Republicans -- Romney and Sens. Lamar Alexander and Lindsey Graham, who worked with Democrats in 2009 and 2010 to cap carbon emissions, as well as others...more
The U.S. is Set to Become the World's Biggest Oil Exporter Thanks to the Fracking Revolution - "The U.S. shale revolution has made it to one of the world's largest energy producers and potentially the largest oil exporter...more
U.S. Senate Committee to Discuss Climate Change, Electricity Changes - "U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said the hearing of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is aimed at putting lawmakers and federal...more
WV Supreme Court Mulls Marcellus Shale Mass Litigation Case from Harrison, WV - "While the case centers on Harrison County, where the surface owners live and the Marcellus Shale operations are underway, the case could have...more
U.S. Global Change Research Program - Fourth National Climate Assessment - "Impacts, risks and adaptation in the United States Report-in-Brief" Why this is important: The assessment posits the U.S. will lose 10 percent of...more
New York Sues Exxon Mobil, Saying It Deceived Shareholders on Climate Change - "The litigation, which follows more than three years of investigation, represents the most significant legal effort yet to establish that a...more
The U.S. Supreme Court Slows Children's Climate Lawsuit - For Now - "In the latest step of a fascinating bit of constitutional law called Atmospheric Trust Litigation, the Chief Justice halted the District Court trial...more
Is U.S. Shale as Productive as It's Cracked Up to Be? "When you look at the data, the question arises of whether E&Ps' well production systems are as efficient and productive as they like to think they are." Why this is...more
Gas Drilling Not Damaging Forests' Waterways, State Finds - "Pennsylvania's state forests agency says it isn't finding damage to waterways amid the expansion of natural gas drilling in recent years, although it is reporting...more
EPA Chief Looks to Distinguish Himself from Pruitt in Agency-Wide Memo - "The new head of the EPA sent a staff-wide memo laying out steps the agency is taking to increase transparency, a move that's seen as an effort to...more
Russian Hackers Penetrated Networks of U.S. Electric Utilities - "Russian hackers gained access to the networks of U.S. electric utilities last year, which could have allowed them to cause blackouts, according to federal...more
State Files Motion to Dismiss Federal Lawsuit by EQT - "Lawyers representing the Secretary of the state Department of Environmental Protection have filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit by the natural gas company EQT over a...more
In an Internal Memo, the White House Considered Whether to Simply 'Ignore' Federal Climate Research - "The document, drafted September 18 by Michael Catanzaro, President Trump's special assistant for domestic energy and...more
In Cities v. Fossil Fuels, Exxon's Allies Want the Accusers Investigated - "Now two industry-friendly groups are turning the tables and asking the SEC to investigate the cities and counties for possible fraud." Why this...more
EPA Announces a New Rule. One Likely Effect: Less Science in Policymaking - "The Environmental Protection Agency announced a new regulation that would restrict the kinds of scientific studies the agency can use when it...more
Coal - Rio exits coal industry in $4B worth of deals - Rio Tinto Group has agreed to several deals worth over $4 billion to sell all of its remaining coal assets, with a $1.7 billion cash sale of coal assets to...more
Bobby D. Fentress, et al, vs. Exxon Mobil Corporation, et al - "This is an Employee Retirement Income Security Act case alleging a breach of fiduciary duties in the management of a defined contribution plan. Defendants'...more
Trump Prepared to Hit China with $60 Billion in Annual Tariffs - "President Trump is preparing to impose a package of $60 billion in annual tariffs against Chinese products, following through on a longtime threat that he...more
Trump Advisers Fervently Defend Tariffs (Unless They Change, That Is) - "The White House continued to sow uncertainty about the stiff tariffs President Trump said he would impose on steel and aluminum imports as key...more