Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf has proposed a new state severance tax on natural gas drilling. The measure, which the governor introduced as a means to fund the state’s education system, would impose a 5 percent tax on the...more
Louisiana has denied a permit to an energy company seeking to use water from a state-designated scenic river for its drilling operations. The decision represents the first time in Louisiana’s history that a permit to draw...more
Last week’s Election Day in Ohio produced victories for fracing supporters and opponents alike. Proposed hydraulic fracturing bans were on the ballot in four different municipal contests. Voters in one city, Athens, approved...more
Last week, Illinois’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules voted to push back its decision about whether to approve proposed rules governing horizontal fracturing operations until November 6. The delay promises to fuel...more
Labor groups and members of the oil and gas industry have joined together in calling for the overhaul of recently proposed rules governing fracking in the state. The pro-fracking coalition, known as Grow-IL, argues that the...more
Last week, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie vetoed legislation that would have banned the treatment, discharge, and disposal of fracking wastewater in the state, arguing that the bill violated the United States...more
Natural gas production in Ohio nearly doubled last year largely because of a surge in hydraulic fracturing operations in the state. Speaking at a conference earlier this month about oil and gas development in the state, the...more
On June 13, the California Department of Conservation released proposed regulations for oil and gas production activities in the state. The draft rules are being issued pursuant to legislation passed last year. They would...more
Last Friday, a Texas jury awarded a Tarrant County couple $20,000 in damages after finding activities at a natural gas drilling site located 165 feet from their property constituted a temporary private nuisance. The verdict...more
A long-debated severance tax on hydraulic fracturing operations within the state passed the Ohio House of Representatives on Wednesday, setting the stage for a Senate vote on the issue later this year. House Bill 375, which...more
Last week, the White House announced its new plan to cut methane emissions, the tenants of which could have far reaching implications for the oil and gas industry. Titled the “Strategy to Reduce Methane Emissions,” the plan...more
Thousands of protestors converged on Sacramento on Saturday, urging Gov. Jerry Brown to institute a moratorium on fracking in California. The demonstration is believed to be the largest anti-fracking rally in state...more
A vote taken by the Los Angeles City Council last week could set the stage for a city-wide ban on hydraulic fracturing. During its session on Friday, February 28, the ten-member council unanimously approved a motion to draft...more
A large group of New York property owners have filed suit against Governor Andrew Cuomo, demanding that the state concludes its five-year-long assessment of whether to allow high-volume hydraulic fracturing. The group, called...more
The Center for Sustainable Shale Development, an organization dedicated to promoting collaboration between the oil and gas industry and environmental groups, has announced it is accepting applications for its new voluntary...more
Last week, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court struck down a state law that required municipalities to permit oil and gas drilling in all zoning districts, including those designated exclusively for residential use. In a 4 to 2...more
A bipartisan group of Pennsylvania state legislators have proposed a law that would require energy developers to pay a 4.9% severance tax on natural gas produced within the commonwealth. As proposed, the law would tax the...more
Last week, the Texas Supreme Court agreed to hear a suit that could determine whether landowners in the state have a cause of action for trespass when water from underground injection wells migrates onto their property. The...more
On November 20, 2013, the House passed Protecting States’ Rights to Promote American Energy Security Act (H.R. 2728), giving state law primacy over federal regulation of hydraulic fracturing. The key provisions of the bill...more