A landowner’s failure to provide consent for surface use related to oil and gas operations does not necessarily preclude the lessee from conducting activities if the lease agreements allow surface use....more
In this recent case, the Texas Supreme Court resolved whether ratification of a lease or signing of a stipulation agreement could transform a fixed non-participating royalty interest (NPRI) into a floating NPRI....more
In a civil suit filed in Oregon state court in June 2023, an Oregon county is suing more than a dozen large oil, gas and coal companies, seeking more than $50 million in damages, in connection with a 2021 “heat dome” and...more
Since I noted earlier this week the announcement by ConocoPhillips that its “ambition” is to reach net-zero carbon for its own operations by 2045-2055, it seemed appropriate also to note that BLM has now approved the Willow...more
Last week, ConocoPhillips announced a goal of reducing its emissions to net-zero by 2045-2055. It’s a significant step and so it is important to note both what is in the plan and what is not...more
Intel Corp. has reached a nearly $9 billion deal to sell its NAND flash memory unit to South Korea’s SKY Hynix, a “move that reorient[s] the semiconductor giant away from an area of historical importance that has become...more
ConocoPhillips is doubling down on its commitment to the Midland basin by buying Concho Resources Inc. in “an all-stock transaction valued at $9.7 billion,” even “as the American shale-drilling industry is facing a downturn...more
Under the terms of a deal with the DOJ announced this week, JPMorgan will pay $920 million and sign on to a deferred prosecution agreement “to resolve charges that it had manipulated markets for U.S. government bonds and...more
Many oil and gas contracts – leases and JOAs for example – have force majeure clauses. The purpose is to allow contracting parties to suspend or terminate performance when certain circumstances arise that are beyond their...more
Generally, if your will leaves your beloved “all … right, title and interest in and to”, said beloved would receive the entirety of your interest, whether a surface estate, mineral estate, or both. But in ConocoPhillips, et...more
Google is facing a federal lawsuit in San Francisco over last week’s AP investigation that showed that the search giant “was sill tracking iPhone and Android device users, even if they turned off the ‘Location History’...more
US Courts Will Decide Whether to Enforce US$2 Billion Award Against Petróleos de Venezuela - In April 2018, an International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) tribunal awarded US$2.04 billion in damages to two subsidiaries of U.S....more
On June 25, 2018, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California dismissed a claim against several oil and gas producers for impacts relating to climate change in The City of Oakland v. BP, Chevron...more
Oil Soars After Trump Nixes Iran Nuclear Deal, Stocks Rally - "Crude oil prices rose more than 3 percent on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from a nuclear accord with Iran, a move that...more
Facebook isn’t the only tech stock having a good week. Amazon—helped along by its booming cloud business—more than doubled its net income in Q1 as compared to a year ago....more
Recall the Battle of the Bastards: The heroic Lady Sansa and the duplicitous Lord Baelish gallop over the hill to save the foolish Jon Snow from the heinous Ramsey Bolton. In similar fashion, but without the malnourished...more
The Texas Supreme Court recently heard oral argument in three intriguing oil and gas cases. Here’s what you need to know about two of them (We’ll address the third case soon)....more
Conoco Phillips Company v. Ramirez et al is a helpful reminder when preparing a document transferring title: “Family vernacular” is a great way to communicate in wedding toasts and funeral eulogies, not so much in land...more
On June 19, 2017, the Comisión Nacional de Hidrocarburos (CNH) completed the Presentation and Opening of Bid Proposals for the First Tender of the Ronda Dos (“Round 2.1”), which was first announced on July 20, 2016. Round 2.1...more
Although unable to revisit the arbitration panel’s fact-finding or legal reasoning behind an arbitration award, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld confirmation of the award itself, as it did not violate public policy....more
In a long-standing dispute between Venezuelan state-owned Oil Company Petroleos de Venezuela SA (“Petroleos”) and ConocoPhillips, a New York district court judge upheld ConocoPhillips’ acquisition of a 50% stake in a Texas...more
During the week of May 10, 2015, 8-Ks were filed that disclosed 11 shareholder sponsored proxy access proposals passed and one failed. All required three percent ownership for three years and all were opposed by the company...more
The US oil industry is divided into three sectors: upstream (exploration and production), midstream (processing, storage and transportation) and downstream (refining, distribution and marketing). Industry participants...more
On Monday, Alaska’s legislature approved Senator Sean Parnell’s plan to join four energy companies in moving ahead on plans to build infrastructure to transport and market 35 trillion cubic feet of North Slope gas to be...more
Property owners in the town of Roxana, Illinois, a small village on the Mississippi River across from St. Louis, filed suit against Shell Oil Company and ConocoPhillips. The property owners alleged that a refinery owned by...more