A company in New York is attempting to secure leases to allow it to produce oil and gas and to use the leased land for a carbon dioxide injection program for long-term storage. Does this herald a new type of development that...more
Join Vinson & Elkins for our eleventh annual seminar focusing on what you need to know about the most important evolving topics and the changing regulatory environment surrounding unconventional oil and gas development. ...more
2021 Land Use, Environmental & Natural Resources Update - Allen Matkins – March 25 - With the end of the first quarter of 2021 approaching, we thought it timely to issue an update on selected recent developments and...more
The U.S. energy industry faces uncertain times. The triple hit of depressed oil and natural gas prices, reduced demand resulting from a global pandemic, and an economic recession have battered producers. Against the backdrop...more
Focus - U.S. appeals court orders dismissal of young people's lawsuit over climate change - U.S. News & World Report – January 17 - A federal appeals court on Friday threw out a lawsuit by children and young adults...more
Focus - Governor Newsom halts approval of hydraulic fracturing permits - Los Angeles Times – November 19 - Governor Gavin Newsom this Tuesday halted approval of hundreds of hydraulic fracturing permits until an...more
Focus - EPA repeals Obama-era water protections - Reuters – September 12 - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday announced the repeal of the 2015 Waters of the United States (or “WOTUS”) rule,...more
The UK hydraulic fracturing industry has been in the spotlight recently as operators push for higher seismic limits in using the technique to produce shale gas....more
Focus - Half Moon Bay Ritz-Carlton ordered to stop impeding beach access - San Francisco Chronicle – June 13 - The California Coastal Commission on Thursday fined the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay $1.6 million—the...more
On April 29, 2019, the U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released a Draft Supplement Environmental Impact Statement (Draft SEIS) analyzing potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing for future oil &...more
Focus - New Proposition 65 regulation intended to assist residential rental property owners offers a mixed bag - Allen Matkins - April 24 - The California Office of Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), the agency...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
Focus - Sempra subsidiary agrees to $119.5 million settlement for Aliso Canyon methane leak — biggest in U.S. history - THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE - Aug 8 State and local officials on Wednesday announced a tentative...more
LyondellBasell Looking to Control Braskem; Could Help WV Cracker - "A deal could breathe life into the ethane cracker Braskem proposed for a site near Parkersburg, W.Va., roughly five years ago." Why this is important:...more
Study Finds No Evidence of Groundwater Contamination Attributable to Natural Gas Development - "A multi-year study conducted by researchers at the University of Cincinnati, and partly funded by organizations opposed to...more
In a detailed opinion, U.S. District Court Judge James O. Browning of the District of New Mexico sided squarely with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the oil and gas operators, represented by Holland & Hart’s...more
Focus - Supreme Court rules that WOTUS rule challenges should be heard by federal district courts - The Hill - Jan 22 The Supreme Court unanimously ruled Monday that cases litigating the validity of an Obama-era...more
Focus - Trump administration moves to expand oil and gas drilling off U.S. coasts - Los Angeles Times - Jan 4 The Trump administration, inviting a political backlash from coastal state leaders, on Thursday proposed to...more
Focus - U.S. EPA officials are leaving in droves - The New York Times - Dec 22 More than 700 employees have left the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) since President Trump took office, a wave of departures...more
In last week’s post, we discussed the rapid development of the hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) industry in the United States, and some of the innate risks presented by those operations. In particular, the post focused on a...more
Environmental and Policy Focus - BP to pay $14 million in settlement over gas storage tanks - San Jose Mercury News - Nov 17 - The BP oil company has agreed to pay $14 million to settle California...more
Environmental and Policy Focus - Governor Brown signs into law two landmark climate bills - San Francisco Chronicle - Sep 8 - Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday signed SB32, the nation’s toughest climate law,...more
A regulatory framework for hydraulic fracturing, or fracing, currently does not exist in Florida. Actually, neither does fracing itself, but both of those things could change soon. The State Affairs Committee passed a...more
A new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Energy Policy calls into question some of the conclusions reached by Harvard Law School researchers regarding the utility of FracFocus.org as a regulatory tool....more
Your Texas legislators have done their work and the citizens are safe for the next two years. The other good news is that industry supporters generally believe the 2015 Legislature was their friend. House Bill 2: Set...more