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
Trump Administration Approves Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for Land Leasing, Oil Drilling - "The Trump administration continues to roll back environmental protections and opening doors for the fossil fuel industry in...more
U.S. Banks Prepare to Seize Energy Assets as Shale Boom Goes Bust - "Major U.S. lenders are preparing to become operators of oil and gas fields across the country for the first time in a generation to avoid losses on loans...more
Energy-Related CO2 Emissions ‘Flatlined’ Last Year, IEA Says, Raising Hopes About Climate - "Global emissions remained at approximately 33 gigatonnes in 2019 despite the world economy growing by 2.9%, the IEA said." ...more
PA Supreme Court Upholds Decision Allowing Drilling in All Districts Under a Local Zoning Ordinance as Long as They Meet Standards - "This case is one of several recent decisions in Commonwealth Court and the PA Supreme...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
Climate change is an increasingly important concern for lawmakers and decision makers around the world. For companies and institutions looking to promote hydrocarbon projects in the future, climate change considerations may...more
Plastics: The New Coal in Appalachia? "With little notice nationally, a new petrochemical and plastics manufacturing hub may be taking shape along 300 miles of the upper reaches of the Ohio River, from outside Pittsburgh...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
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
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
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 Delivers a Mixed Message on His National Security Approach - "In another shift from his predecessor, Mr. Trump's strategy does not recognize the changing climate as a threat to national security. The document instead...more
WV DEP Waives Clean Water Act Authority Over Atlantic Coast Pipeline - "The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection waived the state's authority under the federal Clean Water Act to determine if another major...more
China Energy Investment Signs MOU for $83.7 Billion in West Virginia Projects "China Energy Investment Corp, the world's largest power company by asset value, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to invest $83.7...more
An Obscure Statute Is Helping Trump Save U.S. Coal, Nuclear - "Rick Perry is using an authority granted to him as U.S. energy secretary to call on the independent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to change its rules...more
The 2016 election results have significant implications for companies across a wide range of industry sectors. From environmental policy to financial services to tax reform, President-elect Trump has committed to sweeping...more
Last week we discussed why the EPA’s plan to limit methane emissions from existing oil and gas facilities is good. Now we will consider reasons why the plan is not prudent....more
On August 3, 2015, President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) utilized executive action to call for a major societal shift on climate change policy. The new rules, dubbed the Clean Power Plan, are intended...more
Introduction - On 8 May 2015 David Cameron's Conservatives won an unexpected majority in the House of Commons, bringing an end to the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition that had been in power since 2010. The Liberal...more
In This Issue: - West Virginia Senate Bill 423 Amends Aboveground Storage Tank Act: Even before the June 6, 2014 effective date of the Aboveground Storage Tank Act (the "AST Act" or "Act"), W. Va. Code §§ 22-30-1 et...more
Once again, shale oil and gas production dominated energy headlines in 2014, with a number of key economic, political, and legal developments making news across the country. Bolstered by technologies like hydraulic...more
Gas Flaring - According to Earthworks, gas flaring in the Bakken and Eagle Ford Shale is out of control and tons of greenhouse gases are being fired into the atmosphere; therefore, we should ban fracking. According to...more
We are pleased to provide you with this issue of Bracewell's Texas Environmental Update, offering the latest news about permitting, enforcement, regulatory developments, and other matters of interest to the regulated...more