Oil & Gas Blog

On April 28, 2017, the Associated Press reported that Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioner Colette Honorable will not seek reappointment after her term expires in June. Honorable’s departure leaves FERC with just one commissioner, far short of the three commissioners needed for a quorum. Without… Read more

On April 26, 2017, the states of California and New Mexico filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California that challenges the Bureau of Land Management’s February 22, 2017 decision to delay the effective date of the “Consolidated Federal Oil & Gas and Federal… Read more

On April 28, 2017, the Texas Supreme Court delivered an opinion in Forest Oil Corp. v. El Rucio Land and Cattle Co., Inc., No. 14-0979 (Tex. 2017). One of the principal questions in the case concerned whether the Railroad Commission has exclusive or primary jurisdiction over claims of environmental… Read more

On April 27, 2017, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida upheld the National Parks Service’s approval of Burnett Oil Co., Inc.’s Plan of Operations to conduct a three-dimensional seismic geophysical survey using vibroseis technology within the Big Cypress National Preserve in… Read more

On April 25, 2017, the Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory issued a press release detailing the findings of a recent study that analyzed the impact of low-frequency seismicity on oil and natural gas production from unconventional shales. According to NETL, data collected as… Read more

On April 24, 2017, the New York Times reported that President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order today that orders a review of the national monument designations made within the last 20 years. The Antiquities Act of 1906 authorizes the president to designate “objects of historic or… Read more

On April 24, 2017, researchers from Duke University released “The Geochemistry of Naturally Occurring Methane and Saline Groundwater in an Area of Unconventional Shale Gas Development” – a peer reviewed study that examined the effects of hydraulic fracturing activities on water quality in West… Read more

On April 18, 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a delay and reconsideration of “Oil and Natural Gas Sector: Emission Standards for New, Reconstructed and Modified Sources” a final rule published by the Obama Administration that finalized new emissions regulations applicable to… Read more

On April 17, 2017, The American Oil and Gas Reporter published “Trump Administration Initiating Major Changes” – an Harris, Finley & Bogle, P.C. analysis of the new administration’s executive and regulatory initiatives affecting the oil and natural gas industry. The American Oil and Gas… Read more

On April 13, 2017, the U.S. Geological Survey announced that the Bossier and Haynesville formations onshore and within state waters along the Gulf Coast contain an estimated 4.0 billion barrels of oil, 304.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 1.9 billion barrels of natural gas liquids. The… Read more

On April 10, 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a request for comment for publication in the Federal Register. The request for comment seeks public comments “on regulations that may be appropriate for repeal, replacement, or modification.” Through comments to EPA, operators may… Read more

On March 24, 2017, The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania dismissed a landowner challenge to the Delaware River Basin Commission’s de facto moratorium on unconventional development activities in the eastern third of Pennsylvania. In 2010, the DRBC placed a moratorium on… Read more

On March 31, 2017, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania overturned a $4.24 million verdict related to alleged contamination from unconventional development activities. The Scranton, Pennsylvania jury found in favor of nine plaintiffs who claim that an operator’s drilling… Read more

On April 7, 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requested that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit temporarily halt a lawsuit brought by the American Petroleum Institute that challenges EPA’s recent new source performance standards for sources in the oil and… Read more

On April 5, 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency previewed new electronic reporting tools at a meeting of the Environmental Council of the States. The electronic reporting tools are intended to streamline certain reports required by EPA, including hazardous waste reporting and air… Read more

On April 4, 2017, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma dismissed a lawsuit brought by Sierra Club against four oil and natural gas companies. Sierra Club sought injunctions from the District Court requiring: (1) defendants to reduce the amount of wastewater injected into the… Read more

On March 29, 2017, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania issued a decision interpreting Act 13’s impact fee provisions.  Pennsylvania’s Act 13 requires certain unconventional wells to pay impact fees during the first several years of operation.  “Stripper wells” – defined by Act 13 as an “… Read more

On March 21, 2017, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced the launch of eSubmission Public Search, an online tool that allows the public to view and download PADEP documents submitted by oil and natural gas operators. The public may now search for and view documents… Read more