Infrastructure
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of October 3, 2022
National Energy Policy: EPA Establishes New Environmental Justice Office ⚡
On September 24, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the creation of the new Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights. The Office will manage the $3 billion climate and environmental justice program created by the Inflation Reduction Act. The EPA created the Office by merging its Office of Environmental Justice, External Civil Rights Compliance Office, and Conflict Prevention and Resolution Center.
Oil and Gas Regulation: Lawsuit Challenges BOEM Approvals of California Oil Rigs
On September 29, 2022, the Center for Biological Diversity filed a complaint in the […]
Shale Law Weekly Review – Week of July 12, 2021
Infrastructure: California Court Dismisses Lawsuit Against California Natural Gas Infrastructure Ban ⚡
On July 6, 2021, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued an order dismissing a lawsuit brought by the California Restaurant Association against the city of Berkeley for the city’s recent natural gas infrastructure ban. California Restaurant Association v. City of Berkeley, No. 4:19-cv-07668. The ban, “Prohibition of Natural Gas Infrastructure in New Buildings,” (No. 7,672–N.S. Chapter 12.80) prohibits natural gas infrastructure in new buildings within the city. The ban was passed on July 16, 2019, by the Council of the City […]
Shale Law Weekly Review – July 21, 2020
Pipelines: Court of Appeals Grants Administrative Stay Temporarily Halting Shutdown of Dakota Access Pipeline
On July 14, 2020 the U.S Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued an administrative stay, temporarily halting a District Court order to shutdown and empty the Dakota Access Pipeline. (Standing Rock Sioux Tribe v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, No. 20-5197). Previously, on July 6, 2020, the District Court for the District of Columbia ordered that the Dakota Access Pipeline be emptied and shut down within 30 days. (district court case No. 16-1534, p. 24). Then, on July 9, 2020, the District Court denied an […]
Shale Law Weekly Review – June 29, 2020
Pipelines: FERC Approves Mountain Valley Pipeline Extension Project
On June 18, 2020, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an Order granting authorization for a Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC extension project. The project proposes to add 75.1 miles of natural gas pipeline to the 303.5-mile planned pipeline. The project consists of pipeline, a new compressor station, and four interconnects with meter stations, all located within Virginia and North Carolina. FERC issued the order after concluding that environmental impacts listed in the project’s Final Environmental Impact Statement were acceptable considering the public benefits of the project. FERC’s order consists of a certificate of public convenience and […]
Shale Law Weekly Review – June 23, 2020
Public Lands: Secretary of Agriculture Directs Forest Service to Expedite Environmental Reviews
On June 12, 2020, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, issued a Memorandum directing the Forest Service to expedite environmental reviews on lands in the National Forest System. The purpose of the Memo, as stated by Perdue, is to provide relief from regulations that are overburdensome, improve customer service, and increase the productivity of the National Forests. More specifically, the Memo directed the Forest Service to set time and page limits to environmental-related documents, streamline environmental review analyses and consultation processes, and expedite compliance with State Historic Preservation […]
Shale Law Weekly Review – May 28, 2019
Pipelines: Columbia Gas Files Lawsuit Against State of Maryland for Easement to Install a Natural Gas Pipeline
On May 16, 2019, Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC (Columbia) filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland against Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources to obtain an easement to construct a pipeline in Washington Country, Maryland (Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC v 0.12 Acres of Land, More or Less, 1:19-cv-01444-GLR). The suit was filed following a decision made on January 2, 2019, by Maryland’s Board of Public Works denying permission to install the pipeline for Columbia’s Eastern Panhandle Expansion
