LNG Exports
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of November 3, 2025
Pipelines: PA DEP Approves Permits for Pennsylvania Sections of Northeast Supply Enhancement Project ⚡
On November 1, 2025, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) published notice in Pennsylvania Bulletin, approving parts of the Northeast Supply Enhancement Project. The DEP approved compressor stations in Lancaster and Chester counties, and the Quarryville Pipeline loop. Once completed, the loop will be roughly ten miles long, and travel through four townships in two counties. The entire Northeast Supply Enhancement Project will total 37 miles across three states and is estimated to increase firm gas supply by 13%.
LNG Exports: Regulatory Dispute Over Second […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of September 29, 2025
Infrastructure: PA PUC Issues Order to Speed Up Identification of Old, At-Risk Pipes ⚡
On September 11, 2025, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PA PUC) issued a final order aimed at speeding up the identification of older, “at-risk” plastic pipes used to transport natural gas. Starting in 1998, and then again in 1999, 2002 and 2007, the National Transportation Safety Board issued reports that plastic pipes installed between the 1960s and the 1980s were at a higher risk of cracking and leaking, and as such should be replaced. In 2024, the PA PUC issued a tentative order accelerating the process […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of September 15, 2025
Pipelines: FERC Reissues Transco’s Permit to Construct Northeast Supply Enhancement Project ⚡
On August 28, 2025, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) granted Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Company’s (Transco) petition to construct and operate a pipeline system expansion in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. In 2019, FERC issued Transco a certificate of public convenience and necessity, which allowed them to construct the Northeast Supply Enhancement Project. However, the authorization was contingent on Transco placing the project into service by May of 2021. Due to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of June 2, 2025
Federal Lands: DOI Proposes Eliminating BLM Rule ⚡
On May 14, 2025, the Department of the Interior (DOI) proposed the rescission of a 2024 Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rule. The 2024 rule aimed to reduce acreage rents and capacity fees for solar and wind energy authorizations, attempting to encourage clean energy development on public lands. The DOI, in its proposal, claimed that the BLM rule was burdensome, especially towards non-renewable energy development. If the rule was rescinded, rate reductions for renewable energy on federal lands would be eliminated.
LNG Exports: DOE Concludes Review of 2024 LNG Export Study
On May […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of March 17, 2025
National Energy Policy: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Announces the Unfreezing of Federal Funds Allocated to Pennsylvania ⚡
On February 24, 2025, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania announced that federal funding that was allocated to Pennsylvania, which had previously been frozen, is now unfrozen. On January 27, 2025, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget issued the “Memorandum for Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies,” which required federal agencies to “identify and review all Federal financial assistance programs and supporting activities consistent with the President’s policies and requirements.” The memorandum required federal agencies to place a pause on activities and programs that […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of March 3, 2025
Water Quality: EPA Approves Class VI Primacy Application for West Virginia ⚡
On February 18, 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced their approval of West Virginia’s Class VI primacy application for injecting CO2 into “deep rock formations.” The EPA approved the application under the Safe Drinking Water Act, finding that West Virginia is “best positioned to protect underground sources of drinking water while bolstering energy independence and dominance.” According to the announcement, West Virginia is the fourth state to receive Class VI primacy since 2018. Additionally, the announcement stated that the EPA Administrator will begin “fast-track[ing]” Class VI primacy […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of February 3, 2025
LNG Infrastructure: D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Vacates PHMSA’s Rule on LNG Rail Transportation ⚡
On January 17, 2025, the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia vacated the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) rule that allowed LNG rail transportation without a permit. Sierra Club, et al v. DOT, et al, Docket No. 20-01317 (D.C. Cir. Aug 18, 2020). The petitioners argued that PHMSA was required to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) in order to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The court agreed with the petitioner’s assertion, finding that the PHMSA’s failure to […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of January 6, 2025
LNG Exports: DOE Releases Updated Study on LNG Exports and Invites Public Comment ⚡
On December 17, 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released the 2024 LNG Export Study: Energy, Economic, and Environmental Assessment of U.S. LNG Exports. The long-awaited study examines the potential effects on domestic households, consumers, economy, and energy security by U.S. LNG exports, as well as the exports’ effects on communities near LNG export terminals and production facilities. According to the Secretary of Energy’s statement, the study will help inform the DOE’s public interest analysis when making LNG export decisions where the U.S. has […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of August 26, 2024
Oil and Gas Leasing: Bureau of Land Management Receives Nearly $24 Million in Bids for Oil and Gas Lease Sales in Montana and North Dakota ⚡
On August 7, 2024, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) conducted a sale for oil and gas leases in the Montana and Dakotas region. The BLM received 264 bids and $23,935,772 in high bids for the 26 parcels, adding up to 5,570 acres, in the Montana-Dakotas Region. The lease sale had its public scoping period from December 28, 2023, to January 29, 2024, and the BLM released its decision record on August […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of July 29, 2024
LNG Exports: D.C. Federal Court Orders Environmental Assessment for Commonwealth LNG Project ⚡
On July 16, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a per curiam order granting in part and denying in part petitions to review the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) approval of a proposed Gulf Coast LNG project by Commonwealth LNG. Healthy Gulf v. FERC, No. 23-1069 (D.C. Cir. 2024). The petitioners, five environmental groups, argued that FERC did not properly address National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Natural Gas Act (NGA) requirements, nor did it properly “determine […]
