Oil and Gas Leasing
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of December 1, 2025
GHG Emissions: Pennsylvania Repeals RGGI as Part of FY2025-2026 Budget Signing ⚡
On November 12, 2025, Governor Josh Shapiro announced he was signing the FY2025-2026 budget into law. As a part of this, Shapiro signed House Bill 416. This bill abrogates or repeals 25 Pa. Code Chapter 145, removing Pennsylvania from RGGI. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is a program that limits carbon dioxide emissions from large fossil-fuel power plants and requires generators to hold allowances equal to their emissions. Participating RGGI states establish an individual CO2 Budget Trading Program, where generators may purchase allowances for […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of November 17, 2025
Pipelines: FERC Releases Environmental Assessment for the Heartland Project ⚡
On October 10, 2025, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) released an environmental assessment prepared for ANR Pipeline Company’s Heartland Project in Wisconsin. The proposal aims to supply up to 473,000 dekatherms per day of additional firm transportation capacity and involves approximately 68.9 miles of new pipeline, 1.5 miles of replacement pipeline, three new compressor stations, two new meter stations, upgrades to existing metering facilities, and modifications to related infrastructure. FERC states that the assessment was completed in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and concludes that the […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of November 10, 2025
Oil and Gas Leasing: Interior Department Reopens 1.56 Million Acres of Alaska’s Coastal Plain for Energy Development ⚡
On October 23 2025, the Department of the Interior announced it has reopened 1.56 million acres of Alaska’s Coastal Plain for potential oil and gas development with a Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program Record of Decision, citing its importance to U.S. energy production and security. This move reverses restrictions put in place by the prior administration and aligns with directives outlined in Executive Order 14153, Secretarial Order 3422, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of October 20, 2025
National Energy Policy: FERC Begins Process to Remove 53 Energy Regulations ⚡
On October 1, 2025, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) announced the end to 53 regulations which will sunset in 1 year after public comment. (Docket No. RM25-14-000). These regulations relate to natural gas data collection, public notices for pipelines, import/export applications, and other energy rules that FERC determined to be “outdated” based on currently enforced regulatory practice. This decision aligns with the April 2025 Executive Order on “Zero-Based Regulatory Budgeting to Unleash American Energy,” which instructs federal agencies to implement provisions to promote innovation in energy […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of August 18, 2025
Oil and Gas Leasing: BLM Issues New Oil and Gas Leasing Definitions and Removes Fee Requirements ⚡
On August 1, 2025, The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) finalized two rules to update its oil and gas leasing regulations, following the enactment of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBB). The first rule, Revision to Regulations Regarding Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing; General (90 FR 36117), includes statutory definitions of “available” and “eligible.” The BLM’s previous definition required lands to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in order to be considered “eligible.” The new definition of “eligible” […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of July 28, 2025
Oil and Gas Leasing: Lease Sale 262 Proposed for Offshore Oil and Gas Development in Gulf of America ⚡
On June 25, 2025, The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued a Proposed Notice of Sale for Lease Sale 262, which includes 15,000 unleased blocks in the Gulf of America, aka, the Gulf of Mexico. According to the notice, these blocks cover nearly 80 million acres and are located between 3 and 231 miles offshore, with water depths ranging from 9 to over 11,000 feet. This lease sale is part of the 2024–2029 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of June 23, 2025
Environmental Impact Studies: Supreme Court Clarifies Scope of Environmental Review Under NEPA ⚡
On May 29, 2025, the Supreme Court ruled in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County that environmental impact statements (EIS) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) do not need “to consider the environmental effects of upstream and downstream projects that are separate in time or place from the Uinta Basin Railway.” Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, 605 U.S. ___ (2025). The case regarded a proposed 88-mile railroad in Utah and whether the EIS must consider the environmental effects of new oil drilling and […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of June 9, 2025
Oil and Gas Leasing: BLM Directed to Reduce Lease Review Timeline to Six Months Under New Interior Directive ⚡
On May 13, 2025, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued an Instruction Memorandum to streamline and accelerate the federal oil and gas leasing process. The memorandum directs BLM to hold lease sales within six months of parcel review initiation and to increase the availability of lands for leasing. The memorandum also emphasizes adherence to the Mineral Leasing Act and procedures for land use planning, NEPA compliance, and lease parcel evaluation. Lease sales will follow a structured timeline that includes public […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of May 5, 2025
National Energy Policy: Bureau of Land Management and Office of Management and Budget Consider Rescinding Two Rules ⚡
On April 14, 2025, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) announced that it, along with the Bureau of Land Management, is reviewing two Rules for possible rescission. Announcement One and Announcement Two. Both the Management and Protection of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska Proposed Rule and the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule are being considered for rescission as a part of the Administration’s review of Executive Order 12866 for consistency […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of April 14, 2025
Oil and Gas Leasing: Pennsylvania Superior Court Upholds Choice of Forum Clause in Lease ⚡
On March 20, 2025, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania ruled that the language of an oil and gas lease reserved the choice of forum decision to the lessor. Golden Eagle Res. II LLC v. EQT Prod. Co., Nos. 261 WDA 2024, 413 WDA 2024, 2025 Pa. Super. Unpub. LEXIS 763 (Mar. 24, 2025). Plaintiff Golden Eagle Resources (Golden Eagle) leased its oil and gas interest underneath two properties to LOLA, who subsequently leased it to defendant EQT Production Company (EQT). A provision allowed the […]
