pipelines
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of November 6, 2023
Oil & Gas Leasing: Alaska Challenges DOI’s Cancellation of Leases in Alaska National Wildlife Refuge ⚡
On October 18, 2023, the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (ADIEA), a public corporation owned by the State of Alaska, sued DOI for cancelling its leases in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Alaska Indus. Dev. & Export Auth. v. U.S. Dep’t of the Interior, No. 1:23-cv-03126 (D.D.C. Oct. 18, 2023). The leases were initially suspended by the Department of the Interior (DOI) in 2021, and later cancelled on September 16, 2023. ADIEA seeks to overturn the DOI’s decision to cancel […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of September 18, 2023
Oil and Gas Leasing: DOI Cancels Oil and Gas Leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ⚡
On September 6, 2023, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced it is cancelling oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) that were originally issued in a 2021 lease sale. See “Notice of 2021 Coastal Plain Alaska Oil and Gas Lease Sale and Notice of Availability of the Detailed Statement of Sale, 85 Fed. Reg. 78,865 (Dec. 7, 2020).” The leases encompassed over 430,000 acres, divided into nine tracts. Pursuant to this announcement, the Bureau of Land Management […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of August 28, 2023
Crude Oil by Rail: The D.C. Appeals Court Halts Uinta Basin Railway Project Citing Defects in the Environmental Impact Statement Prepared by the Surface Transportation Board ⚡
On August 18, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (the “Court”) issued an order vacating a final exemption order granted by the Surface Transportation Board (the “Board”) for the proposed Uinta Basin Railway project (“Railway”). Eagle County, Colorado v. Surface Transporation Board, No: 22-1019 (D.C. Cir. 2023). The potential Railway’s stated purpose is to provide an alternative method for firms to transport crude oil produced in the […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of August 7, 2023
Methane Emissions: White House Holds Methane Summit ⚡
On Wednesday, July 26, 2023, the White House released a fact sheet describing the White House Methane Summit, which was held that day. The Summit focused on strategies to reduce methane emissions and with a focus on methane leaks from the oil and gas industry. The fact sheet also announced the creation of a Cabinet-level White House Methane Task Force, which will aid in the implementation of the U.S. Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan. The Summit examined the following topics: “Detecting Emissions Using Innovative Technology,” “Taking Common-Sense Actions to Mitigate Methane […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of July 24, 2023
State Regulation: PA Commonwealth Court Rules that PA DEP Does Not Have Jurisdiction to Review “Inaction” Under the Oil and Gas Act ⚡
On July 10, 2023, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania found that, under Pennsylvania’s Oil and Gas Act, the inaction of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) does not count as an “action” which the PA DEP has jurisdiction to review. Glahn v. Dep’t of Envtl. Prot. (Envtl. Hearing Bd.). This case was brought as an appeal from an order of PA DEP’s Environmental Hearing Board (EHB), which had granted PA DEP’s motion to dismiss. In […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of July 17, 2023
National Energy Policy: DOE Announces $90 Million Intended to Update State and Local Building Energy Codes ⚡
On July 12, 2023, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) posted a press release announcing $90 million to help municipalities, states, tribes, and other partnering organizations implement updated building energy codes. The funding has been awarded to 27 projects in 26 states and the District of Columbia. Updated state and local building codes are projected to save Americans $138 billion on utility bills and reduce CO2 emissions by 900 million metric tons by 2040, according to the DOE’s impact analysis.
Air Quality: […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of July 03, 2023
Post-Production Costs: Title: District Court Denies Diversified’s Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings in Abandoned Wells Class Action Suit ⚡
On Thursday, June 1, 2023, the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia denied Defendant Diversified Energy Co.’s (Diversified) Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings in the case of McEvoy v. Diversified Energy Co. PLC. Plaintiffs had filed a class action against Diversified, alleging Diversified had a duty to plug and decommission thousands of abandoned gas wells in West Virginia. On May 10, 2023, Diversified filed a Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings for Failure to […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of June 26, 2023
Pipelines: Federal Judge Orders Natural Gas Company to Remove Pipeline from Tribal Land ⚡
On Friday, June 16, 2023, a federal judge in the Western District of Wisconsin issued an order in the case of Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians of the Bad River Reservation v. Enbridge Energy Company, Inc., finding for the plaintiff tribe. The tribe had brought suit against Enbridge, which owns and operates a pipeline that crosses 12 parcels of tribal land, on July 23, 2019, alleging that the pipeline is at risk of erosion and rupture due to erosion of […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of June 12, 2023
Municipal Regulation: Berkeley Petitions for Rehearing of Ninth Circuit’s Decision Striking Down Natural Gas Piping Prohibition ⚡
On May 31, 2023, the City of Berkeley, California, filed a petition requesting a rehearing en banc after an April 17th opinion in which the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals found that a city may not ban the installation of natural gas equipment in new buildings. Berkeley had implemented an ordinance banning natural gas infrastructure in newly constructed buildings claiming that the ordinance would reduce environmental and health hazards associated with natural gas consumption. The California Restaurant Association (CRA) sued, arguing that […]
Shale Law Weekly Review—Week of May 29, 2023
State Regulation: Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission Proposes Amendments to Low-Income Usage Reduction Program Regulations ⚡
On Thursday, May 18, 2023, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposing amendments to the Low-Income Usage Reduction Program (LIURP) regulations. LIURP regulations apply to natural gas distribution companies and electric distribution companies that are “covered” as per 52 Pa. Code § 58.2 and require them to provide energy conservation services to low-income households in the state. The LIURP regulations were first passed in 1988 and last amended in 1998. In 2016, the PUC published a Secretarial Letter […]
