Public Utility Commission
Shale Law Weekly Review – January 27, 2020
Trespass by Fracture: Pennsylvania Supreme Court Addresses Trespass by Hydraulic Fracturing
On January 22, 2020, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania issued a decision addressing the application of the Rule of Capture to unconventional oil and gas development in Pennsylvania. (Briggs v. Southwestern Energy Production, No. 63 MAP 2018). Briggs filed a complaint against Southwestern asserting conversion and trespass claims due to the alleged drainage of natural gas from their property resulting from hydraulic fracturing activities conducted at Southwestern wells on adjacent property. Southwestern responded by arguing that the Rule of Capture barred the Briggs’ claims. In 2017, the Court of Common Pleas dismissed […]
