As the courts continue to decipher myriad legal issues stemming from pollution that occurred decades ago in an Ecuadorian rainforest region, today Chevron won a decision that stated a previous multibillion dollar judgment had been obtained by fraud. The pollution occurred during oil development activities undertaken by Texaco and national oil company Petroecuador from the… Keep reading →
The recent memoranda of understanding (“MOUs”) entered between the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (”CFTC”) made significant progress towards alleviating the long-time tension between the two agencies. On January 2, 2014, the FERC and the CFTC signed two MOUs on jurisdiction (“Jurisdiction MOU”) and information sharing (“Information Sharing MOU”)… Keep reading →
Northern Illinois residents are challenging natural gas distributor – Nicor Gas – in a class action suit that alleges the company misrepresented to customers the benefits of its gas-line insurance program, known as ComfortGuard, for which they paid a $60 annual fee. The utility recorded millions of phone calls over the course of a decade… Keep reading →
Standard and Poor’s downgraded its outlook on US-based independent Anadarko due to the likelihood of a court settlement that could exceed $9 billion. The case dates back to subsidiary Kerr-McGee’s 2002 corporate restructuring and the company’s 2005 spin-off of its titanium dioxide business. “Our negative outlook reflects our view that a Tronox settlement in excess… Keep reading →
The US power sector is staring down the barrel of a labor shortage of crisis proportions. With workers in all aspects of the industry retiring faster than new recruits are replacing them, the industry has a lot of work to do to position itself as a magnet for new talent. “There are a number of… Keep reading →
What can cost a billion dollars more each week before it even exists? At the end of September, the Louisiana governor’s office projected that a new gas to liquids project announced by Royal Dutch Shell would cost an estimated $12.5 billion. Less than a week into December, the multinational energy giant cancelled its plans amid… Keep reading →
How far below the ground surface do property rights extend? This question is being addressed in Texas Supreme Court and could result in the emergence of a new field of law. The case involves contamination from an oil and gas wastewater injection well that appears to have migrated onto adjacent farmland, according to a New… Keep reading →
In a rare move, the UK government has come out in defense of BP regarding the US EPA’s decision to suspend the company from new government contracts. Members of the UK government filed a midnight brief on Monday saying the EPA’s decision could negatively impact jobs and pension funds invested in the UK super major.… Keep reading →
The Northeast has joined Texas as a hotbed for energy lawyers, driven by our nation’s insatiable demand for energy and the lack of a coherent national energy policy. In addition, the industry is moving from a time-worn regulated monopoly model to free-market competition – complicated by climate change concerns on the one hand and the… Keep reading →
Physicist and MIT Researcher Ernest Moniz was officially confirmed as the next US Energy Secretary, replacing Stephen Chu, yesterday. The Senate voted 97-0 in favor. Moniz served as energy undersecretary under the Clinton Administration. Various groups and organizations from private business to the environmental community made statements supporting Moniz’s confirmation. They highlighted his work and… Keep reading →
