Oil & Gas
Mineral Interests: Executive Right Holder Liable for Refusing to Lease
Insight
The article in the Energy & the Law blog explains that the case presented an opportunity for the court to apply the guidelines outlined in an earlier ruling to a different scenario: whether the executive breached the duty by refusing to lease.
The Law of Hydraulic Fracturing
Insight
A new article by two Gray Reed & McGraw lawyers in Houston covers the benefits and risks of hydraulic fracturing.
When Union Contracts And Overtime Law Conflict: Court Provides Balance For Employers
Insight
The case involved an offshore oil worker whose contract called for 12-hour shifts for a week and required him to be on the off platform between shifts.
Mineral Interests: Net Royalty Acres Defined
Insight
Mineral buyers often make offers in terms of dollars per net royalty acre. If the recipient of the offer does not know for sure what she owns, it can be difficult to evaluate the offer, according to Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody.
The Troubling Intersection of Royalty Disputes and Consumer Protection Laws
Insight
There could be trouble ahead for operators if the future of royalty disputes lies increasingly within the province of states’ attorneys, according to Kane Russell Coleman Logan.
Energy Market Manipulation Remains a Hot Issue at FERC
Insight
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is continuing to aggressively investigate and bring enforcement action against companies that engage in energy market manipulation, reports WilmerHale in its 10-in-10 Hot Topics in Energy Series.
5th Circuit Nixes Ex-NBA Star’s $1.5 mln BP Spill Claim – Because He Didn’t Lose Any Money
News
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has overturned a $1.5 million award to ex-NBA All Star David West, who claimed he qualified for a payout in the BP oil spill settlement because he earned less in 2010 than in 2009.
Haynes and Boone Issues Energy Roundup for Spring 2019
Insight
Haynes and Boone’s Spring 2019 Energy Roundup highlights an evolving United States oil and gas industry responding to recent commodity price volatility, the firm said on its website.
Do Indemnity Obligations Cover First-Party Claims, Or Only Third-Party Claims?
Insight
The Supreme Court of Texas is considering whether to grant a petition for review to establish whether an indemnity provision covers only third-party claims, not first-party claims, unless the provision unequivocally states otherwise, writes D.C. Toedt III in the On Contracts blog.
A Lesson in Property Stipulations
insight
The Energy & the Law blog of Gray Reed & McGraw discusses a case that sums up what is required for an instrument to be a conveyance and what is required for a stipulation to be effective.
Judge Dismisses Pipeline Operator’s Racketeering/Defamation Suit Against Greenpeace
News
“Posting articles written by people with similar beliefs does not create a RICO enterprise,” a federal judge wrote in his dismissal order.
Top 4 Indicators Shaping Upstream Oil and Gas in 2019
Insight
Opportune takes a look at a few key indicators shaping the upstream oil and gas sector so far in 2019.
Appeals Court Allows Quick-Take of Land for Mountain Valley Pipeline
News
Landowners objected to a lower-court ruling granting immediate possession of the disputed land before deciding how much each property owner should be compensated.
Texas Court Addresses Bad Acts in an Oil-Patch Lease Play
Insight
Was a partnership formed by a letter agreement, a participation agreement and the actions of the parties?
San Antonio Oil Exec ‘Thumbed His Nose’ at Legal Process, Judge Says
News
Brian Alfaro had failed to provide various records to a court-appointed receiver, prompting the judge to issue an arrest warrant.
Environmental Defense Fund Satellites to Monitor Methane Emissions From Oil and Gas Operations
News
An EDF spokesman said the satellite will be able to distinguish emissions from ambient methane and trace them back to their source.
Texas Case Offers Three Lessons for Contract Drafters
Insight
The Texas Supreme Court recently heard oral argument on the interpretation of a farmout agreement providing that an assignment could not be made “without the express written consent,” according to a post on the website of Porter Hedges.
2018’s Bad Guys in Energy
Insight
Charles Sartain of Gray Reed & McGraw has posted a list of what he calls “2018’s parade of reprobates, rapscallions and others generally lacking in moral hygiene” in the world of energy law.
Jordan, Lynch & Cancienne Wins Take-Nothing Decisions in Texas, Louisiana
News
Trial lawyers with Jordan, Lynch & Cancienne PLLC scored big defense wins recently for two separate clients, securing a quick summary judgment for The Dow Chemical Company in Texas and prevailing in a jury trial for Union Carbide Corporation in New Orleans.
Local Taxation of Oil and Gas Activities Fails Again
News
The Texas Supreme Court issued four opinions addressing the taxation of compressors used to deliver natural gas into pipelines, according to a post on Gray Reed & McGraw’s Energy & the Law blog.
