Oil & Gas
Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against Lawyer Over Chesapeake Legal Fees
News
A state district judge in Fort Worth shut down the litigation against Dan McDonald in which attorney Jim Ward was seeking up to a third of the millions in legal fees stemming from the Chesapeake case.
Fracking Fluid Dynamics: New Trade Secrets Movements
Insight
As oil prices remain volatile, trade secret and intellectual property protection continues to be a key component of ensuring profitability, according to Orrick’s Trade Secrets Watch.
Skadden Publishes 2016 Edition of Energy Law Handbook
Insight
The updates cover such topics as compliance programs, audits and investigations, criminal and civil penalties, FERC market manipulation enforcement, CFTC regulation, antitrust enforcement, reliability, affiliate rules, natural gas, false statements, and more.
‘Chapter 22’ Looms Over Some U.S. Oil and Gas Bankruptcy Survivors
News
Reuters tells the story of “Chapter 22” companies, oil and gas industry firms that return to bankruptcy court after their first Chapter 11 overhaul failed to fix their problems.
Energy Outlook: Platts U.S. Election Webinar
On-Demand
S&P Global Platts has posted an on-demand webinar taking a look at the potential impact the recent presidential election could have on petroleum, natural gas, power and metals.
Two New Cases: Fractional Royalty, Fraction of Royalty, or Mineral Interest?
Insight
Two new opinions, one from the San Antonio Court of Appeals and one from the El Paso Court of Appeals, again tackle the task of construing mineral and royalty conveyances and reservations, reports John McFarland in his Oil and Gas Lawyer Blog.
ScottMadden Releases Latest Edition of Energy Industry Update
Insight
On its website, ScottMadden says this issue focuses on strategic drivers that are propelling the industry like nuclear challenges, changing energy supply and demand patterns, and federal-state policy friction
More Lifesaving Valves to Stop Gas Leaks Will Be Required in 2017
Insight
“These simple and inexpensive devices can save dozens of lives and millions of dollars in property damage each year,” says Dallas attorney Tom Carse.
Talisman Energy Facing Texas Federal Lawsuit Over Unpaid Oil, Gas Royalties
News
Attorneys representing oil and gas royalty owners with interests in the Texas Eagle Ford Shale have filed a federal lawsuit against Talisman Energy USA Inc. based on claims that the company manipulated oil and gas production volumes by as much as 20 to 30 percent and consistently shorted royalty payments, according to a news release posted by Androvett Legal Media and Marketing.
U.S. Clean Power Plan Remains on Firm Legal Ground Says AWEA
News
While the oral arguments about the merits of the Clean Power Plan are heard by the US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) remains confident the plan will be upheld by the courts, reports Renewable Energy Magazine.
ExxonMobil Accounting Practices Probed By New York Attorney General
News
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is investigating why Exxon Mobil Corp. hasn’t written down the value of its assets, two years into a pronounced crash in oil prices, reports The Wall Street Journal.
Oil Producers Can Avoid Earthquake Potential over Disposal Wells
Insight
Contracting out the disposal of oil and gas well wastewater may not totally free producers from a potential lawsuit given the recent widespread publicity about earthquakes, says Leonard Dougal, an environmental lawyer with Jackson Walker LLP in Austin.
Computational Pipeline Monitoring for Gas Pipelines – What Works, What Doesn’t
Event, Oct. 6, 2016, 1 p.m. CDT
Oil & Gas Journal will present a webinar sponsored by Schneider Electric on computational pipeline monitoring (CPM) techniques and their use in detecting commodity releases on liquid pipelines.
Law Profs Issue Takedown of Decision Striking Fracking Rule
News
The 36 professors take issue with the lower court’s interpretation of the Safe Drinking Water Act, as amended by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, writes E&E Publishing reporter Ellen M. Gilmer.
Debate Over Allocation Wells Continues
Insight
Horizontal wells drilled across lease lines were clearly not contemplated in a typical oil and gas lease, and lessors should not be forced to accept a formula for royalty payment to which they have not agreed, advises John McFarland of Graves Dougherty Hearon & Moody in an article published in Oil and Gas Lawyer Blog.
New Details from Panama Papers Expose Scope of Secret Oil Deals in Africa
News
“It is imperative that any multinational company operating in Africa immediately check its contracts and payments to determine if it has been doing business with one of the shell companies listed in this most recent report,” says Thomas Fox of Advanced Compliance Solutions.
Lawyer Who Says He Helped Win $52.5 Million Chesapeake Settlement Sues Co-Counsel Over Fees
News
A Fort Worth attorney who helped represent residents of Johnson, Tarrant and Dallas counties in a lawsuit against Chesapeake Energy and Total E&P USA is suing his co-counsel for a third of the legal fees from the nearly $53 million settlement, reports The Dallas Morning News.
Landowners Approve Settlement Worth $51 Million With Chesapeake Energy
News
Chesapeake Energy will pay about $51 million to wipe out hundreds of lawsuits accusing the Oklahoma City energy giant of cheating North Texas property owners out of millions of dollars in natural gas royalties, according to a report in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
BP Fined $20 Million for Rigging U.S. Natural Gas Markets
News
BP Plc faces more than $20 million in penalties and surrendered profits after a U.S. regulator found that the energy giant manipulated commodity markets in Texas, according to a report by Bloomberg and published by The Business Times.
SEC Charges Breitling Energy, CEO, General Counsel in Fraud Case
News
The SEC charged Dallas-based Breitling Energy Corp. and its CEO, Chris Faulkner, of fraudulently spending tens of millions of dollars of investors’ money on lavish meals, expensive cars, strippers and escorts, reports Mark Curriden of The Texas Lawbook
