Federal Agency Halts All Work on Atlantic Coast Pipeline After Judges Revoke Permits -
"The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission sent a letter to Dominion Energy, the company leading construction of the 600-mile pipeline,...more
8/17/2018
/ Aluminum Sales ,
Canada ,
China ,
Coal ,
Coal-Fired Plants ,
Construction Project ,
Crude Oil ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
FERC ,
Fuel Standards ,
Imports ,
Liquid Natural Gas ,
National Park Service ,
National Security ,
Natural Gas ,
Nuclear Power ,
Oil & Gas ,
Permits ,
Pipelines ,
Popular ,
Power Plants ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Shipping ,
Steel Industry ,
Tariffs ,
Trump Administration ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service ,
Vessels
SEC Drops Probe of Exxon's Accounting Practices -
"The Securities and Exchange Commission has dropped its probe into whether ExxonMobil misled investors about its knowledge of climate change and the potential effects on...more
8/10/2018
/ Arbitrary and Capricious ,
China ,
Climate Change ,
Coal Industry ,
Coal Mines ,
Competition ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Assessments ,
Exxon Mobil ,
Fracking ,
Fracking Bans ,
Government Investigations ,
India ,
Investment Fraud ,
Ireland ,
Liquid Natural Gas ,
National Park Service ,
Permits ,
Pipelines ,
Qatar ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shale Gas ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Policy ,
Trump Administration ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service
EPA Chief Looks to Distinguish Himself from Pruitt in Agency-Wide Memo -
"The new head of the EPA sent a staff-wide memo laying out steps the agency is taking to increase transparency, a move that's seen as an effort to...more
8/3/2018
/ Appeals ,
Bureau of Land Management ,
Climate Change ,
Coal ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Assessments ,
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Exports ,
Forestry ,
Germany ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
India ,
Japan ,
Keystone XL Pipeline ,
Liquid Natural Gas ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Power Plants ,
Public Transportation ,
Rare Earth Metals ,
Renewable Energy ,
Russia ,
SCOTUS ,
Shale Gas ,
Transparency ,
Trump Administration
Russian Hackers Penetrated Networks of U.S. Electric Utilities -
"Russian hackers gained access to the networks of U.S. electric utilities last year, which could have allowed them to cause blackouts, according to federal...more
7/27/2018
/ Carbon Taxes ,
China ,
Climate Change ,
Coal ,
Coal Industry ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Dismissals ,
Electricity ,
Energy Storage ,
Exports ,
FERC ,
Hackers ,
Imports ,
India ,
Iran ,
Marcellus Shale ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
Petroleum ,
Photovoltaic ,
Pipelines ,
Political Parties ,
Power Infrastructure ,
Renewable Energy ,
Russia ,
Saudi Arabia ,
Shale Gas ,
Solar Energy ,
Trump Administration ,
Utilities Sector ,
Wind Farm
Russian Interference in America's Energy Sector -
"America's oil and gas production is booming of late, with the U.S. poised to become the world's largest exporter of crude oil. Domestic natural gas also is ramping up,...more
7/23/2018
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Coal Mines ,
Energy Sector ,
Ethane ,
Exports ,
Foreign Investment ,
Global Warming ,
Imports ,
India ,
International Relations ,
Mergers ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
Petrochemicals ,
Political Scandals ,
Rare Earth Metals ,
Russia ,
Shale Gas ,
South Korea ,
Steel Industry ,
Thailand ,
Trump Administration ,
Water Projects
Appalachian Region Looks to Asia to Revive Economic Hopes -
"A Thai chemical company and, more recently, its new South Korean partner, are taking halting steps toward building a multibillion-dollar petrochemical plant in...more
7/13/2018
/ Air Pollution ,
Bailout ,
China ,
Coal ,
Coal Industry ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Ethane ,
Exports ,
FOIA ,
Liquid Natural Gas ,
Memorandum of Understanding ,
Natural Gas ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
Nuclear Power ,
Petrochemicals ,
Pipelines ,
Public Interest ,
Renewable Energy ,
Shale Gas ,
South Korea ,
State and Local Government ,
Storage Tanks ,
Tariffs ,
Tax Credits ,
Thailand ,
Trade Policy ,
Trade Relations ,
Transportation Costs ,
Trump Administration ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
Waters of the United States
Judge Boots the Global Warming Cases of San Francisco and Oakland Against Oil Companies -
"In a 16-page order, U.S. District Judge William Alsup granted the motions to dismiss from the five targeted companies - Chevron,...more
6/30/2018
/ Activist ,
China ,
Climate Change ,
Coal-Fired Generation ,
Cybersecurity ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Evidence ,
Fracking ,
Global Warming ,
Hackers ,
Imports ,
Investment Funds ,
Marcellus Shale ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
Oil Spills ,
OPEC ,
Plant Closures ,
Power Grid ,
Power Infrastructure ,
Russia ,
Secretary of Energy ,
Solar Energy ,
Tesla ,
Utility Rates
LyondellBasell Looking to Control Braskem; Could Help WV Cracker -
"A deal could breathe life into the ethane cracker Braskem proposed for a site near Parkersburg, W.Va., roughly five years ago."
Why this is important:...more
6/22/2018
/ Canada ,
China ,
Coal ,
Coal Ash ,
Crude Oil ,
Drinking Water ,
Electricity ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Export Bans ,
Exports ,
Hydraulic Fracturing Study ,
Imports ,
International Relations ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Market Manipulation ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
OPEC ,
Permits ,
Petrochemicals ,
Pipelines ,
Popular ,
Public Health ,
Rolling Stone ,
Russia ,
Saudi Arabia ,
Shale Gas ,
Steel Industry ,
Tariffs ,
Toxic Exposure ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies ,
Water Supplies ,
Well Drilling
State Files Motion to Dismiss Federal Lawsuit by EQT -
"Lawyers representing the Secretary of the state Department of Environmental Protection have filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit by the natural gas company EQT over a...more
6/11/2018
/ Carbon Pricing ,
Climate Change ,
Coal ,
Coal Industry ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Contracts Clause ,
Cybersecurity ,
Dakota Access Pipeline ,
Department of Environmental Protection ,
Due Process ,
Electricity ,
Eleventh Amendment ,
Eminent Domain ,
Energy Sector ,
EU ,
Germany ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Incentives ,
Land Owners ,
Methanol ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Natural Gas ,
Nuclear Power ,
Oil & Gas ,
PA Supreme Court ,
Pipelines ,
Ports ,
Power Grid ,
Public Utilities Commission ,
Secretary of Energy ,
Secretary of State ,
Shale Gas ,
Trump Administration
In an Internal Memo, the White House Considered Whether to Simply 'Ignore' Federal Climate Research -
"The document, drafted September 18 by Michael Catanzaro, President Trump's special assistant for domestic energy and...more
6/2/2018
/ Asia ,
Canada ,
Climate Change ,
Coal Industry ,
Crude Oil ,
Department of Environmental Protection ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
EU ,
Exports ,
Fracking ,
Global Warming ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Halliburton ,
India ,
Investors ,
National Emissions Standards ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
OPEC ,
Pipelines ,
Renewable Energy ,
Rollbacks ,
Russia ,
Saudi Arabia ,
Scientific Evidence ,
Scientific Research ,
Shale Gas ,
Shell Oil ,
Solid Waste ,
Trump Administration ,
United Nations
FERC Won't Consider Big Climate Change Effects in Pipeline Reviews -
"FERC's three Republican commissioners issued the surprise ruling as part of an otherwise routine decision on a pipeline upgrade proposed by the utility...more
5/26/2018
/ China ,
Climate Change ,
Coal ,
Commodities ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Electricity ,
Energy Sector ,
FERC ,
Foreign Policy ,
Fracking ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
Material Suppliers ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
Oil Prices ,
OPEC ,
Pipelines ,
Renewable Energy ,
Russia ,
State and Local Government ,
Steel Industry ,
Trump Administration ,
Venezuela ,
Wind Power
Study Finds No Evidence of Groundwater Contamination Attributable to Natural Gas Development -
"A multi-year study conducted by researchers at the University of Cincinnati, and partly funded by organizations opposed to...more
5/18/2018
/ Amicus Briefs ,
Coal Industry ,
Coal Mines ,
Contamination ,
Economic Development ,
EIA ,
Electricity ,
Exports ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Groundwater ,
Health and Safety ,
Hydraulic Fracturing Study ,
Local Ordinance ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
Oil Prices ,
Permits ,
Petrochemicals ,
Pipelines ,
Power Grid ,
Russia ,
Sanctions ,
Shale Gas ,
Shipping Bans ,
State Agencies
Oil Soars After Trump Nixes Iran Nuclear Deal, Stocks Rally -
"Crude oil prices rose more than 3 percent on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from a nuclear accord with Iran, a move that...more
5/11/2018
/ Attorney General ,
Australia ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Coal ,
Coal Mines ,
ConocoPhillips ,
Cybersecurity ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Exports ,
Fracking Bans ,
Governor Cuomo ,
International Energy Agency (IEA) ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Japan ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
Middle East ,
Natural Gas ,
Nuclear Weapons ,
Offshore Drilling ,
Oil & Gas ,
Poland ,
Power Grid ,
Renewable Energy ,
Rollbacks ,
Russia ,
State and Local Government ,
Trump Administration ,
Venezuela
In Cities v. Fossil Fuels, Exxon's Allies Want the Accusers Investigated -
"Now two industry-friendly groups are turning the tables and asking the SEC to investigate the cities and counties for possible fraud."
Why this...more
5/5/2018
/ Asia ,
China ,
Civil Liability ,
Climate Change ,
Coal ,
Cotenancy Provisions ,
Earthquakes ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Exxon Mobil ,
FERC ,
Fracking ,
Gas Royalties ,
Government Studies ,
Innovative Technology ,
Middle East ,
Mineral Leases ,
Natural Gas ,
News Stories ,
Oil & Gas ,
Permits ,
Pipelines ,
Power Grid ,
Protests ,
Russia ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities Fraud ,
Shale Gas ,
State and Local Government ,
Trolls ,
Water Quality ,
Water Quality Control Boards
EPA Announces a New Rule. One Likely Effect: Less Science in Policymaking -
"The Environmental Protection Agency announced a new regulation that would restrict the kinds of scientific studies the agency can use when it...more
4/27/2018
/ Biomass ,
China ,
Climate Change ,
Coal Mines ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Expedited Approval Process ,
Exports ,
Japan ,
Liquid Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
Paris Agreement ,
Recycling ,
Scientific Evidence ,
Shale Gas ,
Shipping ,
Tariffs ,
Trump Administration ,
Wastewater ,
Well Drilling ,
Wind Power
An Interview with Bill Raney, President of West Virginia Coal Association -
Nick Preservati, Co-Chair of Spilman's Energy Practice Group, recently sat down with Bill Raney, President of the West Virginia Coal Association...more
4/20/2018
/ American Petroleum Institute ,
Australia ,
Bailout ,
Bitcoin ,
Bitcoin Mining ,
British Petroleum (BP) ,
Canada ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Coal Industry ,
Coal Mines ,
Energy Costs ,
Environmental Claims ,
EU ,
Fixed Price Contracts ,
Fracking ,
Fracking Bans ,
Gas Royalties ,
Natural Gas ,
Nuclear Power ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Rare Earth Metals ,
SCOTUS ,
Trump Administration ,
WV Supreme Court
U.S. Agencies Agree to Slash Approval Times for Infrastructure Projects -
"More than a dozen federal agencies agreed to slash the time needed for environmental reviews and permitting on major infrastructure projects, a...more
4/13/2018
/ Asia ,
Bailout ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean-Up Costs ,
Coal ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Energy Costs ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Review ,
Ethanol ,
FERC ,
Fuel Standards ,
Germany ,
Infrastructure ,
Innovation ,
National Emissions Standards ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
Oil Spills ,
Pipelines ,
Power Grid ,
Power Plants ,
Regulatory Agencies ,
Russia ,
Secretary of Energy ,
Supply and Demand ,
Trump Administration ,
Ukraine
Bobby D. Fentress, et al, vs. Exxon Mobil Corporation, et al -
"This is an Employee Retirement Income Security Act case alleging a breach of fiduciary duties in the management of a defined contribution plan. Defendants'...more
4/6/2018
/ Adjacent Property Owners ,
Breach of Duty ,
Chapter 11 ,
China ,
Climate Change ,
Coal ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Defined Contribution Plans ,
Dismissals ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
ESOP ,
Exxon Mobil ,
False Statements ,
Horizontal Wells ,
Liquid Natural Gas ,
Misleading Statements ,
Natural Gas ,
Nuclear Power ,
Oil & Gas ,
OPEC ,
Rule of Capture ,
Russia ,
Shale Gas ,
South Korea ,
Trespass
On April 2, 2018, the Pennsylvania Superior Court issued a decision in Briggs v. Southwestern Energy Production Company, No. 1351 MDA 2017, reversing a lower court judgment entered in favor of the defendant producer....more
4/5/2018
/ Adjacent Property Owners ,
Appeals ,
Fracking ,
Horizontal Wells ,
Oil & Gas ,
Remand ,
Reversal ,
Rule of Capture ,
Settlement ,
Shale Gas ,
Trespass
H.B. 4270 -
Passed - March 10, 2018 -
Signed by Governor - March 27, 2018 -
Effective - June 8, 2018 -
The Information Reporting and Payments to Owners bill (H.B. 4270) is a companion bill to the Cotenancy...more
4/3/2018
/ Co-Ownership ,
Department of Environmental Protection ,
Gas Royalties ,
Horizontal Wells ,
Interest Accrual ,
Mineral Rights ,
New Legislation ,
Oil & Gas ,
Payment Terms ,
Private Right of Action ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State Legislatures
California's Ready to Retaliate if Trump Cuts Auto Rules, Sources Say -
"As the Trump administration begins to dismantle Barack Obama's ambitious auto efficiency regulations, California is said to be poised to retaliate...more
3/30/2018
/ Automotive Industry ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Coal Mines ,
Energy Costs ,
Energy Policy ,
EU ,
Exports ,
Federal v State Law Application ,
Fuel Supply ,
Liquid Natural Gas ,
Market Pricing ,
National Emissions Standards ,
Natural Gas ,
Obama Administration ,
Oil & Gas ,
OPEC ,
Pipelines ,
Right of Way ,
Russia ,
Saudi Arabia ,
Severe Weather ,
Trump Administration ,
UK ,
Wind Power
Trump Prepared to Hit China with $60 Billion in Annual Tariffs -
"President Trump is preparing to impose a package of $60 billion in annual tariffs against Chinese products, following through on a longtime threat that he...more
3/23/2018
/ China ,
Clean Energy ,
Climate Change ,
Coal ,
Coal Mines ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
EU ,
Exports ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Fracking ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Liquid Natural Gas ,
Misappropriation ,
Oil & Gas ,
OPEC ,
Russia ,
Scientific Evidence ,
Sewer Systems ,
Shale Gas ,
Tariffs ,
Tax Cuts ,
Trade Secrets ,
Transparency ,
Trump Administration ,
Waste Treatment Facilities ,
Wastewater
Pipeline CEOs Vow to Fight Back Against Environmental Activism and Sabotage -
"Executives from some of the biggest energy infrastructure companies in Canada and the United States say their industry had been surprised by...more
3/16/2018
/ Activist ,
Airports ,
Clean Water Act ,
Climate Change ,
Coal Industry ,
Crude Oil ,
Energy Market ,
Energy Policy ,
EU ,
Exports ,
Foreign Investment ,
Liquid Natural Gas ,
Local Ordinance ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Power Infrastructure ,
Power Plants ,
Renewable Energy ,
Russia ,
States Rights ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Unions
Summary of S.B. 360 -
SB 360 applies to flat rate royalty leases, i.e. leases for which the royalty is not "inherently related to the volume of oil and gas so extracted, produced, and marketed," and the conditions upon...more
Summary of H.B. 4268 -
At its core, the Cotenancy Modernization and Majority Protection Act ("Act") is a revision to the relationship between cotenants owning "oil or natural gas and their constituents." The Act is...more