News & Analysis as of

Oil & Gas Groundwater

Oliva Gibbs

Murky waters: Wading through Texas law and the future of produced water

Oliva Gibbs on

Texas produces more than just oil and gas. Every day, millions of gallons of produced water are generated as a byproduct of oil and gas production. Once viewed strictly as a waste product, produced water is now at the center...more

Pillsbury - Gravel2Gavel Construction & Real...

From Waste to Wealth: Texas Supreme Court Ruling in Cactus Water Defines Produced Water Ownership, Sets Stage for Clarity on...

On June 27, 2025, the Texas Supreme Court issued its long-awaited decision in Cactus Water Services, LLC v. COG Operating, LLC, No. 23-0676, resolving a high-stakes dispute over the ownership of produced water—a vexing...more

Gray Reed

Texas Supreme Court Will Review Produced Water Case

Gray Reed on

Who owns produced water in Texas?  And what is produced water anyway – oil and gas waste and part of the mineral estate, or groundwater and part of the surface estate?  We may be closer to an answer to these questions now...more

Winstead PC

Texas Railroad Commission’s New Environmental Rules: A Step Toward Sustainability or Business as Usual?

Winstead PC on

In 1984, while Ronald Reagan was securing a landslide reelection and Apple introduced the Macintosh, the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) last updated the state’s primary oil and gas waste regulations. Now, four decades...more

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update 8.30.24

Allen Matkins on

A California Superior Court judge ruled last week that Sonoma County must do more to ensure responsible groundwater pumping under the state’s Public Trust Doctrine, which holds that rivers, creeks, and other waterways are...more

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

The Dunes Sagebrush Lizard Saga Continues: FWS Lists the Species as Endangered, Draws Congressional Response

On May 20, 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a final rule listing the dunes sagebrush lizard as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The listing does not include a designation of critical habitat....more

Jackson Walker

Mine: All Mine? Texas Ownership of Produced Water and Its Constituent Parts (Lithium)

Jackson Walker on

Is it mine? Is what’s in it mine too? The fight over produced water has become a contentious issue in the oil patch. Primarily, because it is a new and unforeseen source of revenue for operators and landowners....more

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update - 4.21.23 #3

Allen Matkins on

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering expanding the number of per- and polyfluoroalklyl substances (PFAS) compounds classified as “hazardous substances” under the Comprehensive Environmental Response,...more

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update - October 2022 #2

Allen Matkins on

U.S. Supreme Court leans toward limiting scope of Clean Water Act - U.S. News & World Report – October 3 - U.S. Supreme Court justices on October 3 appeared open to limiting the reach of the U.S. Environmental Protection...more

King & Spalding

Focus on States

King & Spalding on

Several states have recently moved forward with legislation addressing PFAS. Florida’s governor signed into law legislation directing the state Department of Environmental Protection to adopt PFAS standards for drinking...more

Rivkin Radler LLP

What Do You Do if an Oil Tank Is Buried in Your Yard?

Rivkin Radler LLP on

It is not uncommon for Lloyd Harbor residents to have old steel heating oil tanks buried in their yards. Although these underground tanks continue to successfully heat our homes, they do not last forever. They are not...more

Pillsbury - Gravel2Gavel Construction & Real...

A Court-Side Seat – Case Law Update (February 2022)

It is already early in 2022, but several important environmental cases have already been decided by the federal district and federal appellate courts. THE COURTS OF APPEAL - The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ...more

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update - September 2021

Allen Matkins on

Federal judge strikes down Trump rule governing water pollution - The New York Times – August 23 - In the latest episode of a long-running battle concerning the reach of federal jurisdiction over surface waters, Judge...more

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update - December 2020 #2

Allen Matkins on

New EPA rule aims to limit tough clean air measures under Biden - The New York Times – December 9 - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this Wednesday completed a rule that could weaken federal authority to...more

Gray Reed

A Unique Discovery Request in a Texas Water Rights Fight

Gray Reed on

In re Plains Pipeline, L.P., is a suit to adjudicate title to groundwater. Did the trial court err in allowing a party to drill seven test holes on a tank farm? (Spoiler alert: It didn’t.) This decision evaluates an order in...more

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update - September 2020 #2

Allen Matkins on

White House directs agencies to relax enforcement - Los Angeles Times – September 9 - A memorandum produced by the White House Office of Management and Budget and sent to federal agency heads last week instructs them to...more

Stoel Rives - Environmental Law Blog

How California’s Oil Industry May Help Preserve Agriculture in California’s Southern San Joaquin Valley – Recycled, Oil Field...

A study conducted by researchers at Duke University and RTI International found that reusing oil field produced water that has been mixed with surface water to irrigate crops in Kern County’s Cawelo Water District does not...more

Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC

Currents - Energy Industry Insights - February 2020 #4

Cancelled Teck Oil Sands Project Underscores Global Climate-Energy Policy Tension - "The Frontier project became the latest casualty in oil-producing countries with robust environmental movements agitating to cut...more

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update - October 2019 #2

Allen Matkins on

Focus - BLM moves to expand oil and gas drilling in California - San Francisco Chronicle – October 4 - The U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) last Friday opened up 720,000 acres in California...more

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update - September 2019

Allen Matkins on

Focus - EPA to revoke California’s authority to set gas mileage standards - ABC News – September 6 - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is moving forward with a proposal to revoke part of California's...more

Gray Reed

Water: The Hot Commodity in the Permian and Elsewhere

Gray Reed on

It’s still true, “Whiskey’s for drinkin’, water’s for fightin’.” Gray Reed lawyers Brock Neizgoda and Steven Cooney spoke to TIPRO’s summer conference on the use, control and ownership of water in oil and gas operations. ...more

Sullivan & Worcester

PFAS Regulatory Update

Sullivan & Worcester on

As in previous postings, we discuss recent state regulatory initiatives aimed at addressing groundwater and drinking water contamination by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances ("PFAS"). PFAS are a group of synthetic chemicals...more

Pillsbury - Gravel2Gavel Construction & Real...

Environmental Roundup – May 2019

Federal Courts of Appeal - Dam Claims Collapse - On May 7, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit decided the case of Navelski, et al. v. International Paper Company....more

Gray Reed

Groundwater Law Continues To Evolve – Texas Landowners Be Ready

Gray Reed on

You have just arrived on the new ranch property you just purchased, leaving the rat race of city life and ready to get to work on the land. You allowed the seller to reserve the minerals so long as he waived his rights to...more

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update - April 2019 #4

Allen Matkins on

Focus - New Proposition 65 regulation intended to assist residential rental property owners offers a mixed bag - Allen Matkins - April 24 - The California Office of Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), the agency...more

76 Results
 / 
View per page
Page: of 4

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
- hide
- hide