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May 2, 2013
Apollo, Apex Team Up On Northeast Shale Property Venture
Apollo Global Management LLC and Apex Energy LLC are pitching together their resources to invest in oil and gas properties, with a focus on a Northeastern shale play, according to a Thursday announcement.
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May 2, 2013
SC Appeals Court Nixes Duke's Win On Hydro Dam Permit
A Duke Energy Carolinas LLC hydroelectric project could be in trouble after a South Carolina appeals court on Wednesday reversed a victory on a procedural delay technicality that allowed Duke to avoid the rescission of a water quality permit, saying Duke itself had slowed the process.
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May 2, 2013
Drillers Can't Use NY Law To Supersede Local Fracking Bans
New York's Oil Gas and Solution Mining Law can't be invoked to nullify localized efforts to keep shale gas drilling away from towns, cities or other localities, a unanimous state appellate panel ruled Thursday, backing the Empire State's doctrine of home rule.
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May 1, 2013
BP Snaps Up $110M Stake In Gulf Blocks From Petrobras
BP PLC has inked a deal to pick up a minority stake in several Gulf of Mexico blocks in exchange for $110 million and an equity stake in one of BP's blocks, according to a Tuesday statement from seller Petroleo Brasileiro SA.
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May 1, 2013
Quantum Puts Up $225M For Majority Stake In Canadian Oil Co.
Quantum Energy Partners has acquired a majority stake in Canadian oil producer Carmel Bay Exploration Ltd. in exchange for capital commitments of more than $225 million, the Texas energy private equity firm announced Wednesday.
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May 1, 2013
Cheniere Gets Thumbs-Up From FERC On La. LNG Project
Cheniere Energy Inc.’s plans for additions to a liquefied natural gas export terminal in Louisiana won’t significantly harm the environment, staff at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said in a study published Wednesday.
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May 1, 2013
EPA Not Ready To Cut Off Public Input For Fracking Study
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said in a Tuesday Federal Register filing that it's extending the deadline for public input on its study of hydraulic fracturing's effects on drinking water until Nov. 15, a signal that future agency rules on the controversial practice may be a long way off.
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May 1, 2013
Atomic Energy Act Precludes Toshiba Nuke Plants, NRC Says
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Tuesday blocked a multibillion-dollar plan by a joint venture of NRG Energy Inc. and Toshiba Corp. to build two nuclear reactors in south Texas, citing a U.S. law that prohibits foreign control of nuclear power plants.
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May 1, 2013
BP Pays $340M Toward La. Coast Oil Spill Restoration Projects
BP PLC on Tuesday agreed to pay $340 million for restoration projects on the Louisiana coast damaged by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, part of the $1 billion the oil giant will pony up for natural resource restoration in Gulf Coast states affected by the 2010 disaster.
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May 1, 2013
$2B Bill For New Water Projects Stalls In Texas House
The Texas House of Representatives failed Tuesday to pass a budget bill that would funnel $2 billion into a new infrastructure bank for several water-supply projects aimed at relieving the state's drought issues.
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May 1, 2013
Pa. Senate Panel Passes Bills To Boost Natural Gas Access
A Pennsylvania state legislative committee on Wednesday signed off on a pair of bills intended to make state-sourced natural gas available to a wider swath of residents in areas traditionally underserved by gas utilities.
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May 1, 2013
Chesapeake Sells $300M In Midstream Assets To SemGroup
Natural gas giant Chesapeake Energy Corp. has sold its midstream gas services subsidiary, which owns significant assets in the Mississippi Lime shale in northern Oklahoma, to SemGroup Corp. for $300 million in cash, SemGroup said Wednesday.
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May 1, 2013
Chesapeake, Encana Deny Rigging Bids On Oil, Gas Leases
Chesapeake Energy Corp. and Encana Corp. urged a Michigan federal court Tuesday to throw out allegations that they schemed to rig bids for oil and gas leases, arguing that NorthStar Energy LLC has not shown that they took part in any anti-competitive conspiracy.
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May 1, 2013
Neighbor To $3.4B Iron Plant Loses Air Permit Row With EPA
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has no duty to cancel permits issued by state regulators for a $3.4 billion iron manufacturing plant to which the federal agency objected, a Louisiana federal judge said Tuesday, quashing Zen-Noh Grain Corp.'s claims that the EPA must revoke the permits.
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April 30, 2013
Shell Strikes $10B JV Deal For Abu Dhabi Gas Field
Royal Dutch Shell PLC has been chosen by Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. as its partner in an estimated $10 billion joint venture to develop a natural gas field in Abu Dhabi, beating out a bid by French rival Total SA, the oil giant announced Tuesday.
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April 30, 2013
Investment Priority Proposed For NJ Infrastructure Projects
New Jersey Assembly members on Monday introduced legislation to codify a preference for in-state infrastructure projects over similar, out-of-state projects when it comes to investments by the state's pension fund — a move that they contend will help provide steady returns for the fund but also broader economic benefits.
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April 30, 2013
Former Pa. Turnpike Official Joins Dilworth Paxson
A former Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP attorney and Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission vice chancellor has joined Dilworth Paxson LLP as a partner in the firm’s public finance practice, officials there announced Monday.
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April 30, 2013
McConnell Eyes Revamp Of EPA's Coal Mine Permit Process
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., announced plans Monday to introduce a new bill that would force the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's hand to make decisions on a backlog of coal mine projects and put new time limits on its approval process.
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April 30, 2013
Morgan Lewis, Vinson Pilot $390M Contango, Crimson Merger
Contango Oil & Gas Co. has struck a $390 million deal to pick up Crimson Exploration Inc., significantly expanding the oil and natural gas company's onshore drilling project base, the parties announced Tuesday.
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April 30, 2013
US Can't Toss Coal Co.'s Counterclaim In Ohio Mining Row
An Ohio federal judge on Monday declined to dismiss a coal company’s tortious interference counterclaim in a lawsuit brought by the U.S. accusing the the state of Ohio of reneging on a 1948 land agreement by allowing the company to mine beneath a flood-control reservoir.
Expert Analysis
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The Camel’s Nose — EPA And LNG Export
Companies must obtain approval from the U.S. Department of Energy to export liquefied natural gas produced from domestic natural gas and must obtain approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to build new LNG export terminals and liquefaction facilities. Unless such facilities would be “major” sources requiring an air permit or would require changes to permits for water discharges, it would not appear that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would have significant involvement. But things are not always as they appear, says Paul Gutermann of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP.
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Colombia Is Fast Becoming An Oil Giant In Latin America
The real catalyst for Colombia's oil boom has been the oil and gas reforms within the institutions that control the industry, the contract terms available to oil and gas companies, and the financial rewards. Specifically, Colombia´s new oil and gas legal framework allows foreign investors to own 100 percent of participations in oil projects, says Marcela Blanco of Diaz Reus & Targ LLP.
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New Tribal Leasing Regulations To Spur Renewable Energy
In July, the Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Home Ownership Act was signed to establish a process by which Indian tribes can approve their own surface land leases, and recently, the U.S. Department of Interior issued a final rule aimed at spurring the development of solar and wind energy projects on tribal lands. These new leasing regulations are a better baseline to work from and should allow tribes greater flexibility in developing their internal leasing regulations, say attorneys with Akin Gump Strauss Haur & Feld LLP.
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9th Circ.'s Take On A Recent Trend Of Enviro Groups
Recently, the Ninth Circuit ruled that the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service violated the Endangered Species Act by granting a right of way for the Ruby Pipeline project. This case will make it more likely for environmental groups to argue that other pipeline companies should have conditions placed on pipeline construction that will be enforceable under the ESA, and thus by the FWS, and more importantly, third parties, say attorneys with Hunton & Williams LLP.
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A Snapshot Of Renewable Energy Project Litigation
Although successful litigation challenges to renewable energy project approvals are relatively infrequent, they are not unprecedented. Even if litigation does not result in the challenger prevailing, several major renewable energy projects have experienced substantial delay and redesign, sometimes under the continuing supervision of a court, say Janice Schneider and Taiga Takahashi of Latham & Watkins LLP.
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A Noteworthy Investigation Of An Acquisition In Alaska
The investigation of Hilcorp Alaska LLC’s proposed acquisition of Marathon Oil Company’s Cook Inlet demonstrates that both the federal government and states are taking an active role in reviewing acquisitions that may impact a state’s energy resources, and shows a willingness by federal antitrust regulators to acknowledge, and even give priority to, state concerns in certain cases, say attorneys with Bracewell & Giuliani LLP.
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Fraudulent Transfer Is The Bomb! Fallout From In Re Dynegy
The Dynegy bankruptcy case demonstrates how dangerous it might be for companies to engage in major asset restructuring right before a bankruptcy filing. The clever minds behind the Dynegy pre-bankruptcy restructuring plan may have been too clever in the end, say Karen Hart and Nicole Eason of Bell Nunnally & Martin LLP.
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Calif. Fracking Litigation May Bring Economic Harm
Recently, four environmental activist groups filed a lawsuit against the California Department of Conservation, Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources, challenging the DOGGR’s handling of the oil and gas permitting process. This new litigation has the potential to cause significant economic repercussions if the plaintiffs are successful in obtaining the relief sought by their complaint, say attorneys with Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP.
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Navigating Latin American Natural Resources Deal Flow
Over the last 12 to 18 months, the market has seen a flurry of investments in the natural resources sector in Latin America and an increased interest among North American, European and Chinese investors. Notwithstanding the increased interest, investors should be mindful of existing challenges that may affect investment in the region, for example environmental permitting, local community sensitivities, and tax and labor claims, say J. Allen Miller and Raquel Bierzwinsky of Chadbourne & Parke LLP.
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Post-Election: What's Next For DOD Energy Programs
Hundreds of industry representatives from all types of companies have applied for contracts through the U.S. Army's $7 billion energy program and are now left questioning what to do next. Unfortunately for those responsible for navigating U.S. Department of Defense energy opportunities, the answer is neither clear nor straightforward, since the other services are not expected to operate in the same unified and publicly vocal manner as the Army, says Taite McDonald of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.