“Electric power markets in the United States are undergoing significant structural change that we believe, based on planning data we collect, will result in the installation of the ability of large-scale battery storage to contribute 10,000 megawatts to the grid between 2021 and 2023—10 times the capacity in 2019.” EIA…
Oil and Gas Lawyer Blog
Abbott and Legislature Get Blowback on Fix of Texas Grid
Abbott said the legislature’s response to the breakdown of Texas’ electric grid “fixed all the flaws.” News media reports and experts are questioning that conclusion. A UT Austin study concludes that lawmakers did not do enough to prevent future power failures and recommended 20 additional policy changes. It is estimated…
Facts About Eggs
Every once in a while I like to write about something other than oil and gas. I got these interesting facts about eggs from a friend. The color of eggshells is solely dependent upon the breed of the chicken providing the eggs. There is no difference in taste imparted by…
Christi Craddick and the February Freeze
In a recent article, reporter Chris Tomlinson of the Houston Chronicle castigates Railroad Commission Chair Christi Craddick for testifying before a state legislative committee in March that the State’s oil and gas industry had no responsibility for the February power blackouts in Texas. Craddick testified: Some media outlets would have…
Something Every Texas Farmer and Rancher Should Know
Tiffany Dowell Lashmet, blogger at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, alerted me in her blog to a bill passed in the last session of the Texas Legislature, HB 365, that Texas landowners should know about. The bill amends the Texas Farm Animal Liability Act, Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Chapter…
Bills Addressing Flaring in Texas Legislature
The recently completed session of the Texas Legislature several bills were filed addressing flaring from oil and gas wells — none of which passed. The number and variety of bills does, however, indicate the increased level of interest and concern about unwarranted flaring of natural gas. HB 1377: Revises the…
BPX v. Strickhausen: When does acceptance of royalty constitute ratification of a pooled unit?
Landowners are often faced with a conundrum: can they accept a royalty check if they believe it is in the wrong amount? Ms. Strickhausen owns a half interest in the minerals under a tract of land in La Salle County. Her minerals are subject to a lease owned by BPX…
Wrap-up of bills in Texas Legislature of interest to Texas land and mineral owners
HB 3794 This bill, signed by the Governor, fixes a problem with the provisions of the Texas Business and Commerce Code that grant a security interest in oil and gas production and proceeds to secure the payor’s obligation to pay royalty owners. I have written about this problem before. Previous…
Texas Solar Energy Boom
According to the Houston Chronicle, “ERCOT estimates the amount of solar capacity alone could more than double by May 2022, growing to more than 17,000 megawatts from about 7,000 megawatts in April. One megawatt is enough to power about 200 Texas homes on hot summer day.” That’s 3.4 million homes.…
Winners and Losers from Historic Winter Storm
From the Houston Chronicle: This makes absolutely no economic sense to me.