The article below appeared in the latest newsletter of the Texas Land and Mineral Owners Association. It reviews the Texas Railroad Commission’s recent amendment of its Rule 15, dealing with dormant oil and gas wells. Thanks to TLMA and the author, Trey Scott, for giving me permission to publish his…
When I last wrote about this case, I reported that the Texas Supreme Court had denied the petition for review of the Corpus Christi Court of Appeals’ decision affirming a $15 million arbitration award against Forest. On motion for rehearing, the Supreme Court granted the petition for review. The case…
Every year, the ABA Journal of the American Bar Association publishes a list of its 100 best blogs related to law topics. One of those on this year’s list is the Texas Agriculture Law Blog, published by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. The author is Tiffany Dowell Lasmet, an…
With OPEC’s announced reduction in crude production, it might be good to take the long view. Below is chart of crude prices since 1985. The period between 2005 and today has seen a revival of the US oil industry. Companies have now bet that they can make money at $50/bbl,…
The Dallas Morning News has published an excellent, in-depth investigative report — “Seismic Denial? Why Texas Won’t Admit Fracking Wastewater is Causing Earthquakes,” by Steve Thompson and Anna Kuchment — about the Texas Railroad Commission’s failure to recognize or address the relationship between salt water disposal wells and earthquakes in…
The news this week is full of stories about the EIA’s new figures on the amount of recoverable oil in the Permian Basin. Unlike the rest of the country, the rig count in the Permian is rising and is now equal to all other rigs in the country combined. Permian…
National press have reported that oil tycoon Harold Hamm, billionaire founder and CEO of Continental Resources, is being considered for Energy Secretary in the Trump administration. Last year, it was reported that Hamm pressured the University of Oklahoma to dismiss scientists who were studying links between disposal wells and earthquakes…
The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania last month issued its decision in Kiskadden v. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, copy of opinion here: Kiskadden. Kiskadden claims that chemicals from Range Resources’ Yeager wells, located about a half-mile from Kiskadden’s water well, contaminated his well. One judge dissented. The Commonwealth Court is…
The Sunset Advisory Commission will meet November 10 to vote on its recommendations to the Texas legislature for legislation to continue the Railroad Commission for another 12 years. Committee members have proposed modifications to several of the staff report, and also add several additional recommendations. The staff recommendations and proposed…
“Liberty doesn’t work as well in practice as it does in speeches.” “Democrats never agree on anything, that’s why they’re Democrats. If they agreed with each other, they would be Republicans.” “If you ever injected truth into politics you would have no politics.” “The more you read and observe about…