Oil and Gas Lawyer BlogA study released by TexNet concludes that “some earthquakes in west Texas are more likely due to hydraulic-fracturing than salt-water disposal.” TexNet is a seismic monitoring program run by the University of Texas and funded by the legislature as a result of unusual earthquake activity in several areas of Texas where oil and gas drilling […]
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TAMEST Report on Impacts of Shale Development in Texas
The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas (TAMEST) has issued a report on the environmental and community impacts of shale development in Texas. The report can be viewed on the TAMEST website. Its authors reviewed available literature on on six areas of impacts: seismicity, land, water, air, transportation, and economic and social impacts. […]
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Jack Pope, Former Chief Justice of Texas Supreme Court, Dies at age 103
I served as a clerk for Justice Ross Doughty from 1975-1976, after graduating from UT Law School. Justice Pope was serving on the court at the time. Jack Pope served on the Supreme Court from 1964 until his retirement in 1985, and served as Chief Justice from 1982 to 1985, following the retirement of Chief […]
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Texas Legislature – Bills of Interest to Mineral Owners
The Texas legislative session has now ended. I followed 44 bills identified as potentially affecting the interests of mineral owners. Only two of those bills passed. HB 40 The bill that produced the most controversy was HB 40, introduced by Rep. Darby, chair of the House Energy Resources Committee. It restricts the ability of municipalities […]
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Texas Legislature Funds Earthquake Study
The Texas Legislature has passed a supplemental appropriation of $4.471 million to fund a study of the cause of recent earthquakes in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The money will be used to fund the purchase and use of seismic monitoring equipment and modeling of reservoir behavior, testing any connection between oil and gas activity and […]
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Texas and the EPA
The State of Texas and the EPA have been at loggerheads on energy policy and federal regulation for some time. The latest blast from Texas comes in response to the EPA’s new proposed regulations to limit carbon emissions from power plants. On June 2, the EPA published proposed rules that would require states to develop […]
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Colorado’s New Air Pollution Rules in Texas?
I ran across this article from the Miami Herald: “Colorado’s new drilling rules seen as making an impact in Texas.” Colorado recently adopted tough air emissions rules applicable to the oil and gas exploration, production and transportation industries, intended to reduce emissions of methane. Those rules were adopted in collaboration with oil companies active in […]
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Texas Oil Production Exceeds Iran’s
Texas pumped 2.575 million barrels of oil per day in June, exceeding Iran’s production of 2.56 million barrels/day. Texas now ranks ahead of seven members of OPEC in oil production. The U.S. is now the world’s largest exporter of refined fuels, including gasoline and diesel. The U.S. met 87 percent of its energy needs in the […]
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Water Used for Fracing Exceeds Oil Produced in Texas
I recently read this astounding report from the Texas Tribune: “In 2011, Texas used a greater number of barrels of water for oil and natural gas fracking (about 632 million) than the number of barrels of oil it produced (about 441 million), according to figures from the Texas Water Development Board and the Railroad Commission […]
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Opielas Settle Suits Against Magnolia on Allocation and PSA Wells
Our firm represented the Opielas in two cases involving a Magnolia horizontal well in Karnes County: a suit against Magnolia in Karnes County, and a suit against the Texas Railroad Commission in Travis County. In both cases the Opielas contended that Magnolia had no right to drill a horizontal well located partly on their land. […]