I’ll bet that most Texas oil and gas attorneys (and, I’m sure, everyone in the oil and gas business) often hear the myth repeated that someday there will be a peak in oil production, followed by a rapid decline which will cause the collapse of human civilization as we know…
The EPA has once again overestimated the amount of pollution that comes from an oil and gas source — with potentially grave consequences for the industry. This time, the EPA has overestimated the amount of methane gas that comes from shale gas wells. A new report from the IHS Cambridge…
As is no doubt true of most Texas oil and gas attorneys, I’m always interested in reading about new developments in the oil and gas industry, although they often seem to attract more than their share of political wrangling. Of course, energy independence is a hot-button issue these days (see…
There is a new arrow in the quiver of Texas September 1, 2011. Oil and gas companies can still acquire easements across private property to build pipelines. If the pipeline is a private pipeline, the pipeline company must obtain the voluntary agreement of the property owner. If the pipeline is…
I was interested to read recently about a new crude oil pipeline to be built by Enterprise Products Partners LP and Enbridge Inc. All new projects like this have the potential to create jobs, maximize local productivity, and ensure that our state’s natural resources are utilized in safe, secure, and…
As a Texas oil and gas attorney, I have followed with great interest the tumultuous relationship that seems to perpetually exist between Texas and its landowners on one hand, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the other. Unfortunately, some misguided policymakers are under the mistaken notion that…
When a Texas mineral owner asks me to review or negotiate an oil and gas lease offer they have received, one of the first things I do is to determine who the proposed operator, or lessee, will be. Many people do not realize how important it is to know just…
I spend a significant amount of time as a Texas oil and gas attorney assisting landowners with negotiation of easements and rights-of-way for oil or gas pipelines. As my client and I work through the negotiation process, it is vital to understand the various options available to the pipeline company…
When the federal government began giving billions of dollars to the banking industry through the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), we discovered that many financial institutions had gotten themselves into their dire situations by making or investing in high-risk home loans. Subsequent to that discovery, there was a push to…
It is incumbent upon a Texas oil and gas lawyer to keep abreast of all relevant decisions from appellate courts and the state’s highest court. Proper advocacy demands that attorneys understand changes in the law and be able to incorporate those changes in their legal representation. Lawyers must have an…