Property Law and Real Estate Commons^™

Regulate Or Be Regulated: Why Professional Landmen Should Be Proactive In Protecting The Integrity Of Their Occupation, Brian J. Steinocher

Texas A&M Journal of Property Law

In most states, the landman profession is unregulated and free to define itself. Work performed by landmen often flirts with the practice of law, but under Texas law much of the work that landmen perform is excepted from the unlicensed practice of law. Historically, the American Association of Professional Landmen (“AAPL”) has been influential in guaranteeing that this exception stays available to landmen all over the United States and that landmen are not subject to licensing requirements in the states they work in. In light of the recent, unsuccessful attempt by the Texas legislature to regulate landmen, this Article will …

United States V. Osage Wind, Llc, Summer Carmack

Public Land & Resources Law Review

The Osage Nation, as owner of the beneficial interest in its mineral estate, issues federally-approved leases to persons and entities who wish to conduct mineral development on its lands. After an energy-development company, Osage Wind, leased privately-owned surface lands within Tribal reservation boundaries and began to excavate minerals for purposes of constructing a wind farm, the United States brought suit on the Tribe’s behalf. In the ensuing litigation, the Osage Nation insisted that Osage Wind should have obtained a mineral lease from the Tribe before beginning its work. In its decision, the Tenth Circuit applied one of the Indian law …

Eminent Domain And Oil Pipelines: A Slippery Path For Federal Regulation, Natalie M. Jensen

Fordham Environmental Law Review

No abstract provided.

Public Resource Ownership And Community Engagement In A Modern Energy Landscape, Samantha Hepburn

Pace Environmental Law Review

The onshore resource conflicts that have erupted in the Eastern states of Australia highlight the deep need for axiomatic structural change in public resource ownership frameworks. Much of the conflict that has arisen stems from the failure of the state, as owner, to give proper regard to the social and environmental concerns relevant to the expansion of onshore resource development. The underlying rationale for vesting resources in the state is to ensure they are managed for the benefit of the community as a whole. The implied sumption is that public benefit obligations are met through state administration because this is …

Earthquakes In The Oilpatch: The Regulatory And Legal Issues Arising Out Of Oil And Gas Operation Induced Seismicity, Monika U. Ehrman

Georgia State University Law Review

This article reviews the scientific theories and studies regarding induced seismicity, in addition to examining the current regulatory framework and litigation arising out of these seismic events. Lastly, it provides strategies to aid stakeholders and identifies challenges likely to arise in the future.

Part I of this Article provides a review of the geoscience theories regarding natural and induced seismicity. Part II reviews the current scientific literature regarding a possible relationship between certain oil and gas operations and induced seismicity. Part III reviews the existing regulatory structure addressing seismicity in affected states, including possible applicable environmental legislation. Part IV discusses …

Zoning’S Centennial: A Complete Account Of The Evolution Of Zoning Into A Robust System Of Land Use Law—1916-2016 (Part Iv), John R. Nolon

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

Fracking is happening and local governments are subjected to many of its associated risks. They either need to act, or know—clearly and convincingly—why they should not. The federal government has stopped far short of comprehensive regulation of fracking; the states’ regulations range from fair to poor, sometimes preempting local regulation but most often sharing regulatory authority over land use impacts.

The Validity Of Restraints On Alienation In An Oil And Gas Lease, Luke Meier, Rory Ryan

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Unfortunate Provincialism Of The Space Resources Act, Thomas Simmons

Faculty Publications

This article discusses aspects of the Space Resource Exploration and Utilization Act of 2015, namely exclusion of non-US citizens and companies from extraterrestrial resource rights.

Fixed Vs.Floating Non-Participating Oil & Gas Royalty In Texas: And The Battles Rage On . . ., Christopher S. Kulander

Texas A&M Law Review

The author discusses fixed and floating non-participating oil and gas royalty in Texas and concludes that royalty cases will continue to be heard by the courts.

Statutory Pooling And Unitization In West Virginia: The Case For Protecting Private Landowners, James E. Mcdaniel

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Fracking: The Unconventional Energy Response To Climate Change: Implications For The Real Estate Industry, 49 J. Marshall L. Rev. 449 (2015), Celeste Hammond

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Horizontal Drilling, Vertical Problems: Property Law Challenges From The Marcellus Shale Boom, 49 J. Marshall L. Rev. 413 (2015), Joshua Fershee, S. Alex Shay

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Following New Lights: Critical Legal Research Strategies As A Spark For Law Reform In Appalachia, Nicholas F. Stump

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

The nascent “critical legal research” movement applies the constellation of critical theory to the American legal research regime. Work in this discourse has unpacked the means through which commercial print and online legal resources (e.g., Westlaw and Lexis) insidiously channel the efforts of legal researchers, essentially predetermining research outcomes. Although legal research is commonly conceived as a normatively neutral paradigm, such commercial homogenizing agents (paired with traditional methods of legal analysis) in fact reflect and perpetuate society’s dominant interests. As grounded in the existing literature, this Article outlines novel strategies that may together constitute one potential version of a critically …

One Stick In The Bundle: Characterizing Nonparticipating Royalty Interests Under West Virginia Law, Andrew S. Graham, Allison J. Farrell, Lauren A. Williams, Amber M. Moore

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Lights Out In The Bakken: A Review And Analysis Of Flaring Regulation And Its Potential Effects On North Dakota Shale Oil Production, Monika U. Ehrman

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Conflicting Property Rights Between Conservation Easements And Oil And Gas Leases In Ohio: Why Current Law Could Benefit Conservation Efforts, Nicholas R. House

William & Mary Law Review

First, this Note will establish why conservation easements and oil and gas leases are likely to conflict. Second, this Note will present two scenarios under which conservation easements and oil and gas leases might conflict and then demonstrate how current law sorts out the conflicting rights. Third, it will advance several arguments for how conservation easements should be adapted, identifying specific provisions that should be altered in light of the Internal Revenue Code and Ohio’s current legal structure. By doing so, this Note will elucidate how the oil and gas boom in Ohio offers conservation organizations a unique opportunity to …

The Durability Of Private Claims To Public Property, Bruce R. Huber

Journal Articles

Property rights and resource use are closely related. Scholarly inquiry about their relation, however, tends to emphasize private property arrangements while ignoring public property — property formally owned by government. The well-known tragedies of the commons and anticommons, for example, are generally analyzed with reference to the optimal form and degree of private ownership. But what about property owned by the state? The federal government alone owns nearly one-third of the land area of the United States. One could well ask: is there a tragedy associated with public property, too? If there is, here is what it might look like: …

The Tropics Exploited: Risk Preparedness And Corporate Social Responsibility In Offshore Energy Development, Nadia B. Ahmad

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Agenda: Changing Regulatory Frameworks For Shale Development And "Social License To Operate", University Of Colorado Boulder. Getches-Wilkinson Center For Natural Resources, Energy, And The Environment

Changing Regulatory Frameworks for Shale Development and "Social License to Operate" (July 24)

Rapid development of unconventional shale resources in recent years has raised a series of regulatory issues both here and abroad. Because of the "distributed" nature of shale development and the significant increase in wells in key basins, local land-use conflicts have also erupted in certain areas of the country, leading to restrictions and moratoria on drilling by state, county, and municipal governments and raising questions about the industry's continued social license to operate in key jurisdictions. This moderated panel discussion will assess the current regulatory framework governing shale gas development and the changing dynamics among federal, state, and local regulation …

A Fresh Look At An Old Tort: Litigating Slander Of Title In Mineral Disputes, J. Zak Ritchie

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Review Of The Implied Covenant Of Development In The Shale Gas Era, George A. Bibkos

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

I Drink Your Milkshake?: Potential Property Rights Repercussions Of Natural Gas Exploration In New York State, Joshua M. Tallent

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Top Leases And The Rule Against Perpetuities, J. Suzanne Hill

Pepperdine Law Review

The competition for oil and gas leases has resulted in an increase in the use of top leases to secure oil and gas leasehold estates. Top leases which are found to violate the Rule against Perpetuities could result in the loss of millions of dollars to the lessee. The author examines top leasing in light of the Rule against Perpetuities and concludes that absent a savings clause, such leases violate the Rule. A savings clause is proposed which would save an otherwise invalid lease thereby circumventing the harsh application of the Rule.

Slides: Unconventional Gas And Oil – Potential Air Emissions, John Imse

Air Quality Impacts from Oil and Gas Development (January 27)

Presenter: John Imse, Hydrogeologist, ENVIRON International Corporation presents an overview of the current methods for developing a shale play and the typical site operations

10 slides

Slides: Air Monitoring And Litigation Update, John Jacus

Air Quality Impacts from Oil and Gas Development (January 27)

Presenter: John Jacus, Partner, Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP, reviews recent litigation aimed at oil and gas development activities with respect to air emissions impacts, and also several recent and ongoing studies and ambient monitoring efforts focused upon air emissions from oil and gas activities

23 slides

Slides: Air Quality - Oil And Gas Development, Paul R. Tourangeau

Air Quality Impacts from Oil and Gas Development (January 27)

Presenter: Paul Tourangeau, Assistant General Counsel, DCP Midstream, LP and former Director, Colorado Air Pollution Control Division, addresses regulatory requirements and policies related to air emissions from the oil and gas sector, including recent and current initiatives at the state and federal level

8 slides

Slides: Hydrofracking: Air Issues And Community Exposure, Debra A. Kaden

Air Quality Impacts from Oil and Gas Development (January 27)

Presenter: Debra Kaden, Ph.D., Toxicologist, ENVIRON International Corporation, discusses air concentrations of chemicals of potential health concern surrounding oil and gas development activities, as well as temporal and spatial patterns of these chemicals in the ambient environment. Such information is necessary to evaluate possible health impacts of the drilling process on air in surrounding communities.

19 slides

Agenda: Air Quality Impacts From Oil And Gas Development, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

Air Quality Impacts from Oil and Gas Development (January 27)

Oil and gas development and hydraulic fracturing have received enormous attention over the past few years, and most of that attention has focused on the potential impacts of such development on water quality. However, the potential impacts on air quality from oil and gas development have received far less public and media attention and discussion. This two-hour program will assess the current scientific knowledge, regulatory requirements and policies regarding the impacts on air quality from oil and gas development and will address current initiatives at the state and national levels to further regulate and control those impacts.

Split Estate, Thomas A. Ipri

Library Faculty Research

The concept of a split estate refers to the fact that owners of a property do not necessarily own the minerals and resources that reside under the property.
/="/">Debra Anderson’s Split Estate highlights the more damning aspects of this oddity by documenting how oil and gas companies are setting up shop on home
/="/">owner’s land. In some instances, oil rigs are constructing within 100 feet of people’s homes.

Hydraulic Fracturing Goes To Court: How Texas Jurisprudence On Subsurface Trespass Will Influence West Virginia Oil And Gas Law, Travis Zeik

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.