Oil, Gas, and Mineral Law Commons^™

A New And Improved Energy Reality—It's No Pipedream: Streamlining Permitting Procedures For Certain Classes Of Natural Resource Projects: The Canada-United States Keystone Xl Pipeline, Daniel Hare

Buffalo Environmental Law Journal

In this paper I propose an original policy solution to the complicated issue of permitting and regulatory review for cross-border natural resource projects to allow for a smoother quicker approval process for certain types of projects. I have specifically designed this new procedure so as to focus on political compromise and minimize political partisanship, while instead concentrating on achieving results. By modi ing the current regulatory standard to a more streamlined model, deserving cross-border natural resource projects can swiftly gain approval, yet environmental, economic, foreign policy, national securit), and other significant concerns will still receive the attention and thorough evaluation …

The 2013 Philip C. Jessup International Law, Alfurna, The State Of Rustasia

ILSA Journal of International & Comparative Law

On behalf of Alfurna ("the Applicant") and the State of Rutasia ("the Respondent"), in accordance with Article 40(1) of the Statute of the International Court of Justice, we have the honour to transmit to you an original of the Compromis for submission to the International Court of Justice of the Differences between the Applicant and the Respondent concerning the Alfurnan Migrants, signed in The Hague, The Netherlands, on the fourteenth day of September in the year two thousand twelve.

Shale Revolution Or Evolution: Opportunities And Challenges For Europe, Owen L. Anderson

Global Business Law Review

Will European shale gas be developed as rapidly as it has in the United States? If one considers that shale gas took about 30 years to develop from an experimental demonstration into a fast developing commercial enterprise, it should not take that long in Europe. Indeed, the United Kingdom, after lifting its moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, appears to be moving quite rapidly. Poland is actively promoting shale gas but so far without economic production. On the other hand, if one considers how rapidly shale gas has expanded in the United States since 2003 and how rapidly investment in shale gas …

Some Legal Impacts Of The Emerging International Climate Change Regime On Energy Prices, James E. Hickey Jr.

Global Business Law Review

From the beginning of scientific assessment of climate change in the late 1970’s to the most recent conference of the parties (COP) to the Kyoto Protocol in Doha in 2012 , the international community has been attempting to establish a workable legal regime to deal with climate change. The purpose of this article is to explore some of the legal effects this emerging international climate change regime may have on energy prices in the foreseeable future. Specifically, this article in section II article accepts certain predicates relating to climate change and energy prices. In section III, it lays out briefly …

"Turn On The Lights" -Sustainable Energy Investment And Regulatory Policy: Charting The Hydrokinetic Path For Pakistan, Nadia B. Ahmad

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

Hydrokinetic energy is an under-recognized, low-cost renewable technology that can be deployed in Pakistan through a robust national energy strategy and international investment schemes to tackle the country’s acute energy crisis. This article will show how national and local laws can be amended to favor progress in the sustainable energy sector and achieve hydrokinetic energy production in Pakistan, which if actualized, would be nothing short of a game changer—strategically and environmentally. Despite current legal regimes that disfavor small scale hydroelectric power production, Pakistan and other less developed countries can adapt and deploy hydrokinetic technology through revamped investment laws, regulatory rules, …

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

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

Soaring energy demands and increasing technological innovation have led to the rapid exploitation of offshore oil and gas exploration and development. This Article seeks to examine elements of risk preparedness and corporate social responsibility in the context of the underwater natural gas pipeline in the Eastern Caribbean and the exploration of Florida's potential offshore energy reserves. I discuss these two case studies to illustrate the prevalence of emerging regional energy corridors in previously unfathomable tropical and subtropical locales known for tourism-intensive commercial activity. While images of environmental degradation of the 2010 BP oil spill remain entrenched in the collective consciousness, …

Kiobel V. Royal Dutch Petroleum: The Alien Tort Statute's Jurisdictional Universalism In Retreat, Kenneth Anderson

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum (Shell), a long-running Alien Tort Statute (ATS) case brought by Nigerian plaintiffs alleging aiding and abetting liability against various multinational oil companies for human rights violations of the Nigerian government in the 1990s, including a non-US Shell corporation, first came before the US Supreme Court in the 2011-2012 term, following a sweeping Second Circuit holding that there was no "liability for corporations" under the ATS. In oral argument, however, several Justices asked a different question from corporate liability: noting that the case involved foreign plaintiffs, foreign defendants, and conduct taking place entirely on foreign sovereign …

Hydrofracking: State Preemption, Local Power, And Cooperative Governance, John R. Nolon

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

Advocates for the gas drilling technology known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, argue that it will bring significant economic benefits to the private and public sectors. Its opponents dispute these claims and point to significant environmental and public health risks associated with fracking—risks that must be considered in adopting government regulations needed to protect the public interest. One of the many issues raised by fracking is which level of government should regulate which aspects of the practice. This debate is complicated by the fact that the risks associated with fracking raise concerns of federal, state, and local importance and fit …

Missouri Oil And Gas Update, Nadia B. Ahmad

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

The State of Missouri has untapped potential for the development of oil and natural gas resources. While the Missouri courts were quiet this past year on interpreting oil and gas rules and regulations, the legislature was active in amending laws governing storage tanks. The state has experienced a tremendous upsurge in oil and gas production in the past two fiscal years. Missouri is poised to ramp up its conventional oil and gas production in the coming years, so increased legislative actions and court activity will likely occur in the near future. Missouri's energy resources include coal bed methane, oil sand, …

Fracking Patents: The Emergence Of Patents As Information-Containment Tools In Shale Drilling, Daniel R. Cahoy, Joel Gehman, Zhen Lei

Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review

The advantages of new sources of energy must be weighed against environmental, health, and safety concerns related to new production technology. The rapid development of unconventional oil and gas fields, such as the Barnett and Marcellus Shales, provide an excellent context for these contrasting goals. Information about extraction hazards is an extremely important issue. In general, patents are viewed as a positive force in this regard, providing a vehicle for disseminating information in exchange for a limited property right over an invention. However, by limiting the evaluation of an invention by third parties, patents might also be used to control …

The Impact Of Shale Development On International And Domestic Oil And Gas Contracts, Andrew R. Thomas

Global Business Law Review

In new oil and gas provinces, such as Ohio, Pennsylvania or Ukraine, learning oil and gas customs can be a hard lesson for those trying to break into the industry as service providers. They need to get up to speed quickly on customs, form agreements, and applicable laws. But unconventional oil and gas recovery will also lead eventually to unconventional agreements. In this regard, the nascent upstream service industry in new shale provinces are not so far behind - there is reason to be to be optimistic that oil and gas companies will be rethinking how they transact business as …

Fracking The Oil And Gas Trade Secrets Of The Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Play, Jeremy I. Maynard

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

The Chevron-Ecuador Dispute, Forum Non Conveniens, And The Problem Of Ex Ante Inadequacy, Howard M. Erichson

Faculty Scholarship

These opening lines from Chevron's website of "facts about Chevron and Texaco in Ecuador" refer to the latest salvo in a long-running environmental dispute concerning a Texaco subsidiary's Ecuadorian oil-drilling activities. Chevron resisted enforcement in the United States of an Ecuadorian court's $18 billion judgment, and the plaintiffs are seeking to enforce the judgment against Chevron in various courts around the world. Chevron's account suggests that the plaintiffs' lawyers are engaged in improper forum-shopping. The plaintiffs'lawyers, according to Chevron, ought to pursue enforcement of the judgment in the United States.

The Fight Against The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative , Eric Fortineaux

Loyola University Chicago International Law Review

No abstract provided.

Deferred Prosecution And Non-Prosecution Agreements And The Erosion Of Corporate Criminal Liability, David M. Uhlmann

Maryland Law Review

No abstract provided.

Oil, Gas, And Mineral Titles: Resolving Perennial Problems In The Shale Era, Laura H. Burney

Faculty Articles

Mineral deeds present a list of perennial interpretative problems, which create uncertainty about ownership rights in mineral estates and the proceeds from the sale of oil and gas production. Consequently, the following issues arise: (1) deeds with conflicting fractions; (2) the “mineral or royalty” question; (3) the application of the common law “rule against perpetuities” to non-participating royalties, a common interest in the oil patch; (4) the meaning of “minerals”—does it include oil and gas?; (5) the executive’s duty to lease; and (6) deed interpretation versus “reformation.”

States with long histories of production and case law have grappled with several …

Hydraulic Fracturing And Water Management In The Great Lakes, Nicholas Schroeck, Stephanie Karisny

Law Faculty Research Publications

No abstract provided.

Still Fugacious After All These Years: A Sequel To The Basic Primer On Arkansas Oil And Gas Law, Thomas A. Daily, W. Christopher Barrier

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

This sequel to the authors' 2007 article, Fugacious 1, follows the same outline and considers the same topics as the original article while considering the major developments since Fugacious 1 was published. Whereas Fugacious 1 was a basic primer on Arkansas oil and gas law, this article supplements the development of Arkansas oil and gas law over the last five years through an overview of the litigation concerning the Fayetteville Shale Play. Specifically, the article expands on those topics covered by Fugacious 1 needing revision or supplementation, while simply noting as such the sections where no revision or supplementation is …

The Scopes Monkey Trial Revisited: How The Coal Industry And The Surface Mining States Ignore Science To The Detriment Of The Appalachian Environment, Sarah J. Surber

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

Shared-Use Infrastructure: A Prickly Partnership Takes Root, Perrine Toledano

Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment Staff Publications

Only about 30% of Africa has access to electricity, and transport costs in Africa are among the highest in the world. For the World Bank, the annual funding gap for infrastructure investment in Africa is US $31 billion.

This gap however can be filled if the investments of natural resource concessionaires are leveraged and not planned in an enclave model. In resource-rich but infrastructure-poor Africa, natural resource concessionaires have traditionally developed railways, ports and power plants to serve their own needs. Africa has therefore often missed the opportunity of coordinating those large investments with national infrastructure planning and has failed …