Courts

Wyoming’s two main oil and gas trade groups are seeking to expedite the resumption of oil and gas leases on federal property by the Department of the Interior (DOI). In a merits brief filed Aug. 30 in Wyoming District Court, the Western Energy Alliance and the Petroleum Association of Wyoming (PAW) allege that DOI is…

The U.S. government confirmed in a court filing it would resume federal oil and gas lease sales — and established a timeline — to comply with a ruling that called for an end to the Biden administration’s moratorium. Critics, however, noted that Biden administration officials intend to stretch the process out over several months as…

A federal judge on Wednesday voided Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approval of ConocoPhillips’ massive Willow development envisaged for Alaska’s North Slope, citing a failure by BLM to analyze the project’s downstream greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In a written ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason of the District of Alaska said the environmental impact…

FERC erred when it issued a 2018 certificate to Spire STL Pipeline LLC by failing to adequately examine the market need for the natural gas transmission project, an appeals court ruled Tuesday. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (DC) Circuit vacated Spire’s certificate and remanded it back to the Federal Energy…

Oil was still flowing Thursday on Enbridge Inc.’s disputed dual-pipe Line 5 across the Straits of Mackinac after an inconclusive round Wednesday in the third court fight since 2018 over Michigan demands to turn off the 540,000 b/d conduit. No order emerged to enforce a Wednesday shutdown deadline set by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer from the…

Just days before ConocoPhillips’ Alaska division was slated to begin construction of the long-planned Willow project, a federal judge ordered a delay in response to a lawsuit by environmental groups that alleges former President Trump’s administration overlooked wildlife and climate change impacts. In a decision issued last week, U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason temporarily…

Kern County, CA, has begun a process that could lead to resuming oil and gas well permitting in April if county supervisors approve a draft environmental report prepared after an appellate court last year set aside efforts to streamline the process. The Fifth District Court of Appeals based in Fresno, CA, halted the permitting system…

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has finalized a supplemental environmental review of the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), a key step in resolving a permitting setback that has prevented construction on a small portion of the project routed through the Jefferson National Forest. Late last week, the USFS released a final supplemental environmental impact statement for…

A federal district court has denied ongoing legal challenges to the Trump administration’s 2019 approval of TC Energy Corp.’s Keystone XL oil pipeline.  In separate orders handed down late last week, Chief District Judge Brian Morris of the U.S. District Court for Montana denied requests filed by tribal and environmental groups seeking a preliminary injunction…