Lawsuit

After more than seven years, a federal court has given final approval to two class action settlements that would require Chesapeake Energy Corp. to pay Pennsylvania landowners more than $9 million for improperly calculating oil and gas royalties.  The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas certified two settlement classes this week. The…

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied a petition that sought to overturn a Minnesota county ordinance banning the mining of silica sand, which is used in some Lower 48 well completions. Minnesota Sands LLC, which filed its initial lawsuit in 2017, was challenging an adverse ruling by the Supreme Court of Minnesota regarding Winona…

Bankrupt Gulfport Energy Corp. has accused Cheniere Energy Inc.’s Midship Pipeline subsidiary of illegally seizing $75.6 million to hold it “hostage” during contract renegotiations in anticipation of the Chapter 11 filing, according to court filings. “To obtain leverage in ongoing contract negotiations and secure an advantageous cash position prior to Gulfport’s bankruptcy, Midship made false…

The controversial Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) secured the final regulatory approval needed to build a pump station and expand others in Illinois, projects that should help it nearly double oil capacity. The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) this week approved Energy Transfer LP’s plan to build a pump station in Hancock County, IL, and expand other…

A federal court on Thursday paused a rescission by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Obama-era regulations to curb methane emissions from the oil and gas industry. Swift legal action against the sweeping rule change had been promised by environmental advocates, and judicial intervention had been widely anticipated by experts. The U.S. Court of…

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday said it would help defend Trump administration updates to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that were designed to minimize reviews and hasten approvals of proposed infrastructure projects, including natural gas and oil pipelines. At issue is the White House Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ)’s overhaul of NEPA…

A coalition of environmental groups has filed a lawsuit to jettison a federal plan that would allow oil and gas drilling on public lands in southwestern Colorado. The six western U.S. groups filed the lawsuit against the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in U.S. District Court in Denver. The plaintiffs claim that…

Minnesota Attorney General (AG) Keith Ellison on Wednesday sought to prevent ExxonMobil, the American Petroleum Institute (API) and three Koch Industries entities from continuing “deceptive practices” regarding climate change.  In the complaint filed in Ramsey County, Ellison said he is seeking to hold the companies and API “accountable for perpetuating fraud against Minnesotans” regarding “claims…

The attorneys general (AG) of Minnesota, California and Wisconsin have formally lent their support to a lawsuit filed by Michigan AG Dana Nessel seeking to shut down Enbridge Inc.’s Line 5 light crude oil and natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline across Michigan’s Straits of Mackinac.