Supreme

The U.S. Supreme Court Monday said it will review a lower court’s decision penalizing Houston-based Southern Union Co. $18 million for illegally storing a hazardous waste, mercury, without a permit in Rhode Island.

Two companies operating in the Marcellus Shale said they do not believe a recent ruling by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will have an impact on their substantial leaseholds in that state’s portion of the play.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has introduced a measure of uncertainty into some ownership claims for the resource rights to Marcellus Shale gas, ordering a lower court to consider whether the owner of the shale also owns the shale gas in the same manner that state law declares that coalbed methane belongs to the owner of the coal.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has introduced a measure of uncertainty into some ownership claims for the resource rights to Marcellus Shale gas, ordering a lower court to consider whether the owner of the shale also owns the shale gas in the same manner that state law declares that coalbed methane belongs to the owner of the coal.

In a case pitting a Sullivan County, NY, homeowner against his property owners association (POA), a Sullivan Civil Supreme Court judge has permanently barred Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. from drilling in the residential subdivision, which is located in the Marcellus Shale.

The city of Morgantown, WV, made no moves to appeal to the state Supreme Court a judge’s ruling that struck down its ban on hydraulic fracturing (fracking). It is instead considering its options to seek additional safety measures from Northeast Natural Energy (NNE).

A shale-rich township in southwestern Pennsylvania is proposing mediation to resolve a dispute with a local gas driller.

The Supreme Court of Arkansas on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling dismissing a lawsuit against the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) for leasing thousands of state-protected wildlife acres in the Fayetteville Shale for gas exploration.

The New Mexico Supreme Court has set a hearing for Wednesday to see if the state’s new governor can block a cap-and-trade provision affecting oil/gas operations and power generation. The New Mexico Environmental Law Center filed earlier this month with the state’s highest court, contending that Gov. Susana Martinez violated proper legal protocol in attempting to block a new greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions rule.