While several bills were considered that would restructure the state’s severance tax scheme on oil and gas during Louisiana’s 2025 regular legislative session, three bills aimed to stimulate drilling activity and attract jobs in the energy sector were passed and sent to Governor Jeff Landry for his signature.
Continue Reading Louisiana Severance Tax Law Changes – A Win for Oil & Gas
On May 29, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit’s decision that vacated the Surface Transportation Board’s (“the Board”) environmental impact statement (“EIS”) and approval of an 88-mile rail line to bring crude oil from Utah to the Gulf Coast.
Continue Reading Supreme Court Clarifies Scope of NEPA Reviews in Long-Awaited Decision
On May 21, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit dismissed environmental groups’ suit challenging EPA’s decision to grant Louisiana’s Class VI Primacy request, holding that each of the groups failed to establish standing to sue. Deep South Center for Environmental Justice v. EPA, No. 24-60084 (5th Cir. 2025).
Continue Reading Fifth Circuit Dismisses Environmental Groups’ Suit Challenging Louisiana’s Primacy Over Class VI Injection Wells
On May 23, 2025, the Texas Supreme Court issued a long-awaited opinion in Cromwell v. Anadarko E&P Onshore, LLC, in which it held that two habendum clauses written in the passive voice did not specifically require production by the lessee, but instead could be perpetuated by production from anyone on the leased premises.
Continue Reading Not All Lessees Must Produce, According to New Texas Supreme Court Opinion Rejecting Washout
On May 22, 2025, several environmental groups, RISE St. James, Micah Six Eight Mission, The Descendants Project, The Concerned Citizens of St. John Inc., Claiborne Avenue Alliance Design Studio, Inc., and JOIN for Clean Air, have sued Louisiana public officials charged with enforcing the State’s Community Air Monitoring Reliability Act (“CAMRA” or “the Act”) in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, alleging that the CAMRA violates their constitutional rights and is preempted by the Clean Air Act (“CAA”). RISE St. James Louisiana v. Burdette, (M.D. La. May 22, 2025).
Continue Reading Environmental Groups File Suit Challenging Validity of Louisiana’s Community Air Monitoring Reliability Act
On May 9, 2025, the Texas Supreme Court issued a per curiam opinion in Roxo Energy Co., LLC v. Baxsto, LLC, — S.W.3d —, No. 23-0564, 2025 WL 1349581 (Tex. May 9, 2025), in which it held that a lessee was entitled to judgment as a matter of law on a lessor’s claims for fraud, fraudulent inducement, statutory fraud, and fraud by non-disclosure, all arising from the lessee’s alleged oral representations that were inconsistent with the parties’ written contracts.
Continue Reading Red Flags Negate Fraud Claims in Recent Texas Supreme Court Opinion
The 2025 Louisiana Legislative Session has continued to stay busy on the carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) front, with a mix of outcomes for proposed bills.
Continue Reading Pipelines, Property, and Policy: CCS Legislation Continues in 2025 Louisiana Session
The Texas Supreme Court, in Myers-Woodward, LLC v. Undergrounds Services Markham, LLC, — S.W.3d —, No. 22-0878, 2025 WL 1415892 (Tex. May 16, 2025), held that surface owners own subsurface salt caverns, even when such caverns are created by mineral owners.
Continue Reading Ownership of Underground Storage Space Under Texas Law Resolved by Texas Supreme Court Decision
A new U.S. Geological Survey report has revealed significant untapped natural gas and oil resources across the Gulf Coast region, estimating 35.8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 28 million barrels of oil within the Hosston and Travis Peak Formations.
Continue Reading New USGS Report Highlights Major Gas Potential in Louisiana and Texas, Gulf Coast Region
On Friday, May 2, 2025, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) announced its intent to revise the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) 2024 Risk Management and Financial Assurance of OCS Lease and Grant Obligations Rule (2024 Rule).
Continue Reading DOI to Overhaul BOEM’s 2024 Risk Management and Financial Assurance Regulations for Offshore Leases and Grants