Energy & Natural Resources

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On April 23, the Supreme Court of the United States issued an opinion in County of Maui, Hawaii v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund, et al., where the Court held that, in limited circumstances, a party discharging pollutants into groundwater that ultimately end up in navigable waters will need a permit under the Clean Water Act.
Continue Reading The Supreme Court Looks for a Middle Ground to Determine When Clean Water Act Permit is Required for Discharges to Groundwater

In a previous post to the Liskow website, we advised clients and friends that the CARES Act, P.L. 116-136, enacted modifications to the rules for the use of net operating losses (“NOLs”) and corporate alternative minimum tax carryforward credits (“AMT Carryforward Credits”) for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2021.  See, J. Bradford and J. Birdsong, CARES Act Makes Significant Changes to Four Key Business Tax Provisions Enacted in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.[1]  The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) now has published guidance on how refunds attributable to the newly-permitted 5-year carryback of NOLs in section 172 of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) and the accelerated use of AMT Carryforward Credits in section 53(e) of the Code can be obtained.  The IRS also has published guidance allowing business entities classified as partnerships for federal income tax purposes to file amended partnership income tax returns, including Form 1065 and Schedule K-1, to help individual and corporate taxpayers who are partners in those partnerships take advantage of changes in the federal income tax law enacted in the CARES Act.
Continue Reading New IRS Guidance on Obtaining Refunds for Net Operating Loss Carrybacks, Corporate AMT Carryforward Credits and Filing Amended Returns for Partnerships

Background

The Coronavirus Pandemic has wreaked havoc on small and mid-sized businesses (“SMBs”) throughout Texas and the rest of our country.  Many SMBs have had to close their doors due to mandatory stay-at-home orders and other social distancing orders and requirements.  The CARES Act and other recent legislation passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump contain several programs designed to assist these businesses in their efforts to make it through the hardships of the next several months.  But what about the longer-term capital needs for SMBs as the pandemic subsides and these businesses emerge from the mandatory stay-at-home and other orders and begin to move forward again?Continue Reading Emerging on the Other Side of the Coronavirus Pandemic: Raising Structured Capital for Small and Mid-Size Businesses

In January of this year, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania tackled an issue that has been confronted by few other courts—whether the rule of capture precludes a claim for subsurface trespass due to hydraulic fracturing.[1]Continue Reading Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Weighs in on Hydraulic Fracturing and Subsurface Trespass

Today, countries worldwide are responding to a pandemic of respiratory disease spreading from person-to-person caused by a novel coronavirus.  The disease has been named “coronavirus disease 2019” (abbreviated “COVID-19”).  The pandemic poses a serious public health risk, and government response has included closure of schools and businesses, declarations of emergency, and issuance of a variety of “stay home” orders—typically instructing all but “essential personnel” to remain in their residences other than to gather necessaries.  These events have dramatically impacted the world economy, and wreaked havoc on the day-to-day functions of individuals and businesses in the United States and elsewhere.  Does this pandemic and resultant disruption constitute a force majeure event under Louisiana and Texas law?Continue Reading COVID-19 as a Force Majeure? The Texas and Louisiana Perspectives

The impacts of COVID-19 have rapidly swept across the country and the globe. Coupled with the recent decline in oil and gas prices, many operators are left scrambling in an attempt to navigate unprecedented circumstances.  With shutdowns and stay-at-home orders in place and regulatory deadlines looming, Louisiana operators are looking for guidance from regulators on how to proceed.Continue Reading Commissioner of Conservation Issues Letter Addressing Emergency Measures to Help Louisiana Oil and Gas Industry

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of denials of applications to decommission offshore pipelines in place in a departure from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement’s (“BSEE”) longstanding practices.  The denials are accompanied by an order from BSEE to decommission the pipelines by removal, with reference to Notice to Lessees (“NTL”) 2009-G04 and/or “significant sediment resource areas” (“SSRA”) in the vicinity of the pipeline.  BSEE is also issuing orders to companies to remove pipelines located in SSRAs that were previously decommissioned in place.

Continue Reading Federal Offshore Pipeline Decommissioning in BOEM Significant Sediment Resource Areas

Last year, in another dispute over who should bear the cost of decommissioning offshore facilities, the Southern District of Texas held that a former sub-assignee of offshore operating rights was entitled to equitable subrogation from the record title owner and initial assignor.  Sojitz Energy Venture, Inc. v. Union Oil Co. of California, 394 F. Supp. 3d 687 (S.D. Tex. 2019).Continue Reading Fifth Circuit to Hold Oral Argument in Sojitz v. UNOCAL in April 2020

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) recently issued an Information to Lessees (ITL) regarding the potential applicability of new regulations issued by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to bids at the upcoming March 18th federal offshore lease sale (Lease Sale 254), which will offer for lease all available, unleased acreage in the Gulf of Mexico region.

Continue Reading Increasing Scrutiny of Foreign Investment in the U.S.: BOEM Puts Companies on Notice of Potential CFIUS Review of Bids at Upcoming Federal Offshore Lease Sale

The Texas Supreme Court issued an opinion today in Energy Transfer Partners, L.P v. Enterprise Products Partners, L.P., a case previously featured on the Blog.  This case began in 2011 when ETP and Enterprise explored the possibility of partnering to modify and extend, or construct anew, a pipeline to transport oil southbound from Cushing, Oklahoma.

Continue Reading Texas Supreme Court Decides Energy Transfer Partners v. Enterprise Products