Energy & Natural Resources

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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

On Tuesday, April 29, the Louisiana House Committee on Natural Resources & Environment held a hearing involving 10 carbon capture and storage (CCS) bills, beginning at 9 a.m. with only a midday recess to attend the floor session, where they resumed until 10 p.m. when the hearing finally concluded. …
Continue Reading Louisiana House Committee on Natural Resources & Environment Hears Key CCS Bills

Environmental and science advocacy groups have sued EPA and other agencies in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for removing without notice “vitally important webpages” that served as sources of information about environmental justice and climate change. …
Continue Reading Environmental and Science Advocacy Groups Sue EPA and Other Agencies Over Removal of EJ Tools

When an operator mistakenly overpays a royalty owner, it can recoup the overpayment from future royalties.  While this is a common industry practice, the doctrine of equitable recoupment is seldom discussed in detail by Texas courts. …
Continue Reading Fifth Circuit Provides Rare Overview of the Doctrine of Equitable Recoupment

On April 8, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO), “Protecting American Energy From State Overreach,” aimed at “unleashing American energy” by directing the U.S. Attorney General (AG) to identify state laws and policies that burden the development of domestic energy resources and “are or may be unconstitutional, preempted by Federal law…