In this episode of  “Energy Law This Week,” hosts Matt Jones and April L. Rolen-Ogden engage listeners with updates on mineral leases, discussing key legal cases and the implications of lease agreements in the oil and gas industry. They explore the importance of understanding mineral leases, the rights granted to lessees, and the

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

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

There are seven more CCS bills, and potentially more to come, scheduled for hearing this week in the House Ways & Means Committee on Monday morning and in the House Committee on Natural Resources & Environment on Wednesday morning. 
Continue Reading Seven More Bills on CCS Currently Set for Hearing in Two House Committees This Week

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

The 2025 Louisiana Legislative session is officially underway, with the Louisiana House committee set to hear multiple bills concerning Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) this Tuesday, April 29th.
Continue Reading Ten CCS Bills Set For Committee Hearing Next Week in Louisiana Legislative Session

As previously described in The Energy Law Blog, Arkansas is unlike several of its neighboring states in that it already has a robust body of law governing the extraction of minerals from brine. The Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission oversees brine production and sets the applicable royalty rates to which landowners are entitled.
Continue Reading Smackover Lithium Update: Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission Sets Hearing to Fix Lithium Royalty Rate

Louisiana Senate Bill 268, one of a pair of lithium-focused bills filed by senator Stewart Cathey Jr., would establish a state sales tax rebate program for Louisiana lithium projects. This rebate would apply to sales tax paid for “all equipment, machinery, materials, improvements, and other items purchased in connection with the development, production, operation, storage, processing, or transportation of lithium or lithium refined products in connection with a qualified lithium recovery project.”
Continue Reading Proposed Law Would Create Louisiana Sales Tax Rebate for Lithium Recovery Projects

We are now seeing the Louisiana legislature address some of these uncertainties head on with Senate Bill 285, which was filed on March 1, 2024 by Louisiana senator Stewart Cathey, Jr. Namely, SB285 would grant authority to the Office of Conservation to establish units for brine production. Furthermore, the proposed legislation would revise the Mineral Code to expressly include brine among the substances to which the Mineral Code applies.
Continue Reading Proposed Brine Legislation May Pave the Way for Louisiana Lithium Projects