Sophisticated plaintiffs beware. In Bayou Fleet, Inc. v. Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., et al., the Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal concluded that contra non valentem, a judicially created exception to prescription, did not apply to prevent the running of prescription on a claim for wrongful conversion when the plaintiff company, the owner of a destroyed … Continue Reading
The dispute between Governor John Bel Edwards and Attorney General Jeff Landry over the retention of several private attorneys to represent the State of Louisiana, through the Department of Natural Resources (“LDNR”) in coastal loss litigation has taken a new twist. These lawsuits were filed by several parish governments alleging dozens of oil and gas … Continue Reading
The Liskow & Lewis family stands by our friends and neighbors throughout the unprecedented flooding in our community. As we begin the long process of recovery, here is a brief legal update on the response of various courts and state agencies: State courts: Governor John Bel Edwards has issued an executive order which purports to suspend … Continue Reading
The first of 40 coastal permitting lawsuits to proceed to disposition has been dismissed for failure to exhaust administrative remedies. In a ruling released today, Judge Enright of the 24th JDC for Jefferson Parish dismissed The Parish of Jefferson v. Atlantic Richfield Company, finding that the statutory scheme at issue provided administrative channels to investigate and … Continue Reading
In 2010, under the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”), the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (“the FWS”) designated 6,477 acres in Mississippi and Louisiana as “critical habitat” for the Rana sevosa or the dusky gopher frog. This frog has historically lived in nine counties or parishes across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Since its 2001 designation … Continue Reading
This is Part II of our TSCA update following the recent changes to the TSCA legislation. On June 29, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) released its first year implementation plan for the recently-enacted amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act (“TSCA”). Faced with the ambitious requirements and timeframes laid out by the Frank … Continue Reading
This is Part I of a two-part series looking at the recent changes to the TSCA legislation. This article will explore the changes introduced by the Act. A follow-up article will explore the EPA’s recently released plan for implementing these changes.… Continue Reading
Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal again finds that it lacked jurisdiction over an appeal taken from a partial judgment that was not designated as final pursuant to Article 1915(B) of the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure In Constantin Land Trust v. BP America Prod. Co., et al., the Louisiana First Circuit Court of … Continue Reading
The United States Supreme Court recently addressed whether the United States Army Corps of Engineers’ determination that wetlands are “waters of the United States” constitutes a final agency action that is subject to judicial review under the Administrative Procedure Act in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers v. Hawkes Co., Inc., 15-290, 2016 WL 3041052 (U.S. … Continue Reading
U.S. District Court Judge Dee Drell (Western District, LA) recently denied a motion to alter or amend the Court’s judgment against CITGO Petroleum Corp.– allowing an $81 million judgment against the oil company to stand. The judgment is the latest in a suit the EPA filed against CITGO under the Clean Water Act for a … Continue Reading
On May 4, 2016, environmental groups sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), seeking to compel EPA to “fulfill long-delayed nondiscretionary duties” under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) by issuing revised regulations governing oil and gas wastes. The complaint alleges that EPA’s regulations “are outdated, contain generic provisions that do not specifically address … Continue Reading
Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” is a hotly debated topic in many states. In New York and Pennsylvania, anti-fracking groups have obtained a statewide ban on fracking and the allowance of local authority to regulate fracking, respectively. Texas, however, has enacted a state law expressly preempting local authority over a number of drilling activities. In March … Continue Reading
Louisiana appellate court unanimously dismisses cross-appeals in legacy case, finding that the trial court improperly designated partial summary judgment rulings as final under Article 1915 of the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure. In Spanish Lake Restoration, LLC v. Shell Oil Company, et al., the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal recently dismissed cross-appeals taken … Continue Reading
On April 21, 2016 the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit denied several petitions for rehearing en banc a Sixth Circuit panel decision that looked at which courts (federal district court or federal courts of appeal) have original jurisdiction to hear challenges to the EPA’s Clean Water Rule. This recent ruling leaves … Continue Reading
In the next few days, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will publish in the Federal Register a Proposed Rule that would result in a significant change on how the agency regulates air emissions from oil and gas operations on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), in the Central and Western Gulf of Mexico (GOM). … Continue Reading
On February 25, 2016, the EPA proposed revisions to its Risk Management Program (RMP) rule. Click here to see the proposed rule. The rule revisions are required by Executive Order 13650, which called for additional improvements on chemical facility safety and security. Click here to see Executive Order 13650. While the proposed rule does not … Continue Reading
The group of petitioners challenging the EPA rules imposing strict limits on carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants filed its opening briefs on Friday, February 19. The lawsuit, West Virginia v. EPA (D.C. Cir. No. 15-1363) is unusual because of its sheer volume. Petitioners include thirty States, State agencies, and local government entities and … Continue Reading
On February 1, 2016, a federal district court issued a ruling in Moore v. Denbury, — F.3d — (W.D. La. 2016), with important implications for “legacy” lawsuits in Louisiana. The court interpreted the 2014 amendments to Act 312 (La. R.S. § 30:29) to hold that “a plaintiff cannot directly recover additional remediation damages in the absence … Continue Reading
The Louisiana Supreme Court recently issued a decision in a downhole damages case, reversing the Third Circuit’s misguided application of the manifest error standard of review. Hayes Fund for the First United Methodist Church of Welsh, LLC v. Kerr-McGee Rocky Mt., LLC, No. 2014-C-2592, 2015 La. LEXIS 2530 (La. 2015). The dispute arose out of … Continue Reading
Last week, a federal jury in Mobile, Alabama, convicted a Norwegian-based shipping company of one count of conspiracy, three counts of violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (“APPS”), three counts of obstruction of justice and one count of witness tampering. Three vessel crewmembers were convicted for obstructing justice, violating APPS, witness tampering and … Continue Reading
In what may appropriately be called a “swing and a miss”, the Fourth Court of Appeals in San Antonio has rejected plaintiffs’ attempt to avoid the need for medical expert testimony in a toxic tort case by pleading damages for “symptoms of discomfort” instead of disease. Cerny v. Marathon Oil Corp, et al., No. 04-14-00650-CV, … Continue Reading
Background The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals recently issued an opinion regarding criminal liability under environmental statutes. United States v. Citgo Petroleum Corp., et al., No. 14-40128, 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 15865 (5th Cir. Sept. 4, 2015). In what may be considered a warning shot to overzealous federal prosecutors looking to obtain criminal convictions … Continue Reading
On June 16, 2015, the EPA published a notice of final permit issuance for the NPDES General Permit for Stormwater Discharges from Industrial Activities (commonly referred to as the Multi-Sector General Permit or “2015 MSGP”). Click here to see the Multi-Sector General Permit. Many permittees will understandably focus on any changes made to the specific … Continue Reading
Recently, when there was talk about Houston-based ATP Oil and Gas’ (ATP) legal problems, it was inevitably about its bankruptcy and its effort to bring the overriding royalty interests it had conveyed back into the bankrupt estate as debt instruments. That should change now that the Department of Justice (DOJ), acting jointly on behalf of … Continue Reading
