HB 571 is expected to be scheduled for a vote on the House floor next Wednesday, April 26, or Thursday, April 27. HB 571 moved favorably out of the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment on April 20, as amended[1]. The adopted amendments include the following: use of more precise language identifying
Environmental
The Liskow Legislative Minute
Week 1
Update (4/14/2023): And it begins. The House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment will hear Speaker Schexnayder’s House Bill 571 on CCS next Thursday, April 20 at 9:30 am. HB 571 would make comprehensive changes to the CCS statutes, including notice provisions to local authorities, allocation of funds to local authorities, and increased…
Congress Considers Bills to Lessen Restrictions on LNG Exports
On February 16, 2023, Senators John Kennedy, Ted Cruz, Shelley Moore Capito, and Kevin Cramer filed Senate Bill (SB) 438, which is the reintroduction of the Natural Gas Export Expansion Act.
The bill aims to amend the Natural Gas Act to provide for expanded natural gas exports in the United States. The Natural Gas Act…
Louisiana Legislature to Consider Amendments to Forced Pooling Regime Requiring Operators to Pay Lessors of Nonparticipating Working Interest Owners Directly
On Friday, March 31, 2023, Representative Larry Bagley of Louisiana’s District 7 proposed amendments to Louisiana Revised Statutes § 30:10. The bill, HB 590, extends a prior substantive change in the law that was affected by the 2012 amendments to La. R.S. 30:10. In the 2012 amendment, operators of force-pooled drilling units were required…
Update: 2023 CCUS Legislation
Fireworks continue from the Louisiana legislature on CCS. Since our previous post covering the legislative session, the filed CCS bills now include:
National Fisheries’ GPS Tracking Rule For Charter Boats Dead In The Water After Fifth Circuit Ruling
In its February 23, 2023 ruling in Mexican Gulf Fishing Co. v. United States Dep’t of Commerce, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a National Fisheries Management Services (“NFMS”) rule requiring owners and operators of charter boats in the Gulf of Mexico to equip their boats with approved GPS tracking devices that…
Operational Compliance with the New Safer Seas Act
The Safer Seas Act was passed and enacted into law in December 2022 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. The Act includes many changes for the maritime industry, specifically for owners and operators of vessels. The below checklist, current as of March 3, 2023, summarizes the required operational and onboard changes. It is…
2023 CCUS Legislative Update
Stay tuned for fireworks coming from the Louisiana legislature this year on CCUS. The legislative session begins April 10, and one bill has already been filed to remove expropriation authority from all CCUS activity.[1] Many more bills are expected to be filed. A lot of media attention has focused on a CCUS project related…
2023 Begins With Increased (or Unlimited) Liability for Vessel Owners
A Regulatory Increase to the Limits of Liability for Oil Pollution and an Amendment Exempting Small Passenger Vessels from the Limitation of Liability Act Present New Challenges for Vessel Owners
U.S. maritime law experienced two significant changes on December 23, 2022—one pertaining to liability for oil pollution, the other concerning small passenger vessels.
First, the…
2023 Master Plan Brings Updates to Coastal Research and Projects
The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) recently released its 2023 draft Coastal Master Plan, which is required by law to be updated every six years. The most recent draft is the fourth update since it was first adopted by the Louisiana Legislature in 2007 following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.[1]…