Uncategorized

Subscribe to Uncategorized

By Kelly Becker

Federal Judge Ginger Berrigan issued a comprehensive Order and Reasons addressing and granting a series of motions to dismiss filed by oil and gas company defendants, and individual executive officer defendants, all of which were pending in the consolidated federal court Bonvillain Terrebonne Parish ad valorem tax suits. The Court gave Assessor…

By Elisabeth Lorio Baer

Kivalina, Alaska, an Inupiat Eskimo village of 400 inhabitants perched on a barrier island north of the Arctic Circle, is bringing suit against two dozen fuel and utility companies, including ExxonMobil and Shell Oil, accusing them of helping to cause the climate change that it alleges is accelerating the island’s erosion.

By Michael A. Mahone, Jr.

In U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission v. Dizona, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recently considered allegations by the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission that a natural gas trader had attempted to manipulate the price of natural gas by knowingly delivering false and inaccurate price…

By Matthew Simone

After seven months of discussion and postponement, Caddo Parish Commissioners approved new regulations affecting oil and gas operations. These regulations involve three directives. First, loud operations within five hundred feet of hospitals, residences, religious, commercial, or public buildings in urban areas, may only take place Monday through Saturday between 8 A.M. and…

By Emma J. Hinnigan

This entry updates an earlier blog entry posted on May 4, 2009, discussing two lawsuits filed by the tax assessor for Terrebonne Parish against Burlington and LL&E for alleged underpayment of property taxes. The attorneys responsible for filing these lawsuits have held true to their promise that the lawsuits would be…

by Elisabeth Lorio Baer

Despite the urging of Caddo Parish property owners to pass regulating ordinances and appeals from the oil and gas industry to leave regulation to other governing bodies, Caddo Parish commissioners decided to postpone the passage of oil and gas ordinances on Thursday. The Caddo Commission has been studying the proposals since…

"Coastal Parishes v. Big Oil" is the name of the website addressing the lawsuit just filed in federal court against Burlington & LL&E, for property taxes on equipment that is in onshore coastal waters as well as offshore waters within the three mile territorial limit. This lawsuit was filed by the Terrebonne Parish assessor claiming…

By Kelly Becker 

The Louisiana legislature is currently considering House Bill 758 which would allow the Attorney General to pay up to a twenty-five percent contingency fee to outside attorneys to represent the State in litigation. Several industry groups, including the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry and the Louisiana Oil and Association, oppose the…

By Jacob Credeur

The Caddo Parish Commission is preparing for a public hearing on May 21 where it is set to discuss proposed drilling regulations for operators in the Haynesville Shale. The commission is working on the set of ordinances in committee discussions and is seeking to acquire public input before taking action. The proposed…