In a significant win for reasonable and sensible energy regulation, the DC Circuit Court rejected the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2012 cellulosic biofuels projection. It is sad that this is what passes as a “win” for the energy industry however, since the Court simply acknowledged that the EPA’s requirements are…
More advocates are spreading the message that the energy industry can help our county work though not only its energy needs but its budget shortfalls and economic problems as well. US Chamber of Commerce President Thomas J. Donohue noted in his 2013 State of American Business address that developing American…
It seems there is an ongoing supply of positive developments in the natural gas field in Texas that are poised to make our country more energy independent. Currently, almost all the fuel used to power hydraulic fracturing is diesel. Hydraulic fracturing is credited with much of the recent dramatic increases…
There is new reason to be energized (excuse the pun!) about Texas’ oil and gas industry in 2013. The last several years have been exciting in this field, and Texas has benefited from its substantial natural resources. Now recent reports indicate that oil and gas companies will spend $28 billion…
A few months ago, the nonprofit organization Resources for the Future sponsored a seminar entitled “The Future of Fuel: Toward the Next Decade of US Energy Policy.” The seminar highlighted the future of five key fuels over the next decade–oil, coal, natural gas, renewables, and nuclear–as well as the future…
The rights of Texas mineral owners can be complicated, which is why having a Texas oil and gas attorney review your options is important before you sell or lease your mineral rights or before you buy property in which you will own only the surface. In many cases, a property…
Congress is considering whether to eliminate or limit a federal tax deduction for intangible drilling costs. Intangible drilling costs are those costs incurred to develop an oil or gas well other than the costs of the actual well. It includes costs such as surveying, clearing the land for a well…
During all of the budget talks in Washington, DC, I was interested to read a recent report entitled “CO2 Enhanced Oil Recovery” by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce regarding how enhanced oil recovery (“EOR”) techniques could add significant revenue to the Texas and federal budget, as well as enhance our…
Recently, NuStar Energy LP announced that they are proposing a new system of oil pipelines to bring oil from the Niobrara Shale in Colorado to Texas’s oil refineries. The Niobrara Shale is a promising play and there is a need to get the oil produced there to refineries that can…
The United States, including Texas, will be self-sufficient in natural gas within the next ten years, according to a recent survey of oil and gas professionals. The survey, entitled Energy Independence and Security: A Reality Check was published by the Deloitte University Press. There is less optimism about self sufficiency…