Texas oil and gas attorneys are watching the recent series of drilling moratoriums by the federal government with great interest. In a recent blog post, I discussed the legal background behind the first deepwater drilling moratorium and the litigation that followed.Because a federal judge ruled that the first deepwater drilling…
As a Texas oil and gas attorney, I have followed with great interest the actions of the US Department of Interior (DOI) to finally lift the post-BP Oil Spill moratorium on deepwater drilling. It has been a long and legally complex road, but finally the DOI has taken the initial…
As a Texas oil and gas attorney, I am keenly interested in the political climate in which the oil and gas industry operates. Politics has a lot to do with how much oil and gas this country produces. For example, in the White House’s proposed Budget for the Department of…
As a Texas oil and gas attorney, I have authored a series of articles on this site concerning the pros and cons of alternative energy. As I prepared to return to the topic, I began to ponder a more general question. When we use the phrase “alternative energy” or “alternative…
As a Texas oil and gas attorney, I am deeply concerned at the constant beating the oil and gas industry takes from Obama and his administration. Obama paints oil and gas companies as Machiavellian monoliths, with their CEO’s sitting around in tails and top hats like the millionaire in the…
Like many Texas oil and gas attorneys, I am keenly interested in the struggle unfolding between the EPA, Congress and the State of Texas. In a previous blog post, I discussed the EPA‘s recent efforts to regulate greenhouse gasses across the nation. Today, I’ll describe the State of Texas‘ and…
Much to the chagrin of many Texans, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently decided to regulate greenhouse gasses around the nation. This decision was a long time in the making and has important implications for the State of Texas and the whole nation. In this blog post, I’ll describe…
This week we continue our examination of ethanol as an alternative energy source. As a Texas oil and gas attorney, I am particularly interested in the impact that a shift from fossil fuels to alternatives would have on our economy and on our society. It is an unavoidable fact that…
As a Texas oil and gas attorney, I have spent 33 years observing the Texas Railroad Commission, the agency in Texas that regulates oil and gas drilling, production and pipelines (among other things). In my experience, the Railroad Commission is tough and efficient. I have never seen them act as…
When discussing the issues involved in national energy and environmental policy, the subject of alternative energy frequently comes up. As a Texas oil and gas attorney, I follow these discussions with great interest. The outcomes of our decisions about alternative energy sources will eventually effect anyone even tangentially connected with…