Federal Judge Orders Review of Keystone XL Pipeline
A federal judge ordered an environmental review of TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline Wednesday, pushing back an attempt to fast-track construction of the $8 billion project.
Read moreOil and gas
Feds Sued for Failing to Inspect Oil, Gas Pipelines
An environmental group sued the U.S. government in federal court Tuesday, alleging that it has “chronically failed” in its required monitoring of thousands of miles of oil and gas pipelines in the West.
Read moreFeds Auction Off Gulf Oil Leases for $178M
The Trump administration sold $178 million in Gulf of Mexico oil drilling leases Wednesday, but just like another lease auction in March the response was underwhelming, with companies bidding on a sliver of the record amount of acreage up for grabs.
Read moreWhat the Frack
California’s First Appellate District on Tuesday upheld dismissal of a request to order the immediate end to hydraulic fracturing – fracking – of oil and gas wells, finding the state Department of Conservation acted under a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency exemption and the request was therefore inappropriate.
Read moreTrump Probes Oil Leasing in California
The Trump administration took the first step Wednesday to open more than a million acres of public land in central California to oil drilling and fracking, raising concern among conservationists seeking to protect water sources.
Read moreCalifornia, SoCalGas Reach $119M Deal Over Massive Leak
While a major California utility company agreed to pay $119.5 million in penalties to settle California’s case over a massive methane leak at one of its storage facilities in 2015, state officials stressed Wednesday this does not address the claims of thousands of residents who were forced to flee their homes for months.
Read moreFourth Circuit Tosses Permits for Atlantic Coast Pipeline
The Fourth Circuit revoked construction permits Monday for a natural gas pipeline that environmentalists and locals say will harm endangered species and impact scenic views on federally protected lands.
Read moreAntitrust Alter Egos
A Ninth Circuit panel on Monday reversed summary judgment in favor of CenterPoint Energy Services in an antitrust class action, finding the plaintiffs had offered evidence that CenterPoint’s parent company participated in a price-fixing cartel – creating triable issues as to CenterPoint’s liability in the scheme.
Read moreEnergy Crisis Relic
In an unpublished memorandum issued Thursday, a Ninth Circuit panel ruled Sinclair Oil can pursue antitrust claims against three natural gas traders over price manipulations during the 2000-2002 energy crisis because a New York class action settlement only involved market trades, not direct purchasers like Sinclair.
Read moreMountains of Manure
A Portland, Oregon, LLC sued Quasar Energy Group in Multnomah County Court for going over budget and missing deadlines in building a biogas facility capable of processing 8 million pounds of cow manure into natural gas each year.
Read moreShell, Eni Could Face Massive Damages in Nigerian Corruption Case
Nigeria could learn Friday at a court in Milan whether it can pursue damages against oil giants Shell and Eni in a sprawling international corruption case.
Read moreJury Will Hear Pipeline Protesters’ Necessity Defense
The Minnesota Supreme Court rejected state prosecutors’ bid to shut down a climate “necessity defense” in the case of protesters who tried to disrupt oil pipelines, leaving jurors in the activists’ upcoming trial to decide whether their conduct was necessary to prevent environmental harm.
Read moreLawsuit Seeks to Block Gulf of Mexico Oil Lease Sale
Environmental groups sued the Trump administration late Monday for drastically expanding offshore oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico without giving full consideration to the environmental risks.
Read more
Gas Line to Europe Raises Questions of Corruption and Human Rights
For more than a year protesters have sought to stop work on a European-financed natural gas line coming all the way from Azerbaijan and the Caspian Sea to the land of olive trees and beaches in southern Italy. Protesters have sought to block the removal of olive trees; they’ve blocked roads to stop work trucks and faced off with riot police; they’ve held marches, disrupted meetings and pushed their cause on the internet.
Read moreIran Issues Oil Warning as UAE Says Production Can Rise
Iran issued a new warning over Mideast oil supplies as the United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday it could increase its own production, the latest remarks to follow President Donald Trump’s demand for lower global energy prices.
Read moreMinnesota Officials Advance Contentious Pipeline Project
Enbridge Energy’s proposal to replace its rundown Line 3 oil pipeline was approved by Minnesota regulators on Thursday, upsetting opponents of the project who say the decision will be seen as a sign of disrespect to area tribes.
Read moreJudge Kills Cities’ Climate Change Suits
San Francisco and Oakland cannot hold five of the planet’s largest oil companies liable for climate change, a federal judge ruled Monday.
Read moreHigh Court Takes Up Native American Tax Case
The state of Washington will head to the U.S. Supreme Court next term for the right to tax a fuel distributor owned by a Native American tribe.
Read more