Here’s a story we found interesting–about landowners in western New York who had leased their land for a wind farm. The company that owns the wind farm had a dispute with a contractor helping to build it, and the contractor sued–the landowners! Sound familiar?
Read More “Liens Filed Against W NY Landowners re Wind Turbines”
Last December a federal judge in New Jersey upheld eminent domain power for PennEast Pipeline for ALL of NJ, where there are 136 holdout landowners who have refused to allow PennEast surveyors on their property (see Federal Court in NJ Grants PennEast Pipeline Eminent Domain). However, PennEast still isn’t totally out of the woods. The State of NJ appealed the decision because some of the land PennEast wants to build across belongs to the state (see NJ’s Dem AG Lectures Fed Judge re PennEast Eminent Domain).
Read More “3rd Circuit Court Grants NJ Request to Pause PennEast Pipe”
In December 2017, a Bradford County, PA judge turned down Chesapeake Energy’s attempt to wiggle out of a royalty lawsuit on a technicality (see Bradford County, PA Judge Keeps Chesapeake Royalty Lawsuit Alive). However, the judge punted the case to a higher court, Commonwealth Court, to settle what he calls “novel questions of law”–rather than spending more time and money on such issues at the county court level. On Friday Commonwealth Court ruled…
Read More “PA Commonwealth Court Keeps Chesapeake Royalty Lawsuit Alive”
In February MDN told you about an important decision by the DC Circuit Court of Appeals that has the potential to override New York State and allow both the Constitution Pipeline and Northern Access Pipeline projects to get built (see Recent Fed Court Decision Gives NY Pipes Hope for Bypassing Cuomo). The Hoopa Valley Tribe v. FERC decision is still causing shock waves–especially among Big Green groups. We have some analysis below of that decision and how states like NY may now behave in light of the decision.
Read More “Analyzing the Court Decision that May Allow Constitution Pipeline”
In Nov. 2017 the Ohio Attorney General’s office under then-AG Mike Dewine (RINO swamp dweller, now governor) sued Energy Transfer at the prompting of the Ohio EPA claiming the company’s Rover Pipeline project was guilty of “polluting state waters while constructing a natural gas pipeline across Ohio” (see OH EPA Director Manipulates Atty General to Sue Rover Pipeline). A Stark County judge on Monday threw out the case.
Read More “OH Judge Tosses AG’s Lawsuit Against Rover Pipe Enviro Violations”
A group of Pennsylvania landowners from Lancaster County are begging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a case in which they say they’ve been screwed over by Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline.
Read More “PA Landowners Beg US Supreme Court to Hear Atlantic Sunrise Case”
‘Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.’ – George Santayana. Here’s a bit of history you may not know: In 1212 thousands of Catholic kids from France and Germany took off to “liberate” Jerusalem from Muslims, part of the Crusades. None made it. They either died along the way or were sold into slavery. Is history repeating itself? A group of kids are today “battling” so-called “climate change” (modern day Crusade), and they’re being used by adults to do so.
Read More “Ignorant Kids Exploited by Adults for Climate Change Lawsuits”
A West Virginia Circuit Court case in September 2017, Crowder and Wentz v EQT, found in favor of surface landowners ruling that EQT did not have the right to extend underground shale wells to adjacent properties where EQT also owned the mineral rights (see WV Surface Owners Win Important Case Against EQT re Drill Pad). The decision was appealed all the way to the WV Supreme Court, where arguments were heard yesterday. This is a VERY important case.
Read More “WV Supreme Court Ponders Important Case, Surface v Mineral Owners”
Big Green groups are asking the DC Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider a case it recently decided that says when the federal Clean Water Act gives states one year to review requests for 401 water crossing permits, they have one year (365 days)–not two or three years by gaming the system (see Recent Fed Court Decision Gives NY Pipes Hope for Bypassing Cuomo).
Read More “Antis Ask DC Court to Rethink Decision re Water Permit Timing”
In early 2018, the federal EPA approved a new Marcellus wastewater injection well for the Pittsburgh suburb of Plum Borough (see Federal EPA Approves Permit for Plum, PA Wastewater Injection Well). The PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) also needs to approve it. They held a public hearing in October to elicit input, a hearing where every single person who spoke was against the project (see Plum Injection Well Hearing Draws Solid Opposition).
Read More “Court Challenge to Plum Zoning Against Injection Well Proceeds”
Both Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) and Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) are facing an existential threat from the clown judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circus.
Read More “Leftist Judges on the 4th Circus Put ACP, MVP Pipes in Peril”
In late December, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that so-called “stripper wells” can be taxed under the 2012 Act 13 law, slapped with an impact fee assessment if those wells produce more than 90 thousand cubic feet per day (Mcf/d) of gas in a single month, any month (see PA Supreme Court Rules Strippers Not Exempt from Impact Fee)?
Read More “PA Supreme Court Tires of Strippers – Turns Down PIOGA Request”
We spotted a write-up on a recent court decision coming from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in which a West Virginia landowner had a signed Marcellus lease requiring PetroEdge (later Statoil) to drill three wells on or under their property. And yet the courts have sided with the driller, essentially allowing the driller to wiggle out of the terms of the lease.
Read More “Fed Court Says WV Driller Doesn’t Have to Produce Gas to Keep Lease”
On the morning of October 27, Marc Jones, an employee of Deep Well Services, was working at a Shell well pad in Tioga County, PA when “a large piece of equipment fell on him, pinning him to the platform 65 feet in the air where he was standing” (see Accident Kills Rig Worker on Shell Well Pad in Tioga County, PA). The blunt force trauma, hitting him in the head, killed him.
Read More “Family of Worker Killed at Tioga County, PA Well Pad Sues Shell”
In 1990 a landowner freely sold (rather than have taken by eminent domain) land in Lawrence County to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission for a new highway project. In 2012 the landowner filed a lawsuit claiming when selling the land, she did not sell the mineral rights. She wants to lease under the property for shale drilling. Yesterday Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania denied her request.
Read More “Do PA Landowners Retain Mineral Rights When Selling Land to State?”
This is super sleazy. You might want to put on a rain slicker to keep the crap from sticking to you as you read it. Last week Chester County, PA commissioners asked to join a lawsuit against Sunoco’s Mariner East pipeline projects. The commissioners also voted to end easements allowing Sunoco access to the pipeline as it runs through county property, access needed so they could do work on it.
Read More “Chester County Commissioner Uses Pipeline Lawsuit as Fundraiser”