On April 3, 2023, the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) published a proposed rule to promote the conservation of the 245 million acres of public lands it manages. The proposal purports to advance “BLM’s mission to manage the public lands for multiple use and sustained yield by prioritizing the health and resilience of ecosystems across […]
MF
LN
by Raymond S. Heyman Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has brought to the forefront the key role that energy policy plays in international relations. Many countries sympathetic to Ukraine, but not wanting to escalate the conflict by sending troops, have discussed or actually imposed economic sanctions on Russia. One obvious target area for sanctions is Russian […]
RH
by Mitchell J. Klein As most people are aware, various public and private entities have filed lawsuits against fossil fuel producers alleging a variety of claims that seek to enjoin behavior and obtain damages as a result of the defendants’ contributions toward climate change. But the question arises as to whether the plaintiffs will be […]
MK
by John W. Andrews On Thursday, May 28, 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit declined to stay on appeal a lower court ruling which has already had a nationwide impact on permitting of oil and gas pipelines that cross streams and wetlands. The underlying dispute arose from the long-standing controversy over […]
JA
by Frances Folin Members of the Colorado State Senate, on a strictly party-line vote, approved amendments to SB-181 made by the State House. SB-181 will now make its way to the Governor’s desk, where it is all but certain to be signed into law by Governor Polis. As previously reported on this Blog, SB-181 drastically […]
FF
by Amanda A. Reeve Just as a state’s economic development and growth is impacted by its ability to build and maintain its highways and bridges and improve its transportation systems, so too is its air quality. After all, transportation conformity is a requirement of the Clean Air Act, specifically for those states that struggle with […]
AR
by Frances Folin Late on Friday, March 1st, Senate Bill 19-181 was introduced in the Colorado State Senate. The Bill would bring sweeping changes to oil and gas regulation in Colorado, less than 6 months after voters rejected Proposition 112 at the ballot box. After its first marathon 12-hour hearing Tuesday before the Senate Transportation and […]
CC
FF
by Frances Folin Coloradoans continue to see fights over oil and gas development in the news. Following last month’s Colorado Supreme Court decision in COGCC v. Martinez, mineral owners in the Wildgrass neighborhood of Broomfield, Colorado, with the help of an anti-development group, Colorado Rising, filed suit on behalf of in the United States District […]
FF
by Frances Folin Yesterday, the Colorado Supreme Court handed down its much-anticipated decision in the COGCC v. Martinez case (2019 CO 3). To the relief of oil and gas companies operating in Colorado, the Colorado Supreme Court found in favor of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and overturned a hotly-contested Colorado Court of […]
FF
by John W. Andrews Voters in several western states on November 6th defeated citizen-initiated ballot initiatives that would have heavily regulated mineral and energy development. The highest profile failed initiative was Colorado’s Proposition 112, which would have prohibited new oil and gas drilling within 2500 feet of any structure in the state, or within the […]
JA
