Stoel Rives’ Oil & Gas Team has been monitoring bills introduced by California legislators since the beginning of the 2017-2018 legislative session. Below are the latest updates on the bills our team has been following during the first half of the current legislative session. In addition, we have included new bills introduced during the second … Continue Reading
Stoel Rives’ Oil & Gas Team has been monitoring bills introduced by California legislators since the beginning of the 2017-2018 Legislative Session. June 2, 2017 was the deadline by which the Legislature was required to pass bills out of the house of origin. Failing to meet that deadline does not automatically prevent a bill from … Continue Reading
The Third District Court of Appeal reversed a Sacramento Superior Court Judge’s ruling that prohibited the High Speed Rail Authority (HSRA) from selling bonds under Proposition 1A to construct the High Speed Rail Project (the Project) and ordered the HSRA to draft a new funding plan for the construction and operation of the Project. (See … Continue Reading
On the heels of Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Michael Kenney’s decision halting an $8 billion bond sale for the construction of the California high-speed rail (“HSR”) project, Governor Jerry Brown has submitted a budget proposal to reapportion money from California’s surplus fund to the HSR project. Notably, the surplus fund includes $850 million generated … Continue Reading
On February 12, California lawmakers convened a joint legislative hearing to discuss the proposed regulations governing hydraulic fracturing in California. For further information about the proposed regulations, see the December 19 post. The lawmakers heard from four panels, including the Department of Conservation's Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR), Department of Toxic Substances Control, State Water Resources Control Board, Air Resources Board and various local agencies, stakeholders and environmental organizations.… Continue Reading
Water Right Holders Still Must Pay SWRCB Water Fees Until Trial Court Determines if Fees are Reasonably Apportioned. On January 31, 2011, the California Supreme Court decided California Farm Bureau Federation v. State Water Resources Control Board, 51 Cal. 4th 421 (2011), (PDF) in which a collective of California water right holders asserted constitutional challenges … Continue Reading