This post was co-authored by Beth Ginsberg & Krista McIntyre. The U.S. Department of Justice (U.S. DOJ) recently issued a memorandum stating that settlements, including consent decrees, entered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other federal agencies can no longer include a Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP), unless the SEP is expressly authorized by Congress. … Continue Reading
In a rare bi-partisan effort, Congress passed the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (“FAST Act”), which was signed into law by President Obama on December 4. The law makes changes and reforms to many Federal transportation programs, including streamlining the approval processes for new transportation projects. The President of the American Public Works Association, Brian … Continue Reading
February 27, 2015 was the deadline for lawmakers to introduce legislation to the 2015-2016 California Legislative Session and several bills related to oil and gas activities were introduced. Below is a summary of those bills. Stoel Rives is monitoring these bills and will provide periodic updates as the bills move through the legislative process. SENATE … Continue Reading
On Friday, June 20, 2014, Governor Jerry Brown signed a public resources “trailer bill:” Senate Bill 681 (“SB 681”). Section 5 of the Bill extends the implementation deadline for the Department of Conservation’s Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (“DOGGR”). The initial implementation date was set at January 1, 2015. Under the new law, … Continue Reading
On November 15, 2013, the California Department of Conservation (“DOC”) published the notice of proposed rulemaking action regarding draft regulations for well stimulation. These proposed regulations will implement SB 4, which Governor Brown on September 20, 2013, and will become effective on January 1, 2014. The draft regulations supplement the Division of Oil, Gas and … Continue Reading
Efforts are already underway to implement SB 4, which was signed by Governor Jerry Brown on September 20, 2013 (see September 23, 2013 post). The California Department of Conservation (the “Department”) and its Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources have begun developing draft regulations months before the law’s effective date of January 1, 2014. The process of developing … Continue Reading
The Department of Conservation, Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) today announced the second of three public workshops on its draft discussion regulations governing hydraulic fracturing. The agenda includes pre-fracking well testing, advance notification, monitoring, and disclosures, trade secrets and handling relating to fracking fluids.… Continue Reading
The Department of Conservation, Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) announced it will hold the first of three stakeholder workshops next week for input on the discussion draft regulations governing hydraulic fracking that it released in December. The first workshop will be held on February 19 in Los Angeles. DOGGR also plans to hold workshops in Bakersfield and Sacramento.… Continue Reading
Yesterday, the California Department of Conservation's Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) released what they are calling a "discussion draft" of a rule regulating hydraulic fracturing. The draft rule imposes new requirements specific to fracking operations, including testing, monitoring, disclosure and fluid handling obligations.… Continue Reading
On June 3, the California Energy Commission (“CEC”) issued a Notice of Intent to Implement 33 Percent Renewables Portfolio Standard (“RPS”). The new 33% RPS was signed into law by Governor Brown on April 12, 2011. The legislation for the first time expanded the RPS to publicly-owned utilities (“POU”), and tasked the CEC with, among … Continue Reading
