ACT Expo / ACT News’ Post

In an effort to halt a multi-state move against fossil fuel–producing companies, a coalition of 19 states recently brought suit against California, Connecticut, Minnesota, New Jersey and Rhode Island to prevent any legal action against companies such as ExxonMobil, Chevron, and BP. Lawsuits against these companies is nothing new, as more than two dozen cities, counties and states have filed similar suits starting in 2017. The latest battle began last September when California Governor Gavin Newsom filed a lawsuit against Exxon Mobil, Shell, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, BP and the American Petroleum Institute “for allegedly engaging in a decades-long campaign of deception and creating statewide climate change-related harms in California.” The suit calls for the named defendants to not only reduce the overall climate effects to the state and its residents, but also make payments into an abatement fund “to address the public nuisance” and contribute to efforts to reduce destruction of its natural resources, as well as award compensatory, punitive and exemplary damages. https://lnkd.in/gNVgqEyy

After being headquartered in California for 145 years, big-oil Chevron has decided it is time to shift its headquarters to Texas. Chevron’s California roots go back to the late 1800s when kerosene lamps — powered by a clear liquid distilled from coal — were used to light up homes. The reason for the move: Chevron is tired of fighting Sacramento over costly regulations designed to curb the fossil fuel industry. Anti-Chevron California policies include a low-carbon fuel standard, cap-and-trade fees, drilling restrictions and a penalty on “excessive” refinery margins. This is on top of the California EV mandate ensuring 100% of new cars and light trucks sold in California by 2035 are ZEVs (zero-emission vehicles), including plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. But it doesn’t stop at the state level, in the Bay Area, the Richmond City Council has put on the November ballot a $1 a barrel tax on a Chevron refinery. All of this hostility has caused California gasoline prices to surge $1.16 a gallon above the national average — sometimes going over $6 a gallon. Chevron joins a long list of California companies moving out of the Golden State that includes Oracle Corp., Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. and Tesla Inc. By contrast, Texas, the Lone Star State with its minimal taxes, business-friendly regulations and a relatively low cost of living experienced a net migration of 7,232 companies and an addition of 103,000 jobs between 2010 and 2019.

A weekend read: Here is why both Colorado Oil & Gas Association and GreenLatinos is claiming satisfaction from the 2024 session and what needs to happen over the next two years to keep the detente: https://lnkd.in/g7CCyJHk

In late June, the US Supreme Court struck down a 40-yr-old precedent, known as Chevron deference, that had required courts to yield to the “reasonable interpretations” of #regulatory officials as they enforced ambiguous federal statutes. The effects of the ruling will be felt across industries. Here, a few articles from across the Endeavor Business Media coverage universe: ➡ SCOTUS limits power of federal government to regulate environmental, energy issues - Oil & Gas Journal (https://lnkd.in/gHZ6cMBA) ➡ Supreme Court Rulings Challenge EPA Authority, Sparking Environmental Concerns - Chemical Processing (https://lnkd.in/gTkkE8Yg) ➡ Chevron deference is gone. What does that mean for trucking? - FleetOwner (https://lnkd.in/gfqje5CP) ➡ Regulators Continue to Set their Sights on Big Tech - Supply Chain Connect (https://lnkd.in/gueYjU8P) #OGJ #endeavorbusinessmedia #news #chemicals #oilandgas #trucking #supplychain #Chevrondeference #SCOTUS

This is a great article from Jones Walker maritime partners William Baldwin, Richard Bertram, and Scott Jenkins regarding key maritime policies that impact the construction and operation of US offshore energy projects. Click the link in the post below to read more.

The Jones Act and other coastwise trade laws must be carefully considered in any offshore energy project. In the latest installment of our series "𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞: 𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲," partners William Baldwin, Richard Bertram, and Scott Jenkins discuss how key maritime policies such as the Jones Act and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act impact the construction and operation of US offshore energy projects. Click the link below to read the full article and see the link in the comments to sign up for future series alerts. https://lnkd.in/gcDX3jdm #Offshore #Energy #MaritimeIndustry

Please see the post below from my Jones Walker LLP maritime colleagues and follow the link for a review of key maritime policies such as the Jones Act and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act impact the construction and operation of US offshore energy projects. #offshorewind #jonesact #OCSLA

Cannonballs used to plug oil and gas wells, methane leaks 10 times the explosive level, deadly hydrogen sulfide emissions, companies playing shell games that leave wells orphaned and roughly $150 billion in uninsured liability that's threatening to fall to taxpayers...my latest investigation into the failure to manage the decommissioning of America's oil and gas industry.

NEW FED RULES New U.S. Rules Seek to Curb Leaks From Oil and Gas Drilling on Public Lands - Read More: https://hubs.la/Q02r1YW10 The U.S. interior department on Wednesday said it had finalized rules aimed at limiting methane leaks from oil and gas drilling on public lands. The policy complements efforts the Biden administration has made at other agencies to reduce emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that tends to leak from drill sites and pipelines. #pipelines #bidenadministration #oilgas #methane #emissions #oilandgascompanies #energynews #energynow

Since 2015, the environmental plaintiff industry has been filing sweeping lawsuits challenging the federal onshore oil and gas program. The scope of these lawsuits, and the judicial relief requested, raise significant constitutional issues on plaintiff organizations’ legal viability to bring such programmatic challenges. To get the full story, read the article written by Beatty & Wozniak's Bret Sumner here: https://lnkd.in/g6pdZkNV #oilandgas #energylaw #energyindustry #attorney #inthenews