Kevin M. Voelkel

In recent months, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ” or the “Department”) has issued a series of memoranda from the Department’s highest levels to its various component divisions, which includes the Environment and Natural Resources Division (“ENRD”). The ENRD is charged with...

On December 29, 2017, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) published a proposed rule in the Federal Register, stating its intent to significantly revise provisions of the Oil and Gas Production Safety Systems regulations (30 CFR part 250...

Despite numerous attempts in recent years by local governments to regulate oil and gas activities at the municipal level, recent developments in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Colorado signal a continued trend favoring states’ authority to regulate these issues as matters...

In a July 1 decision with major rate implications for FERC-regulated oil and gas pipelines, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (“D.C. Circuit” or the “Court”) sided with shippers in an appeal of a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) decision regarding the tax allowances that FERC has allowed oil pipelines to include as a component of their cost of service transportation rates. [1] The Court’s decision in United Airlines, et al. v. FERC, et al. strikes at the ability of interstate oil pipelines structured as partnerships to account for income...