Shale Gas & Coal Bed Methane

Our lawyers have the experience to handle myriad legal issues that arise during the life cycle of unconventional resource projects from exploration and permitting, exploitation and marketing, to decommissioning and remediation. Our multidisciplinary team is situated among the major US and international unconventional resource players. Comprised of lawyers with extensive energy, natural resources, environmental, real estate and litigation experience, our team is positioned to advise developers, operators, service companies and landowners on unconventional resources such as shale gas, lease, development, use, permitting and coal bed methane projects.

Our extensive experience in shale gas and other natural resources development allows us to handle all issues throughout a project including:

• Contractual and permitting issues including drilling permits
• Defending against third party toxic tort claims and handling other litigation matters including government enforcement and private party challenges
• Endangered species issues
• Pipeline and right of way acquisitions
• Planning, finance and real estate matters
• Sediment control plans
• Wastewater management and disposal plans
• Water withdrawal registrations
• Wetlands and jurisdictional waters permits
• Zoning, land use and local government approvals

In addition, our extensive experience with coal, including coal bed methane projects, involves the sale of coal mines and coal reserves, the development and production of coal bed methane gas, real estate, surface and land use, and environmental issues that arise in the disposal of coal and mining waste.

Representative Experience

• Representing a US-based national producer of oil and gas in its appeal of a new discharge permit issued by Colorado that set limits on water produced by our client's coalbed methane wells. Citing numerous factual errors and improperly calculated effluent limits and terms in the new permit, we obtained an unprecedented stay of the entire permit pending the appeal outcome. The state cited the compelling evidence in its decision to stay the entire permit, which allowed the company to learn more about the state’s concerns. During the stay, our client submitted a new application demonstrating reduced flows that would be subject to permitting and reduced downstream effects.
• Providing counsel and analysis related to siting of class II underground injection wells for the disposal of waste generated from gas drilling activities.
• Advising landowners with respect to rights and obligations under existing leases in light of newly discovered shale gas reserves and new developments in drilling technologies.
• Advising coal mines on methane capture issues including the legal rights to methane gases associated with coal mine sites, technical and legal feasibility of methane capture, and pilot projects for methane capture, storage or use.
• Advising coal mine operators on methane capture issues including the legal rights to methane gases associated with coal mine sites; technical and legal feasibility of methane capture; and pilot projects for methane capture, storage or use.
• Handling drilling permit appeals and litigation related to oil and gas leases in Ohio.
• Advising the world’s largest steel company in evaluating its shale gas reserves in more than 50,000 acres of land located in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio, and in negotiating leases associated with development in the Marcellus shale formation.
• Representing a major US energy company in the negotiation of a joint venture for its worldwide liquefied natural gas businesses.
• Representing a US-based oil and gas company in a successful appeal of a discharge permit for releases of coal bed methane-produced water.
• Advising the subsidiary of a US-based coal mining company regarding EIS and permitting of an underground coal mine to be located on federal lands in Colorado.