Gray Reed

The question in Rock River Minerals, LP and Carr v. v. Pioneer Natural Resources, et al.: Did an assignment of overriding royalty interests in Texas oil and gas leases include a depth limitation? No.

In Mistretta v. Hilcorp Energy Company, unleased mineral owner Mistretta sued Hilcorp alleging failure to provide requested production and well cost information pertaining to an oil well operated by Hilcorp. The well was in a unit established in accordance with the Louisiana Conservation Act. The issue: Do La. R.S 30:103.1 and 103.2 require one notice or two before the operator loses its right to recover costs from the owner?

It looks like they do. In Held et al v. State of Montana the Montana Supreme Court declared the “MEPA Limitation” unconstitutional. The plaintiffs were 16 youths, ages 2 to 18 at the time of filing.

Use this guide as a reference when filing lien and bond claim notices for the month of January. Lien and Bond Claim Notices and Filings...

For the Osage Indian Tribe, it’s more like “IMBY if you pay me”. In the latest interation of United States and Osage Minerals Council v. Osage Wind LLC et al the US District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma awarded a judgment for damages against the defendants. Much more important was the order for injunctive relief in the form of a mandate that defendatns remove 84 wind towers from Indian lands in Osage County as the remedy for defendants’ continuing trespass over the land. Removal is estimated by defendants to cost a whopping $259 million.

MDC Enegy LLC v. Crosby Energy Services Inc. et al. was an indemnity dispute in which the players were many and the facts complicated.

Industrial construction is poised for continued growth in 2025, especially with incoming presidential administration and its anticipated emphasis on domestic economic production. Nowhere will this growth be seen more than in Texas with the continued emphasis on business relocation, economic development, and population growth. Houston and the surrounding industrial center will likely see capital infusion and construction activity. With any industrial infrastructure project, costs of construction, timeliness of completion, and the ability to yield revenue will be paramount.

Manufacturing construction is anticipating an uptick in 2025 with expected domestic economic protections and the continued consumer demand. Texas will remain a hotbed for this activity with continued business relocations, economic development incentives, and population growth. The Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex, Houston, and the I-35 Corridor will see the bulk of this upward movement. With any manufacturing construction project, time is always of the essence with the primary focus being revenue creation. That can lead to a multitude of issues, none more than important than substantial unanticipated increased costs of construction.

In I n the Matter of Offshore Oil Services, Inc., Offshore owned and operated the M/V Anna. Offshore sued Island Operating Company for exoneration and/or limitation of liability for a personal injury claim by an employee of Island. The question (after a series of earlier rulings): After reaching a settlement with the employee of Island, did Offshore retain the right under the Louisiana Oilfield Anti-Indemnity Act to require Island to defend and indemnify Offshore for its losses?

On January 21, the United States announced a significant investment in its Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure, headlined by the introduction of the "Stargate" project. This initiative involves a joint venture between tech giants OpenAI, SoftBank, Oracle, and MGX, aiming to invest a staggering $500 billion over the next four years potentially positioning the U.S. as a leader in AI development. The primary goal is to expand the AI computing infrastructure across the United States, focusing on building new data centers and enhancing computing capacity for current and future AI projects.