Trump Administration Proposes Rolling Back Obama's Clean Power Plan
The Trump administration on Tuesday proposed replacing the Clean Power Plan, the centerpiece of former President Barack Obama's regulatory efforts to combat climate change.The proposal released by the Environmental Protection Agency is now open for a public comment period. A final EPA rule is expected later this year.The effort to re-write the plan is the latest move by the EPA under President Donald Trump…
Schlumberger Wins in US Supreme Court on Patent Damages
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday that companies can recover profits lost because of the unauthorized use of their patented technology abroad in a victory for Schlumberger NV, the world's largest oilfield services provider.The 7-2 decision overturned a lower court's ruling that had enforced limits on applying U.S. patent law overseas…
Petrobras Forms JV with Murphy in Gulf of Mexico
Brazil's state-controlled oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA is forming a joint venture with Murphy Oil Company to explore oil and gas fields in the Gulf of Mexico, the Brazilian company said on Wednesday in a securities filing.According to the filing, Petrobras, as the Brazilian company is known, will have a 20 percent stake in the joint venture, and Murphy will have 80 percent.
International Tribunal Rules in Favor of Chevron in Ecuador Case
Chevron Corp said on Friday an international tribunal ruled in its favor and that Ecuador had violated its obligations under international treaties.The tribunal unanimously held that a $9.5 billion pollution judgment by Ecuador's Supreme Court against Chevron "was procured through fraud, bribery and corruption and was based on claims that had been already settled and released by the Republic of Ecuador years ear
Italy Top Court Rejects Appeal to Stymie Shell, Eni Corruption Trial
Italy's Supreme Court threw out an appeal from Shell and four former Shell managers to stymie a trial on alleged corruption in Nigeria, which also sees Eni's chief on the bench, legal sources said on Wednesday.The long-running graft case revolves around the 2011 purchase by Eni and Shell of Nigeria's OPL-245 offshore oilfield for about $1.3 billion.
Canada: Aboriginals Adequately Consulted on Enbridge Pipeline
Canada's top court ruled on Wednesday that aboriginals were adequately consulted on changes to an Enbridge Inc oil pipeline, dismissing an attempt to quash the national energy regulator's approval of the project. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in a unanimous decision that the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation were given early notice of hearings on changes to Enbridge's Line 9 oil pipeline…
Canada Court Throws Out Permits for Seismic Testing in North
Canada's top court handed aboriginals a partial victory on Wednesday, ruling there was not adequate consultation on plans to conduct seismic testing for oil and gas in the north of the country, but dismissing a separate attempt to quash permits for changes to an Enbridge Inc pipeline. In the two separate but related decisions, the…
U.S. Sanctions Vens as Pressure Builds on Maduro
The Trump administration imposed sanctions on 13 senior Venezuelan officials as the country's opposition launched a two-day strike on Wednesday, heaping pressure on unpopular President Nicolas Maduro to scrap plans for a controversial new congress. Venezuela's long-time ideological foe the United States targeted the country's army and police chiefs…
Norway's Arctic Oil Plan Violates Constitution, Lawsuit Says
Norway's plan for Arctic oil exploration is unconstitutional because it violates the right to a healthy environment, a lawyer for Greenpeace and the Nature and Youth environmental group told an Oslo court on Tuesday. The case is the first of its kind in Norway and says a 2015 oil licensing round in the Arctic that gave awards to Statoil , Chevron and others violates the constitution.
India Ups Import Tax on Petcoke in Blow to US Refiners
India has raised the effective import duty on petroleum coke to 10 percent from 2.5 percent, according to a government order, days after the government told a court it was in favour of curbing the use of the dirty-burning fuel. The duty has gone up after the government ended an exemption to tax payable on importing the fuel that emits…
US Supreme Court to Hear Schlumberger Fight over Patent Damages
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to review a bid by Schlumberger NV, the world's largest oilfield services provider, to allow companies to recoup profits lost due to patent infringement when patented technology is used overseas. The case involves a fight over how much rival ION Geophysical Corp must pay for infringing Schlumberger technology that helps search for oil and gas beneath the ocean floor.
EU to Hit Venezuelan Officials with Sanctions
Seven senior Venezuelan officials are likely to face European Union sanctions from next week, including the country's powerful chief justice, diplomats said, as the EU seeks to pressure President Nicolas Maduro to resolve a political crisis. The travel bans and asset freezes, which EU ambassadors are set to approve on Thursday, will follow U.S.
Greenpeace Appeals after Losing Norwegian Arctic Lawsuit
Environmental groups launched an appeal on Monday after an Oslo court rejected their arguments that Norway's oil and gas exploration in the Arctic violates citizens' right to a clean environment. Greenpeace and Nature and Youth disputed the Oslo District Court's verdict last month, particularly that Norway could not be held responsible for greenhouse gas emissions from the use of its oil and gas exported abroad.
UK Court: Nigerians Cannot Pursue Shell Claim in England
The Court of Appeal in London ruled on Wednesday that two Nigerian communities cannot pursue Royal Dutch Shell in English courts over oil spills in Nigeria's Delta region. The split decision upheld a High Court ruling last year that was a setback to attempts to hold British multinationals liable at home for their subsidiaries' actions abroad.
FERC Mulls Action on NY Denial for NatGas Pipeline
U.S. federal energy regulators gave themselves more time to decide whether to rehear their earlier order upholding New York's denial of a water permit for Williams Cos Inc's Constitution natural gas pipeline from Pennsylvania to New York. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on Wednesday rejected Constitution's request to overturn New York's denial of a water quality certification in January.
Iron Ore Cleared to Transport from Goa
Vedanta Resources, controlled by billionaire Anil Agarwal, and other miners can transport already mined iron ore from Goa on which royalties have been paid, India's top court ruled on Wednesday, providing relief to the state's miners. India's Supreme Court in February quashed all iron ore mining permits in the southwestern state of Goa, one of the top producing states for the steel making raw material.
Four Bunker Barges Seized in Singapore over Unpaid Debt
Singapore law firm asks for vessels to be arrested; bunker barges owned by Vermont UM Shipping. Four marine refuelling barges owned and operated by Vermont UM Shipping Pte Ltd were seized in Singapore on Monday night, according to the website of Singapore's Supreme Court. Singaporean law firm Rajah & Tann seized the vessels over unpaid claims on behalf of its client…
New Projects in Brazil's Amazon? Not Without Congressional Approval, says court
Brazil's government has been told that development projects, including hydropower dams, in protected areas can no longer go ahead without the prior approval of lawmakers. Last week's ruling by the supreme court followed the use by the government in recent years of the controversial "provisional measure", a legal instrument that allowed the president to approve projects by reducing the size of protected areas.
Schlumberger Fights to Boost Patent Damages at US Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday appeared divided over whether to make it easier for companies to recoup profits lost due to the unauthorized use of their patented technology overseas in a dispute involving Schlumberger NV, the world's largest oilfield services provider.The nine justices heard about an hour of arguments that will resolve…
U.S. Top Court Rejects Constitution Pipeline Over New York Permit
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday dealt another setback to a proposed natural gas pipeline running from Pennsylvania to New York, rejecting Constitution Pipeline Co's bid to challenge New York state's refusal to issue a needed water permit for the project.The high court left in place an August 2017 ruling by the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in favor of the state.
