American Oil and Gas Reporter - September 2021 - 18

IndustryDigest
address what changes in the
department's programs may be
necessary to meet the president's targets
of cutting GHG emissions in half by
2030 and achieving net zero GHG
emissions by 2050. " ❒
Ruling: Coastal Lawsuits
Belong In Federal Court
NEW ORLEANS-The Louisiana Oil
& Gas Association is applauding a
ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for
the Fifth Circuit that the association
says will help keep coastal erosion
litigation against some of the nation's
largest oil companies in federal court.
After the decision was issued in
August, LOGA President Mike Moncla
celebrated the circuit court
determination that a pair of lead cases
blaming oil companies for coastal
erosion and wetland loss belonged in
federal court. Press accounts note that
Louisiana and six coastal parishes have
filed 42 such suits against 200 oil
companies since 2013.
" Since the beginning of the coastal
litigation process, the oil and gas
industry in Louisiana has been on the
decline, " Moncla observes. " These
frivolous lawsuits have hurt jobs,
bankrupted marine service companies
and operators, and decimated the
state's tax revenue it receives from
energy production. "
LOGA notes that the decision
partially overturns a decision given by
the Fifth Circuit in 2020 that would have
sent the lawsuits back to state court.
" Our industry is committed to
protecting the 250,000-plus workers in
the state that rely on oil and gas as well
as preserving much-needed funds for
Louisiana's coastal restoration efforts, "
Moncla adds. " The ruling makes it very
clear how the Fifth Circuit views the
arguments made by the plaintiffs' legal
representation. " ❒
Line 3 Moves Ahead
As Minnesota Court
Declines To Hear Case
MINNEAPOLIS-Enbridge Energy's
Line 3 Oil Pipeline replacement came
closer to completion in late August,
when the Minnesota Supreme Court
declined to hear an appeal brought by
activists seeking to halt the pipeline's
construction.
According to published reports, the
appeal followed a June state court ruling
that affirmed a certificate of need and
route permit from the Minnesota Public
Utilities Commission. Press accounts
also indicate pipeline opponents have
sought to persuade President Biden to
One of the Indiana Oil
& Gas Association's
2021 scholarship recipients,
Abbigail King
(center), pauses with
her parents, David and
Michelle King, at the
Indiana Oil & Gas Association's
annual
scholarship picnic
and golf outing. King
is attending Purdue
University and majoring
in geology and
geophysics. INOGA
notes that it is contributing
$18,000 of
scholarship support
to Indiana residents
pursuing an undergraduate
degree, with
preference given for
majors in Earth sciences, petroleum engineering, chemical engineering or geology.
Candidates submit with their application a short essay explaining their interest in the oil
and gas industry and which career path they plan to pursue. INOGA says its goal is to
attract students to complete their degrees and work in the Illinois Basin oil and gas
industry. Ongoing recipients include Tyler Goedde and Branden Henning, while new
recipients include King, Donald Blanton III and Jack Stewart. For more information, visit
www.indianaoga.org/scholarship.html.
18 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER
intervene against the pipeline.
The original 1,097-mile Line 3 crude
oil pipeline was built in the 1960s, and
extends from Edmonton, Alberta to
Superior, Wi., Enbridge describes.
According to the company, the $2.9billion
U.S. portion of the project
consists of replacing existing 34-inch
pipe with new 36-inch pipe for 13 miles
in North Dakota, 337 miles in
Minnesota, and 14 miles in Wisconsin.
As with other pipeline projects such
as Keystone XL and Line 5, Line 3
crosses the U.S.-Canadian border and
has become a target for defeat by oil
and gas opponents. According to media
reports, anti-industry activists have
sought to defeat Line 3 by claiming the
project threatens surface waters and will
contribute to global climate change. ❒
Capacity Expands For
Dakota Access Pipeline
DALLAS-Capacity on Energy
Transfer Partners' Dakota Access
Pipeline has expanded by 180,000
barrels of crude oil a day to a total of
750,000 bbl/d, the company reports.
The company previously has
expressed plans to add pumping stations
that may increase DAPL's capacity to as
much as 1.1 million barrels a day, press
accounts note. The system begins in
North Dakota's Bakken and Three Forks
formations and runs southeast through
South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois, ending
near Patoka, Il.
A June ruling by Federal Judge
James Boasberg in the U.S. District
Court for the District of Columbia
allowed the pipeline, which has drawn
rhetorical fire from oil and gas
opponents, to continue to operate while
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
completes a court-ordered
environmental impact statement. ❒
Chesapeake's Vine Buy
Expands Its Footprint
In Northwest Louisiana
OKLAHOMA CITY-Chesapeake
Energy Corp. says it is buying
Haynesville- and Mid-Bossier-focused
Vine Energy Inc. in a transaction valued
at approximately $2.2 billion.
Vine has concentrated on developing
natural gas in Northwest Louisiana's

http://www.indianaoga.org/scholarship.html

American Oil and Gas Reporter - September 2021

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