This presentation will review jurisprudential developments relating to mineral law, focusing on opinions based on Louisiana law that have been issued by state and federal courts in Louisiana.  The presentation will also review selected legislation from the 2025 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature that affects mineral law.

Overview of the recent changes to the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy (C&E or Department). In writing this I have relied as much as possible on publicly available reports, legislative enactments, current and past statutory provisions, and other official records. 

Discussion about 2025 legislation relating to CCS

There has been a sea change in the current regulatory environment from administration policy changes and personnel changes within the federal regulatory agencies that oversee the oil and gas industry, particularly offshore exploration andproduction and related sectors. In addition to these changes, the oil and gas industry is seeing an increase in private citizen lead litigation related to state and federal regulatory requirements. The purpose of the presentation is to discuss how the regulatoryand litigation issues are impacting the industry and how to navigate the changing regulatory and litigation environment as it pertains to oil and gas operations and explorations.

Will discuss the current state of affairs, what’s known, unknown, as well as the disputes bubbling up between mineral rights holders, surface owners, and CCUS operators throughout the state of Louisiana (maybe brief foray into Texas ?) 

A review of recent disciplinary cases, ethics opinions, and rule changes relating to lawyer misconduct and standards of professional responsibility.

A consideration of actions of lawyers that do not reflect well on the image of lawyers or the legal profession, and counterview on professional conduct.

This panel brings together three senior in-house oil and gas attorneys to discuss the practical realities of managing energy litigation from the client side. Topics will include how in-house counsel evaluate and manage litigation risk, their approach to dispute resolution and outside counsel relationships, Louisiana-specific legal challenges facing E&P companies, and emerging industry issues including  energy transition, AI adoption, and regulatory uncertainty. The moderator will guide a structured discussion designed to offer candid, experience-based perspectives valuable to both in-house and outside counsel.

Nearing the end of the 2025 Regular Legislative Session, on June 11, 2025, the Louisiana Legislature passed Senate Bill No. 244 (“SB 244”), which brings significant changes to Louisiana’s oilfield site remediation statute, commonly known as “Act 312” (found at La. R.S. § 30:29). Act 312 applies to cases where environmental damage is alleged from historical oil and gas operations (commonly referred to “legacy” cases) and provides the procedure for the State to evaluate, approve, and maintain oversight over oilfield site evaluation and remediation.

Effective to legacy cases filed after September 1, 2027, SB 244, if signed by the Governor, would provide much needed clarity, not only to litigants, but to the State agencies entrusted with oversight over oilfield site remediation.

The Louisiana Public Service Commission (PSC) is an important regulator of energy industries, but its authority is somewhat different than that of other regulatory agencies because the PSC is established by the Louisiana Constitution itself, rather than by legislation.  Therefore, some of the state statutes that govern other states agencies do not apply to the PSC.  For this reason, the PSC has its own administrative procedures, rather than being governed by the Louisiana Administrative Procedures Act.  This presentation will examine the ways that the PSC is distinct from state agencies that are created by legislation and which are part of the executive branch.  The presentation will also cover the PSC’s authority and role in regulating electricity rates and the proposed development of new electricity generating capacity in Louisiana, and how this legal authority is relevant to the data centers being built in Louisiana.

This presentation is a broad review of the many thorny issues related to co-ownership and concurrent rights in Louisiana mineral law.

This paper provides a practical guide to due diligence in upstream oil and gas transactions, covering the full overview from informal pre-signing review through formal post-signing investigation. It examines how transaction structure shapes diligence scope and risk allocation across the three core workstreams of corporate, title, and environmental diligence, and explains how title standards, defect notices, and cure mechanisms operate under modern purchase agreements. Written for practitioners who need both doctrinal grounding and real-world tools, the paper also offers strategic guidance on seller-side readiness, execution under time pressure, and privilege and confidentiality considerations, and includes a sample due diligence checklist and title defect notice as practical takeaways.

This presentation will explore the complexities involved in gaining access to lands of another for decommissioning and remediation work after mineral operations have ceased and leases have expired.  It will examine the statutory right of access for work pursuant to regulatory compliance orders, rights of access under cooperative agreements for work on orphaned well sites, contractual access agreements, and the enforcement of access rights. 

Significant changes were made to Louisiana law regarding the administration  and  collection of ad valorem taxes on immovable property by Act No. 774 of the Louisiana legislature, effective January 1, 2026.  This presentation will discuss those changes and the impact those changes will have on the administration and collection process, including the new definitions for tax liens, tax lien certificates, tax lien auctions and redemption of tax liens, as well as adjudicated property and procedures to quiet title.