Oil and Gas

This course will mainly cover issues of property law and natural resource protection that apply to the development of natural gas and oil. Topics will include:

  • An overview of the science and economics of the gas and oil industries
  • Well leases for extraction of the minerals
  • Pipeline right-of-way easements for transport of the minerals
  • Protection of water supplies from gas and oil development
  • Transition to harder-to-obtain gas and oil from shale formations
  • Leasing on federal lands

As part of the course, students will have the opportunity to read and work on actual lease and easement documents. Whenever possible, the focus will be on contemporary issues that lawyers in the field are currently working on.