Shale-Gas Case Ringing Alarms in State-Level Mineral-Rights Law

摘要

The unexpected earthquake that rocked the Eastern Seaboard recently was not the only seismic shock the region has endured in recent months. A different kind of tremor was also felt, most keenly by those involved in the energy industry in that general area. However, this potential tectonic shift was not in the ground, but in the law governing what is extracted from what lies beneath. And while that jolt has been the subject of much discussion, our analysis tells us that it is much too early to tell if it represents a permanent change in the law.