Energy

Jordan Cowman and Robert Downing to Speak at Columbia Business School: Guyana – Suriname Conference Series

April 20, 2021

Jordan W. Cowman and Robert J. Downing, shareholders of global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP, will participate in the virtual Columbia Business School: Guyana – Suriname Conference Series, on April 21 and April 28. Downing will moderate and Cowman will speak during Session I of the conference on April 21. Additionally, Downing will speak during Session II on April 28. The discussions will focus on opportunities in the oil and gas sector,…

Inside Energy & Environment

Upcoming EU Environmental and Human Rights Supply Chain Due Diligence Requirements for Rechargeable Industrial Batteries and E-Vehicle Batteries

By Paul Mertenskötter & Cándido García Molyneux

April 20, 2021

In December 2020, the European Commission presented a proposal for a new Regulation on Batteries and Waste Batteries (see Covington’s webinar on the proposal). The proposed Regulation seeks to achieve the objectives set out in the European Green Deal and subsequent strategies, such as the transition to a carbon neutral and circular economy and the growth of renewable energies and clean mobility. The European Parliament and Council are currently considering the proposal for its adoption…

Legacy Advisors

Florida Requires Sales Tax Collection on All In-Person and Online Sales, Effective July 1

By David C. Ashburn, Hayden R. Dempsey & Fred F. Harris

April 20, 2021

Florida State Capitol, in Tallahassee, Florida

On April 19, Gov. DeSantis signed into law a sweeping tax package, Senate Bill 50, that provides both temporary and long-term relief to Florida businesses. The new law requires the collection of sales taxes by online businesses and is projected to generate $1 billion in annual tax revenue for the state. This will level the playing field for Florida brick and mortar businesses that are required to collect sales tax. Click here to continue …

Energy & Environmental Law Adviser

Biden Infrastructure Proposal Plants Seeds for a Greener Tomorrow

By Robert A.H. Middleton

April 19, 2021

We have previously blogged about President Biden’s infrastructure plan released in late March. The sweeping $2 trillion plan provides a blueprint designed to strengthen America’s infrastructure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This goal was also highlighted in the president’s recent discretionary spending request to Congress, requesting $1.8 billion in programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which EPA Administrator Michael Regan called “historic investments to tackle the climate crisis[.]” In three principal areas — research and…

The Energy Law Blog

Texas Supreme Court Update: TRO-X Lives to Fight Another Day in Contractual Dispute over Share of Income on Production from Equitable Interests

By Daniel E. Rodriguez

April 19, 2021

The Texas Supreme Court recently released its anticipated opinion in Eagle Oil & Gas Co. v. TRO-X, L.P., 18-0983, 2021 WL 1045723, at *1 (Tex. Mar. 19, 2021) (“Eagle II”). The Eagle II case is the second case that arose between TRO-X, L.P. (“TRO-X”) and Eagle Oil & Gas Co. (“Eagle”) regarding their agreement to jointly acquire and sell oil and gas leases. In the first, Eagle Oil & Gas Co. v. TRO-X, L.P., 416…

Energy & the Law

Texas Legislature to Consider Oil and Gas Lien Law Amendment

By Charles Sartain

April 19, 2021

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Co-author Brittany Blakey Texas lien law in some cases does not require the filing of a financing statement for priority perfection. However, as you might have learned in In re First River Energy, the Delaware Uniform Commercial Code did not recognize the priority of Texas producers’ unfiled, unperfected security interests in proceeds under Texas Business and Commerce Code Section 9.343. In contrast, Oklahoma Producers prevailed because the Oklahoma Lien Act in 2010 cured a defect…

Energy Forward

Legal Update: Mexico – The House of Representatives Approves an Initiative to Amend the Hydrocarbons Law

By Claudia Ramos, Vera De Brito de Gyarfas & Francisco Mendez

April 16, 2021

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The House of Representatives approved the draft of an initiative to reform the Hydrocarbons Law with minor modifications notwithstanding the antitrust watchdog (COFECE) opinion. The Senate’s approval is next. For more details on the approval and the next steps, see our legal update.…

Energy & the Law

What are “Drilling Operations”?

By Charles Sartain

April 15, 2021

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Co-author Rusty Tucker As Humpty Dumpty would have said to Alice if he were Justice Dumpty of the Texas Supreme Court, the term means whatever the parties to an oil and gas lease say it means, neither more nor less. In Sundown Energy LP, et al. v. HJSA No. 3, Ltd. P’ship the term “drilling operations” meant that activities other than spudding-in new wells were sufficient to satisfy a continuous operations clause. The lease…

The Energy Law Blog

FinCEN Seeking Comments on New Beneficial Owner Reporting Requirements

By William Bennett & Andrew Mahtook

April 14, 2021

On April 5, 2021, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) released its advance notice of proposed rulemaking (“ANPRM”) to solicit public comments on questions pertinent to its implementation of the Corporate Transparency Act’s (“CTA”) beneficial owner reporting requirements. As discussed in a previous Energy Law Blog post, the CTA was adopted as part of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act and requires that certain business entities disclose to FinCEN the identities of their beneficial…

Legacy Advisors

The Netherlands and Germany Amend Tax Treaty

By Paul Schouten & Reinier van de Steenoven˘

April 14, 2021

On March 24, 2021, the Netherlands and Germany signed a protocol to amend the tax treaty between the two states (the Protocol). The tax treaty prevents, on the one hand, double taxation by companies or citizens and, on the other hand, non-taxation. The Protocol contains agreements on the right to levy taxes on (short-term) social security benefits and clauses to prevent tax avoidance. Continue reading the full GT Alert.…