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The University of Texas at Austin School of Law

Fracking and More: Environmental Issues in Oil and Gas Exploration and Production

  • Semester: Spring 2016
  • Course ID: 279M
  • Credit Hours: 2
  • Unique: 28250

Course Information

  • Grading Method: Pass/Fail Not Allowed

Registration Information

  • Upperclass-only elective

Meeting Times

Day Time Location
THU 4:15 - 6:05 pm JON 6.206

Evaluation Method

Type Date Time Location
Final exam May 11, 2016 8:30 am 2.123

Description

The unconventional oil and gas development techniques of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing were first combined on a commercial scale in the Barnett Shale in North Central Texas in the late 1990s. The growth of the oil and gas industry in the United States since that time has been unprecedented. Drilling in tight formations long known to contain significant volumes of gas and oil has proceeded rapidly. Environmental issues have arisen as a consequence of the rapid pace and expansive geographic scope of this growth. In many cases the development has occurred in areas not subject to significant oil and gas development in the past. Both industry and government have sometimes lacked the knowledge, staffing, and laws to keep up with the growth in the sector. This course will provide the student with a basic understanding the oil and gas development technology which spurs this growth. The course will then review the associated environmental and natural resource issues impacted by this change in the energy sector and the framework of laws and policies affecting the industry. The course will also include a review of current studies by government agencies and academic institutions, trends in litigation, and how the environmental issues have been addressed by the oil and gas industry, governmental agencies, and nongovernmental organizations. Finally, the course will explore how environmental issues are typically addressed in an oil and gas transaction. It is strongly recommended that students taking the course have some course background in either energy (oil and gas) or environmental law.

Textbooks ( * denotes required )

2013 Complete Guide to Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking) for Shale Oil and Natural Gas: Encyclopedic Coverage of Production Issues, Protection of Drinking Water, Underground Injection Control (UIC) *
Progressive Management , edition: kindle edition
Beyond the Fracking Wars: A Guide for Lawyers, Public Officials, Planners, and Citizens *
Erica Levine Powers
ISBN: 978-1627221634
The Boom: How Fracking Ignited the American Energy Revolution and Changed the World (optional)
Russell Gold
ISBN: 978-1451692280

Instructors

Headshot of Morriss, James C III Morriss, James C III
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Important Class Changes

Date Updated
02/19/2016 Exam information updated