Marcellus Shale

With its strong energy, environmental, litigation and zoning law practices, and longstanding community ties throughout the mid-Atlantic states, Saul Ewing is superbly qualified to counsel companies on development of the Marcellus Shale. As a member of the Marcellus Shale Coalition and the Pennsylvania Independent Oil & Gas Association, Saul Ewing has been recognized by the National Law Journal as a regional firm with the depth and experience needed to address the issues of natural gas production and transportation in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware.

Saul Ewing blogs the leading legal issues in Marcellus Shale production and transportation at Marcellus Shale Watch. The firm's Marcellus Shale team is comprised of attorneys in its Project and Resource Development Department who work throughout the mid-Atlantic region and combine the following characteristics:

• Energy and utility lawyers who have broad experience from the Alaskan tundra to the mines and wells of Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia. The Pennsylvania Bar Institute has invited Saul Ewing’s lawyers to teach the oil and gas statutes that control in Pennsylvania. Members of the Energy and Utilities Practice Group include former chairs of the public utility commissions of Pennsylvania and Maryland; our attorneys regularly deal with the utility regulation aspects of the transportation of energy commodities, and the siting and construction of necessary infrastructure for that activity
• Environmental lawyers well-schooled in navigating the states’ regulatory and permitting process, representing clients in enforcement proceedings, representing natural resource owners in regulatory takings cases, and in the purchasing and selling of mineral rights. Our lawyers practice before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP), the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and other Federal and state agencies, and in many cases worked with, and led, those agencies before joining Saul Ewing
• Real Estate and Transactional lawyers with experience in leasing, acquisition, land-use, real estate related litigation, and construction and buying and selling natural resource companies and properties. In particular, we have 50 years of experience acquiring right of way for natural gas pipelines, both by negotiation and by eminent domain. We have significant experience with real estate in numerous counties throughout Pennsylvania, including Greene, Washington, Allegheny, Westmoreland, Beford, Fulton, Beaver, Butler, Armstrong, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango, Clarion, Jefferson, Clearfield, Crawford, Warren, Forest, Elk, McKean, Potter, Tioga, Lycoming, Sullivan and Bradford.
• Litigators with significant experience in contract, environmental, condemnation, title, real estate and commercial disputes that can and do arise in the energy industry, including 55 condemnation matters filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on behalf of Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Corporation
• Tax lawyers who provide clients with advice and representation with regard to federal, state and local tax issues, minimizing tax impact both in the current financial situation and for future tax savings
• A government affairs practice in both Maryland and Pennsylvania. In Maryland, Saul Ewing recently announced its strategic alliance with Harris-Jones & Malone, LLC, a preeminent lobbying firm that consults on a diverse range of issues, including energy, environmental law, education, healthcare, gaming, telecommunications, procurement, liquor licensing, corporate law, taxation, labor, insurance. In Pennsylvania, we maintain an affiliation with State Street Partners LLC, an independent entity that provides government relations consulting, lobbying services, and business solutions to clients in a variety of industries covering matters involving energy development, public policy, regulatory and permitting compliance and governmental issues.

Serving the Natural Gas, Oil Industries

Saul Ewing's gas and oil attorneys represent companies that extract, process, transport and distribute natural gas, oil, coal and non-coal minerals in a range of legal issues impacting the industry, including real estate and land use, environmental concerns, regulatory matters, finance and litigation. To learn more about our oil and gas experience, please click here.

Whom We Represent

• Fortune 500 corporations
• Independent natural gas producers
• Coal companies
• Aggregate and sand mining producers
• Specialty mineral companies
• Refineries and retailers
• Natural gas storage developers
• Natural gas processors and distributors
• Pipeline companies

Representative Marcellus Shale Matters

• As Pennsylvania counsel, provided environmental due diligence in connection with a multi hundred million dollar investment by a global private equity firm in an independent oil exploration and development company involved in the exploration and development of Marcellus Shale.
• Currently represent an independent gas exploration and production company with operations in the Barnett Shale and Marcellus Shale Plays. This work includes: (1) review and revision of Pennsylvania lease and option forms; (2) creation of Pennsylvania LLC to conduct seismic imaging work; (3) preparation of form of confidentiality / nondisclosure agreement for use with Pennsylvania partners / investors; (4) miscellaneous corporate work, e.g., foreign entity registration, etc.
• Currently assisting two major natural gas producers who are in the process of obtaining permits for the first Marcellus gas wells to be permitted in Maryland.

In recent years, our team has provided sophisticated legal services to energy and utility clients, ranging from siting issues and development financing to environmental due diligence and regulatory compliance. Please click here to learn more about our representative matters in the energy and utility industries.