Federal Court to Seek WVSCA Ruling On Vital Oil and Gas Drilling Issue
According to The Republic, Federal District Court Judge Irene Keeley has temporarily deferred ruling and is seeking guidance from the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals on a vital oil and gas drilling issue. Judge Keeley seeks to have the State’s highest court weigh in on whether West Virginia law permits a natural gas drilling company to use one owner’s land to drill horizontal wells designed to capture gas from neighboring tracts. The outcome will have far reaching implications, both legal and economic, on the State’s economy, and will affect the individual drilling companies operating in the State of West Virginia. The parties to the case are currently scheduled to submit appropriate filings to the Federal Court by April 29th.