Shannon Morrissey

Photo of Shannon Morrissey

Shannon Morrissey is an associate in Stoel Rives’ Environment, Land Use & Natural Resources group. She has experience with permitting, transactional and natural resources matters. She is the Secretary for the Executive Committee of the Sacramento County Bar Association, Environmental Law Section. Before joining Stoel Rives, Shannon was a summer associate (2014) and law clerk (2014-2015) with Stoel Rives LLP and was a legal extern at the Calif. State Water Resources Control Board and California Department of Justice. She is a frequent contributor to Stoel Rives’ California Environmental Law and Mineral Law blogs.

Subscribe to all posts by Shannon Morrissey

Trump’s BLM Cannot Delay Implementation of Oil and Gas Methane Rules after Effective Date

By Mike Mills and Shannon Morrissey on Posted in Oil & Gas, Regulation
On October 4, 2017, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California held that the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) cannot postpone implementation of natural gas methane emission rules because such action would violate the Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”).  Plaintiffs – the State of California, the State of New Mexico, and a … Continue Reading

Federal Bill Proposes Streamlined Pipeline Permitting, Vesting Authority in FERC

By Mike Mills and Shannon Morrissey on Posted in Oil & Gas
On July 19, 2017, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that grants the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) increased autonomy over pipeline approvals.  The bill, Promoting Interagency Coordination for Review of Natural Gas Pipelines Act (H.R. 2910), is aimed at streamlining the federal permitting process for pipeline approvals. H.R. 2901 would specify … Continue Reading

Senate Proposes Legislation to Modernize Federal Energy Policies

By Mike Mills and Shannon Morrissey on Posted in Legislation, Oil & Gas, Pipelines
On June 28, 2017, the Senate introduced a bill that aims to revitalize and overhaul various federal energy and natural resources policies.  Senate Bill 1460 (S.1460), sponsored by Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Arkansas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), broadly proposes reform of United States policies on topics such as energy efficiency, supply and conservation.  A key highlight … Continue Reading

Some Not-So-Good News Out of Washington, D.C. for Pipeline Operators – Feds Increase Fines for Pipeline Safety Violations

By Mike Mills and Shannon Morrissey on Posted in Oil & Gas
President Trump’s recent executive orders have benefited the oil pipeline industry in a number of ways, including most notably, giving the final “okay” to the Dakota Access Pipeline.  But some legislative mandates have been out of the reach of the President’s pen.  On April 27, the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (“PHMSA”), within … Continue Reading

Sage Grouse Update: BLM Issues Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on Proposed Withdrawal of 10 Million Acres

By Eric Martin, Sarah Stauffer Curtiss and Shannon Morrissey on Posted in Mining
On the last business day of 2016 the BLM released the DEIS on its proposed 20-year withdrawal of approximately 10 million acres of “sagebrush focal areas” (SFAs) in six western states from mineral location and entry under the General Mining Law.  At the same time, the BLM temporarily “segregated” almost 400,000 more acres in Nevada … Continue Reading

Draft Resource Management Plan Amendment Released for Central California Federal Lands

By Tom Henry, Ryan Steen and Shannon Morrissey on Posted in Fracking, Oil & Gas
On January 6, 2017, the federal Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) issued a notice of Draft Resource Management Plan Amendment (“DRMP Amendment”) and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (“DEIS”) for oil and gas leasing and development on federal lands administered by the BLM, Central Coast Field Office (“Planning Area”).  82 Fed. Reg. 1754 (Jan. 6, 2017).  … Continue Reading

In Effort to Increase Both Transparency and Safety, PHMSA Releases Civil Penalty Framework

By Mike Mills and Shannon Morrissey on Posted in Oil & Gas, Pipelines, Regulation
The Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (“PHMSA”) issued a General Policy Statement for civil penalties (“Penalty Framework”) on October 17, 2016.  The Penalty Framework allows a respondent in a PHMSA enforcement case to request a proposed civil penalty calculation related to its case, and provides a penalty range with corresponding factors … Continue Reading

Pipeline Operators Take Note: PHMSA Issues Interim Emergency Pipeline Safety Rules – Should You Be Concerned?

By Mike Mills and Shannon Morrissey on Posted in Oil & Gas
On October 3, 2016, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (“PHMSA”), within the U.S. Department of Transportation, released a new rule on its authority to issue emergency orders for pipeline safety.  The Interim Final Rule, titled “Pipeline Safety: Enhanced Emergency Order Procedures,” comes as a result of the Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and … Continue Reading

EPA Issues Expansive, Costly New Source Performance Standards for Oil and Gas Sector

By Mike Mills, Shannon Morrissey and Allison Smith on Posted in Oil & Gas
Widely anticipated on both sides of the aisle, on May 12, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) released final regulations to curb emissions of methane and volatile organic compounds (“VOC”) from additional new, modified, and reconstructed sources in the oil and gas industry.  The Final Rule, titled,  ‘Oil and Natural Gas Sector: Emission Standards … Continue Reading

Environmentalists Sue EPA to Force Update of Drilling Waste Regulations

By Mike Mills and Shannon Morrissey on Posted in Oil & Gas
On May 4, 2016, a coalition of environmental organizations (“Plaintiffs”) filed suit against the U.S. Environmental Protection (“EPA”) in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to compel the EPA to promulgate revised regulations and guidelines for the disposal, storage, transportation, and handling of oil and gas wastes.  Environmental Integrity Project et al. v. … Continue Reading

Colorado Court Strikes Down Local Fracking Bans that Conflict with State Law

By Shannon Morrissey and Mike Mills on Posted in Fracking, Oil & Gas
On May 2, 2016, the Colorado Supreme Court issued opinions in two separate cases challenging local bans on hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”).  A win for the oil and gas industry in the state, the Supreme Court held that the challenged fracking bans were preempted by state law in both cases.  These decisions highlight the legal principle … Continue Reading

BLM Proposes “Commonsense” Rule to Limit Methane Emissions from Oil & Gas Operations

By Shannon Morrissey, Mike Mills and Eric Skanchy on Posted in Oil & Gas, Regulation
On Friday, January 22, 2016 the federal Department of the Interior’s (“DOI”) Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) issued a proposed rule on reducing waste and methane emissions in oil and gas operations.  The rule would limit oil and gas flaring, venting, and leaking on federal and Indian lands.  While the U.S. has become the largest … Continue Reading
LexBlog