Oil and Gas Leasing: Interior Department Reopens 1.56 Million Acres of Alaska’s Coastal Plain for Energy Development 
On October 23 2025, the Department of the Interior announced it has reopened 1.56 million acres of Alaska’s Coastal Plain for potential oil and gas development with a Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program Record of Decision, citing its importance to U.S. energy production and security. This move reverses restrictions put in place by the prior administration and aligns with directives outlined in Executive Order 14153, Secretarial Order 3422, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The Department also reinstated leases to the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority after a court ruling overturned their earlier cancellation. Additionally, the Bureau of Land Management has invited public input on which areas within the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska should be considered for an upcoming lease sale. This would be the first sale in the 23-million-acre reserve since 2019. For more information on the proposed rescinding of the rule, see the Shale Law Weekly Review, “National Energy Policy: Department of Interior Proposes Rescission of 2024 Alaska Petroleum Reserve Regulations.”
National Energy Policy: EFI Report Details Scope and Impact of DOE’s $8 Billion in Award Cancellations
On October 2, 2025, The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the cancellation of 321 financial awards supporting 223 energy projects, citing that they failed to meet economic and national energy goals. According to the Department, the terminations, which would have provided about $7.56 billion in project funding, followed a detailed review process established under Secretary Wright’s May 2025 memorandum on financial accountability. Furthermore, a recent EFI Foundation report examines the Department of Energy’s decision to terminate the 321 awards totaling $8 billion. The analysis found that a small number of large projects made up nearly half of the total cancellations, with the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations representing a significant share. According to the report, the cancellations affected projects in nearly every state, with public-sector entities such as state governments and universities experiencing the greatest impact.
Climate Change: French Court Rules Energy Company Engaged in Illegal Greenwashing Campaign
On October 23, 2025, a Paris Judicial Court ruled that energy company TotalEnergies misled consumers by claiming it would be carbon neutral by 2050. Civ 34ème Chambre 23 Octobre 2025, RG n°22/02955. In May 2021, TotalEnergies launched an ad campaign targeting French consumers and pushing a message of dedication to carbon reduction and a transition away from fossil fuels and biofuels. These practices are referred to as greenwashing (making exaggerated environmental claims) and are prohibited under French Law. Greenpeace France and other French environmental groups sued, seeking judgment that the ad campaign was misleading and therefore a violation of greenwashing laws. The Paris Judicial Court agreed with Greenpeace, reasoning that false unbased claims of carbon neutrality were indeed greenwashing, and ruled that TotalEnergies must remove all misleading content on its website and social media accounts and pay 8,000 euros to the three environmental groups that brought suit.
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CENTER PROGRAMS & RESOURCES
On November 20th at 12pm noon, Center Staff Attorney Jackie Schweichler will present a session on legal considerations for agritourism businesses. This presentation will be part of the session, “Cultivating Opportunity: A Practical Guide to Starting and Managing Agritourism Operations.”
- November 20th from 12 noon-1:00 PM. More Information and Registration Here
Understanding the Basics of Cell Cultured Foods & Labeling Laws
On Friday, November 21, 2025, from 12 noon–1:00 pm ET, the Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law, alongside the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s (PDA) Agricultural Business Development Center (ABDC), will present the next webinar in the Understanding Agricultural Law Educational Series, a course designed to develop subject matter literacy and competence on fundamental issues of agricultural law for attorneys and business advisors who work with or represent agricultural or rural clients but may not necessarily specialize in agricultural law:
“Understanding the Basics of Cell Cultured Foods & Labeling Laws”
- November 21st from 12 noon-1:00 PM. More Information and Registration Here
Understanding the Clean Water Act & Ag: Biosolids & Food Processing Waste Land Application
On Friday, December 12, 2025, from 12 noon–1:00 pm ET, the Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law, alongside the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s (PDA) Agricultural Business Development Center (ABDC), will present the next webinar in the Understanding Agricultural Law Educational Series, a course designed to develop subject matter literacy and competence on fundamental issues of agricultural law for attorneys and business advisors who work with or represent agricultural or rural clients but may not necessarily specialize in agricultural law:
“Understanding the Clean Water Act & Ag: Biosolids & Food Processing Waste Land Application”
- December 12th from 12 noon-1:00 PM. More Information and Registration Here
Follow us on Twitter @AgShaleLaw to see the latest with our #ShaleLaw HotLinks
Connect with us on Facebook.
Penn State Farmland Energy Legal Podcast: Listen to the latest episode here.
Oil & Gas Law & Policy Resources:
Sartain, Texas Court Denies Surface Owner’s Self-Help Burial of Pipeline (November 1, 2025)
Barry, Climate Deception Cases Abound: They Aren’t All the Same (November 5, 2025)
Wilson, Lynch, and Rountree, Trends in the US Corporate PPA Market – Direct Energy Procurement by Commercial and Industrial Buyers Has Become a Necessity Rather Than an Election (November 6, 2025)
Nolette and Guarna, Appropriated, but Unobligated: Impounding Climate Funds (November 7, 2025)
FEDERAL ACTIONS—EXECUTIVE & LEGISLATIVE
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY PRESS RELEASES
Energy Department Announces $625 Million to Advance the Next Phase of National Quantum Information Science Research Centers (November 4, 2025)
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY PRESS RELEASES
EPA Approves North Dakota Coal Combustion Residuals Permit Program (November 5, 2025)
EPA Issues Additional Decisions on Small Refinery Exemptions (November 7, 2025)
FEDERAL EXECUTIVE AGENCIES (Federal Register November 3–November 10, 2025)
Environmental Protection Agency
90 FR 50766 Proposed Rule: “Protection of Stratospheric Ozone: Listing of Substitutes Under the Significant New Alternatives Policy Program in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning and Fire Suppression” (November 10, 2025)
Ocean Energy Management Bureau
90 FR 49292 Notice: “Notice on Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Lease Sales” (November 4, 2025)
90 FR 50760 Notice: “Notice of Availability of the Proposed Notice of Sale for the Cook Inlet Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas One Big Beautiful Bill Act Lease Sale 1” (November 10, 2025)
90 FR 50751 Notice: “Gulf of America OCS Oil and Gas One Big Beautiful Bill Act Lease Sale 1” (November 10, 2025)
U.S. HOUSE ENERGY AND COMMERCE COMMITTEE
H.R.5964 – To require the Secretary of Energy, acting through the Office of Electricity, to publish guidelines and best practices for integrated resource planning of the electricity system, provide technical assistance with respect to such guidelines and best practices, and develop a grant program for modernizing integrated resource planning, and for other purposes. (Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, November 7, 2025)
STATE ACTIONS—EXECUTIVE & LEGISLATIVE
PENNSYLVANIA EXECUTIVE AGENCIES (Pa. Bulletin Vol. 55, No. 45 – November 8, 2025)
Department of Environmental Protection
55 Pa.B. 7823: Federal Consistency under the Coastal Zone Management Act; Federal Highway Administration Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge Emergency Road Repair
Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
55 Pa.B. 7845: Electric Generation Supplier License Cancellation of Companies with an Expired Financial Security, Insufficient Financial Security Amount or Language
Written by:
Benjamin Aronovitch, Research Assistant
Caden Dean-Sauter, Research Assistant
Jackie Schweichler, Staff Attorney
