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Unanticipated Site Conditions & Energy Construction Agreements [Gaille Energy Blog Issue 78]

  • Posted by scottgaille
  • On June 28, 2019
  • 0 Comments
  • "site conditions"
Contractors are generally entitled to seek additional compensation (a “price adjustment”) for encountering unanticipated site conditions. The more challenging question is defining what, precisely, constitutes an unanticipated site condition.  For example, in the clause below, unanticipated remains undefined: If contractor encounters unanticipated site conditions, then contractor is entitled to seek a price adjustment. The common meaning of unanticipated […]
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Every Young Lawyer Needs a Mentor [Gaille Energy Blog Issue 77]

  • Posted by scottgaille
  • On June 21, 2019
  • 0 Comments
  • law mentor
Over the last seven years, I’ve had the privilege of teaching the Energy Law Seminar to several hundred students at The University of Chicago Law School.  Many of my students end up practicing law in Houston, where they regularly seek my career advice.  These meetings frequently are marked by a general anxiety about whether someone’s […]
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Strange Tales of Energy Travel: Togo’s Crucifixion Beach [Gaille Energy Blog Issue 76]

  • Posted by scottgaille
  • On January 22, 2019
  • 0 Comments
Energy companies often do business in places that are not part of the Instagram travel circuit.  Visas can be difficult to obtain, and tourism is virtually non-existent.  These nations also tend to be home to extraordinary characters with unusual stories.  Whenever I travel to a new country, I enjoy visiting with its locals.  I always […]
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Comparison of Pipeline Drilling Methods: Bores, HDDs & Direct Pipes [Gaille Energy Blog Issue 75]

  • Posted by scottgaille
  • On September 24, 2018
  • 0 Comments
  • Boring, Direct Pipe, HDD
Over the course of their construction, pipelines encounter many obstacles that require the use of subsurface tunnels.  Such tunnels enable the pipeline to pass beneath roadways, railroads, rivers, and environmentally sensitive areas without disturbing them. There are three principal methods of constructing pipeline tunnels: (1) conventional boring, (2) horizontal directional drills, and (3) direct pipe […]
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Pipeline Crossings of Underground Obstructions [Gaille Energy Blog Issue 74]

  • Posted by scottgaille
  • On September 10, 2018
  • 0 Comments
  • pipeline crossing installations
More than 2.5 million miles of pipeline move American oil and gas production to refineries and consumers.  The U.S. Energy Information Administration is tracking an additional $100 billion of new natural gas projects, which would add more than 10,000 miles to the existing network. Pipeline construction requires a trench deep enough so that the top […]
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Career Advice for Young Energy Lawyers [Gaille Energy Blog Issue 73]

Career Advice for Young Energy Lawyers [Gaille Energy Blog Issue 73]

  • Posted by scottgaille
  • On September 3, 2018
  • 0 Comments
  • Energy Law Career Advice
Lawyers in the energy industry bear a particularly steep learning curve. It is not enough to just be an expert in legal disciplines such as transactions or litigation. Industry expertise is required, as well. Energy law is a many-layered cake of politics, regulations, joint ventures, and industry practice—iced and sprinkled with technical complexity. Practitioners must […]
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How to Get A’s in Law School [Gaille Energy Blog Issue 72]

  • Posted by scottgaille
  • On August 27, 2018
  • 0 Comments
I’m looking forward to teaching the Energy Law Seminar again this Fall at The University of Chicago.  As a professor there, I am often approached by prospective law students seeking advice about law school and legal careers.  My guidance always starts with the obvious fact that performance in law school correlates strongly with more, and […]
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Should the Energy Industry Care About Judge Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court Nomination? [Gaille Energy Blog Issue 71]

  • Posted by scottgaille
  • On July 23, 2018
  • 0 Comments
  • energy kavanaugh
The energy industry has increasingly found itself in the crossfires of American politics—with Democrats rallying around renewables and Republicans generally supporting fossil fuels.  The 2016 Democratic Party Platform even proposes ending consumption of fossil fuels entirely by 2050: This polarization of energy policy grew during President Obama’s administration.  In 2009, President Obama sought to pass […]
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The Secret to Judge Posner’s Amazing Productivity [Gaille Energy Blog Issue 70]

  • Posted by scottgaille
  • On July 13, 2018
  • 0 Comments
  • posner productivity
Last September, 78-year-old Richard A. Posner retired from the United States Court of Appeals to focus on writing.  Even while serving as a full-time judge on the Seventh Circuit and part-time law professor at The University of Chicago, there is no question that Posner has been among the most productive writers ever.  Posner has authored […]
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Offshore Pipelines: Visiting the Allseas Solitaire [Gaille Energy Blog Issue 69]

  • Posted by scottgaille
  • On July 8, 2018
  • 1 Comments
  • allseas pipelay
I recently had the opportunity to tour the Allseas Solitaire pipe layer as it was constructing a natural gas pipeline between the United States and Mexico.  The Allseas Solitaire is 1,302 feet long, longer than a Nimitz class aircraft carrier. The Solitaire travels with a fleet of smaller vessels that ferry pipe, personnel, and supplies to […]
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