Burleson LLP's Michael Vennum Presents Continuing Education Program on Land Use Issues in Oil & Gas Development

PITTSBURGH, July 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Michael Vennum, a Partner in Burleson LLP's Pittsburgh office, will present Land Use Issues Related to Oil and Gas Development and the Impact of the Recent Robinson Township Decision at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI), the continuing education arm of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. 

The session, which will be held on July 27, and again on July 30, from 9 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. at the PBI Conference Center, will cover several topics related to oil and gas development in the region. These include municipal zoning limitations, exclusionary zoning, and municipal preemptive matters. Vennum will also discuss the impact of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's 2013 decision in Robinson Township v. Commonwealth, which struck down portions of Act 13, a set of laws that, among other things, attempted to establish statewide, uniform drilling standards. 

"Since the decision in Robinson, a number of new legal issues have emerged at the municipal level that only add to the complexity of land use matters impacting oil and gas companies in the region," said Vennum. "This seminar will bring clarity to those concerns and deliver the awareness and understanding companies need to comply with the Commonwealth's changing regulatory landscape." 

Vennum has practiced law for more than two decades, focusing primarily in oil and gas title, land use, regulatory, and real estate law. He represents exploration and production companies and midstream operators in a wide range of regional and development matters, including local zoning, road use, municipal ordinance challenges, and general real estate concerns. 

Vennum has successfully obtained land development approval for well pad sites; central facilities, including compressor stations; pipelines; and metering stations. His background in the Appalachian region also includes developing oil and gas lease primary term holdover language, negotiating road use and maintenance agreements, obtaining local approval for well site sewage holding tanks, and brokering the purchase and sale of oil and gas estates. He is licensed to practice in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and New York. 

About Burleson LLP
Burleson LLP is a full-service law firm devoted primarily to the oil and gas industry. Burleson has a presence in every major North American producing region – with unique experience in shale plays – and serves clients in the upstream, downstream, and midstream sectors. Many of the firm's attorneys have worked in the energy industry, including backgrounds as corporate general counsel, enabling Burleson to bring extensive understanding, knowledge, and insight to the companies and individuals it serves. With deep roots in oil and gas, complemented by broad-based corporate capabilities and mid-market rates, Burleson LLP is truly the law firm where energy matters. For further information, visit www.burlesonllp.com.

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SOURCE Burleson LLP