Supreme Court Ruling Leaves Door Open to Local Regulation of Oil & Gas Development
- February 17, 2015 | By Alan D. Wenger | Oil & Gas
Headlines seem to say that the Ohio Supreme Court has upheld the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) statewide preemption over local municipal governments’ regulating oil and gas development within their municipal boundaries (read the ruling here). A majority of…
New OSHA Rules Require Sound Plan To Report Accidents
- February 12, 2015 | By Matthew M. Ries | Business & Employment
Recent changes in federal laws covering workplace injury reporting make it more important for employers to have reliable systems for documenting and reporting serious accidents. Here are some recent examples of important changes in reporting laws: On September 11, the…
New OT Rules for Direct Care Workers Take Effect Jan. 1
- December 16, 2014 | By Martin J. Boetcher | Business & Employment
(Update 3/26/2015 : The new U.S. Department of Labor overtime regulations for direct care workers are being challenged in court. In January, a Federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia invalidated the new regulation. The…
What Employers Should Know About Background Checks
- July 15, 2014 | By Martin J. Boetcher | Business & Employment
Many employers have background checks performed or perform background checks themselves on job applicants or employees when making decisions about hiring, retention and promotion. Background checks can include obtaining information about the person's work history, criminal record, education, financial history…
Advance Planning Needed for Effective Business Succession
- June 25, 2014 | By Shawna L. L'Italien | Business & Employment, Estate Planning
Business owners spend much of their lives building up their businesses but often fail to plan for succession. This lack of planning can invite unfavorable consequences for the owner’s financial picture, his or her family, the business itself and its…
Ruling Finds Telecommuting May Be Required As ‘Reasonable Accommodation' for Disability
- June 12, 2014 | By Martin J. Boetcher | Business & Employment
A recent appeals court ruling that an employer may be required to permit an employee to work from home as part of a “reasonable accommodation” for a disability could have implications for Ohio employers. The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of…
Ohio BWC Transitions to Prospective Billing
- June 10, 2014 | By Martin J. Boetcher | Business & Employment
The Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation is transitioning to a prospective premium payment plan for Ohio state fund employers. Previously, the Bureau had billed state fund employers retrospectively for the prior six months of workers' compensation coverage. However, beginning July…
Left Behind: Is Valley Missing Royalty Rapture?
- June 4, 2014 | By Alan D. Wenger | Oil & Gas
From 2010 through 2012, the Mahoning Valley experienced a mad rush of oil and gas companies tying up drilling rights. This included thousands of new leases as well as thousands of already leased “deep rights” being assigned by conventional lessee…
Local Governments May Have Some Authority Over Oil & Gas Infrastructure
- April 29, 2014 | By Alan D. Wenger | Oil & Gas, Public Sector
The oil and gas industry and its acolytes want everyone to believe that anything remotely related to oil and gas development is preempted by state law. State law does give the Ohio Department of Natural Resources exclusive jurisdiction over some…
Considerations for Addressing Royal Frustration Over Royalties
- February 18, 2014 | By Alan D. Wenger | Oil & Gas
Prompted by the flowery prognostications of oil company landmen, many Northeastern Ohio property owners hastened to lease their acres for horizontal shale drilling, with visions of fat royalty checks to come. Now, with a few new wells coming online (mostly…