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Mouthy Delaware Riverkeeper Disrupts PA Gov. at Hydrogen Rally

This one is too funny. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a leftist liberal Democrat and the chosen candidate of the environmental left, appeared at a Philadelphia union hall for a speech last week to tout a hydrogen hub that is supposedly coming to the area, called the Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub (MACH2). The MACH2 project is actually centered in Joe Biden’s home state of Delaware but will give a few economic table scraps to the Philly area, which excites and titillates PA politicians. Early in Shapiro’s “ain’t hydrogen just great” speech, Maya van Rossum, THE Delaware Riverkeeper (that’s what she calls herself), got up and began to shout down Shapiro. That’s right! The guy SHE voted for and helped elect! You see, Miss Maya (hereinafter to be called Mouthy Maya) doesn’t like hydrogen hubs, even “clean” hubs like the MACH2 project.
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New City Council Members Want to Destroy Philadelphia Gas Works

The New Year brought with it four new members of the Philadelphia City Council. All four are radical leftists who want to destroy the city-owned Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW) by forcing it to dump sales of natural gas. The inmates are running the asylum! Three of the four new members are radical left Democrats. One is from the Working Families Party — essentially the same thing as the Communist Party (and no, we’re not exaggerating). The new council members say the city (the world) is “in an emergency place” and “we’ve got to take emergency, immediate actions” in order to save the planet. Is anyone listening to these nutters? How in the world did they get elected?
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Amtrak Caves to Radicals, Won’t Install Gas Boilers in Philly Stn

Ever ridden on an Amtrak train? We have, a number of times. Including the route from New York to Philadelphia, pulling into the 30th Street Station in downtown Philly. Amtrak, the national passenger railroad company of the United States operating in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. states and three Canadian provinces, is openly admitting that a few anti-fossil fuel zealots cowed it into dropping plans to use natural gas boilers in much-needed upgrades at Philly’s 30th Street Station. A few loudmouths convinced the mighty Amtrak to change course.
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PA Manufacturers Release Study Supporting Philly LNG Export Plan

Last week, MDN told you about the third and final public hearing held by the Pennsylvania House Philadelphia LNG Natural Gas Export Task Force (see Chester Residents Oppose Philly LNG Export Project at Final Hearing). The Task Force was established by law in early 2022 to study how to establish Philadelphia LNG exports to international markets, particularly European exports. The task force is supposed to deliver its report by November of this year. We have an addendum to our previous coverage of what was (in retrospect) Kabuki theater staged by the extreme left at that hearing.
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Chester Residents Oppose Philly LNG Export Project at Final Hearing

Shawmar Pitts, co-managing director of Philly Thrive, speaks during a news conference held by opponents to the construction of an LNG export terminal in Chester, PA, on Tuesday, August 22. (screenshot, Pa. House Democrats video)

Yesterday, the Pennsylvania House Philadelphia LNG Natural Gas Export Task Force, chaired by Rep. Martina White (R-Philadelphia), held its third and final public hearing at Widener University in Chester, Delaware County. The purpose was to get public feedback on a proposal to build an LNG natural gas export facility in Chester. From the press accounts we read, we conclude that local residents are universally against such a project, strongly against it.
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Antis Agitate Against Nicetown Gas Power Plant Permit Reissue

A Marcellus gas-fired power plant in Nicetown (a neighborhood in North Philadelphia) received a permit to build in 2017 (see Antis “Shocked” Philly Approved Marcellus Power Plant for SEPTA). Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s (SEPTA) Marcellus gas-powered electric plant, which finally went online in 2020, provides electricity to the organization’s northern Regional Rail lines and a bus garage. When it appeared the plant would get approved, antis got desperate and made shrill arguments that the plant is racist (see Nicetown Claims “Environmental Racism” re Gas-Fired Plant). The permit that allows the plant to continue operating is now up for review. Here come the not-nice antis, shrill as ever, blathering on once again about racist electric plants…
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Global Warming Fanaticism Now Infecting the Fine Art World

This one has us laughing our considerably fat rear-ends off. The left long ago corrupted science, turning it from the pursuit of objective facts into forced obedience to political opinions (i.e., global warming is caused by fossil fuels). The left issues mountains of data–graphs, tables, pictures–that supposedly prove they are correct with their opinions and theories about global warming (which they renamed “climate change”). But what’s this? Many people don’t believe all of those graphs and tables and data being pushed–they’re just too dumb to understand it. What’s the solution? Instead of using charts and graphs generated by Microsoft Excel that are so literal, have artists redraw them as “fine art” to make them look prettier. The left says, in a new study, dumb folks will fall for the pretty pictures every time.
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The World Needs PA Marcellus Gas – Philly Port Could Export It

Last June (one year ago), the story broke that Penn LNG, headed by Franc James, a native of Philadelphia, had “quietly lined up support to build a $6.4 billion liquefied natural gas export terminal near Philly.” Not wanting this golden opportunity to die from opposition by radicalized environmentalists, Pennsylvania State Rep. Marina White (Republican from Philadelphia, a true rarity) sponsored House Bill (HB) 2458, which passed and was subsequently signed into law by then-Gov. Tom Wolf (see PA Bill Looks to Convert Port of Philly into LNG Export Terminal). HB 2458 created a task force to study how to establish Philadelphia LNG exports to international markets, particularly exports to Europe. The task force is supposed to deliver its report by November of this year.
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Antis Mad They Couldn’t Bloviate at Philly LNG Task Force Meeting

For years, going back to the time when MDN editor Jim Willis worked in Washington, D.C. during his youth (mid-1980s), the joke circulating around D.C. was, “The most dangerous place to be in Washington is between Chuck Schumer and a camera.” And that was back when Chuck was just a lowly Congressman! These days, the most dangerous place to be anywhere in the country is between an anti-fossil fuel zealot and a microphone at a public hearing. Antis DEMAND to have access to microphones anywhere and everywhere in order to spew their fossil fuel hate speech. And God help you if you deny them that “right”! Antis got denied yesterday in Philadelphia, and they are hopping mad about it.
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Boston Anti-Gas NGO Says Philly Should Not Upgrade Bad Gas Pipes

A Boston-based fossil fuel hating group called HEET (Home Energy Efficiency Team) paid big money for a “research report” written by a card-carrying “research activist” targeting Philadelphia Gas Works’ (PGW) plan to upgrade its aging and (in some cases) failing 6,000 miles of natural gas pipelines that make life possible in the City of Brotherly Love. The HEET-funded “study” says PGW should slap a 10-year Band-Aid on leaky pipes because, you know, renewables will take over the world after that. What a load…
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Sen. Yaw Exposes Total Media Blackout on Philadelphia LNG Hearing

Last October, the Pennsylvania Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee held a hearing in Philadelphia about potentially locating an LNG export facility there. The country’s largest natural gas producer, EQT, showed up to discuss the key role gas has played in reducing emissions here at home and the role it could play in helping other countries reduce their emissions. Labor unions were there to talk about the jobs that would be created by such a facility. Penn LNG, the company that wants to build such a facility (and has lined up $6.4 billion so far to make it happen), was there too. But you didn’t know about it–because the event was ghosted by “mainstream” media.
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Not-Nice Antis Oppose Permit Reissue for Nicetown Power Plant

A Marcellus gas-fired power plant in Nicetown (a neighborhood in North Philadelphia) received a permit to build in 2017 (see Antis “Shocked” Philly Approved Marcellus Power Plant for SEPTA). SEPTA’s (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) Marcellus gas-powered electric plant, which finally went online in 2020, provides electricity to the organization’s northern Regional Rail lines and a bus garage. When it appeared the plant would get approved, antis got desperate and made shrill arguments that the plant is racist (see Nicetown Claims “Environmental Racism” re Gas-Fired Plant). The permit that allows the plant to continue operating is now up for review. Here come the not-nice antis to blather on once again about racist electric plants…
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Penn LNG Will Seek MiQ Cert, Buy Responsibly Sourced Gas Only

In June, seemingly out of nowhere, a plan to build an LNG export facility on the banks of the Delaware River south of Philadelphia made big headlines in Philly (see Philadelphia LNG Export Project Still Very Much Alive & Advancing). Penn LNG, headed by Franc James, a native of Philadelphia, has “quietly lined up support to build a $6.4 billion liquefied natural gas export terminal near Philly.” While acknowledging such a project will face stiff opposition, James said he is planning to pre-file with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) by the end of this year and reach a final investment decision (FID) by 2024. In an interview with NGI’s Daily Gas Price Index, James made a major announcement–that his proposed project will seek to be certified as “responsible” with net zero carbon emissions under the MiQ certification program.
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Legislative Bill Lights Up Possibilities for a Philadelphia LNG Port

Today we bring you a guest post from MDN friend Garland Thompson, a gifted reporter/writer who covers energy and technology issues for US Black Engineer & Information Technology magazine, the Philadelphia Tribune, and other periodicals. State Sen. Gene Yaw will host a hearing in Philadelphia on Thursday to explore LNG, its role on the world stage, and the potential role Philly can play in providing it. Using the upcoming hearing as a jumping-off point, in this post, Garland connects the dots between proposed House Bill 2458 (see PA Bill Looks to Convert Port of Philly into LNG Export Terminal), Philadelphia, the Panama Canal, LNG, Putin, and second chances. Garland provides us with the history and context to understand how and why LNG exports from Philly fit into the world picture.
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What are the Prospects for a Philadelphia LNG Export Terminal?

In June, seemingly out of nowhere, a plan to build an LNG export facility on the banks of the Delaware River south of Philadelphia made big headlines in Philly (see Philadelphia LNG Export Project Still Very Much Alive & Advancing). Penn LNG, headed by Franc James, a native of Philadelphia, has “quietly lined up support to build a $6.4 billion liquefied natural gas export terminal near Philly.” While acknowledging such a project will face stiff opposition, James said he is planning to pre-file with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) by the end of this year and reach a final investment decision (FID) by 2024. The experts at RBN Energy take a close look at Penn LNG to evaluate just how likely (or not) the project (or any LNG project in the northeast) will get built.
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PA Sen. Carolyn Comitta, Anti from Philly, Confuses LNG and NGL

PA Senator Carolyn Comitta

Is Pennsylvania State Senator Carolyn Comitta (Democrat from Chester County, anti-fossil fueler) intentionally obtuse when it comes to the Marcellus Shale industry, or does she come by her obtuseness naturally? That’s what we wondered when reading some rather idiotic statements made by Comitta in response to a couple of bills reported out of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, a committee that she sits on. One of the bills would fund a study to look at LNG exports from the Philadelphia area–an attempt to jump-start the process and get the ball rolling to export more PA Marcellus molecules.
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