In May a Montana federal judge appointed by Barack Obama capriciously blocked the use of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nationwide Permit (NP) 12 for all pipeline projects across the country (see Obama Judge Blocks New Pipe Projects that Use NP12 Permit). In June the Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court to lift the judge’s ban (see Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Lift NP12 Permit Ban). Late yesterday the Supremes did just that–lifted the ban. NP12 can now be used for pipeline projects other than the Keystone XL project.
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PA Nuke Industry Loves Wolf Carbon Tax Shutting Down Gas Plants
Are you surprised that Pennsylvania’s big money nuclear power lobby loves PA Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to tax nuke plants’ biggest competitor, natural gas-fired plants, out of existence? We aren’t surprised. Nuclear Powers Pennsylvania, lobbying group for PA’s nuclear power plants, is urging PA legislators to drop a bill that will block Wolf’s insane attempt at forcing the state to join a group of liberal northeastern states in something called the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). RGGI forces its members to slap high taxes on energy that produces carbon dioxide–the stuff you breathe out with every single breath you take. Ludicrous.
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PA Sen. Daylin Leach (Democrat) Introduces Bill to Ban Fracking
Incest. It’s a dirty word. It sometimes applies to the world of politics. The word “incest” aptly describes what’s happening in Pennsylvania with Democrat Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s false/fake/ginned-up report bashing shale fracking and the predictable response from his fellow leftist Democrats, including PA Sen. Daylin Leach who introduced a bill to ban fracking across PA using Shapiro’s fake grand jury report as the basis to do so. Political incest.
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Biggest Casualty in Canceling ACP is Stunted M-U Growth; MVP Helps
Brian Lego, research assistant professor in the West Virginia University (WVU) Bureau of Business and Economic Research, says while canceling the $8 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) project is a blow to WV because of lost jobs, the even bigger impact will be less new markets for Marcellus/Utica gas, meaning growth in M-U drilling will be stunted.
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Why Chesapeake Likely Won’t be Able to Cancel Pipe Contracts
On Sunday, June 28, Chesapeake Energy, with major operations in the northeast Pennsylvania Marcellus, filed for bankruptcy (see Chesapeake Files for Bankruptcy – Debtors to Take Ownership). As part of the filing, the company asked the bankruptcy court to allow it to break existing, legal, enforceable contracts with several pipeline companies (see Chesapeake Asks Court to Break Pipeline Contracts, Including M-U). The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is saying “not so fast, you need our blessing first” before those contracts can be altered.
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Obama Judge Orders DAPL Operating Pipeline to Shut Down
We’ve had enough of activist leftist judges attempting to shut down the will of the people by using obscure legal loopholes as their justification–when the real reason for the action is to block President Trump and fossil fuels. A U.S. District Court judge appointed by Barack Hussein Obama, Judge James Boasberg (D.C. Circuit) has ordered the Dakota Access oil pipeline in the Midwest to stop flowing oil because he doesn’t like it.
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Shale Energy Stories of Interest: Tue, Jul 7, 2020
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program announces new executive director; NATIONAL: Shale patch gets more than $2.4 billion in U.S. virus aid; INTERNATIONAL: New Fortress Energy significantly reduces future LNG supply costs for 2020; Down to handful of active rigs, Canada’s oil and gas drillers face permanent contraction.
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Dominion Cancels Atlantic Coast Pipe, Sells Pipe Biz for $9.7B
Dominion Energy has decided to exit the natural gas pipeline and storage business, selling off its vast network of pipelines in the Marcellus/Utica (and beyond) to Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway for $9.7 billion ($4 billion in cash, the rest in assumed debt). In a related announcement, Dominion said it is throwing in the towel and canceling the 600-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) project that would have stretched from West Virginia to North Carolina. We are in grieving. This is a tremendously sad day–not only for Marcellus/Utica drillers and landowners, but for the families of pipeline workers who will now remain out of high-paying jobs. You have the Sierra Club and other radicalized green groups to thank.
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Chesapeake Bankruptcy Puts PA Landowner Royalty Lawsuits on Hold
On Sunday a week ago (June 28) Chesapeake Energy filed for bankruptcy (see Chesapeake Files for Bankruptcy – Debtors to Take Ownership). As part of the filing, the company asked the bankruptcy court to allow it to break existing, legal, enforceable contracts with pipeline companies (see Chesapeake Asks Court to Break Pipeline Contracts, Including M-U). We’re just now learning the company’s filing also puts on hold lawsuits brought by landowners against it over Chessy’s royalty shenanigans. The cases on hold include a case brought by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office argued before the PA Supreme Court in May (see PA Supremes Hear Oral Arguments in Can of Worms Royalty Lawsuit).
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Northeast PA Landowner Settles with Williams for Big Bucks
In 2016 MDN told you about the Holleran family who didn’t want the much-needed Constitution Pipeline to cross their land in Susquehanna County, PA (see Maple Syrup Farm in Path of PA Pipeline, Antis Make Most of It). Hollywood actor James Cromwell and other anti-drillers heard about it and visited to add their shrill voices to the protest (see Actor James Cromwell Admits He’s Clueless, Fights Pipeline Anyway). The protesters tried to stop Williams from clearing trees on the property. A judge got tired of their shenanigans real quick (see Judge Tells NEPA Family to Let Williams Cut Maple Trees, Or Else).
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New Study Shows No Leaks in Utica Shale Gathering Pipelines
It’s such a breath of fresh air (and so rare) when we spot actual, in-the-field, real science being done. So many times the “studies” we see published are nothing more than rehashed interpretations, speculation, and outright fabrications parading as scientific inquiry. We spotted a new study published just yesterday in the journal MDPI Atmosphere by researchers with the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in Pittsburgh. In 2019 researchers flew specially outfitted drones with methane sniffers over 73 kilometers (45 miles) of Utica Shale gathering pipelines and associated infrastructure. Know what they found? There were ZERO methane leaks from the pipelines.
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Radical Greens Protest Clean NatGas Power Plant Project in NJ
Radical greens continue to agitate and protest against a tiny 140-megawatt natural gas-fired electric plant for NJ Transit in Kearny, NJ. A group of radical greens (along with leftist politicians they have coopted) will stage a “rally” this afternoon to try and pressure NJ’s lefty governor, Phil Murphy, into finding a way to block the project.
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Patriotic Signers of the Declaration of ENERGY Independence
Just prior to the 4th of July anniversary last week, a group of patriotic Americans signed what is being billed the Declaration of Energy Independence. Top federal, state, and local political leaders lent their signatures to a document that sticks up for fossil fuels and opposes the nuttery and flummery vomited out by the likes of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
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Shale Energy Stories of Interest: Mon, Jul 6, 2020
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Shapiro goes full show trial to win over radical greens; Environmental policies stall critical energy projects, hamper economic growth; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Permian Basin reclaims status as top destination for frac crews; NATIONAL: Joe Biden and OPEC threatening US oil independence; Oil industry leaders see tough times ahead; Rising demand and the lowest U.S. natural gas prices since 1995; Democrats unveil sweeping plan to tackle climate change; Natural gas: LNG exports hit new low; Wind Waste (video); INTERNATIONAL: Oil industry not dead yet despite disruptions.
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Onshore Rig Count Craters, Still No Bottom, M-U Holds
For the past few months, MDN has followed the Enverus (Drillinginfo) rig count numbers. In our most recent rig count post from two weeks ago we noted the count had fallen to a historic, new all-time low of 298 (see Onshore Rig Count Hits New Low of 298 – Finds Bottom?). Dan Eberhart, CEO of Canary, LLC (the largest privately-owned oilfield services company in the U.S.) wrote a column on the Forbes website stating his belief the rig count had hit bottom and “the worst appears to be behind us.” Looks like Dan was wrong. The latest Enverus rig count, as of Monday, shows the rig count has slipped another 19 to 279. The apocalypse has arrived.
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Ohio Frac Sand Company Covia Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
In December 2017 Fairmount Santrol, an Ohio-based sand producer that sells frac sand to drillers in the Utica and Marcellus Shale, announced it would sell itself to another sand company–Unimin, a subsidiary of Belgium-based SCR-Sibelco–for $170 million and 35% ownership in the newly combined company (see OH Sand Producer Fairmount Santrol Merging w/Unimin in $170M Deal). The newly merged company was later renamed Covia. Earlier this week Covia filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
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