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Video of Rover Pipeline’s Massive & Complex Construction in OH

Rover Pipeline passes through tip of Richland Co.

MDN spotted a story and video from an Ohio television station about the construction under way for Energy Transfer’s Rover Pipeline, in Richland County, OH. The video, taken from an airplane, shows just how massive and complex such a project actually is. The video shows the swatch being worked on, for miles and miles, to clear a right-of-way and the trench being dug to lay the pipe. We couldn’t count how many bulldozers, backhoes and people are working over the several miles the video covers. Again, it is a MASSIVE and complex project, with multiple locations where the builder must drill underneath roads, streams and other areas where you can’t just dig a trench. Below is a screenshot from one segment of construction in Richland County, and a link to watch the full 3 minute video (worth the watch!)…
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Enviros Shut Down Duke U Meeting Where FERC Chair to Speak

Extremist environmental protesters who don’t want to hear any viewpoints other than their own (i.e., fascists who LOVE to suppress free speech), got a bit violent and ugly on Tuesday and shut down a meeting at Duke University (headquarters for insane environmentalism) where the Acting Chairwoman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Cheryl LaFleur, was scheduled to speak. Beyond Extreme Energy was one of the groups behind the illegal action. They have dogged FERC Commissioners for years. Perhaps some in the crowd were the same Beyond Extreme Energy lunatics that Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commissioner Rob Powelson previously called “jihadists”–because they show up at FERC Commissioners’ homes and threaten them (see Potential FERC Com. Powleson Calls Anti-Fossil Fuelers “Jihadists”). The lunatics at Duke forced their way into a meeting where LaFleur was going to speak, blathering on about FERC being a “rubber stamp” for the natural gas industry, which shows their complete and utter stupidity. The Beyond Extreme Energy extremists specifically object to bringing “fracked Marcellus and Utica gas” via Dominion’s proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline to North Carolina. After shutting down the meeting using banners made in part from fracked natural gas, wearing clothes that come from petrochemicals, sneakers made from petrochemicals, arriving at the meeting via fossil-fuel powered vehicles, they went back to their dorms and homes–heated with natural gas. Pretty extreme, wouldn’t you say? Welcome to Wonderland, Alice…
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FERC Grants Atlantic Bridge Pipe OK to Begin CT Construction

In January the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) gave its final stamp of approval for Spectra Energy’s Atlantic Bridge project (see FERC Approves Atlantic Bridge Project for New England/Canada). Atlantic Bridge will beef up capacity on the Algonquin Gas Transmission and Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline systems–to move more Marcellus/Utica gas to New England and Canada. Even though FERC has “approved” Atlantic Bridge, Spectra Energy must still ask for “Mother May I?” permission to begin construction on specific, individual portions of the project. “Mother FERC, may I begin the bulldozers in Danbury, CT at the Danbury meter station?” And, “Mother FERC, may I begin construction at the Mill Plain Road Contractor Yard?” You get the picture. Spectra asked permission to begin construction at a variety of projects in Connecticut on March 14th (see Anti-Pipeline Jihadists Pressure FERC re Atlantic Bridge Project). Earlier this week FERC granted Spectra Energy permission to begin construction on all of their requests from the 14th…
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FERC Grants Dalton Expansion Permission to Begin Flowing Gas

In March 2015, Williams announced that its Transco pipeline subsidiary had filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for its Dalton Expansion Project, which will expand the Transco and flow more Marcellus Shale gas from New Jersey all the way to Mississippi, primarily for electric generation plants, but also for local natural gas distribution by utilities (see Williams Files with FERC to Expand Transco Pipeline from NJ to MS). Most of the Dalton project will be built in, and benefit, the State of Georgia, by delivering natural gas to an existing electric generating facility in northern Georgia operated by Oglethorpe Power Corp., delivering gas for local distribution company Atlanta Gas Light, and delivering gas for the City of Cartersville. Transco has customers signed up under binding contracts for 100% of the Dalton Expansion Project, which will increase Transco’s capacity by 448,000 dekatherms per day of natural gas. FERC approved the Dalton Project last summer (see Marcellus/Utica Gas Heading to Georgia via FERC-Approved Pipeline). In February of this year, antis tried to use a creative new way to stop construction. They noticed that some of the pipe being used came from Greece, so they’re asking FERC to stop the project because it doesn’t use American-made pipeline (see Antis Ask FERC to Block Dalton Expansion Project, Using Greek Pipe). Nice try, but no cigar. Construction is now done and this past week the extra gas began flowing through the now-completed project. On Tuesday, FERC OK’d up to an extra 208,000 dekatherms (equivalent of 208 million cubic feet) of natgas to begin flowing. On Wednesday, FERC authorized the rest, another 240,000 dekatherms. The full 448,000 dekatherms of extra Marcellus/Utica fracked gas now flows south, all the way to Mississippi…
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Jobs in Building Trades “Strong” for Next 3 Yrs in OH Utica

Those who oppose fossil fuels try various arguments to convince the general public that extracting oil and gas is bad for the environment. They claim (without facts or proof) that drilling pollutes the water, it pollutes the air, it does permanent damage to the environment. When faced with lack of evidence, antis slip-slide into other arguments against drilling and pipelines. An undeniable benefit from the shale industry is jobs. That includes jobs building pipelines. You need an army of bulldozers, backhoes, truckers, welders and construction workers to lay a pipeline (see today’s lead story and the awesome video of the Rover Pipeline getting built in Richland County). Antis say, “But jobs building pipelines and power plants and processing plants are temporary. They’re illusory. No long-term benefit.” We’ll never forget the powerful statement given at a hearing about the proposed Constitution Pipeline from Francis Cooney, a 28-year member of the plumber and pipe-fitters union. He said this in response to the “those jobs are temporary” meme offered by antis that evening: “For 28 years every job I’ve had has been a temporary job! My temporary jobs have put two kids through Syracuse University” (see Vicariously Attend FERC Scoping Hearing on Constitution Pipeline). Which obliterates the nonsense about “temporary jobs.” Good news for Ohioans who work “temporary jobs” in the trades in Stark and surrounding counties: Dave Kirven, president of the East Central Ohio Building & Construction Trades Council, says there’s plenty of work for tradespeople–that demand is “strong” for tradespeople for at least the next three years. Why? Mostly due to the Utica Shale…
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Williams Closes Deal to Increase Ownership in NEPA Pipeline System

Click for larger version

In 2014 Williams bought out Access Midstream, the renamed and former division of Chesapeake Energy called Chesapeake Midstream (see Big News: Williams Partners Buying Access Midstream for $6B). When Williams bought Access, one of the regional pipeline gathering systems it got as part of that deal is what Williams calls the Bradford Supply Hub (named after Bradford County, PA). In February, Williams announced a deal with a part-owner for portions of the Bradford Supply Hub, Western Gas, to buy out Western’s portion (see Williams Cuts Deal to Increase Ownership in NEPA Pipeline System). Through an elaborate deal, Williams gets Western’s 33.75% ownership stake in what is called the Rome and Liberty natural gas gathering systems (part of the Bradford Supply Hub), along with a check for $155 million. In return, Williams is transferring to Western its 50% ownership stake in the Delaware Basin JV Gathering pipeline system, located along the New Mexico/Texas border. That deal, first announced in February, is now done…
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Is PJM Electric Grid at Risk by Using More NatGas? Study Says No

The nation’s electric grid is a complex system. You don’t ever think twice about–you flip a switch and the electricity flows, powering lights, appliances, etc. But ensuring the power is always there, always on when you need it, keeps a lot of people awake at night. The U.S. “grid” is actually a bunch of smaller grids. In the northeast there are several such organizations. One of them is called the PJM, a regional transmission organization (RTO) coordinating the movement of wholesale electricity in all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia (including PA, OH and WV). PJM, like other RTOs, faces challenges with ensuring there will always be enough electricity produced to meet demand. Over the past several years coal-fired electric generating plants have been closing. Natural gas, and in a much smaller sense renewables (wind and solar) have taken up the slack. Wind and solar are notoriously unreliable. The wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine. Natural gas needs pipelines to get where it’s going. There has been a concern that with coal disappearing from the generation mix, that an “over-reliance” on natgas and renewables will make electricity supplies problematic and unreliable. In an effort to address questions of reliability, PJM just completed and published a 44-page study titled, “PJM’s Evolving Resource Mix and System Reliability” (full copy below). What does the study find? Even with fewer coal plants producing electricity, PJM’s electric supplies, using more and more natgas and renewables, will be just fine…
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Pipeline Jihadists “Double Down” on Other Pipes After Losing DAPL

We don’t use the word “jihadist” lightly or flippantly. A jihad is, according to Websters, “a crusade for a principle or belief.” Most of the time the media uses the term in reference to radical Muslims who perpetrate acts of terror and crime in a holy war to convert the world to Islam. We think there’s a close parallel to some (not all) extreme environmentalists. It is irrefutable that many in the environmental movement view their cause as a kind of holy war–against those they believe are harming Mom Earth. Against those who don’t or won’t “convert” to their philosophy on how best to protect the environment (i.e. dump the use of fossil fuels). Some of these extremists tip over into criminal and even terrorist activities. We saw it in the protests of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) project in North Dakota, when so-called protesters vandalized millions of dollars of equipment, set tires on fire, illegally blocked roads, and (one) even shot at police officers (see Police Remove Pipeline Protesting THUGS from Private Land in ND). Last week, in a coordinated attack, holes were burned in two different Dakota Access Pipeline above-ground valve stations in two different states (see Eco-Terrorists Burn Holes in Dakota Access Pipeline in 2 States). With oil now flowing through DAPL (the antis lost), the same group of people who opposed DAPL are now pledging to “double down” on several proposed pipeline projects–to stop them by any means necessary. One of the projects targeted for aggressive opposition is Dominion’s Atlantic Coast Pipeline–right here in the Marcellus/Utica. Given their previous behavior, we think it’s warranted to label these people as environmental jihadists. We certainly hope the FBI is paying attention to their activities…
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DOE Nixes Use of “Climate Change” Phrase, Enviros Throw Tantrum

We found this story kind of funny. Apparently the word has gone out at the Trump Dept. of Energy that staffers, when preparing reports for the public, should avoid using the phrase “climate change.” Which is an asinine phrase, let’s admit it. By definition the climate changes. It changes every day and has since there’s been a climate. Anti fossil fuel zealots have tried to co-opt the phrase to mean “man-made global warming.” Because Mom Earth isn’t actually warming, it’s kind of hard to keep calling it “global warming.” So they invented the euphemism “climate change” instead. Team Trump has had enough of that kind of verbal dissembling. No more. Say what you mean and mean what you say. And so the egghead prima donnas who think they’re SO much smarter than everyone else are in full, fake outrage mode. They’re making fun of the adults in the room who have told them to straighten up and quit acting like petulant children…
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Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, Mar 31, 2017

The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading. In today’s lineup: Lawmaker wonders about impact of court ruling on strippers; Rostraver Twp (Westmoreland County) drafts Marcellus ordinance; manufacturers share game plan for SWPA at shale summit; Maine PUC rejects all LNG storage proposals; supply/demand scenarios for natgas injection season; President Trump’s exec order about more than just coal; don’t DIvest, INvest in fossil-fuel America; House votes to limit EPA to use real science; Mad Vlad Putin says Russia will become world’s top LNG producer; and more!
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