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WV Supreme Court Ponders Important Case, Surface v Mineral Owners

A West Virginia Circuit Court case in September 2017, Crowder and Wentz v EQT, found in favor of surface landowners ruling that EQT did not have the right to extend underground shale wells to adjacent properties where EQT also owned the mineral rights (see WV Surface Owners Win Important Case Against EQT re Drill Pad). The decision was appealed all the way to the WV Supreme Court, where arguments were heard yesterday. This is a VERY important case.
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Rumor: Holdup in PTT OH Cracker Final Decision Due to Labor Rate

Every now and again we traffic in rumors here on MDN, but we do so rarely and only when we trust the source of the rumor. We have such a rumor to share, from a source we trust implicitly. We’ve been carping for over a year that PTT Global Chemical has repeatedly violated our deep well of patience by hinting that a “final investment decision” (FID) is “coming soon” for their $7-$10 billion ethane cracker complex in Belmont County, OH (see Still No Ohio Cracker Announcement, Preparations Continue). We now know why the FID is tardy.
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Industry Consultant Predicts M-U Output Ceiling is 31 Bcf/d

BTU Analytics, according to their website, “provides independent fundamentals-based consulting and analytical subscription reports to the North American oil, NGL, and natural gas markets. Our focus is giving clients answers to complex questions supported by data and backed by analysis of the market from wellhead to burner tip.” BTU recently made a bold prediction. The company predicts Marcellus/Utica natural gas production will (already has) plateau at around 31 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d).
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EIA: Texas (Even with Prolific Permian) Needs Marcellus/Utica Gas

In contrast to a prediction by BTU Analytics that the Marcellus/Utica region has plateaued and likely won’t produce more than 31 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas (see Industry Consultant Predicts M-U Output Ceiling is 31 Bcf/d), the number crunchers at the U.S. Energy Information Administration (our favorite government agency) have a different view.
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Antis Ask DC Court to Rethink Decision re Water Permit Timing

Big Green groups are asking the DC Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider a case it recently decided that says when the federal Clean Water Act gives states one year to review requests for 401 water crossing permits, they have one year (365 days)–not two or three years by gaming the system (see Recent Fed Court Decision Gives NY Pipes Hope for Bypassing Cuomo).
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NY, New England Blocking Pipes Causes Environmental Destruction

Russia’s Yamal LNG plant in the Arctic

The leftists who run states like New York and Massachusetts are arrogant snobs. And pretty stupid to boot. They pretend (maybe even believe) they’re saving the planet by blocking natural gas pipelines into and through their respective states. Like most faulty leftist thinking, they actually make the problem worse–they are harming the planet–with their policies and actions. How? A guest post by attorney Dan Markind (Flaster Greenberg PC) explains.
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Study Says O&G Should Seek 3rd Party “Green” Certification

Would you feel better if a driller building a shale well pad near your home was “green certified”? Meaning the company has been reviewed and certified by an independent agency for evidence that company adheres to strict environmental standards as it drills. Researchers at Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs set out to answer that question–and they found public opinion of shale drilling would greatly improve if such a “green certification” were in place.
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Energy Stories of Interest: Wed, Mar 13, 2019

MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Ohio Utica permits go up, Pennsylvania Marcellus permits go down; Hilcorp eyes two new wells in Columbiana County; Is Westchester already experiencing a natural gas shortage?; NY AG refuses to comply with Exxon discovery requests in defiance of judge’s ruling; Encino well pad in Ohio named after deceased college student; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: The world’s biggest shale field is on the brink of an M&A boom; NATIONAL: Look to U.S. for reliable, ‘cleaner’ fossil fuels, says EPA chief; Green New Deal: Money and Jobs (video); The rise of U.S. feedgas demand in 2019; Pompeo says energy abundance can mean national security; CEOs call for investments to grow shale in North America; Court: Directional drilling engineers can be independent contractors; INTERNATIONAL: OPEC Secretary General Barkindo wants to find the secret behind US shale’s success.
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