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PUC Investigates ME2 Bypass Pipe in Delaware Co. for New Sinkhole

Credit: Philadelphia Inquirer (click for larger version)

The Mariner East 1 (ME1) natural gas liquids pipeline that flows ethane and propane came back online Monday (see Mariner East 1 NGL Pipe Restarts Today After Shutdown Since Jan.). It had been out of service for more than three months because a sinkhole exposed a few feet of bare pipe near Philadelphia. Good thing ME1 is back, because yesterday the Pennsylvania Public Service Utility (PUC) announced an investigation into a potential new sinkhole near a section of pipeline used for the Mariner East 2 pipeline in Delaware County.
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Occidental Petroleum Offers 14% More than Chevron to Buy Anadarko

Less than two weeks ago Chevron announced a deal to buy Anadarko Petroleum for $33 billion plus assuming outstanding debt, a deal worth $50 billion (see Permian Love Story: Chevron Buying Anadarko in $50B Megamerger). At the time we told you about a potential cloud on the horizon–that Occidental Petroleum had offered more for Anadarko. Indeed, Oxy wants Anadarko too, and a full-blown bidding war has now erupted. Yesterday Oxy made it’s offer public, an offer 14% higher than Chevron’s offer: $57 billion.
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WV Gov. Justice Blames Shale for Bad Roads, Wants Higher Taxes

WV Gov. Jim Justice

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice is turning out to be a major disappointment. He’s pro-coal (because much of his personal fortune comes from coal), and increasingly anti-shale. The latest evidence is an attack on the shale industry claiming shale is responsible for the poor condition of roadways in the Mountain State.
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Con Ed Deal May End Westchester, NY Gas Moratorium…in 2023

Good news for residents and politicians in Westchester County, NY! (Yes, we’re being facetious.) Consolidated Edison, the local electric and gas utility for parts of New York City and its suburbs, says they’ve cut a deal with Tennessee Gas Pipeline (TGP) to get more gas supplies flowing to Westchester County (northern suburb of NYC) and they will potentially lift their moratorium on new natgas customer hookups…four years from now in 2023.
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Cuomo Says NY Suing Trump Over Pipeline Executive Order

Andrew Cuomo, the man-child who governs New York State like it’s a third world, tinpot dictatorship (it’s rapidly becoming as poor as a third world country), says NY is going to sue President Trump over his recently signed Executive Order that will make it harder for states like NY to reject pipelines for purely political reasons (see Trump Signs Executive Order Making it Harder to Block Pipes).
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Indiana Shoots Itself in Head, Denies OK for Gas-Fired Elec Plant

In June 2018 MDN told you about a plan by Midwest utility company Vectren to build a 900-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant (and a 50-acre solar farm) to replace a retiring coal plant, in Warrick County, Indiana (see Indiana Utility Files Request to Build New Gas-Fired Electric Plant). Building the gas plant and solar farm would cost Vectren (meaning ratepayers) $940 million. The cost is passed on to ratepayers because Vectren is regulated, which set up a fierce battle to get it approved. We suspect Marcellus/Utica gas will feed the plant, which is why we’re interested. Unfortunately, yesterday the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission rejected the proposal. Meaning it’s dead.
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Vermont Radicals Pack Hearing to Support Total Pipeline Ban

cooking with cow dung

It seems the entire state of Vermont is ready to ban all new “fossil fuel” infrastructure. That is, no new pipelines anywhere for any reason if they flow natural gas. (Beer would be fine, but not natgas.) A bunch of old (and young) hippies from the leftist 350.org and their spawn organization 350Vermont packed a hearing room Tuesday night to support a bill that outlaws new pipelines in the state. They prefer to burn wood, coal and cow dung, apparently.
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Energy Stories of Interest: Thu, Apr 25, 2019

MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Push for I-68 expansion in Marshall County continuing; Ohio shale investment hits $74 billion since 2011; CNX to hold a virtual annual meeting; WV businesses represented at Ohio Valley Regional Oil and Gas Expo; Penn State researcher named to Colombian commission on shale energy development; Time to act on natural gas; New York’s Green New Deal will slash red meat in city facilities by 50%; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Biomass follies — Austin, Texas is the latest city to find it isn’t easy being green; NATIONAL: More U.S. LNG export projects moving toward FID; Oil and gas workers among the best paid in America; Americans need more oil and natural gas pipelines; INTERNATIONAL: WoodMac: LNG industry heading into $200 bln Capex boom; Polish LNG terminal expansion co-financing deal signed.
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