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PA Shuts Down 2 NatGas Pipes in Clarion County Following Explosion

Last Tuesday evening a 68-year-old woman was home in her bed in Clarion County, PA when she heard an explosion and a wall collapsed on her. She freed herself from the rubble and drove to a neighbor’s house for assistance. The home, a garage and greenhouse were all destroyed as a result of the explosion and fire. The cause? Natural gas “migrating” in the basement of the home. A local delivery pipeline and a nearby transmission pipeline were both taken out of service while the PA Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission’s (PUC) investigation unit takes a look at the cause.
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Work Begins on Gas-Fired Elec Plant in Monroe County, OH

Long Ridge Energy Generation Project – artist’s rendering

In January 2018 MDN brought you news from the new owners of what is now called the Long Ridge Energy Terminal in Monroe County, OH (transloading facility) that they were moving forward “quickly” with plans to build a 485-megawatt Utica gas-fired electric plant. Quick, it seems, is a relative term. The good news is that ground was broken to build the plant last Thursday.
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Dominion Pipeline to Feed Western PA NatGas to OH Power Plant

We’re always delighted to share news of a “new” pipeline project in the Marcellus/Utica. This particular project from Dominion Energy, tiny compared to most, its unusual in that it will flow natural gas from western PA into Ohio to feed a new natural gas-fired electric plant. You don’t often see gas from PA flow to Ohio for local use. Kind of a “man bites dog” story.
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PA Supremes Allow Out-of-Town Hearsay in SWPA Zoning Dispute

It’s hard enough for drillers to get permits town by town in Pennsylvania, where the standards are all different thanks to the seven selfish towns that appealed the Act 13 law passed in 2012 (see PA Supreme Court Rules Against State/Drillers in Act 13 Case). The PA Supreme Court has just made it even harder for drillers–by allowing antis from other towns to offer “testimony” in towns where they don’t live, essentially to trash talk a driller’s request for a permit. At best the “testimony” from other towns is hearsay, not substantiated. The Supremes, ruling in a case in Allegheny County, said towns can allow hearsay. Bad move.
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NY DEC Asks Federal Court to Overturn FERC Approval of NY Pipe

Last August the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a decision overruling the New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to allow National Fuel Gas Company’s Northern Access Pipeline project to proceed (see Big News: FERC Overrules NY DEC to Approve Northern Access Pipe). The DEC subsequently asked FERC to reconsider the decision. FERC did, and ruled in April that they were right the first time–the DEC forfeited the right to issue permits for the project by taking too long (see FERC Overrules NY DEC on Northern Access Pipeline Rehearing). The DEC has just appealed FERC’s ruling to the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
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IFO: PA Natural Gas Production Hits New All-Time High in 1Q19

Last week the PA Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) released their latest quarterly Natural Gas Production Report for Jan-Mar 2019 (full copy below). It shows natgas production rose 14.7% compared to the same period last year–to yet another new all-time high. However, compared with 4Q18, the increase was a modest three-tenths of one percent–essentially flat. Is this the beginning of the end when production fails to continue rising?
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Energy Stories of Interest: Mon, Jun 3, 2019

MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Cuomo’s ‘renewable’ fiasco; The politics behind pipeline opposition; Confidential shale gas settlement found in Washington County prothonotary office; NATIONAL: Anti-fracking researcher quietly admits – Studies show no harmful pollutants near oil and gas sites; Total takes over Toshiba’s U.S. LNG business; Icahn sues Occidental and threatens fight for board, sale; INTERNATIONAL: Bulgaria makes first U.S. gas purchases with two LNG cargoes.
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