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Cunningham Energy to Drill More WV Shallow Horizontal Oil Wells

It’s been over a year since we brought you news about Cunningham Energy, a small oil driller based in West Virginia (see Cunningham Energy Focuses on Shallow Horizontal Oil Wells in WV). Cunningham, backed by money from Viper Capital Partners, is once again in the news. Viper has just acquired drilling leases (and conventional wells) in Roane and Gilmer counties in WV. Viper says its drilling arm, Cunningham, will drill more “shallow” horizontal (fracked) wells in those locations, looking for oil.
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NY DEC Will “Fight” FERC over Constitution Pipeline Decision

You can’t say we didn’t see this one coming. Last week the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) ruled that the New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) took too long to deny a federal Clean Water Act “Section 401” water crossing permit for the Williams Constitution Pipeline project (see Victory! FERC Overrules NY DEC to Allow Constitution Pipeline). Meaning the project is now back on, approved by FERC itself. As we predicted, the DEC, thoroughly corrupted and politicized by Cuomo himself, says it will “fight” FERC’s ruling.
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Delayed Michigan Gas-Fired Plant Finally Begins Construction

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Nearly 20 years ago Indeck Energy floated a plan to build a an electric generating plant (powered by natural gas) in Niles, Michigan, not far from Chicago. In 2016 those plans got serious (see $1B Electric Plant Planned Near Chicago, M-U Connection?). In February 2018, Indeck said construction would begin in summer 2018–which never happened. Yesterday, Indeck finally held an official groundbreaking ceremony. The plant is now officially under construction.
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KM Evacuates Elba Island LNG Ahead of Dorian, More Delays

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Disappointingly, Kinder Morgan’s Elba Island LNG export facility is still not up and running. According to “frustrated” KM CEO Steve Kean, “We were making very good progress on Elba, and then Hurricane Dorian happened.” Sure, blame it on the hurricane. KM wisely evacuated personnel working on the Elba project to avoid Dorian–we have no issue with that. But let’s be honest, this project is WAY behind schedule, originally supposed to be online last year. And it’s one of the smaller LNG projects!
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EQT Settles Lawsuit Against Former Rice Employee

In February, prior to the July takover by Toby and Derek Rice, EQT filed lawsuits in both Pennsylvania and federal courts against two former employees it had fired, claiming the employees, before they were fired, had systematically copied confidential information from company computers and took it with them when they left (see EQT Claims 2 Fired Workers Stole Confidential Information). In March, EQT alleged the employees “stole” the information to help the Rice boys in their bid to take over EQT via a proxy war (see EQT Accuses Fired Employees of Colluding with Rice Boys). EQT just settled/dropped one of the two cases.
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Ohio has Money, Needs Contractors to Plug Orphan Wells

It’s time to help the orphans in Ohio–orphan wells, that is. Ohio has some 1,000 orphaned/abandoned oil and gas wells. In early 2018 Ohio passed a new law making more funds available to plug orphaned wells–important because drilling a horizontal shale well through an old conventional/orphaned well can result in a disaster. Although Ohio now has plenty of money to plug their orphaned wells, there’s a shortage of contractors to do the work.
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Weymouth Compressor Still in Limbo re Massachusetts State Permits

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In July the Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) granted an air permit for a compressor station in Weymouth (see Mass. DEP Issues Air Permit for Weymouth Compressor Station). The compressor station is the final component of the Spectra Energy/Enbridge Atlantic Bridge expansion project–a federal project overseen by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Although MA issued the air permit (the main permit), there are several other state permits required, not yet issued.
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Shale Energy Stories of Interest: Thu, Sep 5, 2019

MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: PA Democrat Senators announce bill requiring power sector 90% greenhouse gas emission reductions; Trump correct about natural gas trends in New York and Pennsylvania; Keller speaks on natural gas at chamber event; Second-year gas students anxious to get to work; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Cowboys owner Jerry Jones defends $1.5 billion natural gas bet; Exxon, Chevron see consolidation in top U.S. shale field; NATIONAL: Why rig count is no longer a reliable gauge of production; Halliburton CEO sees consolidation in oilfield services as shale matures; Natural gas, America’s wonder fuel; Bernie Sanders makes one of the most ‘horrifying’ arguments during CNN climate town hall; Trump loosens methane standards in a win for oil & gas industry; INTERNATIONAL: Global economic slowdown hits China’s natural gas demand.
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