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Enbridge Zeros in on Cause of Kentucky TETCO Pipe Explosion

On August 1, Enbridge’s Texas Eastern Pipeline Company (TETCO) pipeline exploded in Lincoln County, Kentucky–killing one and sending six to the hospital (see TETCO Pipe Explodes in Kentucky Killing 1; Southbound M-U Gas Stops). Since that time one of the three TETCO pipes in the area has returned to service. The federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) continues to investigate. As is typical for such an investigation, we won’t have an official determination for months, maybe even a year, as to what caused the explosion. However, Enbridge is saying the explosion is likely due to a certain kind of pipe manufactured back in the 1950s.
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PA DEP Hires Private Lawyers to Defend Against Atty General Probe

Really? Is this what it’s now come to? Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro is so desperate to make a criminal case against someone, anyone, in the shale industry, he’s even going after state employees–workers at the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP). In a bid to raise his visibility among state voters (so he can run for governor), Shapiro launched an investigation in January looking for environmental “crimes” committed by Range Resources and other shale drillers (see PA AG Investigates Shale Drillers for “Enviro Crimes”).
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Gov. Wolf Goes Bonkers: EO Destroying Gas-Fired Elec, Carbon Tax

PA Gov. Tom Wolf

The worst Pennsylvania governor in our lifetime continues to wreck the PA economy. Tom Wolf previously made noise about dooming PA’s economy by forcing the state to adopt a so-called “cap-and-trade” plan for carbon dioxide–the stuff every living animal, including humans, breathes out with every breath (see PA Gov. Wolf, Dem Legislators Release Even Worse “Climate” Plan). Wolf also threatened to issue an executive order to require 30% of electricity be produced by so-called renewables by 2030 (see PA Gov. Wolf Threatens to Issue Order on Power Plants). In a breathtaking display of power madness, he’s just done both.
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FirstEnergy Spends $1M/Week on Ads Claiming Chinese Grid Takeover

Ohio’s major newspapers continue to push back against phony commercials being run by FirstEnergy in a desperate attempt to block a referendum to overturn House Bill (HB) 6 (see FirstEnergy Runs Attack Ad, Claims China Controls OH NatGas Plants). HB 6, a corporate welfare bill, was recently passed to prop up two FirstEnergy bankrupt nuclear power plants and several coal-fired plants, soaking ratepayers in order to feed the FirstEnergy beast (see Ohio Nuke Bailout Law Means Fewer Natgas-Fired Electric Plants).
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New Report: As WV Shale Drilling Goes Up, Air Emissions Go Down

Yesterday the Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) released its West Virginia Emissions Brief (full copy below) which shows significant emissions reductions and environmental improvements made across the state. This brief further demonstrates that states can reap the rewards of energy production while practicing sound environmental stewardship simultaneously. Although West Virginia is now the seventh-largest natural gas producer in the country and one of the largest consumers of energy per capita, statewide carbon dioxide emissions have fallen 64% since 1990. And Sulfur dioxide emissions are down 94%!
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Long Island Dem Senators Break with Cuomo, Urge Pipeline Approval

In New York State it’s not popular–frankly it’s not safe–if you’re a Democrat who opposes mob boss Andrew Cuomo for any reason/any issue. Yet six Long Island State Senators, all Democrats, are doing just that. The six sent a letter to Basil Seggos, who runs the Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and does whatever Cuomo tells him to do, asking Seggos to provisionally approve the Williams Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline project.
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PA Prof Says O&G Cos, Deniers Guilty of “Crimes Against Humanity”

If you send your kids to Lehigh University (Bethlehem, PA) and they take political science classes, you might want to consider another school. One of their professors has just penned what is one of the most outrageous op-eds we’ve ever read. He claims those who operate “fossil fuel” companies–oil and gas companies–and those (of us) who “deny” that there is such as thing as catastrophic man-made global warming caused by burning fossil fuels, are guilty of “crimes against humanity.”
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Shale Energy Stories of Interest: Thu, Oct 3, 2019

MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Dominion Energy announces organizational changes; Welding together careers for the future in Susquehanna County; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Rhode Island falls behind emissions goals, study shows; NATIONAL: Kimmeridge closes fifth E&P-focused fund at $800 million hard cap; Long-term SPAs keep U.S. LNG exports stable amid global price volatility; INTERNATIONAL: EIA projects that renewables will provide nearly half of world electricity by 2050; TDs, senators and Hollywood actors round on the government over US fracked gas being used in Ireland; Norway sovereign wealth fund to divest oil explorers, keep refiners.
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