| | | | | |

PA DEP Slaps Energy Transfer Again – $2M Fine re Mariner East 2

Two weeks ago the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced the largest fine for a single company/project in its history. DEP slapped Energy Transfer (ET) with a $30.6 million fine for the construction and subsequent explosion of the company’s Revolution gathering pipeline in western PA (see ET Allowed to Fix/Restart Revolution Pipe…After Record $30M Fine). As part of the fine, DEP said ET could restart construction to fix Revolution. DEP also said ET could restart construction for another project: Mariner East 2 (ME2). Yesterday the other shoe dropped when DEP announced a new fine related to ME2 work–for $1.95 million.
Continue reading

| | | | |

PA Rep. Metcalfe Calls Wolf “Rogue Governor” – Can’t Force RGGI

The gloves are off in Harrisburg. We previously told you about Gov. Wolf’s plan to have PA join with northeastern states in the so-called Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a regional alliance to slap a carbon tax on natural gas-fired electric plants (see Gov. Wolf Goes Bonkers: EO Destroying Gas-Fired Elec, Carbon Tax). PA Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (Republican from Butler County, PA), Majority Chair of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, sent a letter yesterday to the RGGI Executive Committee saying PA has a “rogue Governor” (his exact words) who lacks the authority to force PA to participate in RGGI without legislative approval.
Continue reading

| | | | | |

PA PUC Approves Aqua America Purchase of Peoples Gas for $4.3B

Aqua America, the nation’s second-largest water/wastewater utility company headquartered near Philadelphia, announced in October 2018 it would buy Peoples Gas, the nation’s fifth-largest natural gas utility company headquartered in Pittsburgh, for $4.275 billion (see Aqua America Buys Peoples Gas for $4.3B – Old Pipes, Similar Nature). It took a while, but the last hurdle was cleared yesterday when the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission gave its blessing on the deal.
Continue reading

| |

Florida Ports an Important New Customer for M-U Natural Gas

click for larger version

For some time, we’ve had our eye on Jacksonville, Florida, concerning LNG. In July 2018 Eagle LNG opened its Maxville facility which liquefies natural gas into LNG for loading onto ships that use it as fuel (see Marc/Utica Gas Trucked to Jacksonville, FL for Use in LNG Ship). Eagle LNG is also working on a full-blown (smallish) LNG export plant near Jacksonville too (see Eagle Hires Matrix to Build Jacksonville, FL LNG Export Plant). In May 2019 we told you about another small-scale LNG facility in Jacksonville, the JAX LNG facility (see First US “Small-Scale” LNG Facility Launches in Jacksonville, FL). But Jacksonville isn’t the only port that wants LNG. Far from it!
Continue reading

Global Warming Theology – Enemy of Climate Science, Reason

We’ve often said if we could have anyone else’s brain who writes about the Marcellus/Utica, it would be Tom Shepstone’s brain. Tom, who has become a good friend over the years, writes the Natural Gas Now blog site. Tom has just penned a new post about global warming that frankly we wish we had written! He says all the things we think about when we think about this topic. It’s just so darned good, there’s nothing to do but bring you his entire post, below.
Continue reading

Shale Energy Stories of Interest: Fri, Jan 17, 2020

MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Tenaska offering scholarships to students from Belle Vernon, Yough; Steel Nation names director of business development; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Wisconsin regulators approve Superior natural gas plant; Exxon says Mass. AG timed climate suit with NY trial; Harvard students [enviro fascists] threaten to boycott Paul Weiss over Exxon; NATIONAL: U.S. natural gas exports to grow with new LNG capacity start-ups; EIA forecasts slower growth in natural gas-fired generation while renewable energy rises; Trade deal for now unlikely to give U.S. LNG exports a boost; US oil, gas rig count rises by five to 840; Growing gap in U.S. natural gas hub prices blamed on Louisiana pipeline congestion; Energy companies seize the day with bond refinancings; INTERNATIONAL: New Panama Canal fees not seen dampening U.S. LNG exports; Swedes vote climate policy biggest waste of taxpayer money in 2019.
Continue reading