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PTT Voices Concerns re Plastics; Still No Decision to Build OH Cracker

It amazes us that we now have to defend perhaps the greatest advancement to the longevity of not only humankind but all species on planet earth. That advancement is PLASTICS. Yes, plastics. The invention of plastic and its uses on Mom Earth has made our lives better. Plastics, contrary to the current popular mythology, have extended human and animal life. And yet, even the companies that build giant cracker plants to create raw plastic pellets (for further use in thousands of plastic products) must now bow down before environmental crackpots to declare their concern (even dislike) of the very thing they produce: plastic. It’s bizarre.
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Ohio Invests Another $20M in PTT Cracker Site, $70M Total So Far

We’re now a couple of months shy of the fifth anniversary for when PTT first announced they would consider building an ethane cracker plant in Ohio (see It’s Official: Belmont County Chosen as POSSIBLE Cracker Plant Site). Since that time, PTT has purchased land for the plant, and last fall was seen moving dirt around at the property (see Dirt Being Moved at PTT Ohio Ethane Cracker Site – Still no FID). Even without a final investment decision (FID) to build, the State of Ohio continues to invest money in the project–another $20 million last week.
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Snyder Bros Off the Hook for Penalties & Interest re Strippers

In December 2018, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that so-called “stripper wells” (low-producing wells) can be taxed under the 2012 Act 13 law, slapped with an impact tax assessment if those wells produce more than 90 thousand cubic feet per day (Mcf/d) of gas in a single month, any month (see PA Supreme Court Rules Strippers Not Exempt from Impact Fee). Snyder Brothers, the driller whose stripper wells were the target of the lawsuit, asked the Supremes to reconsider their decision. They did, kicking elements of the case down to a lower court (Commonwealth Court). Synder still owes the impact tax, that’s not in question. But Snyder argued they shouldn’t also have to pay interest and late-payment penalties just because they challenged the original assessment.
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Dela. Riverkeeper Tries to Scare Neighbors of NJ LNG Loading Dock

New Fortress Energy plans to build a $96 million, 1,600-foot-long pier and storage facility on the Delaware River (Gloucester County, NJ) to be used for docking and loading two ships at a time with LNG. The LNG will be manufactured at a plant in landlocked Bradford County, PA and shipped to the NJ facility via rail (see U.S. Gov’t Grants New Fortress Permit to Ship NEPA LNG by Rail!). From the start when the project was announced, THE Delaware Riverkeeper has tried to whip up opposition to the project, without much success (see Enviro Leftists Keep Up Attack on LNG Export Dock on Dela. River).
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Unions Push PA Legislators to Override Wolf Veto of Petchem Bill

Pennsylvania House Bill (HB) 1100, aimed at attracting new petrochemical investment to the state, was previously passed by the PA House, and last week, by the Senate (see PA Senate Tweaks, Passes Bill Attracting Cracker-Type Investment). Gov. Tom Wolf (liberal Democrat) says he will veto the bill anyway–denying the state billions of private economic stimulus it could receive (see Gov Wolf to Veto Bill Attracting Cracker-Type Investment to NEPA). The bill was passed by a large bipartisan majority in both the House and Senate. There’s a good chance Democrats will join Republicans to override Wolf’s veto.
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Gulfport Continues Board “Refreshment” – 5th Change in 2 Months

Valerie Jochen

In mid-November Gulfport Energy, one of the biggest drillers in the Ohio Utica Shale (210,000 acres), announced they would lay off 13% of their workforce, end (for now) their stock share buy-back program, and “refresh” the board with three new members (see Gulfport Fires 13% of Workers, Ends Stock Buy-Back, Board Changes). Five weeks later and the company announced yet another new board member (see Gulfport Continues Board “Refreshment” – 4th Change in 5 Weeks). And now, a fifth new board member in just a little over two months. What’s going on?
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“Kill NatGas Later” Plan Floated by WV Republican Congressman

While we’re sure he means well, Congressman David McKinley, a professional engineer (P.E.) from West Virginia (Republican) has thrown his support behind a “bipartisan” effort to create a new federal bureaucracy to oversee the decarbonization of the power generation sector. In other words, an effort that will end the use of natural gas to generate electricity–by 2050. We just can’t support something like that. It’s short-sighted, heavy-handed, and creating a new federal bureaucracy simply goes in the wrong direction. Period.
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Shale Energy Stories of Interest: Mon, Feb 10, 2020

MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Ohio shale gas permits slow in the face weak gas prices; Protect PT to host workshop against fracking; Chesapeake Energy requests waiver on setback to drill well in Bradford County; Why Pa.’s public pension funds have millions of dollars of your money tied up in the natural gas industry; NATIONAL: Could the flight shaming movement take off in the U.S.? JetBlue thinks so.; Alternative energy can’t replace hydrocarbons; Unlike in Europe, the US approach to climate change is actually working; A climate blacklist that works: “It should make her unhirable in academia”; INTERNATIONAL: Power and natural gas roil energy shift: what to know at E-World; Oil prices could fall much further as Russia refuses additional production cuts.
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