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Chesapeake Files for Bankruptcy – Debtors to Take Ownership

We’ve told you for months to expect it. Yesterday (on Sunday) Chesapeake Energy finally filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after lining up a $925 million loan to keep the doors open, the lights on, and the drill bits chewing away. Pipeline companies (and other vendors) that have contracts with the company should be concerned. The opening paragraph of Chessy’s press release says, “Chesapeake intends to use the proceedings to strengthen its balance sheet and restructure its legacy contractual obligations to achieve a more sustainable capital structure.” That means they’re looking to break existing contracts, using the bankruptcy filing as an excuse.
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NY’s Highest Court Approves Eminent Domain for NFG Pipeline

A landowner in Allegany County, NY who tried to block National Fuel Gas Company (NFG) from crossing her property with its Northern Access Pipeline to flow PA fracked gas into the Empire State, has failed. Last week New York’s highest court, called the State Court of Appeals, overturned a lower court ruling. The high court decision clears the way for NFG to use eminent domain to cross the woman’s property when (not if) the pipeline gets built.
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PA AG Sham Shale Rpt: Wolf Prevaricates, MSC Debunks, Antis Cheer

We’re still steamed about a totally fake/manufactured “report” issued by Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro last week bashing the shale industry (see PA AG Launches I-HATE-FRACKING Hotline; Report Bashing Shale, DEP). Shapiro wants to run for governor in 2022 and trashing the shale industry gives him credibility with environmentalist wackos–an important segment of the lib Dem Party. Since the report came out there’s been wall-to-wall coverage in the lamestream press in PA. They’re almost orgasmic, believing this is somehow the death knell for shale drilling in the state. They’re DEAD wrong.
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VA Regulators Want Assurances Before Approving VNG Pipe Project

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Virginia Natural Gas’ (VNG) Header Improvement Project wants to build 24 miles of new pipeline and two new compressor stations (expanding a third compressor), connecting to the mighty Transco pipeline system to flow Marcellus/Utica gas to the northeast Va. region (see Va. Turns Down Anti Request to Delay Hearing on VNG Pipe Project). The Virginia State Corporation Commission is saying before they will give the project its permission to build, the Commission needs certain ironclad assurances.
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National Grid Band Aid Solution – Truck CNG to Long Island

National Grid, a huge utility company that supplies natural gas to all of Long Island, including two New York City boroughs (Queens and Brooklyn) has both a short-term and long-term gas supply problem. Corrupt Gov. Andrew Cuomo single-handedly decided to deny National Grid new natural gas supplies via a new pipeline (see Cuomo Rejects NESE Pipe Again, Williams Walks Away). That’s the long-term problem. The short-term problem is that National Grid needs extra supplies for this coming winter. How do they meet an increase in demand so Long Islanders don’t run out?
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Philly Refinery Sold – To Become Huge, Polluting Truck Terminal

In February we told you the fix is in. A bankruptcy judge in Delaware announced he would award the sale of the closed Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES) refinery to a Chicago developer that has plans to demolish the East Coast’s largest and oldest refinery–and replace it with big, smelly, noisy warehouses with trucks coming and going day and night (see Anti-Fossil Fuel Judge Sells Philly Refinery to Chicago Developer). After a last-minute stunt by the Chicago developer (demanding a $30 million price reduction, settled for $26.5 million reduction, the deal was done last week. Welcome to even more noise and pollution than a refinery would generate.
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Shale Energy Stories of Interest: Mon, Jun 29, 2020

MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: PA Treasurer calls on U.S. supermarkets to reduce emissions of pollutants; PA DEP awards over $434,000 in environmental education grants; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Looks like city will ban natural gas after councilwoman gets go-ahead from state agency; NATIONAL: U.S. refinery capacity sets new record as of January 1, 2020; US propane supplies looking tighter later in 2020; 30% of U.S. shale drillers could go under; INTERNATIONAL: Russia’s Nord Stream II handed a potential death knell.
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