Marcellus Drilling News

Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | New York | Pipelines | Regulation | Statewide NY | Transco | Williams

National Grid Predicts NESE Pipe Will Get OK in “Next Few Weeks”
October 11, 2019October 11, 2019

National Grid, the electric and natural gas utility company that serves part of New York City and all of Long Island, has been the target of a smear campaign by New York Gov. Cuomo, who ordered his Dept. of Environment Conservation (DEC) to reject the Williams Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline project in May (see NY Gov. Cuomo Denies Permit for Williams NESE Pipeline to NYC). Because of the coming shortage in natgas for the region thanks to Cuomo’s NESE decision, National Grid now refuses to accept any new natgas customers in the Greater NYC area (see National Grid Keeps Promise, No New NYC Gas Customers). There’s been a LOT of blowback–much of it aimed at Cuomo who attempts to shift the blame for his action in blocking NESE onto National Grid.
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Ashtabula County | Crawford County | Energy Services | Erie County | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | RH energytrans

Risberg PA-to-OH Pipeline Project Almost Done, Ready by Dec. 1
October 11, 2019October 11, 2019

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The Risberg Line, a 60-mile pipeline from Crawford County, PA to Erie County, PA, and from there across the border into Ashtabula County, OH, began construction in February (see Construction Begins on “Massive” PA to OH Risberg Pipeline). We told you in August that Ashtabula is already seeing the benefits of this pipeline, even though it’s not yet done (see As Risberg Pipe Nears Finish, $474M Plant Locates in Ashtabula). Now comes word the project is nearly complete–less than a mile left–and should be 100% done in the next month.
Read More “Risberg PA-to-OH Pipeline Project Almost Done, Ready by Dec. 1”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Regulation

NJ Gov Caves to Radicals, Now Opposes Meadowlands Gas-Fired Plant
October 11, 2019October 11, 2019

Apparently environmental radicals in the state of New Jersey can “have their way” with its Democrat Governor, Phil Murphy–just about any time they want. Murphy has the disturbing habit of genuflecting to his leftist base and has done so once again by coming out against a plan to build a Marcellus gas-fired electric power plant planned for the Meadowlands, a plant that would feed electricity to New York City.
Read More “NJ Gov Caves to Radicals, Now Opposes Meadowlands Gas-Fired Plant”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | PennEast Pipeline | Pipelines | Regulation

NJ Congress Members Ask FERC to Shut Down Work on PennEast Pipe
October 11, 2019October 11, 2019

Two Members of Congress from the New Jersey delegation–Tom Malinowski and Bonnie Watson Coleman (both liberal Democrats)–are calling on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to issue a “stop-work” order for the PennEast Pipeline project. Not that any real work to build it has even begun! The lib Dems say because of the recent ruling in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the entire project should be shut down and mothballed.
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EdgeMarc Energy | Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

EdgeMarc Creditors Ask Judge to Change Bankruptcy from Ch 11 to 7
October 11, 2019October 11, 2019

Difference between Chapter 7 & 11 (click for larger version)

EdgeMarc Energy, headquartered in Canonsburg, PA (with 50,000 acres of Marcellus/Utica leases), filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May, looking to sell all of the company’s assets (see EdgeMarc Energy Files for Bankruptcy, Blames Revolution Pipe). The reason? They can’t move their production to market because their main pipeline partner, Energy Transfer’s Revolution Pipeline, exploded in September 2018 and ET has not been able to get the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection to allow them to fix and restart it.
Read More “EdgeMarc Creditors Ask Judge to Change Bankruptcy from Ch 11 to 7”
Energy Services | Energy Transfer Partners | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Regulation

FERC Finalizes New HDD Guidelines 2 Yrs After Rover Pipe Incident
October 11, 2019October 11, 2019

In April 2017 while using underground horizontal directional drilling (HDD) for the Rover Pipeline project, some 2 million gallons of drilling mud went down a hole near the Tuscarawas River and popped back out where it should not have, harming a wetland by smothering aquatic life (see Rover Pipeline Accident Spills ~2M Gal. Drilling Mud in OH Swamp). That 2 million gallon “spill” triggered a shutdown of all HDD work for Rover in Ohio. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) stopped all Rover HDD work until December 2017, when it allowed HDD work to resume (see FERC Gives Rover OK to Resume All HDD Work, Incl. Tuscarawas River). Then another 200,000 gallons of drilling mud went missing at the Tuscarawas location in January 2018, so FERC shut it down again (see FERC Stops Rover Drilling Near River After 200K Gal Mud Disappears).
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Industrywide Issues | Research

Is Marcellus/Utica Gas Production Finally About to Peak?
October 11, 2019October 11, 2019

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If you’ve read MDN for any length of time, you know we’re not much for “peak” anything–peak oil or peak gas–the theory that we’ve hit the top and either supply or demand will decrease. There are those who espouse both peak oil and peak gas theories (the tinfoil hat brigade in our book). In point of fact, October is the 34th consecutive month for which natural gas production in America’s shale plays has increased (see EIA Sep ’19 Drilling Report: M-U Growth Slows, Still a New Record). The rate of increase may have slowed a bit, but each month production (and use) still goes up. In Pennsylvania where the Marcellus reigns supreme, there’s been an unbroken chain of quarter-over-quarter increases in horizontal shale gas production for twelve consecutive quarters, or 36 months (see IFO: PA Natural Gas Production Hits New All-Time High in 2Q19). So when we spot yet another article claiming we’re entering the zenith, the top–and production is about to begin a slow decline “any month now”….you can color us skeptical.
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Best of the Rest

Shale Energy Stories of Interest: Fri, Oct 11, 2019
October 11, 2019October 11, 2019

MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Southwestern Energy pads finances ahead of earnings season; Utica Summit hears Shell cracker update; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: California’s high gasoline prices are no accident; NATIONAL: A shale-gas revolution, if we can keep it.
Read More “Shale Energy Stories of Interest: Fri, Oct 11, 2019”