Marcellus Drilling News

Energy Services | Energy Transfer Partners | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Pipelines | Regulation | Statewide OH

FERC Threatens ET with $40M Fine Over Long-Completed Rover Pipe
December 17, 2021April 20, 2022

Yesterday the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), under the leadership of Richard “Dick” Glick, served Energy Transfer with an “Order to Show Cause and Notice of Proposed Penalty” over the years-ago completed Rover Pipeline, a $3.7 billion, 711-mile Marcellus/Utica natural gas pipeline that runs from Pennsylvania, West Virginia and eastern Ohio through Ohio and into Michigan. The proposed fine is a staggering $40 million, based on a drilling mud accident from 2017 that showed there was diesel fuel in the mud.
Read More “FERC Threatens ET with $40M Fine Over Long-Completed Rover Pipe”
Industrywide Issues | Research

Latest STEO: U.S. NatGas Production to Hit Record High in 2022
December 17, 2021April 20, 2022

Each month the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) issues a Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO). In the latest STEO update for December, released last week, EIA predicts that U.S. dry natural gas production will increase from 95.1 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in October 2021 to 97.5 Bcf/d by December 2022, a new all-time record high. The previous monthly record of 97.2 Bcf/d was set in November 2019.
Read More “Latest STEO: U.S. NatGas Production to Hit Record High in 2022”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Equitrans/EQT Midstream | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pipelines

Radicals Using MVP Case to Void Eminent Domain for All Pipelines
December 17, 2021April 20, 2022

In 2019 a group of Virginia landowners filed a lawsuit against the Equitrans Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) project, because they didn’t like how the pipeline left a mark across their horse pastures. The landowners arrogantly argued Congress improperly delegated its legislative powers to FERC and that ALL pipeline approvals made by FERC that have led to property being “taken” against a landowner’s wishes, including MVP, should be invalidated. In May 2020 a federal court dismissed the case (see Lawsuit Seeking to Gut FERC Eminent Domain for MVP has Failed). Using money from Big Green groups (who are funded by foreign countries like Russia and China), the uppity landowners appealed once again and, unfortunately, the case remains active and live, now in a higher court.
Read More “Radicals Using MVP Case to Void Eminent Domain for All Pipelines”
Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Taxation

PA House Votes to Reject RGGI Carbon Tax, Gov. Wolf to Veto
December 17, 2021April 20, 2022

The Republican-controlled House in Pennsylvania voted on Wednesday to approve a resolution against enrolling the state in the so-called Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) carbon tax scheme. RGGI is aimed at phasing out the use of coal and natural gas to produce electricity in the Keystone State–an absolute catastrophe for the Marcellus industry. The vote was 130-70, which is not enough to override a promised veto by PA’s extremely unpopular Governor, Tom Wolf, who is attempting to force the state to join RGGI without approval by the state legislature, something not done in any of the other 11 members of RGGI (mostly liberal northeastern states).
Read More “PA House Votes to Reject RGGI Carbon Tax, Gov. Wolf to Veto”
Electrical Generation | Illinois | Industrywide Issues

5 Antis Show Up to Oppose Central Illinois Gas-Fired Power Plant
December 17, 2021April 20, 2022

In June 2017, MDN reported that EmberClear, based in Houston, TX, wants to build a $1 billion, 1,100 megawatt combined-cycle natural gas-fired plant about 15 miles from Springfield, Illinois, in Pawnee (see NatGas and Coal Go to War in Central Illinois). In April 2018, Springfield city alderman approved a deal for what is now called the Lincoln Land Energy Center to purchase “at least” 80,000 gallons of water per day from City Water, Light and Power (CWLP) for a cool $29,000 per month (see Central Illinois Gas-Fired Power Plant One Step Closer to Reality). The radicalized Sierra Club (which uses foreign money) continues to try and block the project by blocking a key permit. The Clubbers organized a huge, over-the-top, massive rally against the plant–and five Clubbers showed up.
Read More “5 Antis Show Up to Oppose Central Illinois Gas-Fired Power Plant”
Industrywide Issues | Research

Enverus Rig Count @ 716 (+16); Marcellus @ 35 (-1), Utica @ 12 (+0)
December 17, 2021April 20, 2022

The latest weekly Enverus U.S. rig count shows total rigs in use hitting another new post-pandemic high. For the week ending December 15, the rig count stood at 716, up 16 rigs from the previous week. Last week the count was up 12 rigs. That’s an extra 28 rigs in the past two weeks! Once again we have hit a new high since the beginning of the pandemic in April 2020. The Marcellus lost one rig and now has 35 active rigs. The Utica stayed even from the previous week with 12 active rigs. Collectively the M-U currently operates 47 rigs.
Read More “Enverus Rig Count @ 716 (+16); Marcellus @ 35 (-1), Utica @ 12 (+0)”
Best of the Rest

Other Stories of Interest: Fri, Dec 17, 2021
December 17, 2021April 20, 2022

NATIONAL: SEC should examine oil CEOs with pay tied to ESG; US weekly LNG exports amount to 21 vessels; Biden’s energy policy is taking us back to a bygone Carter era; Granholm says Biden admin not a ‘boogeyman’ for oil industry; Manchin is singularly halting Biden’s agenda; INTERNATIONAL: The implications of JERA’s shift away from long-term LNG deals; British, EU gas prices soar as less Russian gas expected on Friday.
Read More “Other Stories of Interest: Fri, Dec 17, 2021”