2 Frack Equipment Manufacturers Face Lawsuit re WV Pad Explosion
On July 7, 2018, Jeffrey Blaniar was working as a blending operating for Southwestern Energy at a well pad in New Martinsville, WV (in Wetzel County). When Blaniar approached a pump to turn it off, it exploded, causing second-degree burns and breaking several bones. Blaniar’s left foot and lower leg eventually had to be amputated. It was a tragic accident to be sure. Blaniar sued Southwestern for negligence as well as the pump manufacturer and hose fitting manufacturer. Last Friday a federal judge ruled the two manufacturers, which had petitioned to have the case against them dropped, must face a potential jury trial to prove their products did not contribute to the accident.
Read More “2 Frack Equipment Manufacturers Face Lawsuit re WV Pad Explosion”
Our friends at NGI (Natural Gas Intelligence) are running an excellent series providing expert forecasts for the global natural gas and oil markets in 2022. The latest installment interviews several experts about the prospects for the Marcellus/Utica. With the Shell ethane cracker plant coming online sometime this year, the prospects for NGL sales in the M-U have picked up. Also in the discussion: capping Pennsylvania’s orphaned wells, drilling in the Wayne National Forest, and the Mountain Valley Pipeline coming online.
BCCK Holding Company (BCCK) has been granted a contract to upgrade a cryogenic gas processing plant in the Marcellus/Utica, in southeastern Ohio. The name of the customer was not disclosed but we’re guessing it is MarkWest Energy (now MPLX). BCCK says it has developed a simple and effective modification to improve the existing cryogenic plant design and equipment with the aim of increasing propane recovery.
What is it about leftist Democrats that compels them to want to control everyone else’s lives (but their own)? Pennsylvania State Sen. Katie Muth is one of the worst offenders of this disorder. So too are PA State Rep. Dianne Herrin and Rep. Danielle Friel-Otten. The trio of Dem ladies are asking the odious PA Attorney General, Josh Shapiro (who is running for governor) to “halt construction of the Mariner East Pipeline.” Why? Because they don’t like it.
The Pennsylvania legislature recently passed a resolution against joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) carbon tax and sent it to Wolf, who had promised to veto it (see 
It happens every winter, but the frequency and severity are increasing. We’re talking about the spot price of natural gas sold in large, northeastern cities, which experience price spikes during cold snaps. The reason for the spike is there is not enough gas to go around when it gets really cold, and there’s not enough gas because the northeast has blocked new pipelines that would provide enough. With the current cold snap, prices are spiking right now, once again. The spot price for natural gas being delivered at the Iroquois Zone 2 hub near New York City is $28.55/MMBtu. At the Dracut, Massachusetts hub (north of Boston), the price has hit $30/MMBtu. And the price at the Algonquin Citygate (Boston proper), is $20-$22/MMBtu.
There is a clear delineation in the U.S. Constitution that says anything not specifically enumerated in the Constitution is left up to the individual states to govern and regulate. Leftists have for years tried to chip away, and under Joe Biden dynamite away, that distinction. Especially with regard to nationalizing the regulation of oil and gas drilling. The left’s favorite tool to regulate O&G is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which is charged with regulating and enforcing various laws including the federal Clean Air Act (CAA) and federal Clean Water Act (CWA). In a case that will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court next month, West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency, the “potential ramifications” are “profound” according to anyone and everyone paying attention.
OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Anti-fracking Boulder advises residents to bundle up as natgas costs soar; NATIONAL: DOE funding small cos to pursue clean energy solutions; NYMEX Henry Hub gas futures cross $4 mark as US market balance tightens; INTERNATIONAL: Shrink to fit: the year Big Oil starts to become Small Oil; Still no Russian gas auctions scheduled on Gazprom Export’s ESP; Gas prices rise as Russian pipeline stays in reverse after three weeks; Finally, Bloomberg admits renewables mania caused energy shortages.