PHMSA Releases Redacted Version of Freeport LNG Explosion Report
On Tuesday, Freeport LNG released a summary of the “root cause failure analysis report” they got back from an independent, third-party investigation into the cause of a pipeline explosion at the plant (see Freeport LNG Releases Reasons for Pipeline Explosion on June 8). Freeport’s brief summary of bullet points was the company’s spin on the report. A few hours later, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), the regulator in charge of investigating the accident, released a heavily redacted (but full) copy of the consultant’s report, which we have embedded below. It appears to us that the PHMSA was not happy with Freeport’s spin version and wants the public to know the fuller story.
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Two separate but related cases concerning Pennsylvania’s entrance into the interstate carbon cap-and-trade program known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which we call a carbon tax, had their day in court yesterday. Judges from PA’s typically conservative Commonwealth Court heard oral arguments and, according to leftists, zeroed in on the issue of whether the so-called RGGI “fee” assessed by the Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) is really a fee, or instead is really a tax. It makes a difference. The DEP can, constitutionally, assess a fee, but it cannot unilaterally slap a new tax on coal- and natural gas-fired power plants (as it is trying to do).
The leftist members of the Allegheny, PA County Council have proven just how leftward they have lurched (and how unhinged they have become). In July, the Council voted to overturn the veto of a ban on drilling for natural gas under (never on top of) county parks (see 
Investors in the 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) continue to write down their investments in the long-delayed project. MVP, which is 95% done and in the ground, travels from Wetzel County, WV, to Pittsylvania County, VA, where it connects with other pipelines to carry Marcellus/Utica molecules to the southeastern U.S. RGC Midstream, which is owned by RGC Resources, is a very small investor in the project. RGC said this week it is taking a further impairment (writing down value) for its investment in MVP.
Spire Inc. is the owner and operator of the Spire STL Pipeline, a 65-mile pipeline that connects to and flows Marcellus/Utica gas from the Rockies Express (REX) pipeline in Scott County, IL, to residents and businesses in the St. Louis, MO area. Yesterday Spire issued its third quarter update and included a tidbit of information that had escaped us. In October, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a full, final, positive environmental impact statement (EIS) for Spire STL, the final step before issuing a permanent certificate for the pipeline to operate.
As things wrap up at the latest annual confab of leftist tyrants and wackos who seek to control the world by using the scare tactics of global warming, also known as the UN’s 2022 Climate Change Conference (COP 27), a group of countries calling itself energy importers and exporters (includes the U.S. as represented by the Bidenistas) issued a “joint declaration” that says, pretty much, they all hate fossil fuels and intend to stop using them in the next 20-30 years.
A new study from the American Gas Foundation (full copy below) concludes that the ability of the natural gas system to meet seasonal and peak day demands and to reliably deliver natural gas, even during high-impact events, represents an important and valuable resource that must be considered when designing future energy systems and building pathways to a low-carbon future. In other words, solar farms and windmills alone will NEVER be enough to provide reliable energy for the American consumer. If we want “resilience” (the capacity to recover quickly), we need natural gas. It’s that simple.
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: California’s climate plan calls for no new gas-burning power plants; Cayuga RNG signs agreement for renewable natural gas project; NATIONAL: White House must not double down on anti-drilling agenda.