Shell PA Cracker Plant has Another “Emergency” Flaring Episode
The mighty Shell ethane cracker seems to have “issues” in getting, and staying, fully up to speed. In what has become a pattern, about once a month the cracker plant is forced to use flaring–the burning of hydrocarbons (ethane or natural gas) to safely dispose of said hydrocarbons during an equipment malfunction. It happened a number of times late last year as the plant began to come online (see Shell Cracker Plant has Flaring Episode – Skyline Turns Orange). Another flaring episode happened last month (see Shell Cracker Plant Forced to Flare Again Following “Malfunction”). And, flaring happened again Tuesday evening for three hours, according to a local anti group that keeps cameras trained on the facility 24/7/365.
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Environmental radical Pat McDonnell of PennFuture, the former Pennsylvania Secretary of the Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP), along with his best friend THE Delaware Riverkeeper, Maya van Rossum, have just sued McDonnell’s former agency over permits the DEP issued to Williams to build the Regional Energy Access Expansion (REAE) project (see 
Uh oh. This isn’t good news for those pegging their hopes and dreams (and financial future) on developing a hydrogen hub in the Marcellus/Utica region. The research arm of Enverus (formerly Drillinginfo), one of the most trusted, energy-dedicated SaaS platforms, offering real-time access to analytics, insights and benchmark cost and revenue data, has just released a new report examining the potential for CO2 storage in Appalachia. The report looks at the geology and the economics of storing CO2 in our region, and the results are not promising.
Once again, the Biden administration is attacking the fossil fuel industry. This time it is via one of its favorite blunt force instruments: the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Yesterday the EPA released what it calls its final “Good Neighbor Plan” that forces gas- (and coal-) fired power plants to further reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. It’s either reduce NOx by installing really expensive new equipment, shut the plant down, or option #3…pay an indulgence (tax) to keep sinning (polluting) by purchasing an “offset.” Liberals are so predictable.
Venture Global Plaquemines LNG, LLC is developing an LNG export facility in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, approximately 20 miles south of New Orleans. The Phase One of the project is currently under construction, and the first shipment from the facility will happen in 2024. Earlier this week, Venture Global announced it had pulled the trigger on a decision to build Phase Two of the project and has directed the builder to move forward with construction of Phase Two. Both phases, when completely done and running, will export 20 million metric tonnes per year of LNG.
This lunatic notion that companies must focus on so-called environmental climate change (the “E” in ESG) is at the core of why Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) went bankrupt. SVB’s collapse threatens to restart another worldwide economic collapse like the one we experienced in 2008. Everyone is still holding their breath that this situation does not spread to dozens of other banks and financial institutions. While SVB had its eye on efforts to “halve” its greenhouse gas emissions, its woke board of directors didn’t have their eye on actually making money. The bank’s managers and board failed to protect the bank and its depositors from rising interest rates (rates brought on by Biden and the Democrats’ wild spending spree). While bank managers were frittering around with greenhouse gas issues and educating employees on which pronouns to use, the bank became insolvent. Bidenomics at its best.
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