Marcellus Drilling News

Columbiana County | Encino Energy | Energy Companies | Ohio

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy Tours Encino Utica Well Pad in Ohio
June 30, 2023June 30, 2023

Speaker McCarthy at Encino Energy Utica well site

Yesterday U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who is in Ohio for several days, toured Encino Energy’s Sanor Farm Well Pad near Damascus (Columbiana County), where Encino is drilling four Utica wells. McCarthy said this: “We just don’t want to be energy independent, we want to be dominant.” Love it! This is a home run by McCarthy, showing up to support shale energy in the Ohio Utica.
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Carbon Capture | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Enviro Groups Pressure PA Gov. Shapiro for Right to Block CCS
June 30, 2023June 30, 2023

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So sick with hatred for fossil fuels is the left, that they have turned on one of their own solutions to the “climate crisis,” which is capturing and storing (or sequestering) carbon dioxide, often shortened to CCS (carbon capture and sequestration). The left fears that successful CCS will lead to continued, or even (gasp) an increase in drilling for oil and gas. If O&G can capture and sequester 100% of carbon dioxide (and methane) emissions, it still won’t please the left, so deep is the hatred for fossil energy. It’s a sickness. That sickness was on full display in a letter (copy below) from 18 Pennsylvania and national leftist “environmental” groups to PA Gov. Josh Shapiro asking for “a seat at the table” in crafting new state policies and regulations for CCS. Translation: They want to block it.
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Crime | Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Ohio | Statewide OH

Former OH House Speaker Gets 20-Yrs in Prison for Nuke Bribe Scandal
June 30, 2023June 30, 2023

Here’s the sad end of a sad chapter in Ohio’s history–the conclusion to the largest bribery scandal in the state’s history. We’re referring to Ohio House Bill (HB) 6, a law granting billions (plural) of dollars to FirstEnergy to prop up the company’s economically failing nuclear power plants. FirstEnergy bribed state legislators to pass, and keep passed, HB 6 by paying out $61 million to a small group of insiders, including former Speaker of the House Larry Householder (see FirstEnergy Involved in Bribery Scheme to Pass $1B Nuke Bailout Law). In March, a jury convicted Householder of racketeering and conspiracy (see Fed Jury Convicts Former OH House Speaker in Nuclear Bribe Scandal). Yesterday Householder was sentenced. He got the maximum: 20 years in prison. He was led away in handcuffs.
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Allegheny County | Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Westmoreland County

Invenergy Gas-Fired Plant in SWPA Given Extra 18 Mos. to Build
June 30, 2023June 30, 2023

In January 2016, Invenergy announced its intention to build a natural gas-powered electric plant in Elizabeth Township, in Allegheny County, PA (see Invenergy Eyes SWPA for Second Marcellus-Powered Electric Plant). It took a few years, a lawsuit, and a new location, but eventually, Elizabeth commissioners approved Invenergy’s plan in December 2018 (see Elizabeth Twp in Allegheny Co. OKs Invenergy Gas-Fired Plant). In June 2021, the Allegheny County Health Department’s permitting section held a hearing to discuss potential emissions from the plant. The Health Department subsequently issued an installation (but not an operating) air permit. A mishmash of Big Green groups promptly sued to block the installation air permit (see Anti Groups Challenge Permit for Invenergy Gas-Fired Plant in SWPA). What is the latest news on this project?
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | ESG | Industrywide Issues

Left’s New Strategy: Buy O&G Companies, Force Them to “Go Green”
June 30, 2023June 30, 2023

The left is insidious–and relentless. They thought they had a winning issue with so-called ESG, or Environment, Social, and Governance. Basically, what the left means by ESG is don’t invest in or use fossil fuel energy (E), everything is racist (S), and the government is always right when Democrats are in charge (G). One of the main pushers of the ESG agenda has been BlackRock, the biggest investment firm in the world with nearly $10 trillion under management. Recently Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, said he would no longer use the term ESG because he’s losing business (see Unrepentant BlackRock Won’t Use ESG Term, Still Forces Divestment). However, he will still push an ESG agenda, hiding his true purpose by using other language. However, leftists don’t like to remain in hiding. So they now have a new strategy: Just buy oil and gas companies and FORCE them to “go green” (i.e., stop drilling for oil and gas).
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Commodity Price | Industrywide Issues

Some Experts Say Gas Price Stays Low This Summer, Some Say Higher
June 30, 2023June 30, 2023

We keep a close eye out for any credible news predicting which way the price of natural gas will head in the near and longer term. Everyone has an opinion about whether natgas will go higher, go lower, or stay the same–and why. Nobody could predict what would happen last year after Vladimir Putin declared war and invaded Ukraine. Gas prices when through the roof (along with oil prices) on the theory that Europe would run out of gas and the rest of the world, including the U.S., couldn’t meet the shortfall. But then we had a mild winter–in Europe and here at home. The world exited winter with extra gas sitting in storage. More supply with the same (or less) demand equals lower prices. And that’s exactly where we have been for months–lower prices. What about this summer? Will the price increase? Decrease? Stay the same?
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Allegheny County | Belmont County | Bradford County | Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Gulfport Energy | Marshall County | Ohio | Olympus/Huntley & Huntley | Pennsylvania | Southwestern Energy | Weekly Permits | West Virginia

11 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jun 19-25
June 30, 2023June 30, 2023

New shale permits issued for Jun 19-25 in the Marcellus/Utica took another nosedive. There were 11 new permits issued last week, down from 21 the previous week. There’s just no denying that the trend in permits is generally down. Last week’s permit tally included 6 new permits in Pennsylvania, 2 new permits in Ohio (both permits in the Marcellus layer!), and 3 new permits in West Virginia. Olympus Energy scored the most new permits, with 4 issued in Allegheny County, PA. Southwestern Energy had the second most new permits, with 3 permits issued in Marshall County, WV.
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Best of the Rest

Other Stories of Interest: Fri, Jun 30, 2023
June 30, 2023June 30, 2023

MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Is DEP name change threat to Democrats?; NATIONAL: Berkshire raises shares in Occidental to over 224MM; Executives predict where WTI oil price will end up in 2023; Majority of Americans oppose plans to eradicate natgas from buildings.
Read More “Other Stories of Interest: Fri, Jun 30, 2023”