DC Circuit Sides with FERC Approval of 24-Mile Gas Pipe in Indiana
In June 2021, MDN told you about CenterPoint Energy, a power generator looking to shutter portions of its coal-fired generation fleet and build two natural gas combustion turbines in Indiana (see Will New 460 MW Gas-Fired Plant in Indiana Get Approved?). The two units would provide a combined 460 megawatts (MW) of electricity as a backup to CenterPoint’s wind, solar, and battery storage. Antis tried to strangle the project by challenging a 24-mile pipeline that would feed it (see Antis Attack Pipe Expansion to Feed NatGas to Indiana Power Plants). Finally, after nearly four years and multiple appeals, a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision yesterday that sided with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in an appeal of the agency’s decision approving the pipeline. In other words, FERC was correct to approve it, and now (finally) the project can go forward. Read More “DC Circuit Sides with FERC Approval of 24-Mile Gas Pipe in Indiana”
Liberal New England, one of the bluest (Democrat) areas of the country, continues to do the opposite of what they preach. For years, New England states like Massachusetts, Vermont, and Connecticut have blocked new natural gas pipelines that would carry Marcellus molecules from a few hundred miles away into their states, claiming they seek to phase out fossil energy to be more “green.” Yet, as of this morning, 41% of the electricity flowing through New England’s grid comes from fossil fuels—natural gas (33%), oil (7%), and coal (1%). Another 4% comes from burning garbage and wood, which emits as much or more carbon dioxide as fossil fuels! How much electricity is being produced from solar and wind right now in New England? A piddly 9%. 
Here’s a story in the karma-is-a-boomerang department… In July 2019, the Connecticut Siting Council approved the Killingly Energy Center gas-fired power plant project after initially rejecting it (see 
According to CME Group, the worldwide natural gas market has evolved, and trading activity has grown in the past few years. The trading volume of Henry Hub Natural Gas (NG) futures during non-U.S. hours has more than doubled from a couple of years ago. We are truly interconnected worldwide. However, there are implications and consequences to being interconnected. Namely, the U.S. gas market is less shielded from global events due to the global linkage created by our LNG exports. It becomes imperative for U.S. gas traders to understand and monitor what’s happening around the globe and how world events may cause volatility. Traders need to monitor for sudden shifts in global demand-and-supply balance, changes in weather patterns, and geopolitical risk. 
At its core, the theory of man-made global warming (renamed to “climate change”) is easy to understand. The theory says when we burn fossil fuels (or wood, or garbage, or any carbon-based source), carbon dioxide is released and floats up into the atmosphere. If there’s too much CO2 floating up there, it creates a canopy trapping the heat that rises from the earth, warming the entire planet. If it’s true that more CO2 creates a canopy, the question becomes, how much is too much CO2? Strong arguments are made that a slightly warmer planet benefits all life and is not necessarily a bad thing. However, a veteran energy analyst, in responding to the memes that natural gas should be phased out due to fear of global warming, offers a blunt assessment: CO2 is not the key factor that controls the temperatures we experience on the surface of our planet. The key factor is wind. 
For the first time, over 1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) was discharged from U.S. gas-fired power plants in a single year in 2024. It marks a new pollution threshold for the world’s largest gas producer and consumer of natural gas. Yet, because natgas has replaced coal and other higher-polluting sources of electric power, U.S. power emissions from all fossil fuels were up only 0.5% in 2024 from 2023, to 1.64 billion tons. And get this: Overall emissions from all sources were down 19% last year versus 2015. Using natural gas to produce electricity makes the country “greener,” something the media ignores. 
We’re not much into self-promotion, likely to our detriment. Jim doesn’t like the limelight. However, every now and again, Jim agrees to be interviewed on podcasts, radio shows, etc. Yesterday was one of those days. Jason Spiess, founder and producer of 
OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Exxon sues California AG, environmental groups over ‘smear’; NATIONAL: U.S. DOE picks nine organizations for energy democracy initiative pilot; WTI climbs as U.S. freeze fuels demand; Brent crude oil prices traded in a narrow range in 2024; Trump says he will oppose new wind projects in second term; Trump’s going places with energy, but Biden’s the backseat driver; INTERNATIONAL: Europe races to refill as gas reserves dwindle.