Whistleblower Sues MVP for Firing, Claims Pipe Had Unsafe Corrosion
A situation that’s been playing out for nearly two years is just now becoming public. In late 2023, a welding inspector working on the 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) said he had discovered three sections of the pipeline were corroded and violated construction standards and federal guidelines. He reported it to his superiors at MVP, who allegedly ignored his objections. So he filed a report with the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). The pipeline sections got replaced, and the inspector got fired. In April of this year, the inspector filed a lawsuit against MVP (and Equitrans Midstream, and EQT) for wrongful termination. Read More “Whistleblower Sues MVP for Firing, Claims Pipe Had Unsafe Corrosion”
We experienced a nice jolt in the NYMEX futures price for natural gas yesterday, rising 16.7 cents to close at $3.748/MMBtu. Those in the know say the main factors behind the price increase were (a) a hot weather forecast beginning next week for the eastern half of the country, and (b) lingering uncertainty over the Israel-Iran war and its potential impact on oil and LNG shipments in the Persian Gulf. 
When referring to Big Green groups in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, we often refer to the groups as “colluding,” meaning they coordinate their legal and public relations attacks against fossil fuel companies. It is something we have long suspected but (unfortunately) can’t prove definitively. Somebody is about to prove it. Several of these groups, including POWER Interfaith, Sierra Club, Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania, Clean Air Council, Vote Solar, PennEnvironment, and the Pennsylvania Public Interest Research Group, attacked a recent proposal by Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW) to raise rates. PGW is asking the PA Public Utility Commission (PUC) to order these groups to provide internal communications that would prove they have been colluding together. 
We spotted an op-ed appearing in the Lower Hudson Valley area of New York State (just north of New York City) that makes some great points. Frankly, they are points we’ve made here on MDN a number of times—how natural gas is critical to the Empire State. The op-ed points out that natural gas powers 60% of the homes in the state and powers over half of the state’s electricity generation. Yet the dunderheaded politicians (Democrats) in Albany insist on destroying fossil energy and replacing it with unreliable renewables. But we digress. The op-ed states that “New York will not grow without natural gas. It’s just that simple.” What’s so unusual (“man bites dog”) about this op-ed is that it was written by the Chairman and President of the National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium (NOWRDC)! 
Sometimes, some of the best news can be learned from your political enemies. The wackadoodle environmental left worldwide has, for years, tried to pressure Big Banks into defunding (refusing to loan to) fossil energy companies. While there are other sources of funding available, getting Big Banks to refuse loans has hurt the oil and gas industry. And for a while, it seemed like the left was winning, pressuring banks to pull back. Not anymore. An arrogant coalition of eight green groups, coordinated by the Rainforest Action Network, recently published a report showing that the world’s largest banks boosted the amount of financing given to fossil fuel companies last year (2024), committing $869 billion to those involved in coal, oil, and gas. That’s up significantly, from $162 billion spent the year before (2023). 
NATIONAL: ‘Net zero’ is collapsing in U.S. states; INTERNATIONAL: Oil drops on signs conflict may spare Iranian crude production; OPEC says output hike tempered by compensation from quota cheats; Amid regional conflict, the Strait of Hormuz remains critical oil chokepoint; EU aims to cut all Russian gas imports by 2027; Countries in the AI race are realizing they are also in an energy race; “Ancient carbon” is leaking into atmosphere, upending thinking on climate change models.