3rd Circuit Denies Rehearing; NESE Pipeline Timeline Now at Risk
Last week, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit said “no thanks” to Williams’ request to reconsider its September ruling that tossed out New Jersey’s water permit for the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline project. The October 22 order (embedded below) means NESE’s New Jersey water quality certification (WQC) stays vacated (i.e., canceled), and the whole matter goes back to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) for a do-over. And here’s what caught our eye: Williams no longer says the ruling won’t affect its schedule. In its rehearing petition, the company admitted the loss “will delay construction” in New Jersey and could jeopardize NESE’s November 1, 2027 in-service date. So what happens now? Let’s walk through it. Read More “3rd Circuit Denies Rehearing; NESE Pipeline Timeline Now at Risk”
It’s late October, and somebody forgot to tell the weather. Forecasters say heating demand over the next 15 days will be among the lowest in 50 years, with temps in the 60s to 80s across much of the country. That should be bad news for gas prices, right? Not on Monday, at least not in our neck of the woods. Spot (cash) natural gas prices across the Northeast and Appalachia jumped big time. Transco-Leidy, a key pricing point for Marcellus gas in northeastern Pennsylvania, shot up 61 cents to $1.740 per MMBtu — a 54% one-day gain (MDN calc). Algonquin Citygate (New England) surged 71.5 cents to $2.085. Meanwhile, the NYMEX futures price fell to its lowest settlement in six months. What gives? Less gas flowing, mostly. 
National Fuel Gas (NFG) is laying more pipe in Tioga County. Its gathering subsidiary, NFG Midstream Covington, has asked the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for a stream-and-wetland crossing permit for two natural gas pipelines, 24-inch and 20-inch, running side by side through Farmington, Deerfield, and Chatham townships. The notice also mentions a 16-inch water line. The filing comes just 10 days after NFG’s board approved splitting the company in two, and it strongly suggests NFG’s Seneca Resources drilling arm is gearing up for more Utica production in Tioga County. 
Every Saturday, the Pennsylvania Bulletin publishes pages of DEP permit notices that almost nobody reads. We read them so you don’t have to. Taken one at a time, most look routine: an erosion permit here, an air permit there. Lined up side by side, they tell you which drillers are building, and where. Last weekend’s edition (Oct. 24) shows Expand Energy busy across the Northern Tier, Repsol and Seneca/NFG working in Tioga County, Devon still building in Susquehanna County, and XTO getting a new pad ready in Butler County. 
The highly functional and responsible Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), unlike its dysfunctional and irresponsible counterpart, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), continues to support the shale energy industry by approving water withdrawals and consumptive use requests for responsible, safe shale drilling. The SRBC published a notice in the October 24th Pennsylvania Bulletin that the SRBC approved and/or renewed 33 general water use permits in September for individual shale gas well drilling pads in Bradford, Lycoming, McKean, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, and Wyoming counties. 
Last Thursday, Google announced it will pay a San Francisco company called Voltus to round up as much as 1,070 megawatts (MW) of electricity “capacity” on the PJM Interconnection grid, the 13-state (plus D.C.) grid that includes Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. Google, Voltus, and nearly every news outlet covering the story call it a “virtual power plant.” Pardon us, but there is no such thing. No turbine spins. No Marcellus gas burns. What Google is actually doing is paying homes and businesses to use less electricity when the grid gets tight, so that Google’s power-hungry data centers can use more. Let’s call it what it is and quit with the euphemisms. 
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