MVP Case Against Radicalized Protesters Advances in Federal Court
On Monday, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia (Roanoke Division) ruled in two of five cases before it in which Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), which is now majority-owned by EQT Corporation, sued radical protesters who blocked the construction of the pipeline in Roanoke County, Virginia. The court dismissed one count in the two cases (count #4) against the protesters, which the media focused on. The media doesn’t want to talk about the fact that there are five other counts, far more serious than the dismissed count, that the court is allowing to advance. These protesters are in a world of legal hurt over their illegal blocking of MVP construction. Read More “MVP Case Against Radicalized Protesters Advances in Federal Court”
The city of New Albany, located in Franklin and Licking counties in Ohio, said it has been notified about plans for multiple natural gas power projects to be located within the Licking County portion of the New Albany International Business Park. The power plants (three of them identified so far) will provide power for nearby data centers planned for the region, which is a suburb of Columbus. 
Never in our wildest dreams did we think that Donald Trump winning a second term would result in the resurrection of the 124-mile Pennsylvania-to-New York Constitution Pipeline project. Yet, that prospect appears increasingly likely. We don’t want to offer false hope, but we can’t ignore the signs favoring the Constitution’s springing back to life. The latest sign? Two prominent leftwing mainstream media outlets, none other than the Washington Post and POLITICO, ran stories yesterday all but admitting that the liberal Democrat governors of New York and New England are in the process of caving and either have or soon will support the Constitution Pipeline project. It’s absolute magic! 
The Baker Hughes U.S. national rig count gained one rig last week, now at 593 active rigs. As for the Marcellus/Utica, the rig count was a combined 35 last week. Rigs focused on the Marcellus were a combined 24 across the three M-U states of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. Rigs focused on the Utica were a combined 11. PA has operated 15 rigs (or more) for the past 19 weeks. OH has operated nine rigs for the past 16 weeks. WV had operated 10 rigs for an astonishing 23 weeks in a row. Five weeks ago, WV added (and has kept) one additional rig and now operates 11 active rigs. 
Here’s a lawsuit we were unaware of, even though it’s been playing out for years. It’s quite complicated. On the surface, at a very basic level, Cardinal Midstream II (we assume a subsidiary of the Dallas-based 
Big Green is alarmed that New York Governor Kathy Hochul trooped to The White House last Friday to have a private, off-the-record conversation with President Trump about a laundry list of things, but two primary items: the Constitution Pipeline and a tax on driving in parts of Manhattan during certain hours (called “congestion pricing”). Nobody is saying anything about the meeting, but the implication is that perhaps Hochul and Trump were engaged in “horse swapping”—Trump bends on congestion pricing if Hochul bends on allowing (even endorsing) the Constitution Pipeline. The prospect of Hochul caving on the Constitution has set the environmental left’s hair on fire. 
This is a sweet victory for our side. Last summer, MDN told you about a lawsuit being heard to hold Big Green groups (namely Greenpeace) responsible for their actions. Energy Transfer (ET), the owner and operator of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAP), sued Greenpeace and other alleged instigators for $300 million for the damages sustained by the company due to violent protests incited by the groups in North Dakota in 2016 (see 
Pipeline giant Williams, owner and operator of the mighty Transco pipeline system, deployed its top executives to speak at last week’s CERAWeek by S&P conference in Houston. On hand at the event were CEO Alan Armstrong, VP of New Energy Ventures, Jaclyn Presnal, and VP of Environmental, Regulatory and Permitting, Mark Gebbia. The three made a strong case that permitting reform is urgently needed if the country wants to deploy more natural gas for power generation and data centers. 
Last Friday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul went to The White House for a private one-on-one meeting with President Trump. Among the topics discussed was the Constitution Pipeline project (see 
National Fuel Gas Company (NFG), headquartered in Buffalo, NY, is the parent company for Marcellus/Utica driller Seneca Resources and the parent of midstream company NFG Midstream (and subsidiary Empire Pipeline). In November 2023, MDN first reported on NFG Midstream’s Tioga Pathway project, an estimated $90 million modernization and expansion project that will add 190,000 Dth per day (190 MMcf/d) of firm transportation takeaway capacity from northwest Tioga County, Pennsylvania (see 
Speaking of the Constitution Pipeline project (see today’s post, Williams CEO Supports Restart of Constitution Pipe – With Conditions), New York Governor Kathy Hochul will visit The White House for a one-on-one with President Trump today. They have a few things to discuss. One of the biggest discussion topics will be Trump attempting to convince Hochul that it’s time to allow the 124-mile Constitution Pipeline from Susquehanna County, PA, to Schoharie County, NY, to move Marcellus gas into New York State and New England, to get built. Will he be successful? 