Williams

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    Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Dismantles Old Barn in Pipeline’s Path

    STOP PRESS! 1/2/18 – 2:00 pm – Below is the full, original post MDN issued two hours ago. Our reporting was based on an article in the very biased Citizens’ Voice, a daily newspaper published in Wilkes-Barre, PA by the same rabidly biased, anti-drilling owners of the Scranton Times-Tribune. We should have known–the article published by the Citizens’ Voice was egregiously WRONG. It left out important facts that completely change the story. Williams reached out to MDN to set the record straight. In a nutshell, Williams’ original route for the Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline through Luzerne County totally missed a barn on the property of Dale Wilkie. Wilkie asked Williams to reroute the pipeline across his property–through his barn! Williams obliged, offering him a generous amount for the easement PLUS Williams offered to build Wilke a brand, spanking new barn to replace the old one! Wilke got estimates to rebuild the 100-year old barn as it is, using chestnut wood, making the estimate astronomically high ($400,000). This puts the entire story in a new light. We have more below from Williams responding to the Citizens’ Voice journalistic malpractice…

    Read More “Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Dismantles Old Barn in Pipeline’s Path”

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    FERC Rejects Antis’ Request to “Rehear” Atlantic Sunrise Decision

    In March of this year, a variety of anti-fossil fuel Big Green groups filed a rehearing request with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), asking the agency to reconsider its decision to approve the Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline project (see Antis Attempt to Stop Atlantic Sunrise Pipe by Attacking FERC Order). Atlantic Sunrise is a $3 billion, 198-mile natural gas pipeline project running through 10 Pennsylvania counties to connect Marcellus Shale natural gas from northeastern PA with the Williams’ Transco pipeline in southern Lancaster County. Before Big Green groups can sue FERC in federal court to try and stop a project, they must first file a request for rehearing. If the antis can get FERC to agree to a re-hearing, it effectively slows, even stops, an active pipeline project. So in an effort to prevent important projects from being slowed or stopped, FERC developed something called a “tolling order” which grants FERC more time to consider whether or not a full rehearing is justified. During the time of the tolling order, work on a pipeline continues. Sometimes the work even gets completed! Which of course drives antis bonkers. By using a tolling order, FERC can drag out the process of deciding to deny a rehearing, avoiding the inevitable frivolous lawsuit that follows. That is, work on important projects actually gets done. Even though a tolling order was in place for the Atlantic Sunrise decision, antis still sued in federal court (several times, for a myriad of reasons), in an attempt to stop Atlantic Sunrise. It hasn’t worked. Construction is going strong. Last week FERC finally responded to the original request for a rehearing lodged back in March. FERC denied the request. When you read through FERC’s response, you’ll find many of the people and groups who requested a rehearing didn’t follow the rules and were simply dismissed as not having standing in the case. For those who do/did have standing, FERC methodically, meticulously, patiently explained why they are full of it…
    Read More “FERC Rejects Antis’ Request to “Rehear” Atlantic Sunrise Decision”

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    Transco Pipeline Update: 5th Expansion Done, More Coming 2018

    Transco System Map – click for larger version

    Williams issued a press release yesterday to (deservedly) crow about completing it’s fifth (of five) expansion projects for the mighty Transco Pipeline–a pipeline that stretches from the Gulf Coast to New York. Transo just completed a pipeline segment in Virginia that will feed Virginia’s largest natural gas-fired electric plant, currently under construction by Dominion Energy (see Dominion Begins Building Virginia’s Biggest NatGas Power Station). Williams will provide the gas required by the plant via its Virginia Southside II project, which started service on Dec. 1. But wait–the Dominion plant isn’t done yet, so where will the extra gas go? We expect either (a) even though the pipeline segment/expansion is done, they won’t begin flowing extra gas through it just yet, or (b) extra gas will flow through the expansion, but someone else will buy it, for now. Regardless, the important news is that this is the fifth of five major expansion projects for Transco completed by Williams this year, joining the Gulf Trace, Hillabee Phase 1, Dalton, and New York Bay projects. As part of Williams’ update, they also project Atlantic Sunrise, another major expansion of the Transco system, will be done in “mid-2018.” Good news indeed! Here’s the full update from Williams, with lots of exciting news…
    Read More “Transco Pipeline Update: 5th Expansion Done, More Coming 2018”

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    15 of 23 Lancaster Pipeline Protesters Plead Guilty or No Contest

    In October MDN told you about 23 radicalized protesters who tried to block access to equipment being used to construct the Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline in Lancaster County, PA–on property owned by a sect of Catholic nuns whom we call Sisters of the Corn (see Lancaster Pipeline Protesters ‘Do the Hokey Pokey’ & Get Arrested). The protesters began singing the Hokey Pokey as they waited to turn themselves around into a set of handcuffs. The 23 finally got their day in court yesterday (the wheels of justice grind slowly). Out of the 23 arrested, 13 pleaded “no contest”–which means they neither dispute nor admit they committed a crime. The 13 were sentenced to pay a $100 fine (not nearly enough) and perform 10 hours of community service (not nearly enough). It was a slap on the wrist. Of the 23, another 2 pleaded guilty and have entered a “first time offenders” program which means after they pay a fine and perform community service, the charges will get dropped–as if they never committed the crime they did commit. Which leaves the final 7, who all entered a plea of “not guilty” with the stated purpose of holding a show trial where they can bleat and blat and carry on for the media. So said the clattering Malinda Clatterbuck, one of the organizers of the illegal protest. If they are found guilty, they can be sentenced to one year in jail and a $2,500 fine. Below we have all of the names of the criminals (and alleged criminals), minus one name withheld because a parent actually dragged his or her 16 year-old to the protest. That case is in juvie court…
    Read More “15 of 23 Lancaster Pipeline Protesters Plead Guilty or No Contest”

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    Lancaster Farmland Trust Settles Lawsuit Against Atlantic Sunrise

    Lancaster Farmland Trust, a leftist group that seeks to stop all development of land in and around Lancaster County, PA, sued a farmer and Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline after the Lancaster farmer signed an easement on a piddly 1.5 acres of land. The Trust claimed according to the terms of the deed the landowner didn’t have the right to sign the easement (see Atlantic Sunrise Files 13 Eminent Domain Cases in 4 Counties). The previous owners of the property “donated a conservation easement to the trust that specifically stated various man-made activities, and specifically listing pipelines, could not be built on the property.” We think that’s particularly sleazy (and should be illegal)–forever saddling future owners of the property with restrictions. No matter–it’s frequently done, and a lesson to landowners to beware, DON’T buy properties with such restrictions. If enough people refused to buy such properties, property owners would quit doing it because their property is no longer salable. But we digress. Transco Pipeline (of which Atlantic Sunrise is a part) tried to get the case tossed, but a Lancaster County judge refused. So Transco terminated the easement with the property owner, then turned around and filed a eminent domain lawsuit against the property owner and the Trust, which got the Trust’s attention. They’ve just settled the case, fearing (knowing) a judge would rule against them anyway. In the end, it seems to have come down to the Trust wanting money. They got $12,470 for the easement plus another $25,000 to cover their legal fees. The actual landowner got (as near as we can tell), nothing…
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    NY Idiots Demand Cuomo Stop Burning All Fossil Fuels by 2030

    A small group of people whose bubble isn’t in the center of the level staged a “protest” on Saturday in Long Beach, NY (Nassau County), nominally against the Williams Rockaway Delivery Lateral pipeline project. The Rockaway project adds 3.2 miles of new Transco pipeline and related facilities in New York, from the Marine Parkway Bridge in Far Rockaway to offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. The protesters’ stated reason for opposing the project? Not because it may disturb underwater ecosystems. Not because it would temporarily disrupt the lives of those living nearby during construction. Not because of fears over water contamination. No. The stated reason is, “for the end to burning fossil fuels” and because they want NY state “to convert to renewable energy by 2030.” It is, literally, an impossibility to end the use of fossil fuels within the next 100 years. But these idiots refuse to use logic and reason. So now they’re targeting a minuscule 3 mile pipeline in an effort to vent their irrational rage. Meanwhile, up the Hudson in Westchester County, a different small group of nutters also gathered on Saturday to vent their rage for the same reason (anti-fossil fuel extremism), except the focus of their rage is Spectra Energy’s Atlantic Bridge Pipeline project…
    Read More “NY Idiots Demand Cuomo Stop Burning All Fossil Fuels by 2030”

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    Atlantic Sunrise Pipe Begins Work in Northumberland County, PA

    Good news for Northumberland County: Atlantic Sunrise is rising in your neighborhood. Work on the $3 billion, 198-mile natural gas pipeline project that will run through 10 Pennsylvania counties to connect Marcellus Shale natural gas from northeastern PA with the Williams’ Transco pipeline in southern Lancaster County has begun in Northumberland County. Last week a Williams subcontractor working on that portion of the project gave a tour to a local newspaper. Atlantic Sunrise will pass through approximately 10 miles of Northumberland County, entering from Columbia County and exiting to Schuylkill County. So far, “Everything seems to be going really well” according to the contractor in charge of that portion of the project. They expect to begin welding pipes together by the end of this month…
    Read More “Atlantic Sunrise Pipe Begins Work in Northumberland County, PA”

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    5 More Protesters Arrested in Lancaster Co. Blocking Pipeline Work

    Five more members of the nutty Lancaster Against Pipelines group have been arrested, including a minor. It’s bad enough putting your own life at risk. We consider it child abuse to put your child’s life in danger by sitting the kid down in front of heavy equipment–in a deluded attempt to stop construction. Just last week we told you about three old ladies who did the same thing (see 3 Old Ladies Cause 3 Hr Delay in Atlantic Sunrise Construction). The latest five were arrested in the same general vicinity as the three old ladies–Martic Township. The five were arrested for sitting down in front of a working backhoe. No doubt they were imagining old Captain Planet episodes in their minds as they did so. You know, the Saturday morning cartoon from decades ago where defenseless kids go up against evil big corporations whose only goal is to destroy Mom Earth? All’s lost until the kids combine their “powers” and magically transform into Captain Planet (Planet…Planet…Planet). Did you hear that echo? At any rate, this latest small group didn’t hold up the works as long as the old ladies did, which is good. The grand total of protesters arrested now stands at 45–quite a few less than the “over a thousand” who supposedly had signed up to sacrifice themselves in front of pipeline construction equipment, according to the leaders of Lancaster Against Pipelines…
    Read More “5 More Protesters Arrested in Lancaster Co. Blocking Pipeline Work”

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    Williams Files FERC Appl for Transco “Gateway Expansion Project”

    Yesterday Williams filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to upgrade certain facilities in New Jersey along the Williams mighty Transco Pipeline, in order to flow an extra 65,000 dekatherms per day (or 65 million cubic feet) of natural gas to a couple of utility companies that have already signed on the dotted line as customers. The project is called the Transco “Gateway Expansion Project” and will cost roughly $85 million. The upgrades include a new compressor unit at Transco’s existing Compressor Station 303 in Essex County, NJ, a new valve and electric transformer also in Essex County, and equipment upgrades at a metering station in Passaic County, NJ. Both PSEG Power and UGI Energy Services have signed up to receive the extra gas–to be distributed to their customers in the region. The extra 65K dekatherms that will flow because of the upgrades is enough natural gas to meet the daily needs of ~300,000 homes. Here’s the lowdown on this latest Williams project…
    Read More “Williams Files FERC Appl for Transco “Gateway Expansion Project””

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    3 Old Ladies Cause 3 Hr Delay in Atlantic Sunrise Construction

    When did little old ladies become climate jihadists? That’s what happened yesterday in Lancaster County when three old ladies, obviously radicalized at some point (maybe they’re old hippies who have always been radicalized?), tied themselves together with a plastic pipe device that needed to be cut away so they could be removed from the spot where they were blocking Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline construction equipment. The entire episode took three hours. When asked nicely by the police to remove the plastic device and unhook themselves, the old ladies refused. So the police had to carefully operate to cut them apart. We figure their stunt easily cost $3,000 in delays–so we sincerely hope Williams sends each of them a bill of $1K to cover the downtime. Plus the old ladies will need to compensate the police and court system for handling their unnecessary case. These three added to the 29 previously arrested in two other episodes now make 32 arrested opposing Atlantic Sunrise–out the “thousands” the clattering Clatterbucks (Mark and Malinda, the radicals spearheading these actions) claim said would rise up to illegally block construction. So much for the big boasts of radical antis…
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    Lancaster Organic Farmer Rails Against Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline

    An organic farmer in Lancaster County, PA is accusing Williams and their Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline project of violating the conditions they agreed to. What kinds of violations? “Heavy equipment was stored on the property.” Ooooookay. Uh, we don’t think they dig pipeline trenches with hand shovels any more. What about his horrific violation: “Nonorganic bags of mulch have continued to be stored on the property.” Have you ever seen a bag of “organic” mulch at Lowes or Home Depot? No, neither have we. Here’s another one: “For weeks, trucks traveled between the organic farm and a neighboring nonorganic property.” Apparently the organic farmer doesn’t like his neighbor. We suppose he’s afraid the tires will pick up some non-organic dirt (whatever that is) and track it onto his property. Does he drive a car? Does he visit “nonorganic” locations around the county? You see the hypocrisy. Here’s one we really liked: “Soil from an adjacent nonorganic property blew onto the organic farm.” What the heck is that? Now Williams is supposed to control the wind?? The last person we know of who walked Mom Earth and was able to control the wind was J.C. (Mark 4:39). And perhaps worst of all, a complete tragedy: “Signs warning construction workers of an organic farm were not posted.” You get the drift. This is all nonsense–either minor violations or outright fabrications. Williams pushed back and said so. Just one more anti, grumbling and grabbing a headline…
    Read More “Lancaster Organic Farmer Rails Against Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline”

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    Court Lifts Atlantic Sunrise Stop Work Order – 2,500 Back to Work

    Yesterday was quite a roller coaster ride for Williams with regard to a work stoppage in building the $3 billion Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline. It was just two days ago that the Federal Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia issued an emergency stop work order for Atlantic Sunrise, idling some 2,500 workers in PA and costing the company $8 million a day in downtime (see DC Court Forces “Emergency Stop” of Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Work and Sierra Club Pipeline Lawsuit Throws 2,500 in PA Out of Work). The stop work order was in response to a lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club, Lancaster Against Pipelines and several other radical Big Green groups. Williams, the builder of the pipeline, filed a “Motion for Clarification” to ask the court what the order means, stop only the work on the pipeline in Pennsylvania? Or does the stop work order include other states too, where new gas supplies are already flowing? In their motion, Williams also asked the court to make the Sierra Club and the other radical groups to collectively post an $8 million per day bond–to cover Williams’ expenses if/when the radicals lose their case. After all, their actions are costing Williams $8M a day. Early yesterday the court responded to Williams’ motion with an answer: Stop work only applies in PA, and no, the court won’t make the radicals post an $8M/day bond. Bummer. That was the low point of the day. But then came a second response from the court in the late afternoon: The court said (our words), “The emergency stop work order is over, you can go back to work, and after reviewing the petition from the nutjobs, we’ve found they don’t have a case. Case dismissed.” That was the high point of the day. And so today, Thursday, Nov. 9, some 2,500 PA workers are back on the job laying pipe–including laying pipe through a cornfield in Lancaster County owned by a group of misguided nuns (who have sued to stop it). The nuns’ property will be the very first location to see the new pipeline installed and buried…
    Read More “Court Lifts Atlantic Sunrise Stop Work Order – 2,500 Back to Work”

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    Sierra Club Pipeline Lawsuit Throws 2,500 in PA Out of Work

    Just before the holidays, thousands of workers who were working on the Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline project have been escorted to the unemployment office–courtesy the odious Sierra Club. Yesterday we brought you the sad news that the Sierra Club’s lawsuit has stopped work on the $3 billion pipeline project (see DC Court Forces “Emergency Stop” of Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Work). Companies building closely-vetted and highly regulated projects like Atlantic Sunrise project are jobs creators. The Sierra Club is a jobs destroyer. We asked Williams how many workers have been idled because of the work stoppage from the “temporary” order from the court. Williams spokesman Chris Stockton replied: “The exact number is 2,500.” He also said this: “It is costing about $8 million per day in idle construction costs.” The Clubbers’ frivolous lawsuit is causing real pain and real suffering for thousands of workers…and their families…and their children. Williams issued a press release yesterday to say they have filed a “Motion for Clarification” to determine what the emergency stop work order affects–just construction work in PA? Or the work they’ve already done (and are doing) outside of PA, which would stop new quantities of Marcellus gas already flowing south? Williams says they expect the court will conduct their review “expeditiously” and end this charade (our word) very soon. Antis rejoiced in the news of the stop work order, including one of the “leaders” of the airheaded opposition, who sounded like an 80s Valley Girl when she said: “I can’t believe it, like, does this mean they can’t continue with construction? Like, seriously?” Meanwhile, like some 2,500 people are like tragically out of work–including like 370 in Schuylkill County alone. Merry Christmas from the Sierra Club and from a small group of radicals called Lancaster Against Pipelines…
    Read More “Sierra Club Pipeline Lawsuit Throws 2,500 in PA Out of Work”

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    DC Court Forces “Emergency Stop” of Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Work

    The arrogance of Big Green was on full display yesterday as they rushed to stop the Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline project project and silence lawfully permitted work. In response to a lawsuit filed by the worst of the worst (the Sierra Club) on Oct. 30th, a liberal court in the District of Columbia yesterday slapped the Atlantic Sunrise project with an emergency stop work order–for the entire project. Work had already begun to lay pipe on the property of Catholic nuns in Lancaster County, PA. The nuns call themselves Adorers of the Blood of Christ. We call them Sisters of the Corn (you can read why here). The Sisters have allowed themselves to be used to oppose the Atlantic Sunrise project by a radical professor from Lancaster County, Mark Clatterbuck, someone who engaged in the North Dakota Access Pipeline protests (protests that turned violent). Clatterbuck enlisted the help of his Big Green buddies in the Sierra Club to try and litigate to stop the federally and legally approved project last week (see Sierra Club Asks Fed Court to Stop Atlantic Sunrise Construction). Yesterday we told you that Williams, the builder, was building at the site of the Sisters first because of the involvement of Clattberbuck and Big Green interference–get the hard part done first (see First Atlantic Sunrise Pipe Gets Buried on Nun Property). We were grinning that pipeline on the Sisters’ property would be the first to be laid and buried in the ground, likely done this week. Today the grin is wiped off our face, we must confess. It’s so sad to see egregious abuses of our legal system like this. We expect the stop work order for the project will be temporary–perhaps a few weeks. But one never knows. The DC Circuit Court of Appeals is looking at the question of whether the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was correct in approving the project in the first place last February…
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    Williams 3Q17: Atlantic Sunrise Shines, “Stay Tuned” on Constitution

    Last week midstream powerhouse Williams issued their third quarter 2017 update. CEO Alan Armstrong said this about the Transco Pipeline–a key pipeline in the Marcellus/Utica region: “So far in 2017, we’ve placed four of our ‘Big 5’ Transco expansion projects into service including Gulf Trace, Hillabee Phase 1, Dalton Expansion and New York Bay Expansion with the fifth of the ‘Big 5’ expansions – the Virginia Southside II project – expected to be placed in service during fourth-quarter 2017. The incremental capacity from the fully-contracted Transco expansion projects going in service so far this year reflects a 25 percent increase in Transco’s design capacity.” All five of those projects to one degree or another flow Marcellus/Utica Shale gas. Williams is in a multi-year program to reverse the flow of the Transco. Traditionally it has flowed gas from the Gulf to the northeast. The pipeline is in the process of getting turned around, to flow our gas southward, some of it all the way to the Gulf Coast. With respect to the Atlantic Sunrise project–a part of the Transco system–Armstrong reminded listeners on the analyst phone call that some of that project is already up and running: “And on Atlantic Sunrise, we started construction and have already placed a portion of Atlantic Sunrise into early service on September 1 of this year, providing about 400,000 dekatherms a day of firm transportation service on Transco’s existing mainline facilities, and of course that serve delivery points as far south as Choctaw County, Alabama. So we’re really excited to be starting to see the Transco system turn around and be able to deliver volumes to the south. And I can tell you, that’s very much needed as we’re seeing a lot of demand growth occur in the southeast on our system.” As for the stalled Constitution Pipeline in New York State, Armstrong said to “stay tuned” and that there is “plenty of fight left in this dog.” Armstrong sounded encouraged about the prospects of the Constitution. Below is the full 3Q17 update complete with financials, excerpts from the analyst phone call of interest for MDN readers, and the newest slide deck…
    Read More “Williams 3Q17: Atlantic Sunrise Shines, “Stay Tuned” on Constitution”

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    First Atlantic Sunrise Pipe Gets Buried on Nun Property

    We find this story amusing. A group of left-leaning Catholic nuns in Lancaster County, PA, whipped up by radical environmentalists with ties to Big Green organizations, got it into their heads to try and block a very-safe natural gas pipeline from crossing their property–the Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline being built by Williams. The Sisters call themselves Adorers of the Blood of Christ. We call them Sisters of the Corn, because they put a couple of wooden park benches in a cornfield on their property (leased to a local farmer), christening it a “chapel” and claiming because the pipeline would run through the middle of their so-called chapel, building a pipeline is a violation of freedom of religion. In September a federal judge tossed the lawsuit (see Fed Judge Tosses Lancaster Nuns’ Freedom of Religion Lawsuit re ASP). However, the Sisters and their bought-and-paid-for-by-Big-Green lawyers have appealed it. The Sisters are hypocrites. They heat an old folks home they operate on the very same property–with natural gas! Talk about chutzpah. Over the past few weeks, mostly non-local Big Green protesters have showed up at the property as work began. So far 29 of the wackier protesters have been arrested trying to block work on the pipeline (see Lancaster Pipeline Protesters ‘Do the Hokey Pokey’ & Get Arrested and 6 More Arrested for Blocking Pipe Work at Lancaster Nun Property). Williams wisely chose the cornfield site owned by the Sisters as the first place to dig and lay pipeline. Within a few days (perhaps already), that very location will be the first portion of Atlantic Sunrise to be laid in the ground and covered up. Williams isn’t stupid. Get the location with the most resistance done first and the rest is a piece of cake. Meanwhile, Big Green lawyers are screaming for court intervention, even as the pipes are lowered into the trench (we just can’t wipe the smile off our face)…
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