Obtuse NY Assemblywoman from Ithaca Proposes “No-Tenancy” Bill
Ithaca, NY is unfortunately saddled with an Assemblywoman who is, charitably, not too bright. Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton is a virulent anti-fossil fueler, even though she herself uses fossil fuels each and every day of her life. She was dead set against converting a coal burning plant near Ithaca into burning natural gas (see Cayuga Power Plant Stays Open (Burning Coal) – Thx to Fractivists). Thanks (in large part) to Lifton, the residents of Ithaca continue to breathe dirty air. She also tried to stop a federally permitted natgas pipeline from expanding in the region (see NY State Legislator Tries to Derail Dominion New Market Project). And now she’s at it again. Even though there is no shale drilling in New York, apparently Lifton wants to drive the final nail in the coffin of the conventional drilling industry too, driving out all oil and gas activity in the state. Lifton has introduced a bill that we call “no-tenancy.” You’ve been reading about West Virginia’s co-tenancy bill here on MDN, a bill that would allow rights owners in property to sign a lease if 75% or more of the owners agree to lease terms. It corrects a situation where dozens, sometimes hundreds of people who own a fractional share in property can’t be found, or refuse to sign, screwing all of the other owners of the property. Lifton’s bill, A2499, would require 100% of all rights owners to sign leases “for oil, gas or mineral rights, and any modification, extension or renewal thereof.” It is plainly meant to end any future drilling of any kind in the state. That’s the aim. The Independent Oil & Gas Association of New York (IOGANY) is pushing back…
Read More “Obtuse NY Assemblywoman from Ithaca Proposes “No-Tenancy” Bill”
Once again, in what appears to be a pattern, the Pennsylvania State Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) is caving to pressure from virulent anti-fossil fuelers. This time in regard to Shell’s proposed Falcon Ethane Pipeline project. Shell is working on an ethane “pipeline system” with two “legs” to feed the mighty cracker plant being built in Monaca, Beaver County (see 
The now fully politicized New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), along with the Delaware and Raritan Canal Commission, filed a joint request with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) last Friday asking FERC to reconsider and rescind its approval of the PennEast Pipeline project, which FERC granted just last month (see 
The Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) is actively working on new regulations “regarding storage, recycling, treatment, processing, and disposal of brine and other waste substances.” That is, for wastewater treatment and disposal from the oil and gas industry. It’s taking the ODNR a while to hash out the new regs (they were instructed to do so back in 2014). However, in the meantime, ODNR issues special orders/permits on a case by case basis to allow wastewater treatment and disposal facilities to start up and operate. Hoping to shut down all drilling (in Ohio and other states that send wastewater to Ohio), the odious Food and Water Watch and misnamed FreshWater Accountability Project sued in the Tenth District Court of Appeals, arguing that because ODNR hasn’t released the new regs, they shouldn’t be allowed to keep issuing temporary/special permits. The Tenth District said the radical enviro groups didn’t have standing to file the case and dismissed it. On appeal to the State Supreme Court, the Supremes said the same thing. Therefore, ODNR’s authority to continue granting temporary/special permits for wastewater treatment remains in effect. Another huge loss for Food and Water Watch…
This simply must stop. We MUST begin to countersue (monthly/weekly/daily if necessary) the Big Green radical groups that continue to bring a flood of lawsuits against legally permitted pipeline projects. We must! It is the only way to even the playing field. Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP)–a $3.5 billion, 301-mile pipeline that will run from Wetzel County, WV to the Transco Pipeline in Pittsylvania County, VA–is one of the targets of Big Green. MVP has had so many lawsuits filed against it, we can’t keep track of them all. Two recent examples. (1) Five radical green groups, including the Sierra Club, Appalachian Voices, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, West Virginia Rivers Coalition, and Wild Virginia, sued the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in federal court in early January over FERC’s approval of the project (see 
Something momentous has just happened. The loons at the Sierra Club, who once loved natural gas until they began irrationally hating it, have just admitted to the world that burning natural gas to produce electricity is A.O.K. with them. Brunner Island Power Plant is located in York County, PA, straddling Lancaster County. It is a huge, 1,490 megawatt coal-fired electric generating plant, and has been the target of environmentalists for years. In February 2017, MDN told you that the new owner of the plant is investing $100 million to retrofit the plant so it can, at least part of the time, burn Marcellus Shale gas (see 
MDN told you last week that anti officials who lead the City of Green, OH (Summit County), had finally faced the reality that NEXUS Pipeline–a $2 billion, 255-mile interstate pipeline that will run from Ohio through Michigan and eventually to the Dawn Hub in Ontario, Canada–will come through their vicinity (see 
Kentucky antis have gone to court to try and block a plan by Kinder Morgan to convert a portion of the Tennessee Gas Pipeline that flows natural gas from the Gulf Coast to the northeast, to reverse the pipeline and flow natural gas liquids from the Marcellus/Utica region to the Gulf. Part of the 964-mile project runs through Kentucky (see 
The efforts by radical environmental groups like THE Delaware Riverkeeper and PennFuture to try and shut down the Marcellus industry in Pennsylvania never stop. Like ocean waves that continue to crash into the shoreline, Riverkeeper and PennFuture constantly, regularly, launch new initiatives aimed at hassling, slowing, stopping and reversing the Marcellus industry. Sometimes (often) their efforts are focused on filing frivolous lawsuits. Sometimes it’s a publicity stunt/protest. And sometimes they take aim at regulatory bodies, like the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP). It is that last one that is the focus of a new campaign to stifle the Marcellus industry. Every three years the DEP conducts a review of water quality standards. Riverkeeper and PennFuture have put the call out to their radical faithful to inundate the DEP with public comments (due by Feb. 16) to create new regulations that will “protect” PA streams “from impacts like brine gas drilling wastewater” and “road salt applications in the winter”–perfectly safe salt that comes from processed wastewater. In other words, this is yet another attempt to shut down the drilling industry by neutering its ability to properly dispose of brine wastewater…
It’s fun to watch the left eat its own. That’s exactly what’s happening in Boston. We’ve provided a fair bit of coverage on the issue of lack of pipelines in New England and the fallout from it. Because of lack of natural gas pipelines, both natural gas AND electricity prices in New England are sky high. Natgas is used to generate most of New England’s electricity. When it gets cold out, residents and businesses use more natgas for heat, causing a shortage of natgas, further causing insane price hikes. At some point, there just won’t be any more gas at any price–and that’s when rolling blackouts begin. It will happen sooner than you think. Important politicians in New England, like U.S. Senator Elizabeth “Pocahontas” Warren and Attorney General Maura Healey (both from Massachusetts) have actively worked to block new natgas pipelines. The result? LNG tankers with illegal Russian gas are supplying a good share of the region’s natgas supplies during cold snaps. It’s disgusting. It’s so disgusting, even the far-left libs who write and edit the Boston Globe can’t stand it anymore. The Globe published an editorial yesterday titled “Our Russian ‘pipeline,’ and its ugly toll,” taking Healey and the enviro left to task. Yeah, it’s fun to watch the left eat its own!…
It’s about time! The gloves need to come off and our side (pro-fossil fuel) needs to aggressively launch lawsuits against the lawyers and groups who continue to launch a barrage of frivolous lawsuits against us, trying to shut down all fossil fuel companies (but not before they empty fossil fuel company coffers). Exxon is fighting back. The gloves are off. It’s time to talk about Fight Club–out in the open. We have, from time to time, chronicled the lawsuits launched by New York State’s out-of-control Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman. Schneiderman, Massachusetts AG Maura Healey and other lefty Dems formed an unethical secrecy pact in their campaign to shake down Exxon Mobil by claiming the company “knew” man-made global warming exists and that burning the nasty fossil fuels the company produces contributes to it (see 
A far-left group of radicals calling themselves Ending Dirty Gas Exploitation Philadelphia (EDGE Philly) is borrowing a tactic first pioneered by THE Delaware Riverkeeper, to oppose a short pipeline project near Philadelphia. In November, MDN shared the exciting news that an old oil pipeline stretching from Northampton County, PA through Bucks, Montgomery, and Chester counties, terminating in Delaware County at Marcus Hook, had been purchased by a subsidiary of New Jersey Resources and will get converted to flow Marcellus natural gas to the greater Philadelphia region (see 
“Keep It In the Ground” (KIITG) activists have launched a new, deceptive campaign in their holy mission to end the use of fossil fuels. The same people behind Food & Water Watch, Food and Water Action, the Sierra Club and other Big Green groups have/are launching fake landowner coalitions in Ohio. These fake coalitions (one of them being the Tri-County Landowners Coalition) have one aim and one aim only–to convince unsuspecting landowners to hate fossil fuels and anything (i.e. drilling, pipelines) to do with fossil fuels. It is a sleazy and disgusting tactic by the ultra-left, preying on honest, hardworking folks who join coalitions hoping to receive guidance on the best way to protect their land while at the same time profiting from it. Don’t fall for these fake coalitions! Our friends at Energy in Depth are sounding the alarm on this latest move by anti-fossil fuel radicals…