Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel

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    Antis Take Over Westmoreland County, VA, Aim to Ban Fracking

    Invasion of the body snatchers has become reality in Westmoreland County, Virginia. The Westmoreland Board of Supervisors passed amendments Monday night “to strictly limit gas and oil drilling.” However, that’s just a stopgap measure. The real aim is a full-out, flat-out ban on any kind of oil and gas drilling. Right after taking the vote, the illustrious body-snatched supervisors asked the county attorney to begin researching a moratorium they can enact without landing them in jail. Good luck with that. Virginia doesn’t have the Marcellus/Utica under it–at least not very much. But Virginia does have another shale layer–the Taylorsville. We commented back in 2014 that the state is inching closer to allowing fracking in the Taylorsville and other potential basins (see Virginia Inches Closer to Shale Drilling in Taylorsville Basin). They’re still inching–and it’s not going very fast. Anti-drilling radicals have risen up to oppose anything to do with shale in the state. Westmoreland isn’t the first location to be snatched. The first county in Virginia to become lawless in this regard was King George County, last summer (see King George County, VA Commits Fracking Suicide with Vote to Ban). In the spring, Augusta County followed suit (see Augusta County, VA Votes to Illegally Ban Fracking). And now the body snatchers are invading Westmoreland County. It’s always breathtaking, and disturbing, when a small group of individuals decide to take away the Constitutional property rights of their fellow citizens…
    Read More “Antis Take Over Westmoreland County, VA, Aim to Ban Fracking”

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    Atlantic Coast Pipeline Delayed in Virginia by Water Board Vote

    Last week Virginia’s Water Control Board issued a water permit/certification for the Mountain Valley Pipeline project–a $3.5 billion, 301-mile pipeline that will run from Wetzel County, WV to the Transco Pipeline in Pittsylvania County, VA (see Virginia Water Board Approves Mountain Valley Pipe – Antis Erupt). Antis erupted with threats and bullying following that decision. Perhaps that was on the minds of Board members when they voted yesterday to “approve” Dominion’s $5 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) project–a $5 billion project from West Virginia through Virginia and into North Carolina. Water Control Board members voted 4-3 to approve issuing the same water permit/certification for the project, except there are very long strings attached. The Water Board’s approval is conditional, the condition being approval “is dependent on a final review of several environmental studies.” Those studies won’t be done until March or April of next year. ACP planned to begin construction, now, this year. So the Water Board wimped out–caved to pressure from bullying extremists (people who behaved like bullies at the hearing). The Board appeared to approve the project without actually approving it–have your cake and eat it too. There’s no way to sugarcoat that the Board’s non-approval approval yesterday is a (temporary) setback for ACP–and a (temporary) win for enviro Nazis…
    Read More “Atlantic Coast Pipeline Delayed in Virginia by Water Board Vote”

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    Eversource Threatens Enviro Defense Fund w/Lawsuit re False Report

    In October the radical group Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) published a “report” that makes the preposterous claim that New England customers have overpaid utility bills by $3.6 billion due to collusion between the natural gas and electricity industries (see EDF Accuses New England Gas Utilities of $3.6B Market Manipulation). The report says New England utility companies Eversource and Avangrid intentionally manipulated the flow of gas along the Algonquin natural gas pipeline by placing and later withdrawing orders, in order to spike the cost of gas which then spiked the cost of electricity generated by the resulting higher cost of gas. It is a totally made-up, false report. But in today’s world that doesn’t matter. A group of ambulance-chasing lawyers found enough people to sign on to launch a class action lawsuit against the companies for market manipulation (see New England Lawsuit Claims Utilities “Constrained” NatGas Pipeline). If you allow a lie to linger long enough, it becomes “truth” for the general population. So Eversource is fighting back–telling EDF to remove their false report from the internet and to stop with the false smears–or else. Or else what? Or else Eversource will sue EDF into oblivion. In a “cease and desist” letter sent to EDF, Eversource said this: “Your false and misleading statements are immediately actionable and expose you and those acting in concert with you to liability for substantial damages.” The letter also warns EDF staffers to not destroy emails and other communications. The implication is that warrants may be issued, looking to see who the EDF is colluding with to try and destroy honest companies like Eversource. It’s about time someone gave Big Green groups like EDF a little bit of their own medicine…
    Read More “Eversource Threatens Enviro Defense Fund w/Lawsuit re False Report”

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    Cabot O&G Asks Judge to Make Dimock Anti Pay for Extortion, Slander

    Cabot Oil & Gas is tired of being sued, and slandered, by people like Dimock resident Ray Kemble and his ambulance-chasing lawyers. So in August Cabot sued back–for $5 million (see Cabot O&G Countersues Dimock Anti, Lawyers). Kemble lives in Dimock Township, in Susquehanna County, PA. Kemble and other families claimed Cabot’s drilling in the area (10 years ago) caused problems with their water wells–a claim strongly refuted by Cabot.
    Read More “Cabot O&G Asks Judge to Make Dimock Anti Pay for Extortion, Slander”

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    Crazy Judges Threaten Fossil Fuel Use in Case by Radicalized Kids

    Yesterday the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in California (sometimes referred to as the Ninth Circus) heard arguments from the Trump Administration, representing the federal government, and from lawyers representing children they are mentally abusing and who have filed a lawsuit that aims to force the end of the use of all fossil fuels in the United States–in the name of so-called man-made global warming (see yesterday’s post for background: Climate Case by Brainwashed Kids Argued in Federal Court Today). The case began several years ago when Lord Obama reigned supreme–so this isn’t just another anti-Trump thing. The wacky Cali judges hearing the case yesterday should have stopped this insanity now, before it goes to trial, scheduled for February. But the three judges didn’t stop it, and from the tone of their questions and comments, it appears they want this one go to trial…
    Read More “Crazy Judges Threaten Fossil Fuel Use in Case by Radicalized Kids”

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    Climate Case by Brainwashed Kids Argued in Federal Court Today

    This is sick. Grab your barf bag before you read it. A group of radical adults have brainwashed (we’d call it mentally abused) a group of children to the point the children are allowing their abusers to use them in a lawsuit against the United States government–to force the government to turn over its sovereignty to other nations in the name of man-made global warming. In August 2015, MDN told you about a lawsuit brought by a group of left coast radicalized children who want to force the federal government to become communist and “force action” on mythical climate change (see Group of Kids Sues U.S. Govt to Force Action on “Climate Change”). In January 2016 we brought you an update, telling you that radicalized, fringe Catholic groups had joined the cause with the ignorant children (see Climate Change Lawsuit by Radicalized Children Gets Interesting). In November 2016, a lefty judge cleared the lawsuit to move to trial. And in January 2017, the radicalized kiddies (actually, the laywers abusing them) got to depose the incoming Secretary of State and former ExxonMobil CEO, Rex Tillerson (see Radicalized Kids Suing Over Global Warming to Depose Tillerson). The Trump administration is not amused by the antics of these children and the adults manipulating them. In March, the Trump Administration filed a motion to overturn the November ruling that allows the lawsuit to go to trial (see Trump Spanks Radicalized Kids re “Climate Change” Lawsuit). However, the lefty/liberal judge didn’t back down. In July, U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Coffin ordered that the trial begin Feb. 5, 2018 (see Climate Lawsuit by Brainwashed Children Gets Court Date – Feb 2018). Today, Dec. 11, both sides will be in court. The Trump Administration will argue the lawsuit, scheduled for February, should be thrown out. The brainwashed kids and their abusing lawyers will argue it should continue…
    Read More “Climate Case by Brainwashed Kids Argued in Federal Court Today”

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    Virginia Water Board Approves Mountain Valley Pipe – Antis Erupt

    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–scored an important approval yesterday. Virginia’s Water Control Board issued a water permit/certification for the project. MVP, when built, will run through six Virginia counties. Prior to voting to approve the permit yesterday, the Water Control Board held a public hearing on Wednesday, largely so antis could spout off and feel better about themselves. Following yesterday’s vote, antis did what they always do–behaved like petulant, spoiled rotten children. At least one anti “screamed profanities at the board members and vowed to visit them where they live.” Yeah, bullying. Threats of violence. That’s the anti crowd for you. In early November the West Virginia Dept. of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) waived their right to issue a permit for MVP, instead deferring to the just-as-strict version of the permit issued by the US Army Corps of Engineers (see WVDEP Reverses, Waives Water Permit for Mountain Valley Pipeline). Here’s what happened yesterday in nutty Virginia…
    Read More “Virginia Water Board Approves Mountain Valley Pipe – Antis Erupt”

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    Antis Target PA Gov Wolf Aide as Payback, Husband Works for EQT

    We find this particularly loathsome. A Big Green supporter and far-left radical environmentalist who lives in Chester County, PA, Caroline Hughes, has filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission against PA Gov. Tom Wolf’s deputy chief of staff, Yesenia Bane. The complaint is a ginned up allegation that Bane “was regularly involved in meetings and travel related to her husband’s natural gas industry clients.” The so-called evidence comes from a copy of Bane’s travel schedule in 2016. She attended various shale meetings and conferences, on behalf of Gov. Wolf, and because she did so, Ms. Hughes would like to see Ms. Bane lose her job. Nice people those antis. Hughes makes the baseless charge that because Bane attended meetings where Bane’s husband, first a lobbyist for the shale industry and now an employee of EQT, had clients, her mere presence at such meetings constitutes a “conflict of interest.” Why? Because Bane’s presence somehow “benefits” her husband and his business. There’s no allegation of back room dealings or financial benefit from those meetings. No. Just a wild accusation, targeting someone because her husband has the gall to work for the shale industry. But that’s not all. Ms. Bane had the gall to remove a anti-pipeline radical from the Wolf Pipeline Task Force back in 2015. That little episode is mentioned in the same Big Green story as the charge that Bane had a conflict of interest. In other words, the conflict of interest charge is a ruse. This is payback for Bane’s action in removing the anti from the Task Force…
    Read More “Antis Target PA Gov Wolf Aide as Payback, Husband Works for EQT”

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    FERC’s Chatterjee to Actor James Cromwell: ‘Come at me bro!’

    We continue to be really impressed with the current Acting Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Neil Chatterjee, and his willingness to take the fight right back to radical antis. Chatterjee is not unlike President Trump, who appointed him to the post. Frankly, it’s a surprise for us, since Chatterjee has worked for years for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (a swamp dweller). We figured Chatterjee was a swamp dweller too–but perhaps we misjudged him. Chatterjee recently turned up the heat with Facebook posts aimed at nutty Hollywood actor James Cromwell (he of Babe and Star Trek: First Contact fame). Cromwell recently attended a FERC meeting chaired by Chaterjee and proceed to make a king-sized @$$ of himself in the meeting room, requiring security to escort him from the room (see Old Hippie/Actor James Cromwell “Escorted Out” of FERC Meeting). Chatterjee fired off some choice words at Cromwell, including a comment that invites Cromwell to “Come at me bro!” What’s obvious when you read Chatterjee’s comments is that it’s done in a lighthearted way–not mean or nasty. He’s tweaking Cromwell and other antis, using humor to do it. And they are a humorless bunch. Chatterjee’s lighthearted humor in tweaking Cromwell went right over the heads of mainstream media and the inside-the-Beltway swamp dwellers, who are all aghast, criticizing Chatterjee as not acting like a regulator should act. We wish more government officials acted like Chatterjee–and Trump…
    Read More “FERC’s Chatterjee to Actor James Cromwell: ‘Come at me bro!’”

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    Frenemies: Millennium & NY DEC Fight Riverkeeper on Pipeline Upgrade

    THE Delaware Riverkeeper herself is back with more of her overlord’s money to file yet another frivolous lawsuit against a pipeline project in New York State. In August 2016, Millennium filed an application for what it calls its Eastern System Upgrade (see Millennium Pipe Asks FERC to Approve Eastern System Upgrade in NY). The ESU would add 7.8 miles of extra looped pipeline in Orange County, upgrade a compressor station in Delaware County, build a new compressor in Sullivan County and make some minor tweaks to metering stations in Rockland County. DON’T confuse this with another story appearing today on MDN–Millennium building a NEW 7.8 mile pipeline to a power plant in Orange County. That’s a completely separate/different project from this one. Although the NY Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) refused to grant a water crossing permit for the 7.8 mile pipeline to connect a power plant, in September the DEC granted the same type of permit for the 7.8 mile looping project, the ESU (see NY DEC Grants Permit for Millennium Pipe Eastern System Upgrade). Here’s the new news: Last week the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) granted a final OK for the ESU. The even newer new news: Immediately following FERC’s approval, THE Delaware Riverkeeper filed a request for rehearing with FERC and at the same time filed a lawsuit against the DEC’s September water permit approval for the ESU project. Which puts Millennium and the DEC on the same team opposing Riverkeeper. In one case (the power plant pipeline project) Millennium and the DEC are bitter enemies, suing and countersuing. In this case, they’re frenemies–forced to work together to oppose the nutjobs from Riverkeeper…
    Read More “Frenemies: Millennium & NY DEC Fight Riverkeeper on Pipeline Upgrade”

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    PA Radicals Sue to Stop $1.1B in DCNR Funding from Gas Leases

    In June, radical anti-drillers from the Pennsylvania Environmental Defense Foundation won a case at the PA Supreme Court by the skin of their teeth (PA Supreme Court Hands Antis Partial Victory re State Land Drilling). The case dealt with the narrow issue of how PA can spend revenue raised by leasing and allowing drilling for oil and gas under state-owned land. A divided court ruled that money from royalties must be used only for Big Green causes, and cannot be used even to fund operations at the Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). The decision was based, in part, on PA’s so-called Environmental Rights Amendment, “guaranteeing” the “right” to “clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment”–without defining how those “rights” are to be administered. The radical lawyer who won the case then attempted to use that narrow decision–in a case about funding the DCNR–to make the preposterous claim that PA’s state budget, as drafted, is “unconstitutional” (see Lawyer Says PA Budget Unconstitutional Based on Enviro Rights Law). The same radicals are back making the same wild claims–putting $1.1 billion in DCNR funding at risk…
    Read More “PA Radicals Sue to Stop $1.1B in DCNR Funding from Gas Leases”

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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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    FERC Frustrates Kentucky Radicals Seeking to Stop TGP Pipe Reversal

    What’s in the water in Kentucky? Seems to be a state full of anti-drilling, anti-pipeline nutters. Kentucky has been responsible for killing at least one pipeline, the Bluegrass Pipeline that would have flowed Marcellus/Utica NGLs (natural gas liquids) all the way to the Gulf Coast (see Bluegrass Pipeline Aborted Before It was Born – RIP). That project would have involved laying 200 miles of new pipeline through Kentucky, and wealthy horse farms would have none of it. Kinder Morgan is making a run at a similar project–but this time the pipeline is already in the ground. Kinder Morgan, as we previously reported, is working on a project to convert 964 miles of the Tennessee Gas Pipeline, part of which runs through Kentucky (KM Plans to Convert Tennessee Gas Pipeline to Flow M-U NGLs South). Kinder wants to reverse the flow of TGP, which currently sends natural gas from the Gulf Coast to the northeast, turning it around and sending natural gas liquids from the Marcellus/Utica to the Gulf Coast. The first step in the process was recently approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (see FERC Advances Plan to Reverse Part of TGP to Haul M-U NGLs to Gulf). Antis in Kentucky have their bluegrass knickers in a twist over FERC’s action. They’ve filed a request for “rehearing” of FERC’s decision, which is the first step in a process that will end up in court. First the aggrieved party must request a rehearing. If FERC denies the request, the antis (using Big Green money) then file a lawsuit in federal Appeals Court to try and stop FERC from continuing to approve the project. Normally FERC has 30 days to decide on a rehearing, however, they have a little tactic they call a “tolling order” which allows them to extend the amount of time to make a rehearing decision–indefinitely. FERC has pulled out the tolling order card and played it with the TGP project–and that has the Kentucky nutters fuming…
    Read More “FERC Frustrates Kentucky Radicals Seeking to Stop TGP Pipe Reversal”

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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…
    Read More “Lancaster Farmland Trust Settles Lawsuit Against Atlantic Sunrise”

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    Antis “Shocked” Philly Approved Marcellus Power Plant for SEPTA

    A few weeks ago a group of environmental Nazis pledged to “swarm” and shut down a SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) meeting where a vote would be taken to build a Marcellus gas-powered electric plant that would provide electricity to SEPTA’s northern Regional Rail lines–a win/win for all Pennsylvanians (see Antis Plan to Shut Down Philly Transit Meeting re NatGas Powergen). The reason the enviro bullies wanted to shut down the meeting was to stop the vote because the clean-burning plant being proposed would burn a “fossil fuel.” When they weren’t looking, Philadelphia Air Management Services (AMS) went ahead and issued the permit that allows SEPTA to move forward with the proposed natgas power plant, which will get built in a place called Nicetown. Nice. The AMS vote “came as a surprise” to the antis. It was their “last hope” to stop the plant. So what happens now? Big Green group Clean Water Action says they will litigate, attempting to use a strategy that has worked lately–invoking the Pennsylvania Environmental Rights Amendment…
    Read More “Antis “Shocked” Philly Approved Marcellus Power Plant for SEPTA”

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    Philly Dems Claim Shale Industry “Pollution” Targets Blacks

    This is truly outrageous and disgusting. We feel filthy just having to read and report on this news–filthy because of the outright falsehood of the preposterous allegation. Did you know that pollution can now target people based on their race? That’s what the idiotic State Rep. Donna Bullock (Democrat from Philadelphia), along with the radical Moms Clean Air Force and Defend Our Future groups said at a presser yesterday. They claim that “toxins from the oil and gas industry disproportionately impact African-American families throughout Pennsylvania.” They cite a faux report from the National Association for the Advancement of [Liberal] Colored People (NAACP) that claims “African-Americans are exposed to 38 percent more polluted air than their white counterparts” because of the oil and gas industry. Utter rubbish. “Hey, I’m a pollution molecule floating around and if I see a black person, I’ll just zoom right into that person’s nostrils–but I’ll leave the white folk alone.” You see how absurd this is? The NAACP claims more black people live near oil and gas operations than white people–although they offer no data to back up the claim. And because they live closer, that means they’re “polluted” more than others. Again, rubbish. When will someone stand up to such insane claims and demand these people resign and slink away in shame?…
    Read More “Philly Dems Claim Shale Industry “Pollution” Targets Blacks”