Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel

Anchor Drilling Fluids | Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Jefferson County (OH) | Ohio | Regulation

When the OH “CURE” is Worse than the Disease: Antis Nit Pick
March 27, 2015March 27, 2015

Sometimes the CURE is worse than the disease. Such is the case with the anti-drilling Communities United for Responsible Energy (CURE) in eastern OH. The group agitated and squawked and carried on with such histrionics that they’ve gotten the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) to order an oilfield services company to shut down a satellite location in Jefferson County, OH. The offense? Depends on who you ask. The company, Anchor Drilling Fluids, says it didn’t have a permit to store excess drilling mud–the stuff used by drillers to keep a drill bit cool and lubricated and free of bacteria. The ODNR says Anchor was recycling at that site and lacked a proper waste recycling permit. Question: If you mix drilling mud at a well site but don’t use all of it, and you then truck it back to HQ to store it for a few days or weeks before taking it somewhere else, is that “recycling”? Apparently it is for the ODNR…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues

Bonnie Raitt Gives Them Something to Talk About – Stupidity
March 26, 2015March 26, 2015

Bonnie Raitt has decided she’s going to give them something to talk about–and it’s not love. Raitt is the latest celebrity to mouth lies about fracking. She’s donating a couple of songs to a new album due out in June called “Buy This Fracking Album”–an attempt to fundraise for a losing effort. Raitt, whose musical talents cannot be denied (which makes this story so sad and painful to write), is regurgitating lies she’s been told. Raitt actually said fracking “destroys our water, our communities and our planet.” It’s just a shame that such a talent is so ignorant of the facts. The only way to get the attention of Raitt and the others contributing to the album is to never again buy a ticket to one of her concerts, never spend a penny on another song she sings, and deny her any kind of revenue. Money talks and it’s about the only language people like Raitt listen to, so let’s make sure she gets the message loud and clear…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Regulation | Statewide MD

Maryland’s Democrat House & Senate Pass Anti-Fracking Bills
March 25, 2015March 25, 2015

On his way out the door of the governor’s mansion in Maryland, then-Gov. Martin O’Malley decided to issue new rules to allow fracking (see Maryland Gets Ready to Frack! Gov O’Malley Files New Regulations). Which at the time we thought was really odd. O’Malley is an anti-drilling Democrat who obstructed fracking for the past four years he was in office. Why the change of heart on his way out the door? Now we know. He wants to run for president–and no one can run for president on a platform of stopping shale drilling. No matter what his motivation–what counts is that Maryland is seeing movement toward using the miracle of fracking. Except now both the Maryland House and Senate have just passed anti-fracking bills, one of which would slap a new moratorium on fracking for yet another three years. The good news is that Maryland’s new governor, Republican Larry Hogan, is pro-fracking and sure to veto any such nonsense…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Washington County

Jesse White is Back, Trying to Run as Republican for Judge
March 24, 2015March 24, 2015

This is really rich. Remember Jesse White–a member of the PA House of Representatives (Washington County, PA) who cyber bullied some of his own pro-drilling constituents using fake online IDs? (see How the Mighty Have Fallen: PA Rep White Admits Guilt, Not Sorry) White didn’t, as any normal person would, resign in shame for his disgusting offense. He served the rest of his term and the Democrats in his district were obtuse enough to put him on the ballot again. He lost last November, big time (see End of an Ignominious Era: PA Rep Jesse White Loses). White has now set his sites quite a bit lower–running for PA magisterial district court judge. Around our neck of the woods they call it being a town justice–as low as you can go in the court system (no offense intended to magisterial judges who do an important job!). But get this: White tried to lock up both the Democrat AND Republican lines on the ballot for the upcoming primary in May–by getting 100 or so RINOs to sign his petition for the Republican line on the ballot. Just one problem–not all of the signatures were legit and a judge tossed enough of them that old Jesse can’t run as a Republican. That has him crying the blues yet again…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Transco | Williams

Dela. Riverkeeper Loses Bid to Stop Transco Expansion in PA
March 23, 2015March 23, 2015

Question for THE Delaware Riverkeeper: What address should Williams send you the $1,125,000 bill because you blocked their tree cutting for a FERC-approved pipeline extension in Luzerne County? That’s how much it ended up costing Williams after THE Delaware Riverkeeper found a judge in Washington, DC who stopped Williams from clearing trees along the path of the pipeline expansion starting March 11 (see Dela. Riverkeeper Halts Transco Pipeline Upgrade with Lawsuit). Riverkeeper was hoping they could run the clock out because Williams can’t cut those trees from April through October, just in case an endangered Indiana bat decides to roost in a tree. Riverkeeper knows that and wanted to screw with the tree cutting schedule, hoping to buy an additional seven months to mount more legal challenges. The Riverkeeper legal shenanigan cost Williams real money (see Dela. Riverkeeper Leidy Lawsuit Costing Williams $125K per Day). It ended up being 9 days total, until a judge ruled last Thursday that Williams could resume their tree cutting (as we knew they would). Nine days at $125K per day is $1,125,000. Since Riverkeeper lost their case, we think they should pay the bill…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

Greenpeace Co-Founder Says Mankind Doesn’t Cause Global Warming
March 23, 2015March 23, 2015

This is really big news. It’s really important news. But don’t look for it on ABC/NBC/CBS/MSNBC/CNN/New York Times/Washington Post/Los Angeles Times/Etcetera ad naseum. They won’t run it because of media bias. Dr. Patrick Moore, a Canadian and ecologist, has been a leader in international environmentalism for more than 40 years. He co-founded Greenpeace and currently serves as chairman of Allow Golden Rice. Greenpeace is one of the biggest anti-drilling organizations on the planet (full of wackos). Yet, Dr. Patrick Moore is a climate skeptic. You read that right. Moore does not believe in man-made global warming. In fact, he calls the whole notion of catastrophic global warming from human activity “preposterous.” Below is a portion of a column written by Dr. Moore explaining his sound, scientific reasons for refuting the idiotic notion that mankind is causing the earth to toast…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Regulation

“Green” Dems Introduce ‘Frack Pack’ Bills to Take Over Drilling
March 23, 2015March 23, 2015

Listen to this load of cow manure coming from so-called environmentalists and their willing accomplices in Congress who are willing to spread it around the Capitol (perhaps hoping to fertilize the spring daffodils). With backing from Big Environment, several members of Congress have introduced a set of bills that mean a federal takeover of all oil and gas drilling in the country. Said Congresspersons are calling the bills the “Frack Pack.” The bills will add another set of teeth to the Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act that will mean the federal government will get to oversee all unconventional oil and gas activity. It’s a lib Dem’s dream come true–except the bills don’t stand a chance. It’s all window dressing–for show and fundraising purposes–to keep the greenies giving their greenbacks to the green whores in Congress…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Regulation

FERC Clears the Room at DC HQ After Riff Raff Start Mouthing Off
March 20, 2015March 20, 2015

As MDN recently reported, anti-fossil fuel protesters have a new target–the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Nutjobs and people without day jobs regularly show up at FERC headquarters to cause trouble. One of them has been banned, permanently (see Anti-Driller Banned from FERC Headquarters for Disruptive Behavior). It got to the point that when FERC held open meetings where the public can attend, they were routinely disrupted by ne’re do wells. So FERC, earlier this month, adopted a new rule used by other federal agencies to deal with people who become lawless at their meetings (see NGI’s Daily Gas Price Index, Protests Reined in By New FERC Rule). Yesterday was the first open meeting at FERC headquarters in Washington, DC since the new rule went into effect and true to form, the hooligans were out in force. So FERC Chairwoman Cheryl LaFleur stopped the meeting and under the new rules cleared the room of the riff raff who were bleating about the Cove Point LNG export facility currently being built in Maryland…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

Federal Court Tosses Out Lawsuit by Dr. in PA Act 13 Law – Again
March 19, 2015March 19, 2015

The end of a loooong chapter in lawsuits over Pennsylvania’s Act 13 drilling law came earlier this week when a federal appeals court ruled that no, Dr. Alfonso Rodriguez, a nephrologist from Dallas in Luzerne County, PA does NOT have “standing” to claim Act 13 applies some sort of medical “gag rule” that doesn’t allow doctors access to information they need to treat their patients. Dr. Rodriguez, along with seven selfish towns, sued to overturn Act 13. The towns didn’t like being told they couldn’t zone drilling out of existence within their borders, and the doctor didn’t like being told he couldn’t blab drillers’ trade secrets all over the place. So it went to PA’s Supreme Court and they ruled in favor of the towns, but sent parts of the lawsuit back to a lower court, including the doctor’s portion (see Act 13 Goes Back to Lower Court, Disturbing Comments from Judge). The case has now been tossed out no less than three times in federal court. Hopefully this third time is the charm…
Read More “Federal Court Tosses Out Lawsuit by Dr. in PA Act 13 Law – Again”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide PA | Transco | Williams

Dela. Riverkeeper Leidy Lawsuit Costing Williams $125K per Day
March 19, 2015March 19, 2015

The clock is ticking. As we told you on Monday, THE Delaware Riverkeeper–Maya van Rossum–is using her bags of money from the William Penn Foundation to try and stop the FERC-approved expansion of the Transco pipeline in northeastern Pennsylvania (see Dela. Riverkeeper Halts Transco Pipeline Upgrade with Lawsuit). The project, known as the Leidy Southeast expansion project, would add new pipeline next to existing pipeline–called looping. Williams (owner of the Transco) can only cut trees down along the path it needs to clear until April 1st. After that, they must wait until Nov. 1st to begin cutting again in order to avoid cutting down trees that may (or may not) become roosting spots for the endangered Indiana bat. van Rossum & company have gotten a sympathetic judge in D.C. to halt the tree cutting while he reviews her latest frivolous lawsuit. She’s trying to run the clock down. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals was supposed to rule earlier this week. They didn’t. Every day they delay is costing Williams $125,000. We sincerely hope Williams sends that bill to van Rossum once the tree cutting begins again…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Regulation | Statewide PA

Chutzpah: Dela. Riverkeeper Takes Credit for Pushing DRBC Around
March 19, 2015March 19, 2015

As part of a story about THE Delaware Riverkeeper’s frivolous lawsuits to stop both the Leidy Southeast pipeline project and the PennEast pipeline project, an article quotes Maya van Rossum, head of Delaware Riverkeeper, claiming that SHE is the reason the Delaware River Basin Commission now puts all pipeline projects under a microscope. That’s real chutzpah. The DRBC quickly denounced van Rossum’s bunkum and said their standards for evaluating pipeline projects haven’t changed…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Randolph County | Statewide WV | West Virginia

The Incoherence of WV’s Anti-Pipeline “Movement”
March 19, 2015March 19, 2015

There are perhaps a dozen or less people in West Virginia who show up at meetings to protest against several much-needed pipeline projects in the state. One of them, Lauren Ragland, is a little known protester who started a group called West Virginia Wilderness Lovers, which seems to have changed names recently to WV MATTERS. Ragland sometimes appears at meetings toting around a hula hoop (see Hula Hoops & Tall Tales from WV Anti-Drillers Opposed to Pipeline). The membership of her group has magically grown to “95,000 members” according to the latest communication. Yeah, right. Anywho, Lauren, for whatever reason, includes MDN on her press release distribution list. The latest release is included below with no changes. If someone can please tell us what it’s about, we’d appreciate a heads up. From what we can tell, it’s absolutely incoherent, as is much of the anti-drilling movement…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Investigation: Delaware Riverkeeper Violates Non-Profit Charter
March 18, 2015March 18, 2015

Two days ago MDN brought you the story that two Philadelphia-area so-called non-profit organizations–THE Delaware Riverkeeper and the Clean Air Council–are not only interfering in a town on the opposite side of the state, they’ve caused the residents of that town to pay (so far) over $35,000 in legal fees (see Dela. RiverKeeper, Clean Air Council Cost Middlesex Residents $35K+). Our good friend Tom Shepstone from the always-excellent Natural Gas Now website did some digging and has found Delaware Riverkeeper is violating the terms of their non-profit charter by doing what they’re doing in Middlesex–something the IRS should investigate post haste…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Cuyahoga County | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Ohio | Regulation | Statewide OH

OH Antis Handed Crushing Defeat in Broadview Hghts Home Rule Case
March 18, 2015March 18, 2015

We’ve commented before on the lawless tendencies of anti-drillers, particularly in Ohio where, when they lose a court case, they declare the government is illegitimate (see OH Anti-Drillers on Rampage after Supreme Court Home Rule Decision). It hasn’t been a full month since the Ohio Supreme Court ruling and now a second, crushing defeat for anti-fossil fuelers. Last week a Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court judge struck down the Cleveland suburb of Broadview Heights’ so-called community bill of rights that bans all, including shale drilling. Once again, as with the Supreme Court “Munroe Falls” case, we see what sore losers anti-drillers are. If a court case like Broadview Heights doesn’t go their way, they immediately start talking about anarchy–that the government has “ceased to be legitimate.” These are not only stupid people, they’re dangerous too…
Read More “OH Antis Handed Crushing Defeat in Broadview Hghts Home Rule Case”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Regulation

Marcellus Pipeline Likely Coming to S Jersey, Confirmation Vote
March 18, 2015March 18, 2015

Since early 2014, MDN has chronicled the almost impossible task that utility company South Jersey Gas set before themselves–running a very short 22 miles of pipeline to an electric generating plant that has been ordered to switch from burning dirty coal to burning clean Marcellus Shale gas (see Sierra Club, LWV Chooses Coal over NatGas in South Jersey). It’s an almost impossible task because the pipeline would need to run through 10 miles of scrub pine trees that some in the region believe are sacred. In particular, the NJ Sierra Club and the League of [Liberal Democrat] Women Voters are opposed to the plan and pressured the Pinelands Commission, the state regulatory body that oversees the area, to not approve the plan. NJ Gov. Christie then booted two of the members of the Pinelands Commission last May and nominated two new members, bringing us a step closer to achieving the impossible (see Marcellus Pipeline May Come to South Jersey After All). It’s taken almost a year, but the NJ Senate has just confirmed the second of those two new members, which most people read to mean that the Pinelands Commission will now vote to approve the South Jersey Gas pipeline…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Commodity Price | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

OPEC Says American Shale Boom Over by End of 2015
March 18, 2015March 18, 2015

It seems that our enemies–countries that belong to OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) are gloating they believe their strategy of allowing the price of oil to collapse is “working” and that they are driving shale drillers in the U.S. out of business. OPEC is predicting the shale boom will be “over by the end of 2015,” after previously predicting the same thing by the end of 2018. Excuse us while we pick ourselves up off the floor after laughing so hard! Will these people never stop underestimating American ingenuity and resilience? Will they always misunderstand and pooh-pooh American exceptionalism–that we are the exception to the rule, virtually the only country in history where liberty and acknowledgment of God-given rights for individuals allows those individuals freedom to pursue their dreams, creating a country free of government tyranny and unleashing creativity and passion so intense it results in achievements in this country that surpass those of all other countries combined? Fortunately for us, it seems the members of OPEC are obtuse and fail to grasp the true nature of the shale boom–how it got started, and why it will continue long after we’re all dead and gone…
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