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Leftwing Radicals Ask PA Gov. Shapiro to Veto Carbon Capture Bill

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. That appears to be the philosophy of a group of radicalized “environmental” groups attempting to pressure Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to veto a new bill sitting on his desk, Senate Bill (SB) 831, the Carbon Capture & Sequestration (CCS) Act. Last week, a strong bipartisan majority in the PA legislature ignored the same group that had asked Democrat legislators to block the bill (see PA Legislature Rejects Radical Antis, Passes CCS Bill, Sends to Gov). Having failed with Democrat legislators, the colluding group is now hanging its hopes on convincing Shapiro to veto the bill.
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PA House RINO in Fayette Co. Continues NIMBYism re Carbon Capture

Last fall, MDN shared the sad news that Pennsylvania State Rep. Charity Grimm Krupa (Republican In Name Only from Fayette County) had turned against the Marcellus industry (see Anti-Marcellus RINO Intros Bill to Block All PA Injection Wells). Krupa introduced legislation that would ban the drilling of new wastewater injection wells in the state, making it much harder to drill new shale wells. Companies end up drilling fewer wells without a place to dispose of the naturally occurring water that comes from shale (and conventional) wells for years after an oil or gas well comes online. RINO Krupa, who increasingly sounds like a NIMBY (“not in my back yard”), has now set her sights on blocking carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects in the state, which blocks new hydrogen projects that would use huge quantities of Marcellus gas.
Read More “PA House RINO in Fayette Co. Continues NIMBYism re Carbon Capture”

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PA Legislature Rejects Radical Antis, Passes CCS Bill, Sends to Gov

A civil war in the Pennsylvania environmental movement is not getting any attention from mainstream media. Why are we not surprised? We told you about the civil war earlier this week (see PA Antis Split Over Issue of Carbon Capture & Sequestration). One set of environmentalist wacko groups, including the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Environmental Defense Fund, Nature Conservancy, and Clean Air Task Force, support PA Senate Bill (SB) 831, the Carbon Capture & Sequestration (CCS) Act. The second group, including Better Path Coalition, 350 Pittsburgh, 412 Justice, the Center for Coalfield Justice, and the Clean Air Council, are opposed. We asked the question: Which group of wackos will the liberal Democrats of the PA legislature listen to? We now have an answer.
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Occidental Fleeces Microsoft into Buying Carbon Indulgences

Maybe the oil and gas industry will get the last laugh after all. We’ve written many posts comparing carbon offsets/credits to the practice of the Catholic Church selling indulgences in the Middle Ages to absolve you of your sins (see our stories here). But that doesn’t really work. Your sins don’t magically go away if you pay money. It’s the same with carbon offsets or carbon credits. Companies that buy an offset can keep right on “polluting” or emitting CO2. The overall level of CO2 “pollution” doesn’t change. Typically, oil and gas companies buy such offsets to “prove” they are worthy of continuing to extract oil and gas. This time around, it’s an oil company that’s doing the selling!
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PA Antis Split Over Issue of Carbon Capture & Sequestration

Pennsylvania Democrat leftists face a conundrum. Do they listen to one set of environmentalist wackos, including the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Environmental Defense Fund, Nature Conservancy, and Clean Air Task Force? Or do they listen to a different set (on the same ideological side of the aisle), including Better Path Coalition, 350 Pittsburgh, 412 Justice, the Center for Coalfield Justice, and the Clean Air Council? Two weeks ago, the first set of wackos threw their support behind PA Senate Bill (SB) 831, the Carbon Capture & Sequestration (CCS) Act (see PA House Advances Carbon Capture & Sequestration (CCS) Act). Earlier this week, the latter group of wackos sent lawmakers a letter opposing SB 831. What’s a lib Dem to do?
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PA DEP Issues Permit for LNG Production Plant in Clinton County

Nearly one year ago, in August 2023, MDN brought you an update on the KeyState Natural Gas Synthesis project in Clinton County, PA (see KeyState NatGas/CCUS Project in Clinton, PA Now $2B, Extra 2 Yrs). The project is developing the first carbon capture project in Pennsylvania to produce hydrogen, ammonia, and urea locally. It includes a closed natural gas extraction and manufacturing system that produces zero emissions and emission-reduced products. Frontier Natural Resources, Inc. is a partner in the KeyState project. The PA Environment Digest Blog noticed that the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) has just issued an Air Quality Permit Plan Approval to authorize the construction and operation of the Frontier LNG natural gas production facility at the Winner 4H Shale Gas Well Pad in West Keating Township, Clinton County.
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PA House Advances Carbon Capture & Sequestration (CCS) Act

A key issue has arisen with the rapid increase in carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects around the country, including here in the Marcellus/Utica region. Where does one store (sequester) all that carbon dioxide (CO2)? The answer is underground in a Class VI injection well. Class VI wells are a relatively new classification for injection wells, created by the federal EPA in 2010. In April, the Pennsylvania State Senate took the first step in establishing a framework that allows for the underground storage of CO2 in the Keystone State by passing Senate Bill (SB) 831 (see PA Senate Passes Carbon Capture & Sequestration (CCS) Act). A key committee in the House just voted unanimously (bipartisan!) to approve and move the bill along.
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Carbon Credit Scam with “High-Quality” Label Now on Sale

Last August, MDN told you about a new Cambridge University study published in the journal Science exposing the sale of carbon credits as a scam (see Cambridge Study Finds Carbon Offsets Using Trees is a Scam). After the carbon credit scam was exposed, big companies like Shell, Nestle, and Gucci exited the market — refusing to spend money on pretend solutions to global warming (see With Carbon Credits Scam Exposed, Big Names (Like Shell) Exit Market). How big of a scam is it? Try nearly $1 trillion a year (see Global Carbon Credit Market is $909 Billion Dollar Scam). But you know the left — they don’t give up. The latest tactic is to smear some new lipstick on the carbon credit scam pig by using the “high-integrity” label to make it look pretty.
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PA Senate Passes Carbon Capture & Sequestration (CCS) Act

With the rapid increase in carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects around the country, including right here in the Marcellus/Utica region, a key issue has arisen. Where does one store (sequester) all that carbon dioxide (CO2)? The answer is underground in a Class VI injection well. Class VI wells are a relatively new classification for injection wells, created by the federal EPA in 2010. Earlier this week, the Pennsylvania State Senate took the first step in establishing a framework that allows for the underground storage of CO2 in the Keystone State.
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NY Assembly Passes Bill to Ban Using CO2 to “Frack” Wells

Last month, MDN told you that several New York Democrat legislators introduced a new bill to ban the use of carbon dioxide (CO2) in any process to extract natural gas or oil in the Empire State (see NY Democrats Release Bill to Ban Use of CO2 in Gas Extraction). Following pressure from Big Green groups like Food & Water Watch, the corrupt Democrat legislators in the NY Assembly voted yesterday 97-50 to adopt this illegal bill. Now, it’s on to the Senate, where we’re sure corrupt Senators will pass it, too. Welcome to the People’s Republic of New York.
Read More “NY Assembly Passes Bill to Ban Using CO2 to “Frack” Wells”

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New Resource for WV Landowners on Leasing for Pore Space

In February, MDN brought readers the news that Tenaska, one of the largest privately operated companies in the U.S., is building a carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) hub spanning tens of thousands of acres in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia (see Landmen Knocking Doors in PA, OH, WV to Sign for CCS, Pore Rights). Landmen are “knocking on doors again” in all three states, looking to sign up landowners to store carbon dioxide deep underground. The West Virginia Surface Owners’ Rights Association (WVSORA) has done some research and is offering its advice to landowners about leasing pore space.
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Making the Case for Carbon Capture & Storage in Rural PA Communities

Last week, MDN told you about landmen knocking on doors in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, looking to sign up landowners for a big carbon capture and sequestration project (see Landmen Knocking Doors in PA, OH, WV to Sign for CCS, Pore Rights). Tenaska is looking to sink 20-30 wells across a massive 80,000 acres to create a storage field that can hold upward of 5 million tons of CO2 injected annually for 30 years. But the question is: Is CCS a good thing for landowners and the rural communities where they live? One landowner argues that CCS is a good thing.
Read More “Making the Case for Carbon Capture & Storage in Rural PA Communities”

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NAPE Speakers Say Carbon Capture & Sequestration a Risky Business

Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is coming on strong everywhere, including the Marcellus/Utica. Two days ago, we told you that Tenaska is looking to lease 80,000 acres in the M-U for CCS (see Landmen Knocking Doors in PA, OH, WV to Sign for CCS, Pore Rights). We also told you about a Marcellus driller, BKV, that’s looking to move into CCS in a big way, although mainly along the Gulf Coast (see Bumpy Financial Road for BKV – Company Bets on Carbon Capture). CCS was a big topic at last week’s NAPE Expo in Houston, Texas. A panel of speakers discussing CCS said the space poses risks, but those risks can be mitigated with proper reservoir assessment.
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Landmen Knocking Doors in PA, OH, WV to Sign for CCS, Pore Rights

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has an excellent article reporting on an effort by Tenaska, one of the largest privately operated companies in the U.S., to build a carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) hub spanning tens of thousands of acres in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. Landmen are “knocking on doors again” in all three states, looking to sign up landowners to store carbon dioxide deep underground. We have the details below, including how much money Tenaska is paying as a signing bonus and how much is on offer (per acre) each year.
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Carbon Capture & Storage Coming to Ohio’s Wayne National Forest?

Wayne National Forest

There are federal lands in the Marcellus/Utica. Did you know that? The Wayne National Forest (WNF) is a patchwork of public and private mineral rights that covers over a quarter million acres of Appalachian foothills of southeastern Ohio. For years, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) blocked new permits and drilling in WNF. During the Trump administration, the BLM began to auction off federal leases and permits (see our stories about BLM auction in WNF here). However, a federal judge blocked drilling in WNF in 2021, after Biden had seized control of the White House (see Federal Judge Blocks Permits to Drill in OH’s Wayne Natl Forest). Although drilling in WNF is blocked, the Bidenistas are considering a rule change to allow the drilling of carbon dioxide wells in national parks, including WNF.
Read More “Carbon Capture & Storage Coming to Ohio’s Wayne National Forest?”

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Bumpy Financial Road for BKV – Company Bets on Carbon Capture

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal focuses on BKV Corporation (Banpu Kalnin Ventures), the American arm of Banpu (96% owned by Banpu, Thailand’s largest coal mining company). The article pulls the curtain back and gives us a better view into what happened with the company’s aborted plan to launch an initial public offering in 2023 (see BKV IPO On Hold, M&A Deals Falling Apart Due to Low Gas Prices). The article also reveals that BKV’s strategy is to produce “guilt-free” natural gas by investing in carbon capture.
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