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Philly City Council Continues to Diddle Around on PGW Sale

The (lazy) Philadelphia City Council went on summer recess before doing the city’s business of evaluating the $1.86 billion deal to sell the city-owned Philadelphia Gas Works to UIL Holdings Corporation, a Connecticut-based investor-owned gas and electric utility (see Phila. Gas Works Deal in Jeopardy Due to Vacationing City Council). They’re excuse for heading to the Jersey shore before doing their jobs? They need more “studies”. Their lackadaisical handling of the deal means UIL could, as of yesterday, walked away from the deal. Fortunately for Philadelphians, UIL has decided to stick around–for now…
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24 Anti-Drilling Protesters Arrested by Homeland Security in DC

MDN reported yesterday on the massive flop of a protest in Washington, DC against the Cove Point, Maryland LNG export facility (see Anti-Cove Point LNG Protest in DC Flops Bigtime). The so-called protest literally got no coverage from the media–except for the terrorist-loving Al Jazeera America network. What to do? Some of the more virulent protesters desperately craved some media attention, so they did what they often do–break the law. More than 30 anti-drilling “protesters” locked arms and blocked the entrance to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission building in downtown DC yesterday. Homeland Security arrested 24 of them…
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Dominion to Begin Cove Point LNG Construction in Next 2 Mos

Despite the best protest efforts by anti-drillers against the Cove Point, Maryland LNG export facility in Washington (see our stories from yesterday and today), Dominion waits for final approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory commission (FERC) to begin construction. Dominion previously got a green light from the Dept. of Energy last September (see Celebrate! Dominion Wins DOE Approval for MD LNG Export Facility). Dominion also got an initial green light from FERC (see FERC Final EIS: Cove Point Won’t Hurt Environment). However, Dominion needs a final approval from FERC before they can begin construction. They expect that approval very soon…
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Anti-Cove Point LNG Protest in DC Flops Bigtime

Well that certainly went bust. Last week MDN told you that anti-drillers would protest yesterday (Sunday) on the Mall in Washington, DC against the already approved Cove Point, MD LNG export facility (see Anti-Drilling Rally Against Cove Point LNG Plant in DC on Sunday). We found one blog site that covered the rally. The only “news” site we could find that ran a story was the terrorist-loving Al Jazeera America (formerly Al Gore’s network). Why no coverage? Because a max of maybe 200 people even bothered to show up. In the same philosophical vein of “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” We ask: “If a protest rally is held in Washington and no reporters show up, did it really happen?”…
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Anti-Drilling Rally Against Cove Point LNG Plant in DC on Sunday

Come one, call all, to the greatest anti-drilling show on earth! We’re referring to an anti-drilling rally planned on Sunday, July 13 in Washington, DC. The rally is to oppose the planned LNG export facility in Cove Point, Maryland. Even though it’s already been approved by the Dept. of Energy, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and even by the State of Maryland. Hey, it’s summertime and the antis have an itch to rally and they intend to scratch that itch this weekend…
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Range Announces Multiple Agreements to Sell Natgas & Ethane

A big, important announcement from Range Resources yesterday to go along with the big, important news that ETP will build a new Marcellus/Utica pipeline (see today’s lead story). Range confirmed ETP’s announcement yesterday that they (Range) will be a customer for the new Rover Pipeline that crosses Ohio and will eventually connect to Canada. In fact, Range says they are the “foundation” shipper on that new pipeline, which is due to be in service October 2017. Range will ship 400,000 million Btus (or 388 million cubic feet) per day on the Rover Pipeline–for 20 years. In addition, Range also announced agreements to sell their Marcellus gas for export via the Cheniere LNG export facility in Sabine Pass and via a second unnamed LNG facility. And the really big news (for MDN)–Range has signed up to become the second source of ethane for the Odebrecht WV cracker plant. They also plan to sell ethane to the Sasol cracker plant planned in Lake Charles, LA…
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Good News: Maryland Approves Dominion Cove Point LNG Plant

First the Dept. of Energy approved it (see Celebrate! Dominion Wins DOE Approval for MD LNG Export Facility), then the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (see FERC Final EIS: Cove Point Won’t Hurt Environment), and now, the Maryland Public Service Commission has approved Dominion’s plan to build a ~$3.5 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plant in Cove Point, MD. Specifically, the PSC issued a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) last Friday. The certificate is needed to allow Dominion to install two 65-megawatt steam turbine generators that produce electricity. The waste heat from two combustion turbines, which are used to drive compressors to produce LNG, will be recycled to produce steam to drive the steam turbines. The PSC’s action is yet another important milestone/hurdle passed by Dominion on their inevitable way to building and operating the plant…
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Watch Who’s For & Against Change in DOE’s LNG Approval Process

Last week MDN told you about the Dept. of Energy announcement that they’re changing the way they approve potential LNG (liquefied natural gas) export projects to non-free trade countries (see DOE Changes Way They Evaluate/Approve LNG Export Facilities). We said at the time that while we appreciate that the DOE wants to streamline and turn a two-stage process into a single approval process, we have some deep reservations about the change-up. So we noticed, with interest, that the anti-drilling Sierra Club praised the change, and the pro-gas Center for LNG (CLNG) expressed deep reservations, not unlike our own, which verifies our own thinking and skepticism about this policy change…
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DOE Changes Way They Evaluate/Approve LNG Export Facilities

The news came fast and furious yesterday from various quarters of the Obama administration. Almost lost in the shuffle was a major announcement from the Ernest “Hair” Moniz’s Dept. of Energy. The DOE plays a major role in deciding which (or whether) a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility is allowed to be built. Since 2010 some 25 LNG export facilities have been proposed, seeking DOE approval. How many have been approved? Precisely one–a new facility by Cheniere Energy for a facility along Louisiana’s Gulf Coast…
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FERC Final EIS: Cove Point Won’t Hurt Environment

Last September the U.S. Dept. of Energy gave it’s blessing to the Cove Point, MD LNG export facility that Dominion wants to build (see Celebrate! Dominion Wins DOE Approval for MD LNG Export Facility). DOE approval was a major hurdle. A second major hurdle has just been spanned. Yesterday the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a Final Environmental Impact Statement (copy below) and found…
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OH Sen. Brown, 21 Others Send Anti-LNG Export Letter to Obama

Some 21 Democrat U.S. Senators and 1 RINO Republican (Susan Collins from Maine) signed a letter to President Obama on Monday asking him to hold up on exporting LNG because, they claim, it will lead to higher natural gas prices here at home. Such loving, caring people those Democrats–always concerned for “the little guy.” What utter horse manure. The entire lot of them, including the shameful Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown are either stupid or (more likely) have an ulterior political motive–something that involves money and perhaps kickbacks to their campaign coffers. What else can explain such collective lunacy by Democrats and Democrat-lite Collins?

Below is the press release from the shameful OH Sen. Sherrod Brown, a copy of the letter sent by this cabal, and the entire list of who signed…
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Anti-Drillers File Complaint with SEC re Cove Point LNG Facility

Even though they’ve lost, the obstinate and unreasonable (not able to be reasoned with) people at Earthjustice and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) are once again trying to prevent the inevitable–the Cove Point, Maryland LNG export facility. Dominion is the company building the new LNG export facility at Cove Point. On the eve of Dominion’s annual shareholder meeting, Earthjustice and CCAN attempted a publicity stunt by filing a complaint with the Securities and Exchange Commission saying that Dominion has not provided adequate disclosure of financial and environmental risks in their plans to build the new $2 billion facility.

It’s just one more lame attempt by the same small group of virulent anti-drillers plus a ninny nanny anti-drilling investor from Trillium Asset Management (don’t ever invest money with Trillium) to stop progress…
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Nova Scotia Wants to Export Marcellus Gas to Europe, Lacks Pipes

Russia is once again threatening the Ukraine with shutting off natural gas supplies to and through the country. The Ukraine supplies much of Europe with natural gas from Russia. It’s creating a near-crisis in Europe–and yet the Europeans are being European and still slow to move on shale drilling in the abundant supplies beneath their feet. Good for the U.S. and good for Canada, who (if we can get exporting) stand to supply them with cheap natgas and start to reverse our trade imbalance.

Nova Scotia, Canada really really wants to be one of the sources of LNG for Europe. They’re ready to ramp up LNG shipments–now all they need is the natural gas! Canada is more like Europe than the U.S. Quebec has an enormous supply of Utica Shale gas beneath them–but they have an ongoing shale drilling moratorium like New York State. Nova Scotia wants to tap into the Marcellus and Utica in the U.S., but pipelines north (or rather lack of them) are a problem. And then there’s the politics of getting gas from the U.S. What to do?…
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Guess Why GDF Suez Doesn’t Want Marcellus Pipeline to New England

As MDN reported back in January, the governors of six New England States want ISO New England (the regional cooperative transmission organization) to assess a tax on electric customers throughout New England so they can build a new natural gas pipeline to the region (see Blue State Blues: 6 New England States Want New Natgas Pipeline). The problem is not so much residential customers running low on natgas but electric generating plants. Obama’s war on coal is rapidly shuttering coal-powered electric generating plants in New England and so to keep up the electric demand, they’re turning to natural gas to fire the plants. And because natgas is in short supply in New England, particularly in the winter months, it makes the price of electricity skyrocket. Hence–tax electric rate customers to build a natgas pipeline.

However, Frank Katulak, the CEO of GDF Suez which operates a big LNG (liquefied natural gas) import terminal in Everett, MA, is trash-talking a tax on New England electric rate payers to build a natgas pipeline. If the pipeline gets built, that means less import business for GDF Suez. But Katulak says oh no, that’s not why he thinks a healthy tax hike is a bad idea (of course not!)…
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Trumbull County Gets $100K to Conduct CNG “Feasibility” Study

The state of Ohio Controlling Board has approved a $100,000 grant for Trumbull County to “gauge the benefits of using vehicles that run on compressed natural gas.” Er, OK. It seems the Trumbull County engineer will use the funds “for a two-part feasibility study on the advantages of converting existing vehicles or purchasing new ones, as well as the potential construction of a CNG fueling station in the county.”

Just a thought: But might it not be better to buy a couple of CNG vehicles with the money and check to see how much they save by using them? Rather than a full-blown study to come to the same conclusion dozens of other municipalities have already come to (which is CNG saves money)? Perhaps we’re just being obtuse and missing something about this story…
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