Extremists Pressure CT Gov to Block Killingly Gas-Fired Elec Plant
The State of Connecticut’s “Siting Council” changed its mind in July 2019 and approved NTE Energy’s proposed project to build a 650-megawatt natural gas-fired electric plant in Killingly, after initially rejecting it (see Connecticut Approves New Natgas-Fired Electric Plant in Killingly). The Siting Council recognized that some 6,000 megawatts of older, less-efficient power plants in the region are retiring and without new plants coming online to provide electricity, Connecticut and its neighboring New England states will begin to experience rolling blackouts if they don’t make up the difference with new supplies of electricity.
Read More “Extremists Pressure CT Gov to Block Killingly Gas-Fired Elec Plant”
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and his Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) continue to push a plan that will raise Pennsylvania residents’ electric rates by 50% or more, a carbon tax scheme called the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). The DEP is in the midst of conducting virtual public hearings until Dec. 14. PA’s trade labor unions, dead set against RGGI, are participating to make sure Wolf knows of their opposition.
Tomorrow the Harrison County Commission will consider (and most likely approve) an extension for an option to purchase property at the site of a proposed natural gas-fired power plant in Harrison County. Energy Solutions Consortium (ESC) currently has an option to buy the site of a proposed 550-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant, but the option expires on Dec. 31 of this year.
Yesterday MDN brought you a post about the dramatic increase in natural gas-fired electric plants in the Marcellus/Utica, particularly Pennsylvania (see 
Natural gas-fired electric generation has increased in most U.S. regions since 2015, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Annual electricity generation from natural gas power plants in the U.S. increased by 31% in the Northeast region, by 20% in the Central region, and by 17% in the South region between 2015 and 2019.
If there’s a bad cold snap in New England this winter forcing residents to use more natural gas (leaving less natgas for power plants), blackouts may occur. That’s the prediction from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) in their just published 2020-2021 Winter Reliability Assessment (full copy below). If blackouts do occur, the residents of New England can thank Gov. Cuomo and their own politicians, like Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, for blocking natural gas pipeline projects to the region.
There are those in the non-thinking, arrogant, ignorant Big Green movement who demand (they always demand) that everyone (except themselves) stop using fossil fuels. Now. Or the earth is dead in 10-20 years. (It’s always 10-20 years, ever notice that?) And then there are those who kind of believe there may be something to man-made global warming who are looking for ways to reduce carbon emissions realistically. Those in the latter camp, people who actually think rationally, say there is one way to reduce CO2 emissions over the next 30 years: by using more (not less) natural gas.
The plot thickens in the $60 million FirstEnergy nuclear subsidy bribery scandal. Last week MDN brought you the news that Ohio’s Attorney General, David Yost, had filed a second lawsuit to stop the collection of money from ratepayers that funds $150 million annual payments to FirstEnergy provided for under the law known as House Bill 6 (see 
Last December MDN told you about a second natural gas-fired power plant planned for Charles City County, Va. (near Richmond) being developed by C4GT (see 
On Tuesday, Talen Energy Corp., under extreme litigation pressure from the odious Sierra Club, announced it will eliminate the use of coal at all of the company’s wholly-owned facilities. Back in 2017 MDN brought you the news that Talen’s coal-fired Brunner Island Power Plant, located in York County, PA, is investing $100 million to retrofit the plant so it can burn 100% Marcellus Shale gas by 2028 (see 
That didn’t take long. Following the Democrat media’s declaration Biden won (even though the election has not yet been certified), Biden released a new energy “transition” plan–this morning. In the plan, Biden calls for cutting natural gas usage nationwide by electrifying everything and eliminating all “non-carbon” power production. His minions are gushing about how Biden will transform the EPA and other federal agencies away from “dirty” fossil fuels and to “clean energy.” Let the carnage begin.
In something of a surprise for us, last week as the election returns continued to roll in and votes were counted (or miscounted, in a number of cases), President Trump demoted or fired several top agency heads. One of them was at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Trump demoted FERC Chairman Neil Chatterjee and elevated fellow Republican James Danly to become the new Chairman of FERC. Chatterjee will remain a FERC commissioner.