| | | | | |

Court Orders Austin Master to Clean Up Martins Ferry Frack Waste

One month ago, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost took legal action seeking to force Austin Master Services (AMS), a radiological waste management solutions company operating in Belmont County, OH, to correct “egregious violations of Ohio law” regarding the storage of oil and gas waste that he says threatens the Ohio River and Martins Ferry’s drinking water supply (see Ohio AG Sues Austin Master Services for Unsafe Storage of Wastewater). Media accounts report that AMS has stored at least 10,000 tons of fracking waste (drill cuttings) at the Martins Ferry facility. It’s rated to hold 600 tons. Yost requested Belmont County Common Pleas Court block AMS from receiving any more waste and order it to comply with its rating. The court granted both requests.
Continue reading

| | | | | | |

Antis Ask DC Circuit to Cancel FERC Time Extension for MVP Southgate

In 2018, Equitrans Midstream, the builder of the 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), proposed to extend MVP (when it’s done) by an extra 75 miles from the current terminus in Pittsylvania County, VA, to Alamance County, NC, to provide natural gas for heating and electric generation. The 75-mile extension is called MVP Southgate. Last year, Equitrans asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to extend Southgate’s project timeline an extra three years. FERC agreed in December (see FERC Approves MVP Southgate Request for 3-Yr Extension to Build). A group of extreme left anti-fossil fuel organizations are now challenging that time extension in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (DC Circuit).
Continue reading

| | | |

CCI Tries to Tempt Allegheny County into Suing Oil & Gas Cos.

Isn’t it interesting how the devil continues to use the same tactics he has used since the very beginning of time? Lucifer (the Center for Climate Integrity, or CCI) is whispering lies to Eve (the Allegheny County Council) located in the Garden of Eden (Pittsburgh region, the unofficial headquarters of the Marcellus/Utica shale), enticing Eve to bite the fruit (launch a lawsuit against Big Oil & Gas companies), promising she’ll have more money than God if she sues and wins. Lucifer always leads with a lie. The end result is always the same — death. In this case, the death of Pittsburgh as the headquarters of the Marcellus/Utica. Will Eve do it this time? Or resist?
Continue reading

| | | | |

Ohio O&G Commission Votes to Shut Down 3 Athens Injection Wells

On Friday, the Ohio Oil and Gas Commission upheld a regulatory order from the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) suspending operations of three wastewater injection wells located in Torch (Athens County), OH, owned by K&H Partners, a subsidiary of Tallgrass Energy. ODNR “temporarily” suspended the operations of four fracking waste injection wells (the three K&H wells and one other) in Athens County last September (see ODNR Temporarily Shuts Down 4 Injection Wells in Athens County). ODNR said the wells presented an “imminent danger” to health and the environment.
Continue reading

| | | | | | |

PA AG Files Bogus Charges Against Long-Done Shell Falcon Pipe

Credit: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (click for larger version)

Shell’s 97-mile Falcon ethane pipeline, which feeds 100,000 barrels a day of Marcellus/Utica ethane to the mighty cracker plant in Beaver County, PA, was built and running as of January 2021, well before the cracker itself was finished (see Shell Cracker Construction “in the Home Stretch” – Ready in 2022). Ironically, more of the ethane pipeline was built in Ohio and West Virginia than in Pennsylvania. Only 45.5 miles of the system is located in PA. Yet the Pennsylvania Attorney General, Michelle Henry (an anti-drilling Democrat hack), is using the testimony of two fired Shell employees to charge the long-done pipeline with crimes for how it was constructed.
Continue reading

| | | | | |

Sen. Muth’s Attempt to Block Dimock Wastewater Plant Dismissed Again

Pennsylvania State Senator Katie Muth’s attempt to block a proposed frack wastewater treatment plant in Dimock (hours away from her own district) has bombed out yet again. Muth tried to challenge and block a permit for the plant, an effort which was mostly rejected in court in June 2022 (see PA EHB Dismisses Senator’s Request to Block Dimock Wastewater Plant). The PA Environmental Hearing Board (EHB), a special court set up to hear challenges to Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) decisions, allowed Muth one final remaining way to continue her challenge — by claiming she has “individual standing” to challenge the permit as a resident of the state. That effort bombed out when the EHB ruled against her in November 2022 (see Sen. Katie Muth’s Attempt to Block Dimock Wastewater Plant Dismissed). But, you know, antis have endless reserves of money from shadowy sources. Muth appealed it again, this time to the PA Commonwealth Court.
Continue reading

| |

Zombies: Fossil Fuel Lawsuit by Oregon Kids Still Alive

In 2015, greedy lawyers, using a group of 21 Oregonian children, filed a lawsuit against the United States (President Obama at the time) for not doing enough about mythical man-made global warming. The lawsuit eventually made its way to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 2019 (see Global Warming Lawsuit by Brainwashed Kids Begins at 9th Circus). After a number of twists and turns, including a refusal by the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene, the judges of the Ninth Circuit tossed the bogus lawsuit in 2020 (see 9th Circuit Throws Out Fossil Fuel Lawsuit by Brainwashed Kids). At least, that’s what everyone thought…
Continue reading

| | | |

PA Lawsuit Advances – Claims Radioactive Drill Cuttings at Landfill

In January, MDN told you about a long-closed landfill that seeks to reopen in Liberty and Pine Townships in Mercer County, PA (see Group Claims Drill Cuttings for Grove City Landfill “Radioactive”). In 2020, Tri-County Landfill Inc. submitted a permit application for the construction and operation of a municipal waste landfill site that had operated from 1950-1990. One of the objections to reopening the landfill is that it may accept drilling cuttings from fracked wells. The Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued a permit to allow the project to proceed. The permit was challenged, and the challenge was initially rejected. The permit was challenged a second time a few weeks ago. This time, the challenge (lawsuit) is being allowed to proceed.
Continue reading

| | | |

Bucks County RINO Gets Cold Feet, Won’t Support Climate Lawsuit

RINO Gene DiGirolamo

A few weeks ago, we reported that two Democrats and one anti-drilling RINO who run Bucks County government (a Philadelphia suburb) fell for the bait by Big Green and filed a lawsuit against Big Oil companies for supposedly, knowingly, causing the Earth to toast to a cinder (see Bucks County, PA, Sues Big Oil for Causing “Climate Change”). The lawsuit seemingly came out of nowhere. It was hatched secretly by green groups, including the Center for Climate Integrity (CCI) – a Rockefeller-funded D.C. activist group. There were no public meetings. No public input. No public announcements. It was completely hush-hush, with a total media blackout until the lawsuit was filed. Here we are two weeks later, and the RINO, Gene DiGirolamo, has gotten cold feet and says he no longer supports the lawsuit. Now that the horse has left the barn…
Continue reading

| | | |

Big Green Threatens New Lawsuit to Block Drilling in OH Wayne NF

Wayne National Forest (click for larger version)

Last week, the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released a new draft plan to allow shale drilling to finally begin on land in Ohio’s Wayne National Forest (see BLM Floats Draft Assessment for Drilling in OH’s Wayne Nat’l Forest). Even though a majority of the land and mineral rights in WNF are privately owned, the BLM and various lawsuits from foreign-backed Big Green groups have blocked drilling in WNF for the past 15+ years. It’s a TRAGEDY and horrific injustice against private landowners. With the BLM’s new plan, the usual radicalized groups are back to announce they are watching and plan to sue once again.
Continue reading

| | |

SEC Forced to Hit Pause Button on Woke Climate Disclosure Reg

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), corrupted by the Bidenistas, voted 3-2 (three Democrats vs. two Republicans) in March to issue a final regulation that will force all publicly traded companies to disclose their so-called greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the imaginary climate risks their businesses face (see Woke SEC Adopts Modified Version of Climate Disclosure Reg). The end result of the Biden SEC’s new regulations will be to “kneecap” oil and gas companies (see SEC Reg Requiring Disclosure of Climate Change Risk “Kneecaps” O&G). And that’s the purpose. A number of lawsuits have been filed against the new reg, including a lawsuit by 25 state Attorneys General (see The Many Lawsuits Challenging Woke SEC’s Climate Disclosure Reg).
Continue reading

| | | | | | | |

OH Landowners Appeal Jury Decision Allowing Pt Pleasant Drilling

A royalty case that took nearly four years and hundreds of filings by both sides was finally decided by an Ohio jury in March (see OH Drillers Win Case Against Landowners re Drilling Deeper). The jury found in favor of several drillers (Ascent Resources, Gulfport Energy, Rice Energy) and against the rights owner (TERA II, LLC) in a case where the words “Point Pleasant” were not included in a lease agreement. The drillers drilled into the Point Pleasant, which sits on the border of the Utica, even though, technically, the lease did not allow it. The jury found the landowners did not “reserve their rights” to the Point Pleasant, given its location next to the Utica. The landowners are now appealing the jury decision.
Continue reading

| | | | | | |

Va. Landowners Appeal MVP Case to Supreme Court One Final Time

You have to hand it to the left. They never give up on their mission to destroy this country. Big Green groups using (abusing) six uppity Virginia landowners who didn’t want the 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline to cross their well-groomed horse pastures have appealed a lawsuit recently dismissed by a federal court to the U.S. Supreme Court one last time. That is, if the Supremes decide to consider it again. It’s an open question if the Supremes will accept the case back.
Continue reading

| | | | | | | | | | |

FERC Wins Lawsuit Against Sierra Club re NFG’s Northern Access Pipe

National Fuel Gas Company (NFG) and its pipeline subsidiary Empire Pipeline have worked on a plan to build the Northern Access Pipeline since 2016. Northern Access is a 97-mile project from McKean County in Pennsylvania into and through Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Erie counties in New York that will flow Marcellus gas into New York State. The project was repeatedly delayed by the radicals of the Andrew Cuomo (now Kathy Hochul) administrations in NY. NFG still wants to build the project but needs more time. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) gave NFG an extra 35 months to get the project done in a decision in June 2022. The Sierra Club challenged FERC’s time extension. On Friday the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (DC Circuit) rejected the Clubbers and said FERC properly extended the time to build the project.
Continue reading

| | | |

Federal Court Tosses Challenge to WV’s 2022 Forced Pooling Law

Hopefully, we’re now at the conclusion of an effort to overturn a bill passed in early 2022 by the West Virginia legislature, Senate Bill (SB) 694, which finally brought forced pooling for shale wells to the Mountain State after eight years of trying (see WV House Passes Forced Pooling Bill, Done Deal When Gov Signs). A lawsuit brought by two West Virginia landowners seeking to overturn the state’s forced pooling (i.e., unitization) law was put on pause by a federal judge in December 2022 (see WV Landowner Lawsuit to Block Forced Pooling Law Dealt Another Blow). The federal judge said the lawsuit belongs in state court and that he did not have jurisdiction over the case. West Virginia officials disagreed and appealed the ruling to the next rung up the federal court ladder (see WV Appeals Lawsuit re Forced Pooling Law to Higher Fed Court).
Continue reading

| | |

The Many Lawsuits Challenging Woke SEC’s Climate Disclosure Reg

Earlier this month, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), corrupted by the Bidenistas, voted 3-2 (three Democrats vs. two Republicans) to issue a final regulation that will force all publicly traded companies to disclose their so-called greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the imaginary climate risks their businesses face (see Woke SEC Adopts Modified Version of Climate Disclosure Reg). The end result of the Biden SEC’s new regulations will be to “kneecap” oil and gas companies (see SEC Reg Requiring Disclosure of Climate Change Risk “Kneecaps” O&G). And that’s the purpose. The Bidenistas and the left are looking to close down fossil fuel companies by using regulatory agencies like the SEC. Not so fast. A plethora (too many to count) of companies, organizations, and states are suing the SEC in an attempt to overturn the new reg.
Continue reading