Antis Mad They Can’t Protest Specific ARCH2 Hydrogen Projects
Anti-fossil fuelers can’t protest specific projects that are part of the ARCH2 (Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub) initiative because the projects are still being fleshed out. There aren’t any specifics yet to share, which makes antis mad. As soon as they know what projects are planned, they will use considerable sums of money (from dubious sources) to try and defeat, block, and oppose those projects because they irrationally hate natural gas, which will be the feedstock used in ARCH2.
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Did you know that the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) is responsible for processing and issuing some 800 different types of permits? Does that not seem a bit excessive? (Is there a permit for applying for a permit?) Being responsible for issuing 800 permits sure sounds like government run amok. Big government. PA State Rep. Jim Struzzi (Republican from Indiana County) announced the introduction of House Resolution 468 last week. The legislation directs the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee (LBFC) to conduct a survey of the PA DEP’s permitting processes.
Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass LNG export facility received FERC authorization to place the final three liquefaction blocks (7-9) into service last fall (see 
Williams’ Regional Energy Access Expansion (REAE) project involves expanding the mighty Transco pipeline in Pennsylvania and New Jersey to deliver an extra 829 MMcf/d of Marcellus gas to PA, NJ, and Maryland. Part of the project was completed and went online last year (see
For all of the griping and complaining and moaning from the radical left (and uppity Virginia horse farmers) about the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) being unnecessary and a blight against humanity, wonder of wonders, customers are WAITING for the gas that will flow through MVP! In fact, the CEO of Roanoke Gas Co. says “We were out of gas literally.” Roanoke Gas desperately needs the new supplies that will flow through MVP. In addition, Summit View Business Park in Franklin County will receive gas from MVP, which will boost the park’s efforts to market its 13 available sites.
The price of natural gas traded at the Henry Hub (HH) in Southern Louisiana is THE benchmark price used for the entire industry in the U.S. All other prices are compared to the HH. The HH serves as the official delivery location for futures contracts on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX). The hub is owned by Sabine Pipe Line LLC and has access to many of the major gas markets in the United States, hence its use as the benchmark. A major trading hub in the Marcellus/Utica, Columbia Gas, tended to follow the HH, rising when HH went up and falling when HH lost value. It’s never a one-to-one correlation, but it’s close. That is, until the past year, when, according to analysts with Argus Media, the Columbia Gas trading hub became “untethered” from the HH.
Last Thursday, MDN brought you the news that U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (from West Virginia) and Congressman Troy Balderson (from Ohio) introduced a resolution to block the EPA’s latest attack against the natural gas industry (see
Well, the bottom dropped out of the rig count last week once again. The national combined oil and gas rig count dropped by six to 594, the lowest it has been since January 2022. The Marcellus/Utica did not go unscathed either, losing two rigs. Pennsylvania lost one rig and now operates 21 rigs. Ohio remained steady with ten active rigs. However, West Virginia lost another rig and now only has five active rigs. One year ago this week, WV operated 13 active rigs. Yuck.
We’ve been tracking the up down up down up down situation at Freeport LNG since it came online in 2019. Freeport was mostly offline this year following an episode of cold temps in January (see
We have been tracking and reporting on the drama surrounding Austin Master Services (AMS), a radiological waste management solutions company in Martins Ferry (Belmont County), Ohio, located close to the Ohio River, since the Ohio Attorney General lodged charges against the company back in March (
Cecil Township in Washington County, PA, has seen a fair bit of Marcellus shale drilling over the years. The Board of Supervisors adopted a shale drilling ordinance back in 2011. They are considering an update. Unfortunately, the update they are considering is akin to jumping off a cliff. The town follows state guidelines that new shale wells must be drilled at least 500 feet from homes and 2,500 feet from schools and hospitals. The supervisors are seriously considering an amendment to raise the setback to 2,500 feet (half a mile!) from all structures. In other words, it would ban new drilling in 99% of the town.
The merger of EQT Corporation and Equitrans Midstream into a single company took one giant leap forward in May when the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Antitrust Act waiting period expired and the federal government (by not objecting) blessed the re-union (see
Patience is a rare commodity these days. We live in a day and age of instant gratification. Our food is made and delivered in minutes. The latest gizmo we want can be on our doorstep the next day (or, in some cases, the same day) from Amazon and any number of other retailers. Entertainment and distractions are everywhere! Just lift your eyes from your own phone and observe everyone else around you staring at their phones. So perhaps it is no surprise that some people feel lied to because the mighty Shell ethane cracker plant in Beaver County, PA, hasn’t instantly delivered the promised thousands of extra jobs and dozens of relocated companies.
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