WV’s Waco Oil and Gas Fined $825K by Feds for Pollution Violations
Waco Oil & Gas Co., Inc., headquartered in Glenville (Gilmer County), WV, signed a proposed consent decree (settlement agreement) with the West Virginia Dept. of Environmental Protection and the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to settle an “alleged” charge of violating the federal Clean Water Act and West Virginia state law for “unauthorized discharges of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States in Braxton County, West Virginia.” Waco will pay a $825,000 penalty — split evenly between the feds and WV. Waco will also pay big bucks to restore “the vast majority of the impacted waters” and to provide “compensatory mitigation for waters that cannot be restored.” No doubt the bill will far exceed $1 million in total.
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Local natural gas utility EnergyMark, LLC located in Williamsville, NY (provider of natgas to the Buffalo Bills stadium), announced the acquisition of the assets of another gas utility, Crown Energy Services, Inc. of West Seneca, NY. The two energy supply companies are among the longest-standing suppliers of natural gas in Western New York. Both companies have provided natural gas supply service to industrial, commercial, and residential clients in New York and Pennsylvania for over 20 years.
New York State has become the North Korea of the United States. It is narrow and parochial and devoid of freedom. If you operate a business in New York and you are not in a protected or favored class, or if your business does not bribe someone in the Democrat Party, you are in danger of losing that business. New York is aggressively hostile to any business remotely connected to fossil fuels. A “bitcoin miner” operating in beautiful Upstate NY, near the shore of Seneca Lake, uses a small natural gas power plant to provide power for its 15,300 computer servers. The radical Democrats running the state, including Gov. Kathy Hochul, want it shut down and gone. They are close to achieving their objective. How did we fall this far?
For years, we’ve seen the lie repeated by mainstream media, Big Green shills, and environmental lackeys that fossil energy gets big government subsidies. Let’s put that lie to bed right now. The Bidenistas, who operate the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), very quietly issued a major new report in early August that shows green energy receives FAR MORE in the way government subsidies than does fossil energy. FAR MORE.
Newly-elected Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro appointed a working group in April to help guide him on what he should do concerning the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) carbon tax and the broader issue of global warming (see 
In March, Chesapeake Energy announced a 15-year deal to provide natural gas for LNG exports to Gunvor Singapore Pte (see 
Two weeks ago, the U.S. rig count erased a couple of weeks of anemic gains by dropping 11 rigs from the total, sinking to 630 active rigs, the lowest count since February of 2022 (see 
Not content to kill off your natural gas stove, the Bidenistas at the U.S. Dept. of Energy are now coming for your gas furnace. On Friday, the Biden Dept. of Energy (DOE) published a new rule that cracks down on gas furnaces in homes, essentially phasing out many existing models and requiring new ones to meet onerous new standards. The DOE now requires a 95% annual fuel efficiency standard, up from the 80% that was on the books before the new rule was published Friday. New models will be mandatory by 2028–and you’ll pay an average $4,700 for your new gas furnace. But that’s not the only cost…
According to a recent analysis by Enverus Intelligence Research, the cost of supply for North American shale producers is expected to continue rising. The remaining top-tier shale drilling inventory across North America *could be* in shorter supply than previously estimated, says Enverus. Rampant cost inflation from the Bidenistas and declining well productivity across the U.S. shale patch are making drilling wells much more expensive. What about the situation here in the Marcellus/Utica?
In an administration full of destructive regulatory actions and legislation targeting fossil energy for extinction, the so-called Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) stands out as one of the worst. The IRA was made possible by a traitorous vote by West Virginia Democrat U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (see 
Reporters like to portray themselves as truth-tellers who hold the powerful accountable. In reality, many of them are hired guns who publish propaganda under the guise of doing journalism. For example, did you know that the Associated Press takes in millions of dollars from philanthropies — the Hewlett Foundation, Walton Family Foundation, and others — to fund “reporting” (i.e., propaganda) on climate change, such as stories that this summer’s heat wave is due to man-made global warming? The good news is that a growing number of Americans are abandoning legacy media like the AP for better sources of information.
According to an analysis by S&P Global Commodity Insights, large U.S. shale gas drillers (namely Marcellus/Utica drillers) have hedged (pre-sold at a specific price) an average of 50% of anticipated shale gas production for the second half of 2023. The average price of the hedges is $3.35/Mcf, far above the average NYMEX Henry Hub price that has been bumping along between $2.25 and $2.75. CNX Resources is the top hedger, hedging 80% of its production in 2H23 at $3.04/Mcf.
Natural gas development is fundamental to the health and strength of Pennsylvania’s economy, supporting well over 100,000 family-sustaining careers, boosting state tax revenues, and generating billions in economic benefits, according to a new economic impact analysis (full copy below) commissioned by the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC). The analysis, released at the kickoff of the