NatGas Pipes in the Marcellus/Utica Boost Union Jobs, Lower Prices
The list is, unfortunately, long and getting longer. Atlantic Coast Pipeline. PennEast Pipeline. Constitution Pipeline. And others. Yes, each one of those massive projects that got canceled means a loss of revenue for the companies involved, and a loss of takeaway capacity for drillers in the Marcellus/Utica region. However, perhaps the biggest loss is the jobs those projects would have provided for union workers. The cancellation of each of those projects resulted in the loss of revenue and income for union workers–direct harm to families. Have you thought about those costs?
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In his first two days in office, Joe Biden declared war on the oil and gas industry. One of the first things he did was to revive an interagency working group on the “social cost” of greenhouse gas emissions and directed the issuance of an “interim” cost (see 
The ace reporters at Reuters have sussed out another inside exclusive: Williams, the pipeline giant, has hired “two veteran executives” to help the company set up an LNG marketing operation. The operation will put Williams into direct competition with other big LNG marketers including Cheniere Energy, Shell, and QatarEnergy. The big question is this: How successful will this effort be if Williams doesn’t actually own an LNG export terminal of its own?
Over the years MDN has brought you updated reports from energy law firm giant Haynes and Boone and their quarterly oil and gas bankruptcy filings reports. We are delighted to tell you that due to the decreasing number of bankruptcies in our industry, Haynes and Boone has just issued its final set of reports for 2021 bankruptcies: one report for upstream/drilling, one report for oilfield services, and one report for midstream/pipelines. All of the reports are embedded below. Yes, there are a few M-U companies listed in these final reports.
One of our favorite Forbes website contributors, David Blackmon, has penned another fabulous column. This one looks at the chatter and debate surrounding “the energy transition”–as if it’s a foregone conclusion that we must dump the use of all fossil fuels within the next few years and transition to so-called renewables, or the planet is toast. Blackmon tackles one aspect of this debate that is seldom discussed: the cost of transitioning away from fossil fuels to 100% renewables. The cost is so big, it’s incomprehensible.
Another genius move by Diversified Energy (formerly Diversified Gas & Oil). Diversified owns close to 8 million acres of leases with some 67,000 (mostly) conventional oil and gas wells. Most of Diversified’s assets are located in the Appalachian region. With that many old oil and gas wells, the company ends up plugging a number of them each year. In the past, one of the vendors Diversified has used to plug old wells is Next LVL Energy, headquartered in the Pittsburgh area. Diversified announced yesterday it is buying Next LVL.
Last week Philadelphia lawyer Dan Markind, a real estate and corporate attorney who speaks and writes widely on the Marcellus, showed a connection between the developing situation of Russia invading Ukraine, and the Marcellus/Utica (see 
A new study published by the America Gas Association (AGA) details how America’s natural gas, natural gas utilities, and delivery infrastructure will be *essential* to meeting our nation’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals, including achieving net-zero emissions. Natural gas is used by some 187 million Americans each and every day. The AGA study (full copy below) outlines several scenarios and technology opportunities available to help the country reach mythical net-zero emissions by 2050. Natural gas plays a starring role!
Most of our coverage about pipelines is for large interstate pipelines, or perhaps large regional gathering pipeline systems. Every now and again we’ll bring you news about a “last mile” LDC (local distribution company) pipeline–the pipes utility companies install and maintain to run gas to homes and businesses. We have a story of that sort for you today. Dominion Energy, a huge utility company that used to be in the pipeline business (but sold its pipeline business to Warren Buffett a few years ago) wants to install a new 760-foot pipeline under the Blue Ridge Parkway (managed by the National Park Service) in North Carolina.
On Monday the U.S.-EU Energy Council held a meeting in Washington chaired by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm, EU High Representative/Vice President Josep Borrell Fontelles, and European Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson. There was some talk about natural gas and ensuring sufficient supplies for Europe, especially with Russia’s Vladimir Putin threatening to shut off half of Europe’s supplies over Ukraine. There was plenty of blah blah blah talk about a “clean and just energy transition” to so-called renewables. Whatever. It was a forum held after the official meeting that caught our attention. Duncan Wood, Ph.D., Vice President for Strategy & New Initiatives at the Wilson Center made a statement with great insight about the U.S.’s potential role in supplying natural gas to the world via LNG.