PA Sen. Yaw Proposes Selling Solar Credits to Fund Well Plugging
Pennsylvania has already received the first $25 million payment from the so-called infrastructure bill, a down payment on what will eventually be $330.6 million (see PA Receives First $25M (Out of $104M) to Plug Orphaned Wells). The money will be used to plug old abandoned and orphaned oil and gas wells across the state. However, even the eventual $330 million will not be enough to plug an estimated, mind-blowing 560,000 abandoned wells in the Keystone State. Pennsylvania State Senator Gene Yaw has an ingenious proposal to help fund even more well plugging–by using Solar Renewable Energy Credits, or SRECs.
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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.
Last June, Range Resources announced it had joined the Project Canary TrustWell™ Responsible Gas Program (see 
We’re not quite sure what to think of this. The West Virginia State Legislature passed House Bill (HB) 2581 on the last day of the annual WV legislative session in April 2021. HB 2581 required the State Tax Commissioner to develop a revised methodology to value oil and natural gas properties for the purposes of assessing property taxes. The State Tax Department submitted an emergency rule over the summer that was, quite frankly, a mess. The rule created a complex system that is currently mired in controversy with both drillers and landowners confused about how much of a tax bill they will owe this year. The legislature is doing it again.
According to S&P Global Platts, spot gas prices across the northeast and Appalachia were “trading sharply lower Feb. 7.” It is, says Platts, “a dynamic that could continue into the second week of February, as stronger regional gas production and higher temperature forecasts loosen supply and demand fundamentals.” How much lower are prices trading? The Eastern Gas South trading hub (formerly Dominion South) fell by almost $1/MMBtu yesterday. The Columbia Gas, Appalachia trading hub fell more than $1.