Modern-Day Methane Indulgences for Sale to Shale Drillers
S&P Global Platts and Xpansiv have joined forces to launch a new benchmark for methane performance in natural gas production in the United States. Methane Performance Certificates (MPCs) allow a U.S. shale producer to sell instruments representing zero methane emission natural gas production. Our immediate impression was to think of medieval-era indulgences sold to atone for sins.
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A group of hardened leftist Democrat Pennsylvania legislators, in a coordinated attack with the state’s horrible Attorney General, Josh Shapiro, are making a play to shut down the fully operational Mariner East pipeline system. Two weeks ago Shapiro, who is running for governor next year, indicted Energy Transfer’s Mariner East 2 (ME2) pipeline project with 48 so-called environmental crimes (see 
Last Friday the owner of the Glen Riddle Station Apartment complex in Delaware County, PA convinced a weak county judge to order the release of emails between officials in Middletown Township and Energy Transfer, owner of the Mariner East pipeline system. The Glen Riddle apartment complex owner is hoping he can find some minor, obscure statement in the letters to reignite opposition to finishing the third and last Mariner East pipeline that runs across his property. How selfish.
What’s the best way to defeat an enemy? Without ever firing a shot, of course. Convince your enemy to bow to and obey your commands. That’s what comes to mind with one of this country’s enemies, Saudi Arabia, and a recent “technical workshop” they held via videoconference with some 100 oil and gas companies around the world. The Saudis (i.e. OPEC) were essentially telling these other oil companies, with a big smile plastered across their faces, just how much oil and gas these other companies will be permitted to produce, and when they can produce it. And these other companies, some of them in this country, obsequiously bowed to their Saudi overlords. Sickening, no?
In October 2020 the Sisters of the Corn (our name for a group of leftist nuns in Lancaster County, PA) filed yet another frivolous lawsuit against Williams over a pipeline that crosses their land–a pipeline (Atlantic Sunrise) that has been up and running safely for years (see 
Although the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is forecasting an average Henry Hub NYMEX price of $5.80 for the fourth quarter of this year, and a slightly higher average of $5.90 for January 2022 (see today’s companion story), Platts analysts are out with a shocking forecast of their own. Platts says if natural gas drillers don’t return to more drilling soon, the price of natgas at Henry Hub will spike up to $12-$14/MMBtu this winter.
Each month the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) issues a Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO). In the latest STEO update, released two days ago, EIA predicts the Henry Hub spot price will average $5.80/MMBtu in 4Q21, which is $1.80/MMBtu higher than EIA forecasted in their September STEO (see 
“All aboard! Next stop, responsibly sourced gas.” Both the Marcellus/Utica and the Haynesville shale plays have emerged as the major shale basins for so-called certified natural gas. Certified for what? Certified that the companies extracting it and (now) the companies flowing it through pipelines (i.e. the midstream) are doing so “responsibly.” We guess they did so irresponsibly before, right? What exactly is responsibly sourced gas (RSG) and how is the midstream (and upstream) tackling certification?
If we were an investor in either Occidental Petroleum or Worley, we’d be very worried. In a conversation with Daniel Yergin, vice chairman, IHS Markit, both Vicki Hollub, CEO of Occidental Petroleum, and Chris Ashton, CEO and managing director of Worley discuss their partnership to build a large-scale direct air carbon capture facility in the Permian Basin (expected to startup in 2024) and the potential to scale the technology further. Hollub and Ashton are gambling the future of their companies on so-called carbon capture.
Glenn O. Hawbaker, Inc.
Whew, it’s now reopened for business. It’s been 21 days since Warren Buffett’s Cove Point LNG export facility closed all the way down for annual maintenance (see