PA Labor/Biz Groups Turn Out to Support ME2 Marsh Creek Plan
Last night the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) held a virtual hearing on a compromise plan between Energy Transfer/Sunoco Logistics and the DEP to allow ET/Sunoco to complete construction of the Mariner East 2 pipeline project in the Marsh Creek State Park area (Chester County) where there have been some “issues” that halted work in the area. Given the buildup by the anti-fossil fuel left to turn out and mouth off at the hearing, we’re struck that (so far) it is radio silence in mainstream media about the hearing. We can’t find a single story about the hearing. We do, however, have a report on more than two dozen pro-pipeline speakers who turned out for the virtual hearing. Perhaps that’s why the media is silent?
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Sabal Trail is a $3.2 billion, 515-mile interstate natural gas pipeline in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama built to deliver (in part) Marcellus gas to the southeast. Sabal Trail connects to Williams’ Hillabee Expansion Project, which is a pipeline spur built off the huge Transco pipeline system. On June 15 the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued orders extending the time for both projects to complete the final bits of their construction by another two years.
On January 4, 2014, Rice Energy (at that time run by Dan Rice IV) hired Vice President for Completions (head fracker) Babatunde Ajayi. After Ajayi assembled a team and a system that propelled Rice to become one of the leading Marcellus/Utica drillers, Rice fired Ajayi on October 31, 2016. Rice claimed Ajayi was double-dipping–that he had a conflict of interest by owning shares in a company doing business with Rice Energy. Ajayi says he had reported his ownership interest–for years–and that Rice fired him shortly after he was forced to sell all of his shares in the other company. The reason he was fired, according to Ajayi, is so that Rice wouldn’t have to pay him $1.9 million in bonuses via shares of Rice stock. According to Ajayi, Rice used him, used his knowledge, then kicked him to the curb. So he sued.
Evolution Well Services, headquartered in Houston with a regional office in Pittsburgh, specializes in “electric” fracking–using natural gas from the well pad (instead of diesel fuel) to power turbines to create electricity that drives fracking pumps. The company reports hitting a major milestone: Completing over 30,000 frac stages, the most electric frac stages completed to date in the industry. The stages were completed for numerous clients across the Marcellus/Utica, Permian, Scoop, Stack, and Eagle Ford shale basins.
S&P Global Market Intelligence has been publishing a multipart series exploring the natural gas industry’s role and prospects in the so-called energy transition happening across the world. A mania has taken hold forcing all companies to cut so-called greenhouse gas emissions–including companies in the energy industry. (Don’t forget what they produce are hydrocarbons, so they have to cut their own use of very thing they produce.) What is the role of natural gas in a “low carbon” world? How can upstream (drilling) companies adapt and stay in business? S&P says natural gas’ “low carbon challenge” is to stay cheap and get “cleaner.” What do they mean?
On Joe Biden’s first day occupying the White House, he signed an Executive Order (EO) suspending new oil and gas leasing on all federal while the Interior Department reviews existing leases and permitting practices for 60 days (see 
Adelphia Gateway, a plan to convert an old oil pipeline stretching from Northampton County, PA through Bucks, Montgomery, and Chester counties, terminating in Delaware County at Marcus Hook, recently received permission from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to begin final the final bits of construction (see 
A federal court in Pennsylvania upheld the findings of a U.S. Dept. of Labor investigation that oil and gas contract worker Henkels & McCoy Inc. owes big money in back wages and overtime to 362 workers at 11 worksites in five states, including Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Connecticut, Georgia, and (yes) even in New York too. The company must now pay $1,085,830 in back wages and damages.
Range Resources has joined the bandwagon of Marcellus/Utica drillers paying homage to ESG (environmental, social, governance) concerns by pimple-faced Millennial investors who demand all companies, even oil and gas companies, bow down to the global warming gods. Range announced its board of directors has formed an ESG and Safety Committee, and that the company has enrolled in the same program several other M-U drillers have joined called Project Canary.
Technically this post is not about the Marcellus/Utica, but it’s such great news we just have to share it. On Monday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a new bill into law that bans state investments in banks, investors, and other companies that have cut ties with the oil and gas industry. Texas is divesting from the diverstors. Love it! It’s about time we fight back and fight back hard against the left.
Finally! This is a red-letter day. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Drilling Productivity Report for June (with forecasted numbers for July) predicts natural gas production in the Marcellus/Utica region will swing from month-over-month decreases we’ve seen for the past year and a half (
“A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury.” (See below for the full quote.) Yesterday Pennsylvania Democrats unveiled their latest “generous gifts” they’re promising to bestow on Pennsylvanians from the public treasury if Gov. Wolf gets his way and imposes a Marcellus-killing carbon tax on electric power generation. The Dems figure they can raise about $300 million a year via a carbon tax and they have a wish list bigger than your wildest dreams for where they’ll spend it. One tiny problem for the Dems…
Several weeks ago we brought you the news that landowner Gateway Royalty was sounding the alarm over a new bill quickly advancing in the Ohio legislature. Ohio’s House Bill (HB) 152 would use forced pooling if 65% of a proposed unit’s landowners are leased (too low a bar) and also would force the landowner to accept a 12.5% royalty and force them to accept post-production deductions with royalties in some cases potentially going down to nothing (see