Please don’t come to Boston. If you do, you may experience blackouts from an unreliable electricity grid powered by so-called (very unreliable) renewables. That’s our takeaway on the obtuse attitudes that pervade New England and the Communist politicians that run that section of the country.
Read More “New England Rejects NatGas, Prefers Unreliable Renewables Instead”
Why is the Chester County, PA District Attorney hell-bent on persecuting (i.e. prosecuting) security guards who have done nothing more than protect nutty environmentalists from hurting themselves at Mariner East 2 pipeline construction sites? Former Chester County, PA District Attorney Tom Hogan (RINO), and his successor Deb Ryan (Democrat) were 100% humiliated after a Chester County Magisterial District Judge in June dismissed the entire case against the local head of security for Energy Transfer in what the DA’s office lyingly calls a “buy a badge scheme” (see Chester DA Charges Against ME Pipe Security Chief Tossed by Judge). Yet the DA’s office is back harassing/charging the owner and an employee of a private security firm for the same thing.
Read More “Chester DA Persecution of Off-Duty Constables Guarding ME2 Pipe”
Last week Energy Transfer’s Mariner East 2X pipeline experienced an “inadvertent return”–nontoxic drilling mud coming up out of the ground where it’s not supposed to–in Chester County, PA (see Mariner East 2X Construction Causes Another Drilling Mud Spill). The Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) immediately suspended all drilling at the site until further notice (see PA DEP Suspends ME2 Pipe Drilling at Marsh Creek State Park). The Upper Uwchlan Township Board of Supervisors sent a letter to Gov. Tom Wolf last week requesting he simply pull all of the remaining permits for the ME2 project, effectively shutting it down and preventing it from finishing–even though it’s nearly done.
Read More “Upper Uwchlan Twp Begs Gov. Wolf to Pull ME2 Pipe Permits”
In July 2018 Eagle LNG officially opened its Maxville, Florida (suburb of Jacksonville) liquefaction facility to first liquefy then transport LNG to Crowley’s new LNG bunkering facility at the Port of Jacksonville (Jaxport) where the LNG is used to fuel two Crowley LNG-powered ships designed to carry both containerized and roll-on/roll-off cargo (see Marc/Utica Gas Trucked to Jacksonville, FL for Use in LNG Ship). It’s now two years later and Eagle and Crowley recently celebrated the 100th “bunkering” event. And yes, there is a connection to the Marcellus/Utica.
Read More “Eagle LNG Celebrates 100th LNG Bunkering at Port of Jacksonville”
While drilling in Chester County earlier this week in the Marsh Creek State Park, Energy Transfer’s Mariner East 2X pipeline experienced an “inadvertent return”–nontoxic drilling mud coming up out of the ground where it’s not supposed to (see Mariner East 2X Construction Causes Another Drilling Mud Spill). In this case the mud came up in a small section of the 535-acre Marsh Creek Lake. Under withering criticism and pressure from anti-fossil fuel groups, the state Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued a press release yesterday to say that all pipeline drilling at the site has been “suspended indefinitely.”
Read More “PA DEP Suspends ME2 Pipe Drilling at Marsh Creek State Park”
At a ceremony in Pittsburgh yesterday, federal EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) Administrator Andrew Wheeler unveiled two new rules for the oil and natural gas industry that removes ineffective and duplicative methane detection requirements while streamlining others. Just before the Obamadroids left office, the Obama EPA slapped onerous and costly new regulations on methane emissions that don’t do anything but cost companies money. They certainly didn’t do anything to help the precious environment. Yesterday, after several years in the making, the EPA fixed the Obama overregulation issue with respect to methane emissions.
Read More “EPA Rolls Back Obama Methane Overregulation at Pittsburgh Ceremony”
Prior to joining EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler in Pittsburgh to unveil rollbacks of egregious overregulation of methane by the Obama Administration (see today’s companion story), Deputy Secretary of Energy, Mark Menezes, first visited Belmont County, Ohio–at the site of the proposed PTT ethane cracker plant. Menezes was there to offer moral support from President Trump for the project. Menezes was recently confirmed (on Aug. 4) as Deputy Secretary of DOE. The PTT cracker site visit was Menezes’ first official visit (to anywhere) in his new role.
Read More “Trump Official Visits PTT OH Cracker Site, Pledges Full Support”
In June MDN told you that a New York City law firm was “investigating” Cabot Oil & Gas with an eye to filing a class action lawsuit, on behalf of investors, over false allegations made by the Pennsylvania Attorney General who had filed felony charges against Cabot regarding a long-closed regulatory issue in Dimock, PA (see Law Firm Targets Cabot for Class Action Claiming Securities Fraud). The investigation is now over and the law firm found an investor to file a class lawsuit, which was filed yesterday in a federal court in Texas.
Read More “Law Firm Files Class Action Against Cabot Claiming Securities Fraud”
Another week, another look at the rig count. The onshore rig count continues to bump along near the bottom of historic lows. It’s not AT the bottom (thank God), but it does continue to flirt with low numbers. According to Enverus, which tracks rigs using GPS units, the count bottomed at the beginning of July with 264 active rigs. Since then it’s risen and currently stands around 280 rigs. Week to week it goes up and it goes down, but not down significantly. According to Enverus, the count lost a rig last week.
Read More “Enverus Onshore Rig Count Bumps Up & Down, Utica Loses 1 Rig”
Looks like top management at Chesapeake Energy getting millions in bonuses just before declaring bankruptcy isn’t the only company to engage in this disgusting practice (see Chesapeake Energy Execs Paid $25 Million in Bonuses). Frac sand company Hi-Crush did it too.
Read More “Hi-Crush Execs Get Millions in Bonuses Days Before Ch. 11 Filing”
Anti-fossil fuelers are on a holy mission to stop a 3.37-mile, 8-inch pipeline from being built under the Potomac River by Columbia Gas (see Maryland Antis Oppose 13th Pipeline Under Potomac as “Dangerous”). The pipeline, from Maryland on one side of the river to West Virginia on the other side, will be built to feed a larger pipeline project from Mountaineer Gas called the Eastern Panhandle Expansion. Mountaineer Gas is getting desperate for more gas to feed growing customer demand.
Read More “Mountaineer Gas Seeks Truck Alternative to Blocked Maryland Pipe”
Yesterday MDN told you about a new “inadvertent return” or drilling mud spill that occurred at Marsh Creek Lake in Chester County, PA, near Philadelphia (see Mariner East 2X Construction Causes Another Drilling Mud Spill). The reaction by the climate crazies, as predicted, was shrill and loud. Those who oppose the Mariner East 2 pipeline oppose it because it flows natural gas and they irrationally hate natural gas. Antis staged a “protest” of the “dangerous” mud spill at Marsh Creek Lake yesterday. After mouthing off for the cameras, the crazies launched dozens of kayaks and paddled through the drilling mud water that’s supposedly dangerous for the environment. Go figure.
Read More “Antis Protest Dangerous ME2 Drilling Mud Spill by Kayaking in It”
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has nominated the wrong person to replace Andrew Place as one of the commissioners on the very powerful Public Utility Commission (PUC). Wolf has nominated Hayley Book, currently a senior adviser on energy and climate to PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Pat McDonnell. Book’s job at the DEP has been to try and force through Wolf’s illegal attempt to force the state into joining the so-called Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a carbon tax scheme cooked up by a collection of liberal northeastern states (see Gov. Wolf Goes Bonkers: EO Destroying Gas-Fired Elec, Carbon Tax).
Read More “PA Gov. Wolf Nominates Carbon Tax Warrior for PUC”
Eastern Shore Natural Gas Company (ESNG), a subsidiary company of Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (a company fascinated with chicken poop), filed a request with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in Sept. 2018 to build 19+ miles of new pipeline and new meter and delivery stations in Kent and Sussex counties in Delaware, and Wicomico and Somerset counties in Maryland, to carry more natural gas to locations in Delaware and Maryland. FERC approved the project last December (see FERC Approves Del-Mar Energy Pathway Pipe Project). You would not believe the irrational opposition to this (frankly) insignificant project.
Read More “Maryland Antis Oppose Tiny New Pipeline in Eastern Shore”
Our favorite government agency, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), posted an interesting article yesterday revealing information the left and mainstream media don’t want you to know: Natural gas-fired electricity is growing faster than renewables. The media would have you believe that so-called renewables are taking the world (and the U.S.) by storm–growing far faster than any other source, including natural gas. Not true.
Read More “NatGas Powergen Far Outpaces Renewables First Half 2020”
Holy smokes! We didn’t see this one coming. Just yesterday MDN brought you the second-quarter update from Montage Resources (see Montage Resources: 5 New OH Utica Wells, Profits Tumble in 2Q). Little did we know the company was in an advanced stage of negotiations to sell itself to Southwestern Energy. Perhaps “sell” isn’t quite the right word. The two companies are merging, with Southwestern taking over Montage, in an all-stock deal worth roughly $204.3 $857 million (NOTE: We amended this article after Raymond James calculated the deal to be worth a much higher amount, see our update below). The combination will create the third-largest (by acres leased) Marcellus/Utica driller with a combined 786,187 net acres.
Read More “Stop Press! Southwestern Energy Buying Montage Resources for $857M”