We spotted an article by ICIS (Independent Commodity Intelligence Services) about ethylene contracts in May increasing in price after a six-month-long decline. How does that potentially impact drillers in the Marcellus/Utica? We’ll tell you…
Read More “Ethane Prices Climb in Gulf Coast – Advantage for M-U Crackers?”
PTT Global Chemical, the huge Thailand-based petrochemical company looking to build a world-class ethane cracker plant in Belmont County, OH, has botched its messaging about when it will make a final investment decision (FID) about moving forward with the project. The latest FID was supposed to be now, by the end of June this year (see PTT CEO Sends Loud & Clear Signal of Positive FID on OH Cracker). Then the company said the pandemic would delay the FID, without giving any kind of time frame. We referred to that as an “indefinite” delay (see PTT Postpones Ohio Cracker Final Investment Decision Indefinitely). PTT disputes that characterization. Did we get it wrong by labeling the FID delay as “indefinite”?
Read More “PTT Responds to “Indefinite Hold” on OH Cracker Decision”
In April 2019, President Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) instructing the Environmental Protection Agency to review Section 401 of the Clean Water Act–the section that grants states (and tribes) the right to have a say in pipeline projects (see Trump Signs Executive Order Making it Harder to Block Pipes). In keeping with the EO, the EPA issued a draft new rule in August 2019 tightening up standards used in Section 401, creating new boundaries so states like New York and Washington can’t continue to “color outside the lines” by rejecting pipelines for political reasons, as they have both done (see EPA Issues Proposed New Rule for Section 401 Water Permits). Yesterday the EPA released the final version of the new rule.
Read More “EPA Issues Final Rule to Prevent States from Blocking Pipelines”
Feedgas, which is the gas that flows to LNG export facilities, hit the lowest levels it has seen since last October according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. As we pointed out two weeks ago, natural gas prices are staying low because worldwide demand and prices for LNG is currently low (see Why Does NatGas Price Stay So Low with Falling Production?). Low prices will continue for the foreseeable future, with some 20 U.S. LNG export cargoes for June now canceled and another 45 for July rumored to be canceled.
Read More “May NatGas Deliveries to US LNG Plants Lowest Since Last October”
New York City and Long Island are starved for new sources of natural gas. Utility giant National Grid supplies all of Long Island with gas, including NYC’s Brooklyn and Queens. National Grid’s best option to supply growing customer demand was a new pipeline. That option is now closed, thanks to Andrew Cuomo (see Cuomo Rejects NESE Pipe Again, Williams Walks Away). National Grid has two options left to get the gas it needs–yet a group of truly insane nutters held a virtual protest meeting last Thursday to object to *any* new supplies of natural gas coming to NYC and LI. They prefer…what? To run out?
Read More “NYC Green Wackadoodles Meet Online to Oppose New NatGas Supplies”
New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG) has been saying, for years, that unless that state wants to run out of natural gas, it needs to allow a couple of new pipelines to bring new sources into the state. NJNG is promoting two pipeline projects–the Southern Reliability Link project and the PennEast Pipeline. Southern Reliability is currently under construction while PennEast is mired in a court battle. Now it seems the state is finally waking up to the fact they will run out of gas in the next 10 years if they don’t do something. So they’ve launched a study to see whether or not they can block the pipeline projects.
Read More “NJ Launches Study of NatGas Supplies Needed for Next 10 Years”
Braskem America, the largest petrochemical company in Latin America (headquartered in Brazil), at one time wanted to build an ethane cracker plant near Parkersburg, WV. They gave up on that plan last July (see Braskem Gives Up on WV Cracker – Parkersburg Site for Sale). Braskem has major petrochemical operations in the U.S. The company has just announced it will build a new petrochemical global export hub in Charleston, S.C. The hub will export polypropylene. Some of the exports will come from Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Read More “Braskem America Building New Petchem Export Hub in Charleston, SC”
The mighty Mariner East 2X (ME2X) pipeline project gets closer and closer to 100% completion, despite the efforts of anti-fossil fuelers to hassle and block the project. In a bit of news ignored by mainstream media, another 13-mile stretch of ME2X in southeastern PA between Chester and Delaware counties went online late last week.
Read More “Mariner East 2 Starts Up 13 Miles of Pipe in Southeast PA”
Range Resources has launched a second ambient air monitoring test program in Washington County, PA. You may recall the results of a previous two-year study Range commissioned near a high school and elementary school campus in Washington County (see Study Shows No Health Impacts from Marcellus Drilling Near School).
Read More “Range Resources Begins New Air Monitoring Test at SWPA Well Site”
MDN recently told you that EQT, the largest natural gas producer in the country, has shut-in roughly one-third of its regular natural gas production through the end of June (see EQT Shuts in 33% of NatGas Production in Pennsylvania, Ohio). Cabot Oil & Gas, another large producer, said during its Q1 update it would shut-in some of its production in 2020 too (see Cabot 1Q20: Production Up 4%, Free Cash Flow, Curtailing Wells). These cutbacks along with cutbacks by other M-U drillers have had an “immediate” impact on production in the Marcellus/Utica. But the impact is not the same throughout the entire region.
Read More “Production Cutbacks Take Hold in Marc/Utica…but Not All Areas”
In a transparent effort to buy local politicians and their votes against fracking, pipelines and for high carbon taxes, a California-based group linked to billionaire Tom Steyer has dumped almost $200,000 of “dark money” into Pennsylvania elections in the Delaware Valley (southeastern PA). Steyer is also attempting to buy candidates in Virginia, Nevada, Michigan, North Carolina and Oregon. In Chester County, Steyer is buying races for three radical Democrats in the upcoming primary…
Read More “Steyer Big Green Group Dumps $200K of Dark Money in SEPA Elections”
On May 12, over the objections of anti-fossil fuel nutters, the Virginia State Corporation Commission held a virtual hearing on Virginia Natural Gas’ (VNG) Header Improvement Project–a project to build 24 miles of new pipeline and two new compressor stations (expanding a third compressor), connecting to the mighty Transco pipeline system to flow Marcellus/Utica gas to the northeast Va. region (see Va. Turns Down Anti Request to Delay Hearing on VNG Pipe Project). Even though the hearing got held, the Corporation Commission has been pressured by antis to hold a second hearing–on June 8.
Read More “Yet Another (Virtual) Hearing on Northeast Va. Pipeline Project”
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (i.e. Cirus), located in California, has struck again. We previously told you about an Obamadroid judge in Montana who illegally blocked the use of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nationwide Permit 12 for oil and natural gas pipelines (see Obama Judge Blocks New Pipe Projects that Use NP12 Permit). The judge’s ruling was appealed to the clowns at the Ninth Circus and they have refused to overturn the Montana judge’s bad ruling.
Read More “9th Circus Upholds Obama Judge’s Block of Nationwide Pipe Permits”
On Wednesday the Pennsylvania Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case challenging whether or not the state Attorney General’s office has the right to use a consumer protection law to prosecute companies like Chesapeake Energy and Anadarko over royalty payment shenanigans. The law the AG’s office wants to use has never been used that way before. According to legal experts, drillers are very concerned if the AG’s office wins this one, as we reported last November (see Chesapeake Royalty Lawsuit at PA Supreme Court – Can of Worms?).
Read More “PA Supremes Hear Oral Arguments in Can of Worms Royalty Lawsuit”
For the past month and a half, MDN has brought you rig count data from Enverus (formerly Drillinginfo) each Friday. Last Friday we reported the count had hit a new modern-day low, but that the Marcellus had gained back one of the seven rigs lost over a previous three week period (see Enverus: Drop in Rig Count Slows Again, Marcellus Picks Up 1 Rig). Today’s update shows rigs hitting another new modern-day low, with the Marcellus giving up the rig it gained last week. How much lower can the rig count go?
Read More “Rig Count Drop Accelerates Again, 24 Gone Including 1 Marcellus”
A new so-called “study” published in the journal Science of The Total Environment claims it has uncovered a link between fracking chemicals in farm water and a rare birth defect in horses. The researchers say this study “could” serve as a warning about fracking and human infant health. Is this it? Were we wrong for the past 11 years about the safety of fracking? Is this THE END?
Read More “So-Called “Study” Links PA Fracking to Birth Defect in Horses”