A high school student reporter recently turned in an excellent segment for PBS’ News Hour Weekend program about the job opportunities for young people working on pipelines in West Virginia. Among the bits this intrepid young reporter unearthed is something we told you about years ago: Some pipeline welders make salaries of $1,000+ PER DAY! Not a typo.
Read More “Pipeline Jobs Keep Young People in West Virginia”
Last September MDN reported that Southwestern Energy was the very first driller to earn the label of producing “responsible gas” from the Independent Energy Standards Corporation (IES)–what they call their TrustWell™ Responsible Gas Program certification (see Southwestern Sells 1st Certified “Responsible Gas” to NJ Resources). Southwestern is considering expanding the designation to more of their operations. Meanwhile, a driller in the Rockies is the second company to earn the designation.
Read More ““Responsible Gas” Certification Expands, Gains Another Driller”
Last August the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a decision overruling the New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to allow National Fuel Gas Company’s Northern Access Pipeline project to proceed (see Big News: FERC Overrules NY DEC to Approve Northern Access Pipe). The DEC subsequently asked FERC to reconsider the decision. FERC did, and ruled on Tuesday that they were right the first time–the DEC forfeited the right to issue permits for the project by taking too long.
Read More “FERC Overrules NY DEC on Northern Access Pipeline Rehearing”
In addition to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) slapping down the New York DEC this week (see our lead story), on Wednesday the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals slapped down both New York and North Carolina regulators who tried to block three important Williams pipeline projects, all related to the mighty Transco Pipeline.
Read More “DC Circuit Court Slaps Down NY, NC Request to Block 3 Pipelines”
Last November the Pennsylvania Supreme Court agreed to hear a case, Briggs v. Southwestern Energy, that is hands-down the most important court case to ever happen regarding the Marcellus Shale in PA. And no, we’re not exaggerating. A blizzard of briefs by Southwestern and those supporting Southwestern were filed in February (see “Rule of Capture” Briefs Filed w/PA Supreme Court in Briggs Case). On Wednesday, it was the Briggs’ turn to file a brief, one in which they ask the Supremes to stop application of the 150 year-old “rule of capture” in PA when it comes to shale wells.
Read More “Landowner Asks PA Supremes to Throw Out 150-Yr-Old Rule of Capture”
One liberal Philadelphia-area Republican and two Philly Democrats (considered a “bipartisan” group) have just introduced a package of seven bills in the Pennsylvania House supposedly meant to “further regulate pipeline companies and provide greater oversight authority to state agencies.” Sounds so reasonable, doesn’t it? In reality the bills are aimed at shutting down new pipeline projects in the state. Why does it take seven bills? They’re flinging whatever crapola they can against the wall, hoping at least one or two bills will stick.
Read More “Philly RINO Throws a Bunch of Pipeline Bills Against the Wall”
The Canadian Maritimes, a region along the coast of Eastern Canada including three provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, is in a pickle with respect to natural gas. In January, offshore supplies of natural gas which had fed the Maritimes for decades closed down, which means the region must now get more gas from either Western Canada, or the Marcellus/Utica.
Read More “Plans to Get More Gas to New England & Canadian Maritimes”
Did you know that at least $70 billion has been spent in Ohio on drilling and pipelines and other infrastructure to support the Utica Shale industry since 2011? No, we didn’t either. That is an astounding number! How about this number: Ad valorem (i.e. property) taxes paid by the shale industry from 2010 through 2018 have totaled ~$132 million. That’s money that goes to fund local schools and towns. Amazing!
Read More “Utica Shale Industry has (So Far) Invested $70B in Ohio”
The Cuomo-corrupted New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is spitting and sputtering, “warning” the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that if they (FERC) decide to rule that NY took too long to approve the Williams Constitution Pipeline and now gives the project a go-ahead, the DEC intends to rain down all sorts of legal hell on the agency. Which tells us one thing: the DEC is VERY nervous that their power to block pipeline projects is about to be neutered.
Read More “NY DEC Nervous that FERC Will Overturn Constitution Pipe Ruling”
The Mariner East 1 pipeline sprung a small leak and spilled 20 barrels (~840 gallons) of ethane and propane in Berks County, near Philadelphia, on April 1, 2017 (see Mariner East 1 Sprang a Small NGL Leak Near Philly, on Apr 1). Sunoco Logistics Partners (i.e. Energy Transfer), builder and maintainer of the pipeline, shut it down and fixed it over the next several days. It took the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC), which oversees regulation of the pipeline, a year and a half to investigate.
Read More “Sunoco, DEP Settle on $200K Fine for ME1 Pipe Leak in 2017”
A 30-inch segment of Enbridge’s Texas Eastern Transmission Company (Tetco) interstate natural gas pipeline exploded in January, sending two people to the hospital and destroying two nearby homes when fires from the blast spread (see Texas Eastern Pipeline Explodes in Noble County, OH – Injuries). The pipeline is now, after 10 weeks, fully back online and flowing at 100% capacity. We have an update on how the outage affected flows in the region, and the likely cause for the explosion.
Read More “Exploded Tetco Pipe in Ohio Back Online – 10 Weeks Later”
We spotted a story about landowners in the Philadelphia suburbs who currently have to live with construction of the Mariner East 2 pipelines (plural, there are two of them, ME2 and ME2X), literally happening in their back yards. While we are strong supporters of the ME2 project, we are not unsympathetic to landowners and the hassles they have to endure while it’s being built.
Read More “Living with ME2 Pipeline Construction in Your Back Yard”
We about fell out of our chair when we read an editorial appearing in the far-left Providence (Rhode Island) Journal. We call Rhode Island the “People’s Republic of Rhode Island” because it’s about as far left as North Korea or China. Most folks in the state irrationally hate all fossil fuels and believe renewables will save them from man-made global warming. At least, that was our impression. We were shocked to read an editorial in yesterday’s Journal that makes a strong case for, pleads for, new natural gas pipelines to get built in New England.
Read More “Rhode Island Lefties Proclaim They Want More Gas Pipes”
A notable development in a lawsuit that before now, we were unaware of. Several landowners in Venango County (northwest PA) filed a lawsuit against Shell’s SWEPI drilling subsidiary in 2013 claiming SWEPI had stiffed them out of lease bonus payments due under duly signed lease contracts. The landowners attempted to turn the lawsuit into a class action, claiming the same thing had happened for about 300 leases in the area. A federal judge has just ruled against converting the lawsuit into a class action.
Read More “Fed Judge Reverses Class Action in PA Landowner Lawsuit v. Shell”
A second lawsuit we’re reporting on today that had previously slipped by our usually good radar. A former Cabot Oil & Gas employee filed a lawsuit in October 2017 alleging that he and a number of other “employees” had been stiffed out of overtime payments by Cabot–that Cabot had treated them as independent contractors rather than as employees. The lawsuit was granted class certification.
Read More “Cabot Settles Overtime Work Lawsuit by 80 PA Workers for $3.56M”
One of the arguments often heard from those who oppose natural gas pipelines is that “nobody” benefits from the pipeline except the sleazy Big Corporation that builds and profits from it. A single pipeline running through Ohio and Michigan puts that lie to rest. Rover Pipeline, built and operated by Energy Transfer, paid out some $73 million in local property taxes in 2018 when the pipeline first began operation. For 2019, with the full pipeline operating at 100% capacity for the entire year, Rover says they will pay out ~$180 million in property taxes! Taxes that fund schools, roads, first responders and other worthy causes.
Read More “Rover Pipe Paid $73M in Property Taxes Last Year, $180M This Year”