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Baker Hughes Nov US Rig Count Up by 36; M-U Count Up 4
The worldwide Baker Hughes rig count was up by 5 in November, from 920 in October to 925 in November. That reverses a brief slide back in October when rigs worldwide slide back by 14. However, the rig count in the U.S. went up for the fifth month in a row. The average U.S. rig count for November was 580, up 36 from the 544 counted in October. That’s a two month increase of 71! The Marcellus/Utica rig count was up for the fourth month running. In November the M/U rig count went up by 4 (second month in a row it’s gone up 4) with 2 additions in PA (now 27 rigs) and 2 in OH (now 16 rigs). WV stayed even running with an average of 10 rigs…
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The Northeast Gas Association (NGA) is a regional trade association that focuses on education and training, technology research and development, operations, planning, and increasing public awareness of natural gas in the Northeast U.S. NGA represents natural gas distribution companies, transmission companies, liquefied natural gas importers, and associate member companies. These companies provide natural gas to over 10 million customers in nine states. The NGA has just released a 96-page report called the 2016 Statistical Guide (full copy below)–a sort of “year in review” for the gas industry in the northeast. If you could boil it all down, the word that appears prominently throughout is “delay” with respect to important natgas pipeline projects. From the Constitution, which should have already been built by now, to smaller projects, delays were the prominent trend for 2016…
Once a month our favorite government agency, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), issues a Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO). The EIA issued their latest edition on Tuesday. We have a full copy below. We’ve grabbed out the section on natural gas because it includes a couple of key points: (1) EIA predicts that natural gas production in the U.S. for 2016 will see a healthy decline over 2015 levels–1.3 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) less in 2016. That’s the first annual production decline since 2005! (2) The EIA predicts the average price for natural gas at the benchmark Henry Hub will climb from $2.49/Mcf (thousand cubic feet) in 2016 to a whopping $3.27/Mcf in 2017. Why the jump? Growing domestic natural gas consumption, along with higher pipeline exports to Mexico and liquefied natural gas exports. Here’s the natgas section of the STEO, along with a copy of the full report…
We’re always leery when we read about scientists doing data mining instead of real in-the-field research. So our radar was on alert when we read about the latest data mining project now under way at Penn State. Using a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation, a cross-disciplinary team of Penn State computer scientists and geoscientists will study methane concentrations in the Pennsylvania’s streams, rivers and private water wells. They will look to see if wells and streams and rivers close to fracked Marcellus Shale wells have higher concentrations of methane than those not close to shale wells. In other words, does fracking cause methane to migrate into nearby water sources? That’s what they’re trying to prove, or disprove. The problem, from our perspective, is whether or not the data being analyzed contains readings of methane levels present in those wells, streams and rivers BEFORE any kind of shale drilling happened. If you don’t have the before and after, the data is useless. Drillers have discovered where the best locations are to drill–so that’s where they drill. (Brilliant, we know.) So it stands to reason naturally occurring methane already exists in those locations. Just because a nearby well or stream has higher levels of methane does not prove a shale well caused it. The methane may have already existed in the same quantities long before any shale drilling. You see the problem? At any rate, here’s the lowdown on another million dollar research project to give the Marcellus yet another anal exam…
With the election of Donald Trump, climate change radicals became unhinged. They’ve always been liars–predicting the end of Mom earth “in the next 10-15 years” for the past 40 years or so. Their predictions never come true. First it was global cooling–we’re all going to freeze. Now it’s global warming–we’re all going to toast. And of course it’s always mankind’s fault. If you deign to disagree and ask them for objective, science-based (not theoretical model-based) evidence, they call you “climate denier” and run around to gather up kindling to burn you at the stake. Their rabid and irrational beliefs are now leading to violence–witness the “protests” in North Dakota over a simple pipeline. Enough is enough. Robert Bradley Jr., founder and CEO of the Institute for Energy Research, recently published a great column on the Forbes website in which he skewers climate change radicals, calling them out for their outrageous accusations and their (un)civil disobedience. Give it a read–we promise it’s worth the time…
Since he assumed office in 2013, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale has had a chip on his shoulder when it comes to the Marcellus Shale (see 
Calling all vendors (i.e. supply chain companies) and workers who want a piece of the action in building the Dominion’s $5 billion, 594-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline–a natural gas pipeline that will stretch from West Virginia through Virginia and into North Carolina. Dominion is currently holding in-person “construction expos,” as well as hosting an online form for those where those with an interest in selling to or working for the project can register that interest. Yesterday Dominion held a construction expo in Bridgeport, WV. Today they’re holding one in Elkins, WV. And over the next week or so they will hold more construction expos–across Virginia and even in North Carolina. Dominion is looking for suppliers for things like gravel and concrete, vehicles, construction supplies, welding and more. Here’s the low-down on how you can sign up to help build the Atlantic Coast Pipeline…
On Monday MDN reported that the future site for an ethane cracker in Belmont County, OH is now cleared and ready for construction to begin (see 
All seven members of the Bowling Green City Council (Wood County) unwisely voted to reject an offer from Spectra Energy’s NEXUS Pipeline to lease 4 acres of city-owned land for the pipeline. Why unwise? Because the project is close to receiving its final federal approval, which will give it the right to use eminent domain to use the land anyway (see 
In June Talen Energy announced that one of its coal-burning electric generating plants, located in Montour County, PA, will get an upgrade to burn natural gas in addition to burning coal (see 
Contrary to the assurances of charlatans like Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey who tells us new natural gas pipelines are not needed, New England is once again looking down the throat of potential electricity shortages this winter–if we have another winter like that of 2013/2014. ISO New England Inc. (ISONE), the electrical grid operator in the region, issued a statement last week to say they are implementing a 2016-17 Winter Reliability Program to guard against potential electricity shortages because there’s not enough natural gas in the region to power electric plants if much of that gas is also heating homes and businesses on cold days. According to ISONE, “Electricity supplies should [not a reassuring word] be sufficient to meet consumer demand for electricity in New England this winter.” They then go on to say, “but constraints on the region’s natural gas pipelines could pose a challenge to reliable operations.” In other words, if it gets really cold and snowy, we’re screwed. So, to fend off that screwing, ISONE has devised a program to load up on oil, of all things, and LNG, to help produce electricity if natgas runs short. Don’t say we haven’t repeatedly warned New England that without new pipelines they will not only continue to pay 4x what everyone else pays for electricity, at some point there just won’t be enough fuel sources to produce electricity and sooner or later New England will have brownouts and/or rolling blackouts–because THEY’RE FOOLS and continue to reject safe, reliable natural gas pipelines…
And so it begins. So-called “reporters” who are either too stupid or too lazy to examine important issues closely, like the issue of paid, out-of-state protesters who descended on Standing Rock, ND and have engaged in multiple lawless acts, are now beginning to hold up Standing Rock as the model for how to defeat important oil and gas infrastructure projects in the Marcellus/Utica region. The editorial writer(s) at the Delaware County Daily Times has deigned to compare Standing Rock and the temporary block on completing it by the politicized Obama Administration to the Mariner East 2 NGL pipeline slated to be built across Pennsylvania. The writer(s) express their hope to see the lawless criminals from Standing Rock to “pop up here if and when construction on Mariner East 2 begins.” You see why the newspaper industry in this country is crashing and burning? Because of such blatant bias and misstatements of fact (i.e. lies)…