FERC Greenlights Construction of Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline
Bad news for the Sisters of the Corn and the radicals at Lancaster Against Pipelines. On Friday the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) granted Williams permission to begin construction on Atlantic Sunrise, a $3 billion, 198-mile pipeline project running through 10 Pennsylvania counties to connect Marcellus Shale natural gas from northeastern PA with the Williams’ Transco pipeline in southern Lancaster County. Last week the Sierra Club and a mish mash of other nutball groups begged FERC to delay issuing an order that Williams can commence with construction, claiming FERC’s delay in considering a rehearing delayed a lawsuit and the lawsuit hasn’t had enough time to work it’s way through the court system (see Big Green Begs FERC to Delay Construction of Atlantic Sunrise Pipe). As was expected, Big Green’s begging and pleading fell on deaf ears. Williams previously said they plan to begin construction on Sept. 20th–this Wednesday. Ladies and gentleman, start your (backhoe) engines! Sisters of the Corn (see Lancaster Sisters of the Corn Lose Bid to Stop Atlantic Coast Pipe), you may want to pick up your wooden park benches and the flower trestle–what you call a “chapel”–in the middle of your corn field. Here comes the Atlantic Sunrise!…
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TransCanada, one of Canada’s leading midstream/pipeline companies, cooked up a deal last year to pipe natural gas from Canada’s West Coast to the East Coast in order to fend off cheap supplies of Marcellus/Utica gas that will flow into Canada when/if the NEXUS and Rover pipelines get built (see 
As MDN told you two weeks ago, radicals from the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) said they would stage “massive” protests at several Virginia Department of Environmental Quality offices last week to protest against two Marcellus/Utica pipeline projects: the $5 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline and $3.5 billion Mountain Valley Pipeline. Both projects have large segments crossing Virginia (see 
Last week the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued the final permit needed by Williams to begin construction on Atlantic Sunrise, a $3 billion, 198-mile pipeline project running through 10 Pennsylvania counties to connect Marcellus Shale natural gas from northeastern PA with the Williams’ Transco pipeline in southern Lancaster County (see 
It is a story we see happening more and more frequently–local distribution companies (LDCs, your local gas & electric company) are adding new customers in places previously not served by natural gas lines–because of the presence of the abundant, cheap, and clean-burning Marcellus Shale. The latest such story we noticed of this type comes from the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area. If you ever whiz through Scranton, and then Wilkes-Barre, motoring down Interstate 81 (as we’ve done hundreds of times over the years), one of the townships you pass through without knowing it is Dupont (in Luzerne County)–quite close to the regional airport in Avoca, not far from Montage Mountain ski resort, and a whisker away from Moosic. Utility giant UGI has begun a program to install natural gas pipelines to 123 homes in Dupont, to provide Marcellus Shale gas to those homes…
Earlier this year a poll of Virginians found 62% of them support building the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) project in the state (see 
West Virginia Dept. of Environmental Protection’s (WVDEP) capricious decision to yank a permit it previously granted for the Mountain Valley Pipeline is “the last straw” according to the legal beagles at the Blank Rome law firm. Last week WVDEP, under pressure in a lawsuit brought by the radical Sierra Club, decided to revoke a previously granted water crossing permit (see 
Will fracking come to New Jersey? We asked that question back in 2013 (see 
We spotted an article that says clergy and lay people from the United Church of Christ in Robeson County, North Carolina will hold a prayer vigil today. A liberal pastor has decided to show up at the state Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to pray against approval for Dominion’s $5 billion, 594-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP)–a natural gas pipeline that will stretch from West Virginia through Virginia and into North Carolina. The DEQ is scheduled to announce a decision about granting the project a necessary permit, at a meeting on Sept. 19th. Which got us to thinking. Perhaps we should pray for the pastor and lay people who will show up to pray today. Here’s our prayer…
Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline is primed and ready to begin construction after receiving its very last required permit from Pennsylvania–an Air Quality Plan Approval for air emissions related to construction activities in Lancaster County. The PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued the Air Quality permit last Friday. You may recall Atlantic Sunrise, a $3 billion, 198-mile pipeline project running through 10 Pennsylvania counties to connect Marcellus Shale natural gas from northeastern PA with the Williams’ Transco pipeline in southern Lancaster County, received water crossing permits from the DEP and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers a few weeks ago (see 
Looking for a good job in the Marcellus/Utica industry? You may want to consider a job working at a compressor station. You know, those big facilities that sit every 30-40 miles along pipelines to keep the gas flowing through them? According to an article in COMPRESSORtech2 magazine (yes, there’s a magazine devoted to it!), “Indications are that the gas industry is recovering from the latest slump and can expect slow, steady growth in the next 10 years.” There are several college-level programs in the Marcellus/Utica region that train workers for compressor stations. We have the list below, just in case you’re looking for a rewarding career, or career change…
Jefferson County, WV has been working for the last 30 years to get natural gas piped into the community. Jefferson is on the cusp of seeing that long-time dream turn into reality–if anti fossil-fuelers in Maryland don’t screw it all up. In April, MDN brought you the news that Columbia Pipeline (now owned by TransCanada) has filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to build a 3.5 mile, 8-inch pipeline that will carry natural gas from Pennsylvania to connect the Mountaineer Gas system in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia with the Columbia Gas Pipeline in Pennsylvania (see 
The New York-based Manhattan Institute, a non-profit think tank with a mission “to develop and disseminate new ideas that foster greater economic choice and individual responsibility” recently released a new report titled, “The Energy Bottleneck: Why America Needs More Pipelines” (full copy embedded below). The 16-page report says that while America is enjoying an energy renaissance thanks to fracking, there is a growing energy bottleneck that is forcing oil and gas companies to turn increasingly to more “accident-prone and more expensive shipping alternatives, such as trucks, railroads, and tankers.” The report says to maximize the benefits of America’s energy renaissance, the Trump administration, Congress, and federal and state regulators should “prioritize expanding and upgrading the country’s inadequate pipeline infrastructure.” We agree! Here’s the latest from the MI calling for more pipelines…
In March, the West Virginia Dept. of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) issued a federal water crossing permit for the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP)–a $3.5 billion, 301-mile pipeline that will run from Wetzel County, WV to the Transco Pipeline in Pittsylvania County, VA (see