Onerous New Regs for PA Liquids Pipes, Landmen Go Live in November
In 2019, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) began formulating new regulations for intrastate pipelines transporting gasoline, petroleum, crude oil, and natural gas liquids like ethane. In July 2021, the PUC finally published a draft of new regulations (see PA PUC Proposes New Regs for Pipelines—Landmen Must be Licensed). The onerous regulations landed with a thud. The DEP and antis loved them; the oil and gas industry hated them. After another two years of tinkering, the PUC’s regs, all 314 pages of them, were approved in June and are about to be adopted as the equivalent of law in the Keystone State when they are published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin this month. They will become the equivalent of law (go into effect) in November. Read More “Onerous New Regs for PA Liquids Pipes, Landmen Go Live in November”
Iroquois Gas Transmission’s Enhancement by Compression (ExC) project would increase horsepower at three compression stations — two in New York and one in Connecticut — by an extra 125 MMcf/d, to flow more Marcellus/Utica gas into New York City and New England. The two NY compressors include one in Dover and one in Athens. The CT compressor is located in Brookfield. The left, via the odious Food & Water Watch, has made a concerted effort to block the two NY compressor station upgrades (see 
In March of this year, MDN brought the news that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) had approved an Enbridge project to update its East Tennessee Natural Gas (ETNG) pipeline system (see 
The CEO of midstream giant Williams, Alan Armstrong, spoke at the Barclays CEO Energy-Power Conference yesterday. He gave conference attendees an update on the many (many!) projects Williams has recently completed, is currently completing, and is likely to complete in the future. The company is on track, said Armstrong, to add 12 new pipeline projects representing about 4.2 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of capacity from 2024-2027. Looking further out, the company said it has about 30 projects under development, representing about 11.5 Bcf/d of capacity from 2028-2032. That’s a staggering 15.7 Bcf/d of new capacity coming online from this one company. How much of it is in the Marcellus/Utica? 
The State of Maine has a completely unrealistic climate goal of using 80% renewable energy generation by 2030. It 100% won’t happen. But state officials continue to fart around pretending they will hit that goal. Meanwhile, back in the real world, natural gas remains THE key energy source for the state, generating more than half of New England’s (and Maine’s) power. Three interstate pipelines flow natural gas molecules to the state: Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline, Algonquin Gas Transmission, and Granite State Gas Transmission. All three are requesting a rate increase. Two of the three, Maritimes and Algonquin, are owned by Enbridge and have requested a rate increase of 30-50%. Ouch. 
On May 1, a section of the 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) ruptured during final pressure testing in Roanoke County, Virginia (see 
Earlier this month
In February, MDN told you about Dominion Energy’s filing to build a new 45-mile pipeline to connect Equitrans’ (now EQT’s) MVP Southgate pipeline project with Duke Energy’s planned new natural gas power plants on Hyco Lake’s southern shore (see 
We bet you never thought that old idiom about pigs flying was true. In this case, it is! Range Resources operates a temporary above-ground water pipeline in Mount Pleasant Township (Washington County), PA. The pipeline (essentially a giant water hose) flows Ohio River water to Range’s fracking sites. Range sent a PIG (pipeline inspection gauge) down the pipeline, and it got caught. The water pressure built up and exploded the pipe, sending the PIG flying through the air. Yes, Virginia, pigs can fly! OK, OK. After we got done laughing out loud about a flying pig, we settled down to read and better understand the situation. The pipeline explosion resulted in damage to a local farmer’s property, which was no laughing matter for the farmer.
Last week, MDN brought you an article from RBN Energy detailing how more electricity and natural gas will soon be needed in Virginia and the Carolinas for a plethora of new projects in the works (see 
The United States has 13 courts of appeals, also known as U.S. Courts of Appeals, that sit below the U.S. Supreme Court. These courts are organized into 12 regional circuits, each with a court of appeals, that cover the 94 federal judicial districts. One of the 13 courts — for the District of Columbia — has jurisdiction over cases involving federal agencies, including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The judges of the D.C. Circuit have recently delivered a flurry of decisions that appear contradictory concerning (overturning) FERC actions.
A lawsuit being heard this summer is designed to hold Big Green groups responsible for their actions. Energy Transfer (ET), the owner and operator of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAP), is suing Greenpeace and other alleged instigators for $300 million for the damages sustained by the company as a result of violent protests incited by the groups in North Dakota in 2016. Big Green is scared.
We spotted a press release about pipeline repair company operating in the Marcellus/Utica, located in Ohio, Precision Pipeline Services, buying out a pipeline repair company based in Pennsylvania, Allegheny Contracting. We checked, and we’ve never written about either company. We always get a thrill when uncovering new companies involved in the M-U we didn’t know about. Both companies are privately-held, and the financial particulars of the deal were not disclosed.
With all of the hoopla at yesterday’s ribbon cutting in Morgantown, WV, for the new Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2) headquarters, we thought it appropriate to share a couple of studies analyzing whether and how existing natural gas infrastructure (pipelines) and appliances (furnaces and stoves) can use the hydrogen that will get produced by ARCH2. Three weeks ago, we noticed a study published by U.K. utility company National Gas that announced results from an experiment it had conducted that showed its pipeline system could be converted to flow 100% pure hydrogen, which was a shocker for us. Then, last week, a U.S. study was published, largely led by members of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), that reports the opposite — using existing natgas pipelines to flow 100% pure hydrogen is “mostly unusable” and won’t work. Which study is right? Because they both can’t be right.
Recently, we’ve told you about the coming demand for natural gas to generate electricity that data centers and artificial intelligence will need (see 
In May 2023, the Dept. of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued a proposed new rule that would slap onerous and very expensive new requirements on pretty much all natural gas pipelines in the country, including 2.7 million miles of gas transmission, distribution, and gathering pipelines; 400+ underground natural gas storage facilities; and 165 liquefied natural gas facilities (see