Pipelines

Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | NEXUS Pipeline | Pipelines | Regulation | Spectra Energy

Canada Approves Marc/Utica NEXUS Pipeline to Dawn Hub in Ontario
December 21, 2015December 21, 2015

Everybody always talks about the Henry Hub, which is the natural gas delivery point where more physical natural gas is bought and sold than any other single location in North America. However, do you know what the second largest physically traded gas hub in North America is? We just learned this interesting factoid ourselves. The #2 location for trading natural gas, after the Henry Hub, is the Dawn Hub in southwestern Ontario (Canada)–not far from the border of Michigan. The Dawn Hub is in the news because of the NEXUS Gas Transmission pipeline project. Last week the Ontario Energy Board approved applications from Union Gas Limited and Enbridge Gas Distribution to move gas along the NEXUS, once its built, to the Dawn Hub. In other words, Canada has just approved the Canadian portion of the NEXUS project. We’re glad Canada isn’t holding grudges against the U.S after the Obama Administration obtusely rejected the Keystone XL pipeline project, a Canadian pipeline coming through the U.S. Here’s the good news from Spectra Energy on Canada’s approval of NEXUS…
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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Sunoco Logistics | Washington County

Judge Rules Yes, Mariner East Pipe IS a Public Utility After All
December 21, 2015December 21, 2015

In June we told you that Sunoco Logistics Partners had sued two different families/landowners in Washington County, PA using eminent domain to complete a pipeline part of the Mariner East project (see Mariner East Invokes Eminent Domain Against 2 SWPA Landowners). As we said at the time, nobody wins when it comes to using eminent domain for pipelines. In the case of the Mariner East pipeline, the ongoing legal question/issue has been whether or not the pipeline qualifies as a public utility with the right to invoke eminent domain. Last week a Washington County judge ruled that yes, Mariner East is a public utility and that the state of Pennsylvania controls permitting for the pipeline, not the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The Washington County landowners who sued have lost their appeal of the eminent domain case against Sunoco, and the pipeline will now cut through their property…
Read More “Judge Rules Yes, Mariner East Pipe IS a Public Utility After All”
Chenango County | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | New York | Pipelines | Regulation | Statewide NY | Williams

NY Econ Dev Grant Signals Constitution Pipeline Approval Imminent
December 17, 2015December 17, 2015

Some very good news for supporters of the long-overdue Constitution Pipeline slated to run from Susquehanna County, PA to Schoharie County, NY. So far, New York has delayed granting stream-crossing permits for the project. We’ve advocated that it’s time for Williams and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to take NY to court (see Time to Force NY DEC to Issue Permit for Constitution Pipeline). In fact, a Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) official has said the DEC is in danger of permanently losing control over issuing such permits if they don’t approve the Constitution’s request (see DEC Official Says NY in Danger of FERC Taking Over Pipeline Permits). The good news is that NY has approved funding for a project that will build a $1.5 million, 18-mile feeder pipeline from the Constitution Pipeline to a forklift manufacturing plant in Chenango County. After banning fracking and the multi-billion dollar economic bonanza it would have brought to upstate NY, Andrew Cuomo has stolen $2 billion from taxpayers statewide to fund “economic development” via something called Upstate Revitalization Initiative grants. There are four grants of $500 million. One of those grants was just made to the Southern Tier area, where fracking would have been the strongest had it been allowed. In other words, this is a bribe being paid to upstate voters. But we digress. Tucked into the $500 million “grant” (i.e. bribe) for the Southern Tier is $1.5 million to build a feeder pipeline from the Constitution Pipeline to Raymond Corporation in Greene, NY. Why approve $1.5 million for a feeder pipeline if you’re not going to approve the Constitution Pipeline itself? You wouldn’t–ergo the Constitution is about to get approved…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Regulation | Statewide PA

The One Thing Everyone Agreed on at PA Pipeline Task Force Mtg
December 17, 2015December 17, 2015

Yesterday saw another in a series of meetings by the Pennsylvania Task Force on Pipeline Infrastructure Development–the penultimate meeting for the group of 48 members appointed by Gov. Tom Wolf and the PennFuture Dept. of Environmental Protection Secretary John Quigley. At the last meeting, in November, the group introduced a list of 184 “recommendations” in a 335-page document that would “guide” future gathering pipeline development in the state (see PA Gathering Pipeline Draft “Recommendations” from Wolf Task Force). At yesterday’s meeting the usual anti-fossil fuelers were present to complain, which is what they always do. Seems they’re only happy when they can make other people’s lives miserable–and they did their best to do just that at yesterday’s meeting. According to one report, there was one thing (amazingly) everyone agreed on yesterday…
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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Lebanon County | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Williams

Township in Lebanon County, PA Welcomes Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline
December 14, 2015December 14, 2015

One township in Lebanon County, PA hasn’t caved to the very loud (and very small in number) anti-pipeline ninny nannies–and that has them spinning and sputtering. South Annville Township supervisors decided last Wednesday night that they would NOT pass a resolution expressing opposition to Williams’ Atlantic Sunrise pipeline. Why not? Because (a) its a meaningless gesture–FERC won’t consider it in their decision-making, and (b) there are a lot of people in the town who WANT the pipeline. So kudos to the supervisors of South Annville Twp for doing the right thing…
Read More “Township in Lebanon County, PA Welcomes Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Kinder Morgan | Pipelines | Tennessee Gas Pipeline

Anti-Pipeline Loons March on Concord Today – Play the Bagpipes!
December 11, 2015December 10, 2015

Break out the bagpipes! It’s time to get blasted and stumble down the streets of Concord, New Hampshire to show your love of Mother Earth and that you object to that evil, vile Northeast Energy Direct (NED) pipeline that will bring carbon-reducing, clean-burning, fracked natural gas to the Granite State. Protesters will assemble at the corner of Storrs and Theatre Street in Concord at 10:00 am this morning, and then stumble along for a half-mile while (no lie) bagpipers and drummers play. The goal–if they make it that far–is the State House where a bunch of “dignitaries” will deliver hate speeches against natural gas and pipelines and Big Oil and Gas and Satan and Donald Trump and whatever else they feel like railing against. Should be a real fun time…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Regulation

FERC Confirms “Intervenors” Slowing Down Pipeline Approvals
December 11, 2015December 10, 2015

As we’ve previously warned, anti-fossil fuel kooks are being effective in slowing down new pipeline projects by using a sleazy strategy of individually filing as “intervenors” in pipeline applications. An intervenor is supposed to be someone with a legitimate interest in a project who wants to provide data, information, opinion–and also someone (typically a group) that should be kept informed each step of the way what is happening with a pipeline application. Intervenors are usually towns, utility companies, large businesses, etc. In a scam and abuse of the system, antis are attempting to get all of their crazy followers–including children–to register as intervenors (see Delaware Riverkeeper Scams FERC in Review of PennEast Pipeline and Coordinated Attack? MassPLAN Uses Riverkeeper Pipeline Delay Tactic). It overloads the FERC system and slows down the approval process. Want proof? It comes directly from the mouth of a sitting FERC commissioner, Tony Clark…
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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Kinder Morgan | New York | Pipelines | Regulation | Schoharie County | Tennessee Gas Pipeline

TGP Gets FERC Pushback on Need for 2 NED Compressor Stations in NY
December 11, 2015December 10, 2015

Kinder Morgan and their Tennessee Gas Pipeline (TGP) subsidiary have gotten some pushback from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) over their planned Northeast Energy Direct pipeline plans in Schoharie County, NY. Kinder’s plans call for two different portions of the NED project–the Supply Path portion that comes from the gas fields of northeastern Pennsylvania to Schoharie County, and the Market Path portion that goes from Schoharie County into Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and back into Mass. near Boston. The two different pipelines in Schoharie will use two different compressor stations under Kinder’s existing plan. FERC wants to know why they cant’ be combined into a single compressor station to reduce footprint. FERC is giving Kinder 20 days to respond…
Read More “TGP Gets FERC Pushback on Need for 2 NED Compressor Stations in NY”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines

Spoiled Rotten Kids Disrupt Paris Climate Conf over Fracked Gas
December 10, 2015December 10, 2015

The United Nations COP21 Climate Conference in Paris is attracting some of the craziest of the climate crazies. And they’re from the northeast, no less! A group of college kids–know-nothings–interrupted a panel discussion that included Vermont’s Democrat Governor Peter Shumlin because, they say, the guv is supporting a pipeline that will bring “fracked gas” to the state. We call them clinically insane. If they knew how many pipelines already exist beneath Vermont soil that flow natural gas, we expect they would have an aneurysm. During the panel two of the know-nothings stood up and unfurled a big banner that said Fracked Gas = Climate Change, complete with a kindergartenish drawing that depicts fractures reaching up into the water table (which doesn’t happen–ever). In our day and age of blaming your asinine actions on your parents, or your teachers, or even on cartoons–we’ll blame it on the cartoons. We expect these kids grew up watching Captain Planet on Saturday mornings and believed it hook, line and sinker. Here’s the story of spoiled rotten kids behaving like…spoiled rotten kids….
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Spectra Energy

FANG Protesters Strike RI Compressor Station Again, 8 Arrested
December 7, 2015December 7, 2015

Just like a bad case of gout that keeps returning, or perhaps more relevantly like a flareup of herpes, radical protesters keep using illegal actions to oppose the expansion of a compressor station in Rhode Island–Spectra Energy’s Burrillville, RI compressor station. They used illegal actions in August (see FANG Protesters Chain Themselves to RI Compressor Station Gate). They did it again in September (see FANG Protesters Strike RI Compressor Station Again, 3 Arrested). And they did it yet again this past weekend. This time eight protesters were arrested, including a nun who has forsaken her first love, Jesus, and replaced Him with worship of Mother Earth. The protesters illegally trespassed on Spectra’s property and were arrested and removed. Once again, the protest was organized by the threatening-sounding group that calls itself FANG (yes, that is their logo, not something we made up)…
Read More “FANG Protesters Strike RI Compressor Station Again, 8 Arrested”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | PennEast Pipeline | Pipelines | Regulation

PennEast: The Long, Careful, Deliberate Road to Pipeline Approval
December 4, 2015December 4, 2015

The latest theme/meme being pedaled by groups like THE Delaware Riverkeeper (Maya van Rossum) and other anti-fossil fuel groups is that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is just a big ole rubber stamp for Big Oil and Big Gas. FERC, they say, never met a pipeline project they didn’t approve. FERC is in the back pocket of the fossil fuel industry. Yada yada yada. Some of the crazier of the crazies took to attending open FERC meetings in Washington, DC and disrupting those meetings (see FERC Clears the Room at DC HQ After Riff Raff Start Mouthing Off). Once they were banned from attending, they began to illegally block entrance to the building (see 24 Anti-Drilling Protesters Arrested by Homeland Security in DC). FERC has been made a kindergartenish bogyman by those who oppose pipelines. To counter some of the nonsense pedaled by these groups (and their willing accomplices in the media), PennEast Pipeline recently published an article to set the record straight. FERC doesn’t simply rubber stamp a pipeline application like PennEast’s–a pipeline proposed to run from Wilkes-Barre, PA to Trenton, NJ. PennEast faces a “gauntlet of approvals”–including 11 federal, state and local agencies that must approve thousands of pages of plans, much of it stringent safety requirements. Approving a pipeline is an intense, detailed, and LONG process in which no stone is left unturned. There is no rubber stamp except in the childish minds of irrational anti-fossil fuelers…
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Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Research

Top 20 NatGas Pipelines in 2015 – Ranked by Traded Volume
December 3, 2015December 3, 2015

The amazing thing about this wonderful industry we’re in–the fossil fuel energy industry–is that you learn something new every day. Like there’s a service called the Capacity Center (CapacityCenter.com) that tracks flows of physical natural gas in every interstate pipeline in the U.S. Each year (for the eighth year running) the Capacity Center issues a report detailing the Top 20 Traders (buyers and sellers) of natural gas along those pipelines, and the Top 20 Pipelines by volume of natural gas flowing through the pipeline. We’re intrigued–particularly by the Top 20 pipelines, because a number of them operate in the Marcellus/Utica region. Below is the full Capacity Center Top 20 Capacity Traders & Top 20 Pipelines Report for 2015. If you’re like us, you’ll dig it too…
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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Kinder Morgan | Pipelines

Kinder Morgan Steps Up Marcellus/Utica Investment with NGPL Buyout
December 2, 2015December 2, 2015

On Monday the largest pipeline company in the United States, Kinder Morgan, and their partner Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, announced a deal to buy out a third partner in the Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America (NGPL). When the deal is done, both Kinder Morgan and Brookfield will each own 50% of NGPL, although Kinder is the pipeline operator. NGPL, in case you haven’t heard of it, is a huge interstate pipeline system located in the Midwest and southwest. (See a copy of Kinder Morgan’s pipeline systems map below. The dark green lines represent NGPL.) So why is the NGPL buyout in the Midwest/southwest a Marcellus/Utica story? Because NGPL is currently building an expansion in the Chicago area, appropriately called the Chicago Market Expansion Project. That expansion will carry gas coming into the NGPL pipeline where it intersects with the Rockies Express (REX) pipeline in in Moultrie County, Illinois northward into the Chicago area. REX recently reversed its flow and now carries Marcellus/Utica gas to Moultrie—meaning more Marcellus/Utica gas will be flowing to the Chicago area starting in 2016 when the Expansion Project is put into service (see 1.8 Bcf/d of Marcellus/Utica Gas Heads West on REX Starting Aug 1). A little over two months ago Kinder Morgan announced they would reverse the flow for part of NGPL and begin sending northeast gas south, to the Gulf Coast (see Marcellus/Utica Gas Heading to TX LNG Export Plant…in 2018), meaning gas arriving at Moultrie will not only go north, it eventually will go south too. So the NGPL purchase is very much about the Marcellus/Utica…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Commodity Price | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines

Shale Gas Faces Double Trouble: Low Prices & Pipeline Opposition
December 1, 2015December 1, 2015

According to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), the natural gas industry faces a double “new normal” that hobbles the industry: (1) low prices for natural gas for the foreseeable future, and (2) public opposition to pipeline expansion, especially in New England. Here’s what IEEFA’s executive director, Sandy Buchanan, says about this double threat to our beloved industry…
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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | NEXUS Pipeline | Ohio | Pipelines | Spectra Energy | Statewide OH

Jimmy Stewart Makes the Case for NEXUS Gas Pipeline in Ohio
December 1, 2015December 1, 2015

Jimmy Stewart, president OGA

Jimmy Stewart (no, not that one, another one!) is the former Majority Leader of the Ohio Senate. After his days in the Senate, Stewart joined the Ohio Gas Association as its President. Perhaps feeling the need to push back against the steady drumbeat of negativity coming from anti-frackers who also oppose pipelines in the Buckeye State, Stewart wrote a powerful guest column for the Cleveland Plain Dealer to make the case for major new natural gas pipelines in general, and to make the case for Spectra Energy’s NEXUS Gas Transmission pipeline in particular. Here is that powerful column…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide PA

Natural Gas is Killing City Trees! Tree Whisperer Tells All
November 30, 2015November 30, 2015

Here’s one more reason to dump evil, nasty, rotten fossil fuels–like natural gas. It kills trees. Yes, methane is a TREE KILLER. Who knew? In yet another laughable “all fossil fuels are evil” meme from the usual suspects at the Democrat house organ called StateImpact Pennsylvania, we get the latest anti-fossil fuel story about how methane leaks in cities are killing poor, defenseless trees that can’t stand up to that nasty bully, fugitive methane. Seems there’s a good business to be had being a tree whisperer…
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