Gathering Pipes Subject to Onerous PHMSA Regs Beginning May 16
Last year the Bidenistas initiated a massive power grab of transferring the right of individual states to regulate local natural gas gathering pipelines to the federal government, which is set to happen on May 16 of this year (see Massive Power Grab Proposed by Biden DOT: Regulate Gathering Lines). The oil and gas industry asked Biden to pause the power grab by 3-5 years. In April, the Bidenistas rejected that request, proving once again they are willing to stab natural gas in the back, rather than support it (see Biden Admin Attacks NatGas – Refuses to Pause Gathering Pipe Regs).
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From the beginning of Richard “Dick” Glick’s tenure at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), we’ve pointed out that he votes against every single new pipeline project that comes before him based on cockamamie global warming excuses. Glick, a former wind lobbyist, took over as Chairman of FERC under Joe Biden. However, Glick’s tenure may be coming to an end. His five-year term on FERC will expire on June 30 and the Bidenistas have not yet renominated him for another term. Even if he leaves, which would leave an evenly divided 2-2 Democrat/Republican FERC, he still has until the end of this year to exit stage left.
National Grid is desperately trying not to run out of natural gas for its customers in Brooklyn and Queens (on Long Island). For several years the company has fought a battle to run a tiny pipeline to its Greenpoint, Brooklyn facility, to provide extra natural gas. That project is being investigated by the Biden administration on charges of racism (see 
Yesterday Joe Biden delivered an address from the White House to talk about inflation. He blamed the high price of gasoline (and diesel fuel) on: (1) Vladimir Putin, (2) oil companies price gouging, and (3) Republicans who refuse to sign on to so-called renewables. He’s wrong on all three counts, but that’s another post for another time. Our point is that Biden continues to say he wants more oil production here at home to address the problem of high gasoline prices. Yet his actions disprove the words coming from his mouth (i.e. he’s lying). Biden and his administration continue to aggressively try to cut, reduce, and even block new permits and drilling on publicly-owned land. Some 25% of the oil production in the U.S. comes from wells on publicly-owned land. And yes, there is a tie-in with the Marcellus/Utica on this issue.
In December, Tennessee Gas Pipeline (TGP), a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan, filed a proposal with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to implement a “responsibly sourced natural gas (RSG) supply aggregation pooling service” at select locations across the TGP system (see 
Sometimes U.S. Joe Manchin from West Virginia makes us nervous. He’s done great work in blocking Joe Biden’s radicalized agenda to destroy fossil energy by blocking the Build Back Worse program Biden and the Dems desperately wanted (saving the country from complete ruin with runaway hyperinflation). But then we read about Manchin tinkering with the idea to assess a tariff on foreign imported goods, like steel and cement, that are made in countries (like China) that don’t give a flip about environmental controls. Supposedly such a tariff would encourage those countries to use more natural gas, or encourage more American manufacturing of those goods (because our plants use clean natgas). We’re not sure what to make of Manchin’s efforts.
In March the Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board (EQB), a sub-agency of the Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP), approved a final version of onerous new regulations that supposedly will capture every last molecule of stray methane that leaks from shale and conventional drilling operations (see 
Pennsylvania State Sen. Gene Yaw has been a champion in the fight to defeat Gov. Tom Wolf’s hideous carbon tax, otherwise known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Wolf is trying to force PA to join over the objections of a majority of state legislators. In his latest missive about RGGI, Yaw connects some dots that need to be connected–between Russian money funding Big Green groups, and the groups using that money to lobby, influence, and litigate in an effort to force PA to join RGGI. It’s an effort to force PA to use less fossil energy. Clearly, RGGI is anti-fossil fuel. We would argue, as does Yaw in this excellent editorial below, that RGGI is also anti-American.
Yesterday MDN brought you the news that Equitrans Midstream, builder of the 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) project from West Virginia to southern Virginia, has decided to roll the dice for a third time with the radical judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit by applying for a new permit to cross 3.5 miles of the Jefferson National Forest (see 
MAX Environmental has operated the Bulger hazardous waste landfill in Smith Township (Washington County), PA since 1958. MAX has operated a second site, the Yukon hazardous waste landfill in South Huntingdon Township (Westmoreland County), PA since 1964. One of the primary customers for both landfills over the past 15 years has been the Marcellus industry–dumping drill cuttings (leftover dirt and rock from drilling). In 2019 MAX filed a request with the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) to “delist” both sites as hazardous landfills, given what they accept is not hazardous. Some of the neighbors along with various Big Green groups object to the change in classification.
With all due respect, Equitrans Midstream, builder of the 94% completed Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), is making a big mistake, in our humble opinion. Equitrans issued its first quarter 2022 update this morning. The big announcement from the update is that the company plans to file for new permits from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to allow MVP to build through 3.5 miles of the Jefferson National Forest. The radically left U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (4th Circuit) has ruled against MVP and those same permits twice before. Equitrans CEO Thomas F. Karam says he thinks the third time will be the charm. We say, don’t hold your breath.
In March Joe Biden announced a deal with Europe to deliver more LNG to the Continent, starting this year (see 
Three cheers for Big Coal! We’re not all that thrilled with using coal in power plants given there is a much more environmentally-friendly option–natural gas. But we’re certainly not against coal energy and we’re all for free enterprise and competition among fuel sources. The coal industry in Pennsylvania has our respect and admiration for standing up for itself and suing the state to block the insane Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) carbon tax. PA Gov. Tom Wolf is forcing his state to join RGGI, which will assess huge new taxes on both coal and gas-fired power plants, threatening to drive both out of business.