Regulation

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    Judge Temporarily Stops ME2 Valve Station in West Goshen

    West Goshen Township, in the Philadelphia suburb of Chester County, has won a short-lived, temporary victory in their efforts to stop Sunoco Logistics’ Mariner East 2 NGL pipeline in its community. Last March MDN told you about the desperate last stand taken by liberal anti-pipeliners in West Goshen (see West Goshen’s Last Stand to Stop Mariner East 2 Pipeline). West Goshen signaled it would deny Sunoco a zoning permit for a valve on the pipeline. Sunoco politely, but firmly, told West Goshen the pipeline doesn’t need a permit from the town to install a valve because it’s a state-permitted project. Sunoco said it would move forward at the appropriate time with a valve installation. In early July, West Goshen tried again, by filing a 135-page petition with the state Public Utility Commission on Monday, asking the PUC for an emergency order to stop construction of the new valve station that Sunoco is set to begin work on any time (see West Goshen Pulls Legal Stunt in Attempt to Stop ME2 Pipeline). But the PUC responded “no thanks” (see PA PUC Rejects West Goshen Appeal, ME2 Building Valve Station). So West Goshen appealed it and now an administrative law judge has put a temporary halt on building a new valve station. The whole issue seems to revolve around which side of the road to build the valve station. West Goshen wants it built next to an existing, Mariner East 1 valve station, but Sunoco wants to build the new station across the street, citing safety concerns…
    Read More “Judge Temporarily Stops ME2 Valve Station in West Goshen”

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    Atlantic Sunrise Pipe Rally: ‘Time to Kick Politicians in the Ass’

    Last Thursday some 450-500 supporters, oil and gas industry workers and politicians gathered at the Shadowbrook Golf Course in Wyoming County, PA to express support for Williams’ $3 billion, 198-mile Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline project, most of which will get built in northeast Pennsylvania. The event was organized and sponsored by Cabot Oil & Gas, one of the major beneficiaries of the pipeline, and Williams, which will build and operate the pipeline. The overall purpose of the event was to give a metaphorical kick in the rear-end of Gov. Tom Wolf and his Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP), which appears to be intentionally dragging its feet with granting stream crossing permits–about the only thing left before the backhoes fire up and start digging. The event, held from noon to 2pm, began with lunch–barbecue pulled pork and chicken–followed by a series of short speeches by political leaders from the region. With people gathered at tables, and some standing, a half dozen speakers stood on a giant flatbed trailer underneath what has to be the biggest American flag MDN editor Jim Willis has ever seen, hoisted and held between two large cranes (see the pic). The upshot of the speeches can best be summarized in a single statement delivered by Alan Hall, Chairman of the neighboring Susquehanna County Board of Commissioners, when he said: “It’s time to kick the politicians in the ass and get this [pipeline] done.” There were some other great one-liners too…
    Read More “Atlantic Sunrise Pipe Rally: ‘Time to Kick Politicians in the Ass’”

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    Atlantic Coast Pipeline Gets Favorable Final EIS from FERC

    Click for larger version

    Last Friday the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a favorable final environmental impact statement (EIS) 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 final EIS found that although some of the proposed pipeline will create adverse environmental conditions, those things can be minimized or avoided. According to Dominion, the favorable EIS clears the path for a final approval–once FERC has a quorum available to vote. The EIS also covers a second-but-related project to ACP, the Supply Header Project (SHP). SHP is a $500 million project of approximately 38 miles of natural gas pipeline and modified existing compression facilities in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The project will provide natural gas supplies to various customers, including the ACP, allowing the transport of natural gas from supply areas in OH, PA and WV to underserved market areas in Virginia and North Carolina. Below is a copy of the EIS, along with descriptions of what will get built for both ACP and SHP…
    Read More “Atlantic Coast Pipeline Gets Favorable Final EIS from FERC”

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    PA DEP Fines ME2 Pipe $87,600 for Single Violation, More Coming?

    Apparently under pressure from environmentalist wackos, last Friday the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued a statement that says, in essence, we’re on the back of Sunoco Logistics over problems with construction the Mariner East 2 Pipeline. Gov. Wolf and DEP Secretary McDonnell both felt it necessary to voice their “concerns” over some of the episodes that have happened with construction the twin Mariner East 2 NGL pipelines that will stretch from eastern OH to the Philadelphia area. According to the announcement, the DEP has so far issued 4 “Notices of Violation” and 1 “Consent Order and Agreement” with a fine of $87,600 for “inadvertent returns” (what we call leaks) of drilling mud and water at an underground horizontal directional drilling (HDD) location in Cumberland County, PA. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first we’ve heard of that spill. It was actually a series of spills (or leaks) over a number of different days. All told, some 160,000 gallons of drilling fluids came out of the ground at that location. In addition, the DEP released a table outlining 49 incidents–some just a few gallons, others several hundred (or several thousand) gallons of drilling fluid leaks. We have the list of 49 problem areas below, the details on the Cumberland County leaks, and the DEP announcement…
    Read More “PA DEP Fines ME2 Pipe $87,600 for Single Violation, More Coming?”

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    New Frack Wastewater Well on the Way in Allegheny County, PA

    The Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which is the agency in charge of approving oil and gas wastewater injection wells, will hold a hearing next Wednesday in Plum, PA (Allegheny County, near Pittsburgh) on whether or not to approve an application and plan from Penneco Environmental Solutions (division of Penneco Oil Co.) to convert a plugged gas well into a brine (wastewater) injection well. Typically when a hearing like this is held, it’s an indicator that the EPA will approve the project. However, just because the EPA approves it doesn’t mean it’s a done deal. After an EPA approval, the application then goes to the PA State Dept. of Environmental Protection where it goes through another round of reviews–and likely more public hearings. The stuff getting disposed of, which we generically call wastewater, is technically called brine, because of it’s salty/mineral-ly composition. Brine is naturally occurring water from the depths that comes out of oil and gas wells for years after they are drilled. Because of the high concentration of minerals in the water, it either must go through a rigorous recycling process, or get disposed of via an injection well. OH has more than a hundred such wells. WV has a few dozen. PA has less than a dozen, due to the geology needed. Every new injection well in PA is a big deal, including this one…
    Read More “New Frack Wastewater Well on the Way in Allegheny County, PA”

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    Supporters, Antis Turn Out for 2 NC Public Hearings on AC Pipeline

    This past week, the North Carolina Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) held two public hearings on Dominion’s proposed $5 billion, 594-mile natural gas pipeline that will stretch from West Virginia through Virginia and into North Carolina. One hearing was in Fayetteville, the other in Rocky Mount. Both had more people opposed to the project than for it, although the Fayetteville hearing saw a strong showing of people in favor of the project. The Fayetteville public hearing was held Tuesday, and Rocky Mount on Thursday. Here’s the coverage we could find of the two hearings…
    Read More “Supporters, Antis Turn Out for 2 NC Public Hearings on AC Pipeline”

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    Antis’ Fake Outrage at ME2 Construction “Spills,” Demand Stop Work

    Anti fossil fuelers believe they have a new angle in their years-long war to prevent Sunoco Logistics Partners from building the Mariner East 2 twin pipelines across the state: drilling mud spills. When a pipeline company installs a new pipeline, the vast majority of pipe is laid in trenches. However, there are places (creeks, rivers, wetlands, roadways) where you can’t just dig a trench to lay the pipe. In those cases, you drill underground horizontally, something called horizontal directional drilling (HDD). When you drill through rock, you need drilling mud to cool the drill bit as it chews away. Drilling mud is typically bentonite, a non-toxic clay substance used to manufacture things like toothpaste, cosmetics and kitty litter. The only threat from bentonite is that it can smother aquatic life if enough is spilled. Or it can foul a water aquifer–making the water in your well cloudy for a period of time, until it settles. Such an instance recently happened in Chester County, when Sunoco’s drilling for ME2 fouled an aquifer, causing well water for some 15 homes to become temporarily unusable (see Sunoco Stops ME2 Drilling in Chester County Following Water Issue). Sunoco has agreed to run a nearby municipal water line to the affected homes. Sunoco is using HDD in a number of locations, to avoid disturbing surface structures. Along the way, a few gallons of benonite mud have gotten spilled here and there. Literally just a few gallons. But each time that happens, it must be reported. Big Green groups have gotten ahold of the reports and are now (via mouthpiece organizations like StateImpact Pennsylvania) proclaiming Sunoco has “already” experienced “61 drilling mud spills.” And based on that very misleading number (vast majority just a few gallons), those same Big Green organizations are demanding the Dept. of Environmental Protection’s Environmental Hearing Board close down construction, immediately. Stop all work on the pipeline–to give Big Green groups time to try and block the project permanently…
    Read More “Antis’ Fake Outrage at ME2 Construction “Spills,” Demand Stop Work”

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    DRBC’s Anti-Fracking Chickens are Roosting – PA Slashes Funding

    For the past two years running, the Delaware River Basin Commission, a cooperative organization with five members–Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers–has received more than half a million dollars per year from PA as its dues to support the anti-drilling organization. The problem is, PA pays its full share, but states like NY and NJ consistently short-change the DRBC. PA Gov. Tom Wolf is a big DRBC fan. Wolf supports the DRBC’s ongoing ban of drilling in the Delaware River Basin–which unfairly denies landowners in Wayne and Pike counties (PA) from benefiting from Marcellus Shale drilling–Wolf’s own constituents. However, the DRBC’s gravy train from PA is now over. Gov. Wolf recently allowed the PA budget to pass, without his signature. Part of the budget bill whacks PA’s contribution to the DRBC to just $217,000 this year–less than half of what is has been getting. The effort to whack the DRBC came from PA representatives in northeastern PA, tired of the ongoing drilling ban. Looks like layoffs are coming to the DRBC. They don’t do a heck of a lot, so why not? Time to toss the bureaucrats out on their rear-ends…
    Read More “DRBC’s Anti-Fracking Chickens are Roosting – PA Slashes Funding”

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    Investment Firm Threatens 2nd Lordstown Electric Plant, $30B @ Risk

    Update: 7/19/17: An MDN subscriber with inside knowledge of what’s happening wrote to MDN to clarify our post. Magna Seating is the car seat manufacturer. They LOVE Clean Energy Future and both plants. In fact, Magna’s union shop chairman has said he will testify in favor of CEF’s second plant at the public hearing being held next Tuesday, July 25th. However, the landlord that owns the building Magna works in–Vienna Investments–is the one attempting to make trouble for CEF in building a second plant. Here’s the kicker: Vienna knew about CEF’s plans for the second plant BEFORE they bought the building Magna works in. Stands to reason if Vienna had an objection, they might have expressed it when they bought the building–or would not have purchased it in the first place. Which makes us wonder, what game is Vienna playing? Why are they objecting now?

    Last June, Clean Energy Future broke ground on the Lordstown (Trumbull County, OH) Energy Center, a Utica Shale-powered electric generating plant that is projected to contribute nearly $1 billion to the local economy (see Lordstown Energy Center Breaks Ground on $890M Electric Plant). Clean Energy Future has also committed to building a second billion-dollar plant at the same location (see Lordstown, OH May Get Second Utica Gas-Powered Electric Plant). According to local economic officials, the two plants, over the next 30 years, will contribute a staggering (incomprehensible!) $60 BILLION to the local economy. We simply don’t have words for this kind of econ benefit for a community like Lordstown and Trumbull County. So it’s understandable that the action of a neighbor in the same industrial park where the plants will get built–a neighbor that manufactures car seats for Chevrolets–is threatening to undo half of that economic benefit by filing to “intervene” in the project with the Ohio Siting Board, regarding the second proposed Utica Shale-powered electric plant. It seems Vienna Investments, which owns the car seat manufacturing plant, is concerned about unspecified “safety” issues with construction of the second plant. Local officials, and the editorial board of Youngstown Vindicator, are somewhat alarmed and “encouraging” (pressuring) Vienna to come clean now about what they’re really concerned about, so it can be addressed and not derail the second plant (and $30 billion worth of income for the region)…
    Read More “Investment Firm Threatens 2nd Lordstown Electric Plant, $30B @ Risk”

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    NY DEC Tells Williams NE Supply Water Permit App is “Incomplete”

    In March of this year, Williams filed a full, official application for the Northeast Supply Enhancement project (see Williams Files with FERC to Expand Transco Pipeline to NYC, NE). The new project is meant to increase pipeline capacity and flows heading into northeastern markets. In particular, Transco wants to provide more Marcellus natural gas to utility giant National Grid beginning with the 2019-2020 heating season. National Grid operates in New York City, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. There are a number of components to the project, but the key component, the heart of the project, is a new 23-mile pipeline from the shore of New Jersey into (on the bottom of) the Raritan Bay–running parallel to the existing Transco pipeline–before connecting to the Transco offshore. Just two days ago we told you about an effort in NJ to oppose it (see Battle Heats Up for NJ-NY Raritan Bay NatGas Pipeline). Much of the Raritan Bay pipeline is located in New York territorial waters. In a case of “here we go again,” the New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which has been corrupted and politicized by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, sent a notice to Williams (to their Transco subsidiary) to declare the application for a 401 water-crossing permit for the Northeast Supply Enhancement project is deemed “incomplete,” pending certain items…
    Read More “NY DEC Tells Williams NE Supply Water Permit App is “Incomplete””

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    Mass. RINO Gov. Baker Orders “Review” of Compressor Station

    [begin political rant] Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is a RINO–Republican in Name Only–and not all that different from another RINO who was once governor of the Bay State: Mitt Romney. We personally find RINOs disgusting. Why don’t they just switch parties and be done with it? Join the Democrats, or if the lib Dems are too far to the left, join the Establishment Party, which is really what they all belong to anyway, regardless of the D or R after their name. [end political rant] Gov. Baker has (surprise!) caved to pressure from radical, insane environmentalists in his state who want to stop a compressor station from getting built in Weymouth, MA. The compressor is part of Spectra Energy’s (now Enbridge) federally-approved Atlantic Bridge project (see FERC Approves Atlantic Bridge Project for New England/Canada). Atlantic Bridge will beef up capacity of the Algonquin Gas Transmission and Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline systems–to move more Marcellus/Utica gas to New England and Canada. The compressor station in Weymouth is situated along the Alogonquin Gas Transmission pipeline. The radicals have been ranting about this project pretty much from the beginning. In February, Massachusetts’ two Democrat U.S. Senators, Ed Markey and the faux American Indian, Elizabeth “Pocahontas” Warren, asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to withdraw its approval of the project (see Mass. Senators Ask FERC to Reverse Atlantic Bridge Certification). Since that time, the radicals have continued their campaign to stop Atlantic Bridge. On July 11th, the Boston Globe ran a “you darned well better find a way to stop this compressor station, Gov. Baker” article, and less than a week later, Baker wilted like a picked flower, and said he will sic various state agencies on the case to try and find a way to slow it down. However, Baker does admit that in the end, the state likely can’t do a thing about the compressor, because it’s a FERC-approved project…
    Read More “Mass. RINO Gov. Baker Orders “Review” of Compressor Station”

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    Rover Still in Hot Water w/FERC Over Demolishing This Old House

    In May 2015, Rover purchased a house in Carroll County, OH, located near where the pipeline, and a compressor station for that pipeline, is due to run. Rover bought the house to use for offices for several Rover affiliate companies. After buying it, Rover determined the house was “ill-suited for its intended purpose” and decided to demolish it. Problem was/is, that house was under consideration to be added to the National Register of Historic Places. The house was not yet on the list of Historic Places, but was on a list of properties under consideration. Their action in demolishing the house landed Rover in hot water with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (see Rover Pipeline in Hot Water Over Demolishing Historic House in OH). FERC said Rover should have reported their decision to demolish the house. Rover had to pay a “fine” of $2.3 million “to a fund administered by the Ohio History Connection Foundation and the State Historic Preservation Office” (see Rover Pipeline Paying $2.3M for Knocking Down Historic OH House). The thing that rankles is that the Ohio History Connection Foundation and its Ohio State Historic Preservation Office is a PRIVATE nonprofit organization–it’s not even a true state agency! At any rate, Rover paid their hush money, so that’s the end of it, right? Wrong. Last week FERC issued a “Staff Notice of Alleged Violations” related to this old house. The notice says Rover “did not fully and forthrightly disclose all relevant information.” FERC also said, “Rover falsely promised it would avoid adverse effects to a historic resource that it was simultaneously working to purchase and destroy.” In other words, we’re not done with you yet…
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    Pres. Trump Finally Nominates Kevin McIntyre to FERC, as Chairman

    Kevin McIntyre

    Last week the White House made official what has been rumored for months: President Trump will nominate Kevin McIntyre, co-leader of the global Energy Practice at the Jones Day law firm, as the fifth (and final) FERC commissioner. He will also make McIntyre chairman of the commission, transferring that role from placeholder Cheryl LaFleur. Trump has nominated three other people to FERC so far–Neil Chatterjee, Robert Powelson and Richard Glick. Chatterjee and Powelson are Republicans, Glick is a Chuck Schumer Democrat pick. It is the Democrats–specifically Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who are blocking a final Senate vote so that FERC once again has a quorum. Typical swamp politics from the usual swamp dwellers. As we pointed out last week, energy companies and those who invest in them are sounding the alarm that unless at least two of the four are voted on quickly, to restore a quorum, tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars will disappear (see Lack of FERC Confirmations Now Critical – $25B & 75K Jobs at Risk). Dems don’t care. It’s politics as usual in Swampville. At any rate, here’s the deets on the final Trump nominee for a currently-hobbled FERC…
    Read More “Pres. Trump Finally Nominates Kevin McIntyre to FERC, as Chairman”

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    Frustrated FERC Gives Rover Todo List, HDD Drilling Still Blocked

    Yesterday the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) sent a letter to Energy Transfer regarding the Rover Pipeline project. You may recall that Rover hit some bumps along the way in its aggressive schedule to get part of the pipeline up and running by the end of this month, and the rest operational by the end of November. In Ohio, Rover experienced a series of mishaps, the most serious of which spilled 2 million gallons of non-toxic drilling mud in a swamp near the Tuscarawas River back in April (see Rover Pipeline Accident Spills ~2M Gal. Drilling Mud in OH Swamp). An investigation by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) found the presence of diesel fuel in the drilling mud, which means the mud wasn’t so non-toxic after all (see OH EPA Says Diesel Fuel Found in Rover 2M Gal Drilling Mud Spill). Since that time, FERC has stopped all new underground horizontal directional drilling (HDD) for the Rover project. Rover has asked FERC, several times, for permission to restart the HDD work–at least in a few select locations. In this latest letter from FERC, the agency slaps Rover around and says, (1) you still can’t start HDD, (2) we (FERC) are still investigating the 2 million gallon spill, and you (Rover) are not helping–because Rover hasn’t provided key personnel for interviews by FERC, and (3) you (Rover) need to dispose of the diesel-tainted drilling mud in an approved landfill before we’ll even consider restarting your HDD activities. The letter closes with a paragraph that says, essentially, “We’re watching you.” We have the FERC letter below, with its 4-point todo list for Rover, along with analysis of the letter and the current status of Rover…
    Read More “Frustrated FERC Gives Rover Todo List, HDD Drilling Still Blocked”

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    Mich. DEQ Rejects Stop Rover Request, Senators Appeal to FERC

    Isn’t it interesting how a small-but-mouthy group of anti-fossil fuelers can drive a media narrative? Just two days ago MDN told you about a meeting of 100 (likely far less) anti-fossil fuel protesters in Dexter Township, Michigan, who rallied to protest the impending construction of the Rover Pipeline in that area (see Mich. Rover Protesters Illustrate Irrational Anti-Fossil Fuel Psychosis). Our point in that post was to highlight the sad lack of brainpower in the anti movement. One young speaker said they were there to protest “all extraction industries”–including oil and gas. She is woefully ignorant of just how much her life is tied to extraction industries. At any rate, the small group, and the Big Green groups (with deep pockets) using them as puppets, have had an impact. Earlier this week, an attorney supposedly representing residents from the Silver Lake area (Dexter Township) filed an “URGENT Request for Stop Work Order on wetlands trenching, ET Rover Pipeline” with the Michigan Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The DEQ politely told him, “No.” And so the small group of antis using Big Green money appealed to their two Democrat U.S. Senators, Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow, for help. The two Dem Sens promptly sent a bloviating letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), asking for a temporary stop work order in the Silver Lake area…
    Read More “Mich. DEQ Rejects Stop Rover Request, Senators Appeal to FERC”

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    PA PUC Rejects West Goshen Appeal, ME2 Building Valve Station

    West Goshen Township, in Philadelphia suburb of Chester County, has failed yet again to stop Sunoco Logistics’ Mariner East 2 NGL pipeline in its community. Last March MDN told you about the desperate last stand taken by liberal anti-pipeliners in West Goshen (see West Goshen’s Last Stand to Stop Mariner East 2 Pipeline). West Goshen signaled it would deny Sunoco a zoning permit for a valve on the pipeline. Sunoco politely, but firmly, told West Goshen the pipeline doesn’t need a permit from the town to install a valve because it’s a state-permitted project. Sunoco said it would move forward at the appropriate time with a valve installation. Last week West Goshen tried again, by filing a 135-page petition with the state Public Utility Commission on Monday, asking the PUC for an emergency order to stop construction of the new valve station that Sunoco is set to begin work on any time (see West Goshen Pulls Legal Stunt in Attempt to Stop ME2 Pipeline). The PUC has now responded to West Goshen: NOPE…
    Read More “PA PUC Rejects West Goshen Appeal, ME2 Building Valve Station”