Regulation

Energy Services | Equitrans/EQT Midstream | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Regulation | Statewide VA | Statewide WV | Virginia | West Virginia

FERC Grants MVP Request to Double Transportation Rates
December 21, 2023January 24, 2024

The 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) project will be completed and go online sometime in the first quarter of 2024 (see Equitrans Admits the Obvious – MVP Won’t be Online Until 2024). In September of this year, MVP filed a request with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to amend its original certificate (that established the rates it could charge) to increase the rates it charges for new customers (not existing/already contracted customers). Earlier this week, FERC granted MVP’s request to raise rates.
Read More “FERC Grants MVP Request to Double Transportation Rates”
Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Regulation

FERC Republican Commissioner James Danly Stepping Down Dec. 31st
December 21, 2023January 24, 2024

And then there were three…Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Commissioners, that is. Currently, there are two Democrats and two Republican commissioners. Lately, the “Acting” Chairman of FERC, Willie Phillips (a Democrat), has voted more with the two Republicans than with Big Green sock puppet Democrat Allison Clements (a former attorney for the far-left National Resources Defense Council). However, it was good to have the option to block something (via deadlock) with two Republican votes if necessary. That opportunity will now be gone with the departure of Republican FERC Commissioner James Danly at the end of this year.
Read More “FERC Republican Commissioner James Danly Stepping Down Dec. 31st”
Energy Services | Equitrans/EQT Midstream | Industrywide Issues | North Carolina | Pipelines | Regulation | Statewide WV | West Virginia

FERC Approves MVP Southgate Request for 3-Yr Extension to Build
December 20, 2023January 24, 2024

In July of this year, the Democrat Governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper, sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) asking the four commissioners to deny Mountain Valley Pipeline’s (MVP) request for a time extension to build the MVP Southgate expansion project into his state (see NC Leftist Gov. Cooper Asks FERC to Deny MVP Southgate More Time). A month later, 28 Democrats in the U.S. House did the same thing (see 28 U.S. House Democrats Ask FERC to Reject MVP Southgate Project). We’re happy to report FERC ignored them all and yesterday granted the Southgate project a three-year extension to build.
Read More “FERC Approves MVP Southgate Request for 3-Yr Extension to Build”
Energy Companies | EQT Corp | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania General Energy | Regulation | Repsol | Seneca Resources | Statewide PA

SRBC Approves Water Withdrawals for 7 PA Shale-Related Projects
December 20, 2023January 24, 2024

The highly functional and responsible Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), unlike its completely dysfunctional and irresponsible cousin, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), continues to support the shale energy industry by approving water withdrawals for responsible and safe shale drilling. Last Thursday, the SRBC approved 19 new water withdrawal requests within the basin, six of them for water used in drilling and fracking shale wells in Pennsylvania (and one for a gas-fired power plant). The Marcellus/Utica shale drillers receiving a green light from SRBC included EQT, Pennsylvania General Energy, Repsol (two requests), and Seneca Resources (two requests).
Read More “SRBC Approves Water Withdrawals for 7 PA Shale-Related Projects”
Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Regulation

American Gas Assoc. Sues to Block Biden Reg Against Gas Furnaces
December 20, 2023January 24, 2024

At the end of September, the Biden Dept. of Energy (DOE) published a new rule that cracks down on gas furnaces in homes, essentially phasing out many existing models and requiring new ones to meet onerous new standards (see Bidenistas Attack Your Gas Furnace with New DOE Regulations). The DOE now requires a 95% annual fuel efficiency standard, up from the 80% that was on the books before the new rule was published. On Monday, the American Gas Association, several other trade groups, and a manufacturer filed a legal challenge to the rule.
Read More “American Gas Assoc. Sues to Block Biden Reg Against Gas Furnaces”
CNG/LNG | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | Regulation

U.S. Customs Decision re Jones Act Makes Exporting LNG Harder
December 19, 2023January 24, 2024

Bureaucratic incompetence? Or yet another attack by the Bidenistas against the American fossil energy industry? It’s hard to say. We’re speaking of a new policy decision by the Biden Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agency that prohibits LNG tankers from partially filling up at one U.S. export plant and moving up the coast to finish filling up at another U.S. plant. The CBP says doing so violates the 103-year-old Jones Act. We’ll explain.
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Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Regulation

Biden Dept. of Agriculture Approves Wisconsin Gas-Fired Power Plant
December 18, 2023December 18, 2023

In September 2022, MDN told you about a relatively modest-sized gas-fired power plant planned for Superior, Wisconsin, called the Nemadji Trail Energy Center (see Midwest Elec Grid Roasted for Supporting New Gas-Fired Power Plant). As we pointed out in that post, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) supports the project, which earned it scorn from climate cultists. The left is doing everything they can to stop the plant, including the Biden EPA. In November 2022, the EPA said a review of the project failed to take into account how much mythical global warming it would create (see Biden EPA Attacks, Blocks Work on Wisconsin Gas-Fired Power Plant). However, it appears the Biden Dept. of Agriculture didn’t get the memo from the EPA, issuing a finding of “no significant impact” to the environment from the project.
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ESG | Industrywide Issues | Regulation

Will New Biden EPA Methane Rule Kill Responsible Gas Certifications?
December 18, 2023December 18, 2023

click for larger version

EPA Administrator Michael Regan used a considerable amount of fossil energy and emitted billows of carbon dioxide to jet over to Dubai to participate in the COP28 confab where he released a final rule that was “two years in the making” to force the U.S. oil and gas industry to cut methane emissions by using budget-busting new technologies and onerous (frequent) inspections (see Bidenistas Unleash Hellscape of U.S. Methane Regs at COP28). Here’s a question: If the feds require every producer to phase out flaring, install new equipment, and meet new, aggressive standards for emissions monitoring and leak detection and repair, will there still be a need for entities like MiQ, Equitable Origin, and Project Canary (which together certify most M-U production) to score or assess the lower-emissions natural gas produced by E&Ps?
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Athens County | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Regulation | Wastewater

Ohio Oil & Gas Commission to Decide Fate of 3 K&H Injection Wells
December 15, 2023December 15, 2023

The Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) “temporarily” suspended the operations of four fracking waste injection wells in Athens County in September (see ODNR Temporarily Shuts Down 4 Injection Wells in Athens County). ODNR said the wells presented an “imminent danger” to health and the environment. The Ohio Oil and Gas Commission heard two days of testimony last week concerning three of the injection wells, located in Torch, OH, owned by K&H Partners. A rep from K&H pushed back against ODNR’s claims, saying the agency doesn’t have evidence its injection wells are “communicating” with other wells in the region.
Read More “Ohio Oil & Gas Commission to Decide Fate of 3 K&H Injection Wells”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA Has 2 Years to Update Methane Regs Following Biden EPA Edict
December 15, 2023December 15, 2023

EPA Administrator Michael Regan used a considerable amount of fossil energy and emitted billows of carbon dioxide to jet over to Dubai to participate in the COP28 confab. At that event, Regan released his agency’s latest attempt to illegally regulate the oil and gas industry (see Bidenistas Unleash Hellscape of U.S. Methane Regs at COP28). Regan released a final rule that was “two years in the making” to force the U.S. oil and gas industry to cut methane emissions by using budget-busting new technologies and onerous (frequent) inspections. A long-time energy attorney says the new regulations are likely to be challenged in court. The only saving grace for states like Pennsylvania is that the environmental agencies in those states will get two years to draft regs to comply with the EPA’s onerous edict.
Read More “PA Has 2 Years to Update Methane Regs Following Biden EPA Edict”
Accidents | CNG/LNG | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | Regulation

Freeport Fined $163K by EPA for June 2022 LNG Plant Explosion
December 15, 2023December 15, 2023

Freeport LNG’s export terminal with three liquefaction “trains” shut down in June 2022 after an explosion and fire (see Explosion Rocks Freeport LNG Export Plant – Offline for 3 Weeks). What was initially thought to be a three-week outage lasted for ten months. The plant finally returned online in March of this year (see Freeport LNG Plant Back to Full Capacity Using 2.1 Bcf/d of NatGas). However, the plant was not been back to 100% operational status until just a few weeks ago when a second dock came back online (see Freeport LNG Second Loading Dock Gets Final FERC OK to Restart Ops). The all-knowing, all-seeing Biden EPA has brokered a shakedown of Freeport, fining the company $163,054 for the explosion and fire at the plant.
Read More “Freeport Fined $163K by EPA for June 2022 LNG Plant Explosion”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA Senate Republicans Advance Energy Info Office Bill, EHB Nominee
December 13, 2023December 13, 2023

Yesterday, the Republicans who sit on the Pennsylvania Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee got work done while the Democrats tried to block work. The committee advanced legislation to establish an Independent Energy Information Office by a party-line vote, with Republicans supporting. There was also a party-line vote advancing Paul Bruder, an environmental attorney nominated by Gov. Shapiro for the Environmental Hearing Board (EHB) after Democrats failed to table the nomination. That’s right, the Dems tried to block a Shapiro (one of their own) nominee!
Read More “PA Senate Republicans Advance Energy Info Office Bill, EHB Nominee”
BP | CNG/LNG | Energy Companies | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | Regulation

BP Asks FERC to Force Venture Global LNG to Release Documents
December 12, 2023December 12, 2023

Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass LNG export facility recently received Federal Energy Regulatory Committee (FERC) authorization to place the final three liquefaction blocks (7-9) into service (see Venture Global Gets FERC OK to Commission 3 Calcasieu Pass Trains). The other trains, 1-6, have been online for 18 months but are not officially in commercial service, even though the facility has now shipped over 200 cargoes! Venture Global claims it’s still working out the kinks. Venture’s contracted customers are frustrated that they aren’t getting any shipments and have sued (see Repsol Joins Shell, BP in Suing Venture Global for Missed LNG). Venture’s customers also asked the EU-US Task Force on Energy Security to get involved and force Venture Global to begin shipments to its contracted customers (see Europe Turns Up Pressure on Venture Global LNG for Not-Ready Farce). BP is turning up the heat even more, asking FERC to force Venture Global to share documents related to the ongoing delays.
Read More “BP Asks FERC to Force Venture Global LNG to Release Documents”
Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pipelines | Regulation

INGAA Files Lawsuit Challenging PHMSA’s New Pipeline Safety Regs
December 8, 2023December 8, 2023

In May, the 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 Biden DOT Issues New Partisan Methane Rules for All Gas Pipelines). The country’s top trade organizations representing the midstream (pipeline) industry filed comments pointing out major flaws in the new rule (see Major Pipeline Associations File Comments Against New PHMSA Regs). One of those organizations, the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA), filed a lawsuit earlier this week in federal court challenging the new rule.
Read More “INGAA Files Lawsuit Challenging PHMSA’s New Pipeline Safety Regs”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA DEP Spending $44M This Yr, $76M Next Yr to Plug Orphaned Wells
December 7, 2023December 7, 2023

In May, MDN told you that since taking office in January, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has been a major dud — someone who doesn’t know how to lead (see Secretive PA Gov. Josh Shapiro a Major Dud Since Taking Office). He’s bereft of any idea of what to do and how to do it, especially with respect to energy issues. Since that time, our opinion has not changed. The state STILL does not have a fully completed budget for this year. Talk about a do-nothing leader! So we found it amusing to read the headline for Shapiro’s latest press release: “Governor Shapiro Gets Stuff Done: Shapiro Administration Plugs More Than 130 Orphaned & Abandoned Wells in Just 11 Months, Surpassing the Total Over the Previous Eight Years Combined.”
Read More “PA DEP Spending $44M This Yr, $76M Next Yr to Plug Orphaned Wells”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Regulation

Massachusetts Commits Energy Hari-kari – Plans to Ban NatGas
December 7, 2023December 7, 2023

After more than three years of “study,” the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) issued an order yesterday meant to signal gas utilities that they don’t have a long-term future in the state. With Order 20-80, the DPU aims to “guide the evolution of the natural gas distribution industry to clean energy” with an eye towards the state’s goal of getting to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 while supposedly protecting ratepayers and ensuring energy reliability. The 20-80 order accomplishes neither goal but instead sentences Massachusetts to a cold and dismal future without natural gas.
Read More “Massachusetts Commits Energy Hari-kari – Plans to Ban NatGas”