New York

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    NY Gov. Cuomo Refuses to Grant Permits for Constitution Pipeline

    BullRingYou can’t see we didn’t predict this outcome: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has made the political decision to not grant the Constitution Pipeline stream crossing permits, temporarily stopping the project from advancing. Cuomo’s lackeys at the totally humiliated and discredited Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) made the announcement on Friday, so-called Earth Day. Virulent anti-drillers erupted in spontaneous (and multiple) orgasms at the news. The DEC claims Williams, the builder of the Constitution, did not provide detailed information about pipe burial that the DEC had requested. This is a blatant, 100% lie. Gov. Cuomo is corrupt and is being led, as our friend Tom Shepstone points out, by the nose by Rockefeller money. Prosecutor Preet Bharara–are you paying attention? MDN now calls on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to bypass New York State, as is its right under the U.S. Constitution. FERC has the power to bypass Cuomo and the DEC and authorize the pipeline without NY’s stream crossing permits. Yes, hoops will need to be jumped through with various courts, but now is the time to permanently remove NY from such decision-making. The state has proven it is incapable of making independent, science-based decisions on the topic of oil and gas drilling and pipelines. Time to overrule the state and move on. Below we have the DEC’s pathetic political cover-up, along with various responses to the news…
    Read More “NY Gov. Cuomo Refuses to Grant Permits for Constitution Pipeline”

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    Supporters Rally for Constitution Pipeline, Cuomo has 1 Week Left

    JLCNYTalk about media bias. Yesterday over 200 people crowded into a meeting room at the Binghamton Holiday Inn for a rally supporting the Constitution Pipeline–a $683 million, 124-mile pipeline due to run from Susquehanna County, PA to Schoharie County, NY carrying Marcellus gas. The “newspaper of record” for Binghamton, the Press & Sun-Bulletin (P&SB), is so biased they didn’t run a single word covering the event in today’s edition. The P&SB’s so-called reporter who covers the drilling issue (actually an anti-drilling propagandist), Tom Wilber, apparently couldn’t be bothered to cover a major news story under his nose and part of his beat. The P&SB couldn’t even send an intern. Yes, the P&SB is completely in the anti-drilling tank and not in any way an actual news organization–they’re simply Democrat hacks towing the party line. Here’s what happened at yesterday’s meeting, from real news organizations that did show up…
    Read More “Supporters Rally for Constitution Pipeline, Cuomo has 1 Week Left”

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    Coverup & Collusion: NY AG Tried to Conceal Role of Antis re Exxon

    Eric-Schneiderman.jpgIs this the smoking gun that proves collusion and corruption between Democrat New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and radical Big Green groups? In March, AG Schneiderman and a handful of other Democrat Attorneys General, along with climate huckster Al Gore, gathered in New York City to discuss a coordinated legal attack against oil and gas companies (see Climate Change Hucksters, Incl. NY AG & Al Gore, Threaten O&G). MDN has been shouting since last year that Schneiderman, himself a corrupt politician occupying the state’s highest legal office, has begun a witch hunt targeting companies like ExxonMobil, a company Schneiderman has slated for trial and execution (see NY AG Targets/Accuses ExxonMobil of Lying about ‘Climate Change’ and NY AG Schneiderman Launches the Climate Witch Trials). It’s obscene and beyond words. Schneiderman wants to prosecute legitimate corporations for not publicly saying “I believe in man-made global warming.” Back to the NYC meeting a couple of weeks ago. At that meeting was Matt Pawa, a Massachusetts lawyer and radical “green” who launches lawsuit after lawsuit on climate change (what a stupid phrase, of course the climate changes!). AG Schneiderman’s office asked Pawa to keep his participation in the March meeting in NYC a secret. We have it in an email. Can anyone say cover up? Collusion? Fraud? Corruption?…
    Read More “Coverup & Collusion: NY AG Tried to Conceal Role of Antis re Exxon”

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    Radical Enviro Groups File Appeal to Stop AIM Pipeline in NY/CT

    AlgonquinPipeline_0
    Click map for larger version

    A group of radical environmental groups including Riverkeeper Inc., Sierra Club and Food & Water Watch (Big Green groups) have joined a federal appeal (i.e. are suing) to stop Spectra Energy from building their Alogonquin Incremental Market (AIM) Project, a project to expand the capacity of the Algonquin Gas Transmission system to flow more Marcellus/Utica gas to northeast markets. Most of the project is 20 miles of new pipeline in the Hudson Valley area of New York. In March New York’s spineless Gov. Andrew Cuomo asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to stop work on AIM near a nuclear power plant (see Gov. Cuomo Asks FERC to Halt Algonquin Pipeline Near Nuke Plant). Within a few days FERC said NO (see FERC Denies NY Request to Stop Work on Pipeline Near Nuke Plant). That didn’t make the anti-fossil fuel nutters happy at all. They thought they had a real winner by painting nightmare scenarios of the AIM pipeline blowing up and taking a nuclear plant with it. Their scare tactics didn’t work–so they’ve fallen back to the tried and true: ask a liberal judge to stop it…
    Read More “Radical Enviro Groups File Appeal to Stop AIM Pipeline in NY/CT”

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    Crazy Bernie Comes to Binghamton, Launches Natl Anti-Fracking Ad

    Bernie Sanders
    Crazy Bernie

    Senile old Communist Bernie Sanders came to Binghamton, NY yesterday (where MDN is written and published) to campaign in “upstate” New York. No, we didn’t bother to go and see him. (We think vapid college kids like him because he reminds them of the grandfather they never had.) Sanders took the occasion of his visit to Binghamton to call for a national campaign to ban ALL fracking. Essentially he wants to shut down the entire oil and gas industry–an industry that’s been fracking for more than 40 years in this country. He’s not only senile–he’s dangerous. Or he would be dangerous if he ever got elected, which of course isn’t going to happen. Sanders launched a new 30-second Big Green TV advertisement (see it below) narrated by Susan Sarandon (i.e. Big Hollywood) to complain about Big Oil. Isn’t that rich? What a screwball…
    Read More “Crazy Bernie Comes to Binghamton, Launches Natl Anti-Fracking Ad”

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    NY Antis Attempt to Stop Pilgrim Pipelines with Local Bans

    “Whoa, take ‘er easy there, Pilgrim.” – John Wayne in the movie “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” (1962) In November, MDN told you about Pilgrim Pipeline Holdings, developing an East Coast pipeline to carry refined petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel, heating oil, and jet and aviation fuel northbound from Linden, New Jersey to Albany, New York (178 miles). In addition, a second Pilgrim pipeline will carry crude oil from Albany south to NJ and other locations. Two pipelines, side by side, liquids flowing through them in different directions (see Will Pilgrim Pipeline be Allowed to Settle in the NY World?). Anti fossil fuel nutters who infest New York State are, however, attempting to block both pipelines by using a 107 year-old law and local bans. Will the antis succeed yet again?…
    Read More “NY Antis Attempt to Stop Pilgrim Pipelines with Local Bans”

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    RFK Jr Invokes Religion at Anti-Pipeline Rally in Albany, NY

    A group of around 200 anti-fracking activists–or fractivists–protested at the steps of the New York State Capitol Building in Albany, NY yesterday. They were there nominally to protest Gov. Cuomo’s inevitable cave to allow the Constitution Pipeline to be built across the eastern portion of the state. However, the language from the speakers–in particular from the rather nutty Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (i.e. “Junior”)–was instructive. These people are fossil fuel haters–and their speeches dripped with their irrational hatred for all fossil fuels. Junior called fossil fuels “the dirtiest fuels from hell,” and then he called so-called renewable energy “patriotic fuels from heaven.” Some of you have laughed and poked fun at MDN, some of you have written us in anger, some have even unsubscribed when we have commented in the past on the hysterical and irrational antics of anti-fossil fuelers, pointing out that their belief in man-made global warming is religious and faith-based and NOT rooted in science. Junior’s own words yesterday are 100% vindication of our position. He couches the debate over fossil fuels in religious language. We were, and always have been, right about anti-drillers. The vast majority of antis don’t oppose drilling because of “water contamination” or “air pollution” or “methane migration” or any of a hundred other red herring excuses. They object because they fervently choose to believe in global warming, with no scientific evidence whatsoever, making all fossil fuels “evil” in their twisted worldview…
    Read More “RFK Jr Invokes Religion at Anti-Pipeline Rally in Albany, NY”

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    Hypocrites Protest “Fracked Gas Infrastructure” in Hudson Valley

    We spotted a story from the Hudson Valley area of New York State–close enough to New York City that it’s infested with anti-drilling liberals–that caught our attention for a couple of reasons. It’s a story of about a protest held yesterday in Peekskill, NY. The protest was against Spectra Energy’s work on their Algonquin Incremental Market (AIM) pipeline project. From all appearances, four protesters showed up for the protest–and yet it got big news treatment. Most Sundays there are more than four people who show up at MDN HQ for lunch (when our kids come home to visit). The local newspaper hasn’t ever shown up to cover these momentous (for the Willis household) events. Perhaps if we held up a big banner outside that says “Welcome Home Children” the local news outlets would arrive and cover it? But we digress. The other aspect of the story that caught our attention is the admission by one of the protesters that they not only oppose the AIM project–they oppose all “fracked gas infrastructure” projects. She is demanding that NY “transition to safe, clean, renewable energy, which is wind, water and solar.” That is, the protesters are animated and motivated by an irrational hatred of all fossil fuels. How did the protesters arrive at their protest? Driving cars that burn fossil fuels riding on tires made from petroleum products and sitting on seats made from plastic (a petroleum product) wearing clothes on their bodies and shoes on their feet made from petroleum products. Holding up signs objecting to…petroleum products…
    Read More “Hypocrites Protest “Fracked Gas Infrastructure” in Hudson Valley”

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    NY Comptroller Attacks Natural Gas Pipelines with Safety “Audit”

    New York State’s Comptroller, Thomas DiNapoli, is a hard-left Democrat who has repeatedly targeted the fossil fuel industry in the Empire State–and beyond. As we’ve previously observed, DiNapoli is an anti-drilling bully (see our extensive list of MDN articles on DiNapoli’s attacks here). His latest attempt to smear the fossil fuel industry is to attack pipeline infrastructure. His office conducted an “audit” of pipeline safety from 1995 through 2014 (full copy below) and has supposedly found 194 pipeline “incidents” resulting in 23 fatalities, 123 injuries and $77 million in property damage. The aim, of course, is to imply pipelines are unsafe. There is no context in DiNapoli’s report. For example, during the same period, how many bridges have had “incidents” and how many deaths have there been from bridge accidents? During the same period how many railroad “incidents” have there been and how many deaths? When you stack up pipelines against any other form of transportation, pipelines are the safest mode of transport by far–it’s not even close. But you wouldn’t know that from DiNapoli’s slanted report…
    Read More “NY Comptroller Attacks Natural Gas Pipelines with Safety “Audit””

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    Climate Change Hucksters, Incl. NY AG & Al Gore, Threaten O&G

    A small group of rabidly partisan Democrats who have drunk deeply from global warming Kool Aid–including New York’s corrupt Attorney General Eric Schniederman and global warming huckster Al Gore–gathered yesterday in New York to declare they are ready to litigate from sunup to sundown to ensure Dictator in Chief Obama’s Clean Power Plan (currently being challenged in court) is implemented–both now and by the next El Presidente. It is, of course, a sham. They don’t really believe in global warming–most of them anyway. They’re not that stupid (although Al Gore may be). They want total control over the source of energy you use–because it personally empowers them (in the case of New York Attorney General Schneiderman) and enriches them (in the case of Al Gore who buys and sells energy credits). It’s corruption at the highest levels…
    Read More “Climate Change Hucksters, Incl. NY AG & Al Gore, Threaten O&G”

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    Constitution Pipeline Reps Met with Cuomo Aide – April Deadline

    Constitution PipelineThe Constitution Pipeline is a badly needed natural gas pipeline that would run ~125 miles from the gas fields of Susquehanna County, PA up into New York–all the way to Schoharie County, NY–where it would intersect with the Iroquois Pipeline and the Tennessee Gas Pipeline. The $683 million project would pump 650 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of PA shale gas to markets throughout the northeast and potentially into New England. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the project in 2014. Pennsylvania cleared the way for the pipeline in 2015. New York is holding it up–the tail wagging the dog–by not issuing stream and swamp crossing permits. We have repeatedly called on Williams, the main sponsor of the project, to take New York to court to strip them of their right to have any say in the matter since Cuomo is intentionally stopping the project for political reasons (see Time to Force NY DEC to Issue Permit for Constitution Pipeline). We’re just now hearing that representatives from the Constitution met with a top Cuomo aide in February to answer questions. The clock is ticking and Cuomo is almost out of time. New York has until April 29 to issue the permits or the application made to the state one year ago will expire. Perhaps that will be the triggering event for a massive lawsuit against the state…
    Read More “Constitution Pipeline Reps Met with Cuomo Aide – April Deadline”

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    Corrupt NY Gov. Cuomo Pushes Fields of Ugly Solar Panels in Upstate

    New York’s Governor, Andrew Cuomo, is as corrupt a politician as they come. He single handedly stopped the safest, cleanest form of energy from taking root in upstate New York–shale gas extraction. In shale gas extraction, once the drilling is done and pipelines are installed–you don’t notice anything. There is no lasting effect. The grass and trees grow back. The “wound” in the ground is healed. There’s a small wellhead that sticks a up a few feet from the ground that can’t be seen from 200 feet away and that’s about it. Instead of allowing minimally invasive shale drilling, Cuomo is now pushing upstate farmers to agree to installing 30+ acre fields with solar panels that blemish the landscape for 30 years or more and kills birds stupid enough to fly directly over it. Cuomo pretends so-called “renewable” energy–like solar–has no side affects. FALSE. Solar has its negatives, just like every form of energy. One of solar’s negatives is that it destroys the landscape on which it sits–making it unusable for anything else and an eyesore that can be seen for miles. Solar is the opposite of shale energy, which allows farmers to plant fields and use their land–even over top of buried pipelines. Farmers can’t use their fields with solar panels sitting on them. This is how corruption works in New York State…
    Read More “Corrupt NY Gov. Cuomo Pushes Fields of Ugly Solar Panels in Upstate”

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    FERC Denies NY Request to Stop Work on Pipeline Near Nuke Plant

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has just delivered a blistering slap across the face of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. You may recall in early March Cuomo asked FERC to stop Spectra Energy’s work on their Algonquin Incremental Market (AIM) pipeline project, an $876 million expansion of the existing Algonquin pipeline system that will carry 342 million cubic feet of natural gas per day to New England states that badly need the gas. Cuomo wanted the work stopped because the pipeline will run close to a nuclear plant (see Gov. Cuomo Asks FERC to Halt Algonquin Pipeline Near Nuke Plant). FERC has just said “nope” to Cuomo’s request. The work to build the pipeline continues…
    Read More “FERC Denies NY Request to Stop Work on Pipeline Near Nuke Plant”

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    Millennium Pipeline Files with FERC to Upgrade Eastern Region

    The Millennium Pipeline stretches ~244 miles from Independence in Steuben County, NY to Buena Vista in Rockland County, NY. The Millennium, which is supplied by local production and storage fields and interconnecting upstream pipelines, serves customers along its route in New York’s Southern Tier region and helps meet the energy needs of northeast markets. MDN is written about 3 miles away from the path of the Millennium in Broome County, NY. In February the Millennium pre-filed an application for what it calls its Eastern System Upgrade (ESU). The ESU would add 7.8 miles of extra looped pipeline in Orange County, upgrade a compressor station in Delaware County, build a new compressor in Sullivan County and make some minor tweaks to metering stations in Rockland County. The project will pump another $275 million into the New York economy with the end result of increasing the flow of natural gas for New York and beyond by fall 2018. Of course THE Delaware Riverkeeper can’t stand it and has launched an all-out assault on the project, hoping to slow it down or stop it…
    Read More “Millennium Pipeline Files with FERC to Upgrade Eastern Region”

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    Cabot Says Constitution Pipeline Delayed Yet Another Year – Thx NY

    In what appears to us to be a “might as well get all of the bad news out in one day” strategy, Cabot Oil & Gas announced yesterday (after losing a case related to water contamination in Dimock, PA) what everyone already knows: The Constitution Pipeline is delayed for yet another year. The Constitution is illegally being held up by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The pipeline, approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in 2014, will run from Susquehanna County, PA to Schoharie County, NY where it will connect with two interstate gas pipelines. You can only clear trees until the end of March because threatened and endangered bats (don’t ask). New York has managed to delay the pipeline for another entire season. Instead of being ready later this year, the pipeline is now delayed until the second half of next year. Here’s what we want to know: When will Williams (building the pipeline) and Cabot, the major backer and beneficiary of the pipeline, sue New York in federal court to force the issue? When will they realize that Cuomo is NEVER going to approve it–that they will have to force the state to allow it? It’s time to wake up and smell the coffee. New York is run by a dictator…
    Read More “Cabot Says Constitution Pipeline Delayed Yet Another Year – Thx NY”

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    5 Key Insights from MDN’s 2015 Databook Vol. 3 – Just Released

    db2015_all3vol_cover_smallMDN recently published Volume 3 of the 2015 Marcellus and Utica Shale Databook. In 103 jam-packed pages you will get the latest information on what’s happening (or not happening) with drilling in the Marcellus/Utica region. Much of the Databook is a series of county maps–one map for each county where there’s permit activity for Marcellus or Utica drilling. Each county map shows a dot for where a permit was issued–along with the name of the driller next to it. The maps also show major natural gas pipelines and compressor stations. Each map offers you a quick, visual way of understanding where drilling is happening, and who’s doing the drilling.

    For this new edition, MDN editor Jim Willis spent several weeks compiling and completely revising a directory of frack waste facilities, including the addition of hundreds of injection wells. The 3-volume series is just $350 (single volumes are $225). All three volumes are meant to work together. This is the PERFECT resource for drillers, pipeline companies, law firms, landmen and many others. Below we’ve included sample pages along with 5 key insights from this latest edition of the Databook…
    Read More “5 Key Insights from MDN’s 2015 Databook Vol. 3 – Just Released”