Statewide NY

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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”

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    Gov. Cuomo Asks FERC to Halt Algonquin Pipeline Near Nuke Plant

    Spectra Energy’s Algonquin Incremental Market (AIM) pipeline project is 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. On March 3, 2015 the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued their final approval for the project, allowing it to go forward. Construction began last year and continues now, with a target in-service date later this year. That is, until New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo stepped in. Cuomo sent a letter on Monday to FERC (copy below) asking FERC to stop construction of AIM because the proposed pipeline path takes it right next to a “troubled” nuclear power plant along the shoreline of the Hudson River. Cuomo says he’s concerned about the drilling that will take place, being so close to a plant that has ongoing issues. Will Cuomo once again stop a natural gas pipeline from being built? Cuomo refuses to allow the state Dept. of Environmental Conservation issue stream crossing permits for the FERC-approved Constitution pipeline, and now he’s trying to screw a second pipeline from being built. If you ask us, this is getting out of hand…
    Read More “Gov. Cuomo Asks FERC to Halt Algonquin Pipeline Near Nuke Plant”

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    NY Lawmakers Want State Pension Fund to Divest from Fossil Fuels

    It looks like students at the University of Pittsburgh aren’t the only the only ones who are devoid of intelligence (see Pitt Brats “Demand” Endowment Divest from < 1% Fossil Investments). You can now add a group of Democrat lawmakers in New York State’s Senate and Assembly to the list of fools. Some two dozen Democrat lawmakers want State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli (radical Democrat), the sole trustee in charge of investing the state’s public workers pension fund (worth $178.3 billion), to sell any investments the fund has in companies that engage in extracting fossil fuels. Why? Because they believe in the fairy tale that burning fossil fuels causes Mother Earth, whom they worship, to heat up. Never mind global warming isn’t actually happening and hasn’t been happening for nearly 20 years (see Inconvenient Global Warming Fact: Avg Temp Hasn’t Risen in 18 Yrs)–it’s what you can make people believe that counts…
    Read More “NY Lawmakers Want State Pension Fund to Divest from Fossil Fuels”

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    FERC OKs Tree-Cutting for Constitution Pipeline – in PA

    In a crushing blow to anti-drilling radicals who have tried their best to stop the Constitution Pipeline, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has granted Williams, builder of the Constitution, permission to begin cutting down trees along the pipeline’s path in Pennsylvania. Williams still cannot fell trees in New York State, where the bulk of the pipeline will be built. However, FERC would not grant permission for PA unless they intend to grant permission on the other side of the border too–and everyone knows it. Currently New York’s anti-drilling governor, Andrew Cuomo, is holding up the 125-mile project that will deliver natural gas from Susquehanna County, PA to Schoharie County, NY by connecting with two interstate pipelines. Cuomo is about to create a constitution crisis in which the federal government will be forced to overrule the state and allow the pipeline to be built. Cuomo is withholding stream crossing permits–the only thing left before bulldozers begin to clear a path. Cuomo is once again caving to pressure from his lunatic left base of supporters. And he’s about to turn New York into a third-rate state, controlled by the federal government, through his unwillingness to grant the permits…
    Read More “FERC OKs Tree-Cutting for Constitution Pipeline – in PA”

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    Cuomo Needs to “Snap on a Pair” and Approve the Constitution Pipe

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    Constitution Pipeline Meeting in Afton – click picture for larger version

    “What do we want? Pipeline! When do we want it? Now!” It was a raucous crowd who gathered last Saturday in the tiny village of Afton, New York to show support for the Williams Constitution Pipeline project. The River Club in Afton was jammed with people–by our estimation some 250-300 people. The meeting was organized and hosted by the Joint Landowners Coalition of New York (JLCNY). The JLCNY’s attorney, Scott Kurkoski (from Levene Gouldin & Thompson LLP) began the meeting with a full-throated yell: “New York Can’t Wait!” That simple sentence summed up the focus of the rally. The Constitution Pipeline is fully permitted by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The only thing holding up construction of the pipeline is a stream-crossing permit from New York State. The tail is wagging the dog. Speaker after speaker (politicians, business people, labor reps) outlined the reasons why New York State can no longer wait for Gov. Cuomo to continue his waffling on this project. The frustration with Cuomo and the DEC was palpable in the audience. Whenever Cuomo’s name was mentioned there were cat calls and boos. Perhaps the best line of the day, from all of the speeches, was uttered by Assemblyman Clifford Crouch. Cliff mentioned he had called the Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) just a few days prior to ask about the status of the permits. Without saying so, the DEC rep indicated the delay is not due to the agency itself. The implication was clear: Cuomo is holding it up. Crouch then said this: “We need to contact Snap-on Tools and get the governor a pair to snap on!” The crowd roared. They loved it!…
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    NY AG Objects to Williams Tree Clearing for Constitution Pipeline

    This one was easy to predict. Last week we told you that Williams had asked, and received permission from the New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC), to begin clearing trees along the path of the Constitution Pipeline in upstate New York (see Williams Plans to Start Clearing Trees for Constitution Next Week). Anti-fossil fuelers went squealing like petulant three year-olds to their favorite “parent,” Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, asking daddy to stop Williams from killing trees. And so last Thursday Schneiderman filed an objection to the tree-clearing plan with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), to placate the petulant three year-olds that are his favorite constituents. The question now is, will FERC put a halt to the tree clearing, which must happen before April 1st when it becomes bat season and companies can no longer clear trees for fear of roosting Northern long-eared bats…
    Read More “NY AG Objects to Williams Tree Clearing for Constitution Pipeline”

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    Williams Plans to Start Clearing Trees for Constitution Next Week

    Since last October MDN has been calling on Williams, the company planning to build the 124-mile Constitution Pipeline from Susquehanna County, PA to Schoharie County, NY, to take the gloves off and go after New York State, aggressively (see Time to Force NY DEC to Issue Permit for Constitution Pipeline). Earlier this month we re-posted an article from MDN friend Tom Shepstone and his Natural Gas Now website (always excellent, must read) that chronicles where we are at and how we got here with ongoing delays of the Constitution from the NY Dept. of Environmental Conservation (see Time for Williams/FERC to Sue NY & End Constitution Pipe Delays). In short, the DEC is now arbitrarily (for political reasons) intentionally withholding stream crossing permits that are delaying construction of the Constitution. The state is in danger of being sued by, and their authority to grant those permits taken over by, the federal government if they don’t issue those permits forthwith. Williams is attempting to advance the ball, still playing nicey nice, hoping to coax the DEC into issuing the permits. Williams has asked for and received permission (from the DEC) to begin clearing trees along the pipeline’s path, a process that will begin next week. However, rabid anti-drillers have asked NY’s out-of-control Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, to step in and stop the tree clearing. If Williams doesn’t start the tree clearing now, they risk losing another entire construction season. There is a finite window each year you can clear trees because of nesting Northern long-eared bats, an endangered species…
    Read More “Williams Plans to Start Clearing Trees for Constitution Next Week”

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    Time for Williams/FERC to Sue NY & End Constitution Pipe Delays

    In October of last year MDN added our name to the effort to pressure Gov. Andrew Cuomo to let his Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) move forward with granting water-crossing permits for the much-needed Constitution Pipeline (see Time to Force NY DEC to Issue Permit for Constitution Pipeline). The corrupt Andrew Cuomo is up to his old tricks–delay and eventually deny. The time has now come to force the issue. A DEC official has admitted his agency is on the precipice. If they don’t issue the permit for the Constitution, New York is in danger of a federal takeover in granting such permits (see DEC Official Says NY in Danger of FERC Taking Over Pipeline Permits). We say that time has now come. It’s time for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to use its power to override New York and issue the permit and forever sideline Cuomo’s corrupt administration from playing a role in such issues. It’s also time for Williams to man-up and ue New York and go negative against “the Empire State.” That is the theme and MDN friend Tom Shepstone’s latest excellent article (from Natural Gas Now), which we’re re-posting here on MDN. We’ve seen this movie before with fracking. Cuomo intends to deny this pipeline and now is the time to fight it for all it’s worth, using every legal means possible to move forward with building the Constitution…
    Read More “Time for Williams/FERC to Sue NY & End Constitution Pipe Delays”

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    NY Econ Dev Grant Signals Constitution Pipeline Approval Imminent

    celebrateSome 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…
    Read More “NY Econ Dev Grant Signals Constitution Pipeline Approval Imminent”

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    Phys.org, Others Run 3 Yr-Old New York Frack Study as New News

    We found this one kind of amusing, and instructive, illustrating how anti-drillers unthinkingly get their “news.” On September 26, 2012 (yes, over three years ago) Syracuse University issued a press release about a program begun earlier in 2012 called Project SWIFT (Shale-Water Interaction Forensic Tools). The aim of the research project was to baseline test water wells for homeowners in New York State so when/if fracking arrives, there is solid scientific evidence for the condition of water before and then after fracking. The study also, as it turns out, innovated a few new techniques, including a method to measure salinity in water, the use of iodine as a tracer when testing, etc. Here’s the thing–the study was concluded in 2014 and of course in 2014 Gov. Cuomo banned fracking for the foreseeable future in the Empire State. So it’s all over and done with. No need for more testing. The project ran its course. But what’s this? Several authoritative “science” sites all of a sudden re-ran the original Syracuse University press release about Project SWFIT–with this week’s date on it! Word for word, same press release as 3+ years ago–slapping a new date from this week on it. One of the sites was EurekAlert!. Another was Phys.org. Their postings created a cascading or domino effect with a number of enviro sites picking it up and running it as new news. Egg on face anyone?…
    Read More “Phys.org, Others Run 3 Yr-Old New York Frack Study as New News”

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    Rumor: NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo Will Be Indicted Jan 2 for Corruption

    New York State, when it comes to our elected officials, is a corrupt as it gets. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara has been on a mission to clean up corruption in the Empire State. Bharara is making a name for himself like another former U.S. Attorney–Rudy Giuliani. Bharara has been extremely successful so far: Both former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (Democrat) and former Senate Deputy Majority Leader Tom Libous (Republican) have been convicted of corruption and removed from office. Currently the former Senate Majority Leader, Dean Skelos, is on trial in federal court in Manhattan and almost certainly will be convicted as well (see our story from yesterday, Bombshell Revelation: Cuomo was on Cusp of Lifting Frack Ban). NY State’s politics has always been known as “three men in a room” because the Governor, Assembly Speaker and Senate Majority Leader are the power brokers who cut deals that then get adopted. With two of the three men in the room either convicted (or about to be convicted) as corrupt felons, it makes you wonder about the third man–Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Another bombshell revelation: sources are telling the Buffalo Chronicle (a blog site) what has long been rumored–that Preet Bharara will go after Andrew Cuomo next. In fact, three (!) sources have told the Chronicle that Bharara will file an indictment against Cuomo on Jan. 2, 2016. So what does this have to do with shale drilling?…
    Read More “Rumor: NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo Will Be Indicted Jan 2 for Corruption”

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    Bombshell Revelation: Cuomo was on Cusp of Lifting Frack Ban

    An interesting update on what is now ancient history in New York State with regard to Andrew Cuomo and his ban on fracking. According to secretly recorded wiretaps of conversations of the son of former NY Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, a Cuomo official made the rounds to several prominent Senate Republicans to ask if there would be any “blowback” when (not if) Cuomo lifted a ban on fracking. If true, the revelation is a bombshell–that Cuomo had intended to lift the moratorium but changed his mind at the last minute. The problem with the recorded conversations is that Skelos’ son Adam, in talking with three different lobbyists, attributes the conversation to different Cuomo Administration sources. That is, he changes his story, making his story less credible. Both father Dean and son Adam Skelos are on trial in Manhattan for corruption. Dean tried to help his son get work with sweetheart deals–something that happens every day in New York with both Republicans and Democrats. We’re not excusing corruption–just pointing out the context and circumstances…
    Read More “Bombshell Revelation: Cuomo was on Cusp of Lifting Frack Ban”

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    NY Town Supports, Antis Fundraise Against, Waterless Fracking

    MDN editor Jim Willis is often asked, when people learn of his occupation of writing about shale drilling, “What’s up with New York? Will there ever be any drilling in the state?” Jim’s answer is always the same: some day. But likely not until we excrete out of office our current man-child governor, Andy Cuomo. The one potential bright spot for fracking in the Empire State is a plan by a small group of farmers in Tioga County, NY to use waterless fracking technology to drill a test shale well (see NY Landowners File to Frack Horizontal Well w/Waterless Tech). The Snyder Farm Group, as it’s called, has filed an application with the state Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC)–owned and controlled by Cuomo–so that’s where the application now sits, with nothing happening so far as we can tell. Sooner or later the Snyder Group will have to sue the DEC to move things along. In the meantime, we have two bits of news to share with respect to the Town of Barton waterless fracking proposal. One bit of news is about support for the plan in Tioga County, and the other is about opposition to the plan from the usual suspects who oppose ANYTHING to do with fossil energy, not because it’s somehow inherently dangerous to extract natural gas, but because it IS natural gas. An irrational hatred of carbon molecules (the stuff you breathe out with every breath)…
    Read More “NY Town Supports, Antis Fundraise Against, Waterless Fracking”

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    Will Pilgrim Pipeline be Allowed to Settle in the NY World?

    Pilgrim Pipeline Holdings is 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 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. Pilgrim (how apropos this announcement comes at Thanksgiving) has just filed an official application with the Thruway Authority. Their plan is to lay 79% of the pipeline within the Thruway right of way. No, technically this is not a Marcellus/Utica story–although some of the crude they plan to flow from Albany to NJ refineries may indeed come from the Marcellus/Utica. It’s a pipeline for fossil fuels and that will surely bring the crazies right out of the woodwork, which is why we bring you this story…
    Read More “Will Pilgrim Pipeline be Allowed to Settle in the NY World?”