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Diesel Rig Drilling 10K-Ft Well on Cornell U Campus – No Protests

The Cornell University Borehole Observatory located on a Cornell-owned gravel parking lot near Palm Road. (source: Cornell University)

Quick! Where are Bob Howarth and Tony Ingraffea, current and retired (respectively) anti-drilling Cornell professors who hate fossil energy and everything to do with it–including drilling rigs? There’s a huge diesel rig set up on property owned by Cornell University in Planet Ithaca (Upstate New York), chewing away at a borehole that’s now two-thirds of the way down to its 10,000-foot target. Yet there hasn’t been a single protest, not a peep, from Howarth and Ingraffea. Why? Because the carbon/methane-belching drilling rig is drilling a hole for a geothermal heating project.
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Cornell University Drilling Wells Similar to Natural Gas Wells

click for larger version

We don’t know much about geothermal heating and heat pumps. We do know the technology is often touted by people like Andrew Cuomo as one of the solutions that will allow us to magically quit using fuel oil and gas for heating. We were intrigued as we began to read about an experiment Cornell University is running to drill (yes drill) two geothermal wells. As we read about what they are doing, it dawned on us, what they’re doing is literally no different from drilling a natural gas well!
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NYSEG Tells Lansing, NY Turn Down Thermostat to Avoid Gas Shortage

This would be funny if it weren’t so darned sad. In Lansing, NY, just outside of Planet Ithaca in Tompkins County, the local utility (NYSEG) wanted to build a short pipeline in 2017 to supply new customers with natural gas, but was blocked by crazies who irrationally hate fossil fuels (see Lansing NY Officials Fight Back Against Tinfoil Hat Fossil Fuel Haters). The pipeline was never built and since that time businesses and homeowners who wanted to build in the town have gone elsewhere. There’s the unmistakable stench of economic death in the air around Lansing (see Natgas Customer Moratorium Killing Ithaca Suburb of Lansing, NY). NYSEG now has an alternative to building the pipeline–turn down the thermostat.
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New 1-Mile Pipe Near Ithaca, NY Not Enough to Lift Gas Moratorium

In Lansing, NY, just outside of Planet Ithaca in Tompkins County, the local utility company, NYSEG, wanted to build a short pipeline in 2017 to supply new customers with natural gas, but was blocked by crazies who irrationally hate fossil fuels (see Lansing NY Officials Fight Back Against Tinfoil Hat Fossil Fuel Haters). The pipeline was never built and since that time businesses and homeowners who wanted to build in the town have gone elsewhere. There’s the unmistakable stench of economic death in the air around Lansing (see Natgas Customer Moratorium Killing Ithaca Suburb of Lansing, NY). Town officials just can’t figure out why NYSEG won’t lift the moratorium on new natural gas customers.
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Cornell U Capitulates to the Crazies; Divesting from Fossil Fuels

How enormously sad. The Cornell University Board of Trustees has just voted to economically harm the university and its scholarship fund by divesting from all “fossil fuels.” The board has capitulated to the crazies–those who insist on divestment because they believe in the religion of man-made global warming. If you don’t believe, you’re apostate. An unbeliever. A climate infidel. Can’t have that.
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Lansing NatGas Moratorium Preview of What’s Coming for All NYers

In Lansing, NY, just outside of Planet Ithaca in Tompkins County, the local utility (NYSEG) wanted to build a short pipeline in 2017 to supply new customers with natural gas, but was blocked by crazies who irrationally hate fossil fuels (see Lansing NY Officials Fight Back Against Tinfoil Hat Fossil Fuel Haters). The pipeline was never built and since that time businesses and homeowners who wanted to build in the town have gone elsewhere. There’s the unmistakable stench of economic death in the air around Lansing (see Natgas Customer Moratorium Killing Ithaca Suburb of Lansing, NY). The kooks and quacks in town are now promoting electric heat pumps as the solution to the town’s problems.
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Ithaca: Turn Elec-Producing Coal Plant into Elec-Using Data Plant

Since 2013 so-called environmentalists have protested, agitated and lobbied to prevent the Cayuga Power Plant in Lansing (Ithaca suburb) from switching from burning coal to burning clean natural gas–because they irrationally hate fossil fuels (see NY Eco Group Protest to Stop Plant Converting from Coal to NatGas). The region needs more electricity, not less. However, a new plan has been hatched to convert the coal plant that currently produces electricity into a data center that uses massive amounts of electricity (and taxpayer money)! Only in Planet Ithaca.
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Natgas Customer Moratorium Killing Ithaca Suburb of Lansing, NY

Hey Westchester County, NY: You have a model to look at for your own moratorium on (blocking of) new natural gas customers. It’s located upstate, in Lansing, NY, just outside of college town Ithaca. The local utility (NYSEG) wanted to build a short pipeline in 2017 to supply new customers with natgas, but was blocked by crazies who irrationally hate fossil fuels (see Lansing NY Officials Fight Back Against Tinfoil Hat Fossil Fuel Haters). Since that time the pipeline did not get built, and businesses and homeowners who wanted to build in the town have gone elsewhere. There’s the unmistakable stench of economic death in the air. That’s the cheery future that awaits you, Westchester.
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Ithaca Suburb Still Irrationally Hates Converting Coal to NatGas

Maybe it’s time to let Ithaca just go dark. Turn the electricity off, or rather, let the plants producing electricity that helps power the college town die off, and let rolling blackouts commence across the region. The battle continues to rage in the lib Dem socialist utopia of Ithaca (Tompkins County), NY over a plan to convert a local coal-fired electric generating plant to use much better-for-the-environment and far-less-polluting natural gas. Yet local antis, who irrationally (and we mean clinically insane) hate fossil fuels, continue to object. Fine. Turn off the lights.
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NY Antis Prefer Burning Coal to NatGas at Ithaca Power Plant

The battle continues to rage in the lib Dem socialist utopia of Ithaca (Tompkins County), NY over a plan to convert a local coal-fired electric generating plant to use much better-for-the-environment and far-less-polluting natural gas. Yet local antis, who irrationally (and we mean clinically insane) hate fossil fuels, continue to object and preen themselves at county board meetings to object to converting the plant. They object to the conversion because natural gas is a “fossil fuel”–the modern form of eeeeevil in their eyes. And so (once again, demonstrating clinical insanity), they prefer to keep the plant burning coal. The plant will have to burn something. We don’t see any of these same antis volunteering to unhook themselves from the electric grid. The electricity flowing to their homes needs to get generated somehow, and it sure ain’t renewables doing it.
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Ithaca Power Plant Tries Once Again to Convert from Coal to Gas

In 2013 so-called environmentalists protested, agitated and lobbied to prevent an electrical generating power plant in Tompkins County, near Ithaca, NY, to switch from burning coal to burning natural gas–because they’re afraid it will mean more fracking (see NY Eco Group Protest to Stop Plant Converting from Coal to NatGas). The owner of the plant, Cayuga Operating Co., ended up selling it two years ago. The new owner, Riesling Power, tried to continue to get approval for converting the coal-fired plant to burn natural gas (not only cleaner, but also cheaper). Ultimately, the Cuomo-controlled Public Service Commission (PSC) turned down the request to convert. So the new owner kept operating it as a coal-fired plant–belching out far more pollution than a natgas plant would. Congratulations idiot fractivists (including obtuse Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, who wanted the plant closed). They screwed themselves and all of their neighbors too. But what’s this? Riesling Power has just filed another application to close the coal-fired plant, and reopen it as a gas-fired plant. But instead of using pipelines to feed the gas-fired plant, they will use compressed natural gas (CNG), trucked in. Which has set off the local crazies once again, spewing fossil fuel hatred and talking about “bomb trucks” visiting the area. Incredibly, the antis would rather keep a nasty coal-fired plant operating than switch to natural gas. Clinically insane…
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Obtuse NY Assemblywoman from Ithaca Proposes “No-Tenancy” Bill

Barbara Lifton

Ithaca, NY is unfortunately saddled with an Assemblywoman who is, charitably, not too bright. Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton is a virulent anti-fossil fueler, even though she herself uses fossil fuels each and every day of her life. She was dead set against converting a coal burning plant near Ithaca into burning natural gas (see Cayuga Power Plant Stays Open (Burning Coal) – Thx to Fractivists). Thanks (in large part) to Lifton, the residents of Ithaca continue to breathe dirty air. She also tried to stop a federally permitted natgas pipeline from expanding in the region (see NY State Legislator Tries to Derail Dominion New Market Project). And now she’s at it again. Even though there is no shale drilling in New York, apparently Lifton wants to drive the final nail in the coffin of the conventional drilling industry too, driving out all oil and gas activity in the state. Lifton has introduced a bill that we call “no-tenancy.” You’ve been reading about West Virginia’s co-tenancy bill here on MDN, a bill that would allow rights owners in property to sign a lease if 75% or more of the owners agree to lease terms. It corrects a situation where dozens, sometimes hundreds of people who own a fractional share in property can’t be found, or refuse to sign, screwing all of the other owners of the property. Lifton’s bill, A2499, would require 100% of all rights owners to sign leases “for oil, gas or mineral rights, and any modification, extension or renewal thereof.” It is plainly meant to end any future drilling of any kind in the state. That’s the aim. The Independent Oil & Gas Association of New York (IOGANY) is pushing back…
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Dominion New Market Project Still on Track in NY, Antis Fume

In June 2014, MDN told you about the Dominion New Market Project–a project that will build two new compressor plants and upgrade one other compressor station in upstate New York–to help flow more abundant, cheap and clean-burning Marcellus Shale gas from Pennsylvania (and beyond) into the northeast (see Dominion Asks FERC for New Compressors in Upstate NY, WV). The project is projected to cost $159 million and provide 112,000 dekatherms per day (Dth/d) of extra natural gas capacity along ~200 miles of existing Dominion pipeline across upstate New York–no new pipeline is being laid. The existing Dominion pipeline runs through the Horseheads, Ithaca, Syracuse and Albany areas. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved Dominion’s New Market Project in October 2015 (see FERC Approves Expansion of Dominion Pipeline in Upstate NY). And then a real miracle happened. The Cuomo-corrupted New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) approved the New Market compressor stations on Dec. 23, 2016 (see Miracle! NY DEC Approves Dominion’s New Compressor Stations). Needless to say, anti-fossil fuel freaks are freaked out that the project is now a reality. The lone compressor station that will get an upgrade (not being built from scratch) is located near Ithaca, NY, home of some of the nuttiest of the nutjobs. The antis who run the Town of Dryden (near Ithaca, where the compressor station is located) passed a “public utility moratorium” last summer (which expires this summer) in an attempt to stop the upgrade at the Dominion compressor station. However, Dominion has outsmarted the antis and continues to work on the upgrade, which is making the antis apoplectic, much to our delight…
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Dominion Faces Hostile Crowd in Ithaca re New Market Project

In June 2014, MDN told you about the Dominion New Market Project–a project that will build two new compressor plants and upgrade one other compressor station in upstate New York–to help flow more abundant, cheap and clean-burning Marcellus Shale gas from Pennsylvania (and beyond) into the northeast (see Dominion Asks FERC for New Compressors in Upstate NY, WV). The project is projected to cost $159 million and provide 112,000 dekatherms per day (Dth/d) of extra natural gas capacity along ~200 miles of existing Dominion pipeline across upstate New York. The existing Dominion pipeline runs through the Horseheads, Ithaca, Syracuse and Albany areas. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved Dominion’s New Market Project in October 2015 (see FERC Approves Expansion of Dominion Pipeline in Upstate NY). And then a real miracle happened. The corrupt New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) approved the New Market compressor stations on Dec. 23, 2016 (see Miracle! NY DEC Approves Dominion’s New Compressor Stations). Needless to say, anti-fossil fuel freaks are freaked out that the project is now a reality. The lone compressor station that will get an upgrade (not being built from scratch) is located near Ithaca, NY, home of some of the nuttiest of the nutjobs. On Monday night, Dominion personnel donned their armor and held a public meeting to answer questions by a crowd that was, by all accounts, hostile…Continue reading

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Lansing NY Officials Fight Back Against Tinfoil Hat Fossil Fuel Haters

In February MDN brought you the story of the insanity that exists in Planet Ithaca–about a plan to disallow any new supplies of natural gas to flow to the Town of Lansing (Ithaca suburb) and to forever block any new customers from getting natural gas hookups to their homes and businesses in Lansing (see Anti-Fossil Fuel Hatred Metastasizes in Tompkins County, NY). Members of the Tompkins County Energy and Economic Development Task Force object to building seven miles of 10-inch natural gas pipeline in the Lansing area because the pipeline flows a fossil fuel. They have objected to the point that the local utility company wanting to build it, NYSEG (New York State Electric & Gas), floated an alternative plan: Build a compressor station for existing customers, and no new customers are allowed to receive natgas service. Ever. Period. Just one teeny tiny problem with this bizarro plan: Nobody bothered to talk to the duly elected representatives in Lansing–to the people representing the local population. Those representatives went to Albany to tell the Public Service Commission–and NYSEG–that the so-called alternative plan is nuts (our words). The people and businesses of Lansing want more clean-burning natural gas, not less…
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NY State Legislator Tries to Derail Dominion New Market Project

NY Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton – anti-drilling zealot

In June 2014, MDN told you about the Dominion New Market Project–a project that will build two new compressor plants and upgrade one other compressor station in upstate New York–to help flow more abundant, cheap and clean-burning Marcellus Shale gas from Pennsylvania (and beyond) into the northeast (see Dominion Asks FERC for New Compressors in Upstate NY, WV). The project is projected to cost $159 million and provide 112,000 dekatherms per day (Dth/d) of extra natural gas capacity along ~200 miles of existing Dominion pipeline across upstate New York. The existing Dominion pipeline runs through the Horseheads, Ithaca, Syracuse and Albany areas. In March 2015 MDN friend Andy Leahy wrote about the pitched battle antis waged against the project (see NY Antis Flood FERC in Fight Against Dominion’s New Market Project). The antis were unsuccessful. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved Dominion’s New Market Project in October 2015 (see FERC Approves Expansion of Dominion Pipeline in Upstate NY). And then a real miracle happened. The New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) approved the New Market compressor stations on Dec. 23, 2016 (see Miracle! NY DEC Approves Dominion’s New Compressor Stations). Barbara Lifton, an eco-left Democrat from Ithaca who serves in the New York Assembly, is now trying a last minute, very desperate attempt to stop the project from proceeding. Two weeks ago Lifton sent letters to both FERC and the DEC, hoping she can (ab)use her position to pressure one or the other (or both) to delay the project, which is the antis’ first step in killing a project…
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