Pennsylvania

Alternative Energy | Industrywide Issues | Lawrence County | Pennsylvania

Comparing PA Farmer’s Quest to Install Solar vs NatGas Drilling
June 2, 2022June 2, 2022

Solar panels hogging up an entire field (click for larger version)

The left OPPOSES individual land rights if exercising those rights results in a tiny natural gas well pad–a pad that nobody can see from 200 yards away that allows the land above it to be used as it always has been used, whether for farming or otherwise. But if a landowner (farmer, in this case) wants to install huge, ugly solar panels that rob the land of being used for farming or any other purpose in perpetuity (for 20-30 years at least), all of a sudden the left is in FAVOR of individual land rights. Kind of funny, no? More like, it is blatantly hypocritical.
Read More “Comparing PA Farmer’s Quest to Install Solar vs NatGas Drilling”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA | Taxation

Newt Gingrich Rips PA Dems for Forcing State into RGGI Carbon Tax
June 2, 2022June 2, 2022

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (Fox)

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich appeared on national TV yesterday, on the Fox News program hosted by Laura Ingraham, to discuss a variety of issues. Among them was Pennsylvania joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) carbon tax scheme. Gingrich said Gov. Wolf’s executive order forcing the state into RGGI will “punish” PA for producing natural gas. He said Wolf is hopelessly locked in because the left wants to punish Pennsylvanians “in the name of their ideology.”
Read More “Newt Gingrich Rips PA Dems for Forcing State into RGGI Carbon Tax”
Berks County | Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Pennsylvania

Manufacturers’ Assoc. Says PA Could Eclipse TX to Become #1 in Gas
June 2, 2022June 2, 2022

David Taylor, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association, was one of the featured speakers at yesterday’s Think About Energy Briefing held in Berks County, PA. Taylor said if PA and federal legislators commit to a pro-growth agenda, PA could become the country’s No. 1 natural gas-producing state. Right now that honor belongs to Texas, which produces enormous amounts of associated natural gas. In 2021, #1 Texas produced 9.4 Tcf (trillion cubic feet) of natural gas, while #2 PA produced 7.7 Tcf. Taylor’s statement is not unthinkable. PA *could* one day eclipse TX natgas production.
Read More “Manufacturers’ Assoc. Says PA Could Eclipse TX to Become #1 in Gas”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Research | Statewide PA

PA New Wells Drilled Up in 1Q22, but Production Down from 1Q21
May 31, 2022May 31, 2022

Last week the Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) released its latest quarterly Natural Gas Production Report for January through March 2022 (full copy below). There was 136 new horizontal wells spud (drilled) in 1Q22, an increase of nine wells (7.1%) compared to 1Q21. However, natural gas production volume was 1,851 billion cubic feet (Bcf) in 1Q22, a slight decrease (-0.6%) from 1Q21. It is the first quarterly decrease in production in over a year.
Read More “PA New Wells Drilled Up in 1Q22, but Production Down from 1Q21”
Ohio | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide OH | Statewide PA | Statewide WV | West Virginia

Biden Spending $33M to Plug 277 Wells on Fed Land Incl. PA, OH, WV
May 31, 2022May 31, 2022

The Bidenistas at the Dept. of Interior breathlessly announced the agency is (finally) releasing $33 million to plug 277 orphaned oil and gas wells across the country located on federal lands. The average price per plugging is $119,000. Spending $33 million to plug wells on federal lands is chump change compared to the $4.7 billion allocated for plugging old wells under the so-called Biden infrastructure bill. Why is the government paying $119K to plug wells that normally cost maybe $50,000 to plug? We’ll answer that question with another question. Why does the government pay $400 for a hammer it could buy at Lowes for $18?
Read More “Biden Spending $33M to Plug 277 Wells on Fed Land Incl. PA, OH, WV”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

Nobody Likes Proposed Changes to PA DEP Enviro Justice Policy
May 26, 2022May 26, 2022

In March MDN brought you the bad news that the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) had floated a draft reworking of its so-called environmental justice policy (see PA DEP Goes Hard Left with New “Enviro Justice” Policy Revisions). Under onerous new regulations proposed by the DEP, Big Green groups will be able to more easily challenge and block shale drilling and pipelines, accusing such projects of violating “environmental justice” policies. With the official comment period on the proposed new regs now closed, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has read through the comments and discovered the new policy is universally opposed and panned, by both the environmental left (saying it doesn’t go far enough) and by the shale industry (saying it goes WAY too far).
Read More “Nobody Likes Proposed Changes to PA DEP Enviro Justice Policy”
Apex Energy | Arsenal Resources | Ascent Resources | Belmont County | Bradford County | CNX Resources | Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Guernsey County | Gulfport Energy | Indiana County | INR/Infinity Natural Resources | Lycoming County | Marshall County | McKean County | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Repsol | Seneca Resources | Susquehanna County | Taylor County | Tug Hill Operating | Weekly Permits | West Virginia | Westmoreland County

24 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV May 16-22
May 26, 2022May 26, 2022

Just last week MDN told you we will, from now on, bring you new permit data for the previous week on Fridays. Yet here it is Thursday and we’re sharing the permit data for last week. What gives? MDN and its author, Jim Willis, are taking a break Friday (tomorrow) and next Monday for the Memorial Day holiday. Well, we’re taking Monday off for the holiday. We’re taking Friday off because there’s a wedding in Jim’s family this weekend. There are preparations to make, and celebrations to partake in. So we’re bringing you the permit data today, on Thursday. Speaking of which, there were 24 new permits issued last week, with 14 of them going to Pennsylvania, seven to Ohio, and three to West Virginia. We break it down below.
Read More “24 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV May 16-22”
Energy Services | Energy Transfer Partners | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | NGLs | Pennsylvania | Philadephia | Pipelines | Processing Plants | Regulation

Clean Air Council Claims Victory in Marcus Hook Air Permit Case
May 25, 2022May 25, 2022

The radicals of the Clean Air Council (CAC) are claiming a (very small) victory in their campaign against processing NGLs at the Marcus Hook refinery located near Philadelphia. CAC is CACkling that they have forced Energy Transfer, builder of the mighty Mariner East (ME) pipeline system (a pipeline that CAC couldn’t stop), to back down on how permits are issued for the Marcus Hook facility–the place where NGLs from ME end up for processing and loading for export. The end result is…well…not much. Nothing will really change. The same volume of NGLs will still flow to Marcus Hook, and the same volume of NGLs will be loaded onto ships and exported to other countries. The only thing that changes is that ET spends more time and pays more money to obtain a single large permit instead of two separate, smaller permits. We’ll explain.
Read More “Clean Air Council Claims Victory in Marcus Hook Air Permit Case”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA DEP Secretary Pat McDonnell Leaving Agency July 2nd
May 24, 2022May 24, 2022

Pat McDonnell – Sec. DEP

The ship of the Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf administration is slowly sinking beneath the waves as Wolf is term-limited and out the door, exiting stage left at the end of this year. So it’s time for senior members of his administration to look elsewhere for other jobs and hop off the sinking ship before it goes completely beneath the waves. First up to flee is Dept. of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell, who has been Wolf’s patsy in attempting to force the massive RGGI carbon tax on the residents of PA. We wonder, who will be next? And why is McDonnell really leaving now, seven months before the end of Tom Wolf’s term?
Read More “PA DEP Secretary Pat McDonnell Leaving Agency July 2nd”
Allegheny County | CNX Resources | Energy Companies | Pennsylvania

CNX, Pittsburgh Airport Cut New Deal to Drill More Wells
May 23, 2022May 23, 2022

In early 2013 the Pittsburgh International Airport and Allegheny County, PA signed a deal with CONSOL Energy (now CNX Resources) to lease 9,000 acres surrounding the airport for natural gas drilling (see $50M Check in the Mail: Pittsburgh Airport Lease a Done Deal). The airport received a $50 million signing bonus and the promise of 18% royalties on anything produced and sold. The first wells began to flow natural gas for the first time in July 2016 (see CONSOL’s First Pittsburgh Airport Wells Begin to Flow NatGas). Since that time the airport has added its own electric microgrid and now produces all of its own electricity (see Pittsburgh Airport Now Generates All Its Power Using Marcellus Gas). The original deal called for CNX to drill 45 gas wells. They stopped at 14. That may be about to change.
Read More “CNX, Pittsburgh Airport Cut New Deal to Drill More Wells”
Energy Services | Eureka Resources | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Susquehanna County

PA EHB Judge Rejects Request to Block Dimock Wastewater Plant
May 23, 2022May 23, 2022

In March 2021, Eureka Resources announced plans to build a Marcellus Shale wastewater treatment facility in Dimock (Susquehanna County), Pennsylvania (see Eureka Building Marcellus Wastewater Recycling Plant in Dimock, PA). Both Susquehanna County and Dimock Township approved the Eureka project (see Town, County Approve Marcellus Wastewater Recycling Plant in Dimock). The Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) has thus far issued one of two required permits. Seemingly out of nowhere, leftwing Democrat State Senator Katie Muth (from the Philadelphia area) filed an appeal with the DEP’s Environmental Hearing Board (EHB) attempting to block Eureka’s Dimock project (see SEPA Dem Attacks NEPA Marcellus Wastewater Recycling Plant in Dimock). EHB Judge Steven Beckman rejected Muth’s request last week for a temporary order blocking construction.
Read More “PA EHB Judge Rejects Request to Block Dimock Wastewater Plant”
Allegheny County | Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Olympus/Huntley & Huntley | Pennsylvania

West Deer Antis Try to Block 2nd Olympus Shale Well Pad
May 23, 2022August 29, 2022

Olympus Energy (formerly Huntley & Huntley) drills in the Greater Pittsburgh region, in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. Last year Olympus filed an application to build a new well pad in a rural part of Allegheny County, in West Deer Township. So-called “concerned citizens” got amped up to oppose the project. They succeeded when the Dionysus well pad was rejected by town supervisors (see West Deer Township Denies Olympus Permit to Build Shale Pad). The “concerned citizens” are at it again, attempting to block a second well pad, the Leto pad, proposed by Olympus in another West Deer location.
Read More “West Deer Antis Try to Block 2nd Olympus Shale Well Pad”
Apex Energy | Arsenal Resources | Ascent Resources | Belmont County | Bradford County | CNX Resources | Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Guernsey County | Gulfport Energy | Indiana County | INR/Infinity Natural Resources | Lycoming County | Marshall County | McKean County | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Repsol | Seneca Resources | Susquehanna County | Taylor County | Tug Hill Operating | Weekly Permits | West Virginia | Westmoreland County

35 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV May 9-15
May 20, 2022May 27, 2022

We’re giving Fridays a shot as the day we will release weekly updates for permits issued for the prior one-week period. Today’s report is for the period of May 9-15 (last week, not this week). It seems as if the various state agencies have the data updated by the end of the week following, so that’s how we’ll release it (for now). Last week, Pennsylvania issued 22 new permits with Seneca Resources taking the lion’s share of 12 permits on two different pads (eight in Lycoming County and four in McKean County). Repsol scored four permits in Bradford County.
Read More “35 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV May 9-15”
Air Quality | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA DEP Changing, Resubmitting Onerous VOC/Methane Regulations
May 19, 2022May 27, 2022

In March the Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board (EQB), a sub-agency of the Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP), approved a final version of onerous new regulations that supposedly will capture every last molecule of stray methane that leaks from shale and conventional drilling operations (see PA EQB Approves Final Onerous Methane Regs Harming Conv Drillers). These regs have been developed and tweaked since 2016. In late April several oil and gas associations that represent conventional drillers sued to block the new regs. Subsequently, the DEP withdrew the proposed new regs saying it would rework them. The DEP is about to resubmit a tweaked version of the regs for consideration, hoping to diffuse opposition from conventional drillers. Will it work?
Read More “PA DEP Changing, Resubmitting Onerous VOC/Methane Regulations”
Allegheny County | Beaver County | Energy Companies | Ethane | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Processing Plants | Shell

Shell PA Cracker Welders Sue for Bus-Ride Overtime, Class Action
May 18, 2022May 27, 2022

As the mighty Shell ethane cracker plant complex nears 100% completion and startup, which will happen this year, there is a lingering legal issue for some of the workers who helped build the plant. Back in 2017, we alerted you that one of the biggest challenges in constructing the facility was something rather mundane, but key: finding enough parking for the thousands of workers needed to do the construction of the plant (see Shell Cracker Makes Progress; Biggest Problem So Far? Parking). Shell purchased and leased nearby land, mall parking lots, and even built a new road to get workers in and out of the site. But it still was not an easy nor quick process going to and from the site.
Read More “Shell PA Cracker Welders Sue for Bus-Ride Overtime, Class Action”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydrogen | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Big Green Trash Talks Wolf’s Play for $2B Hydrogen Hub in PA
May 17, 2022May 27, 2022

Yesterday Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, one of the most left, radical governors in the country, endorsed an “aggressive push” to be THE state to grab one of four $2 billion regional hydrogen hubs financed under the so-called federal infrastructure bill (see PA Gov. Wolf Announces “Aggressive Push” to Get Hydrogen Hub). Wolf hasn’t yet read the memo from his pals in the Big Green movement, who are now turning against hydrogen energy. The latest example is the PA-based Breathe Project, which calls the proposed hydrogen hub and PA’s pursuit of it “a plan that will take us in the wrong direction.”
Read More “Big Green Trash Talks Wolf’s Play for $2B Hydrogen Hub in PA”