PA EHB Allows Faulty “Research” in Olympus Well Permit Challenge
Fake research used by Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) will be allowed in a hearing that appeals permits granted to Olympus Energy to drill shale wells at the Metis well pad in Penn Township, Westmoreland County. The PSR’s so-called research is a mish-mash accumulation of other people’s research that doesn’t apply specifically to the wells permitted by the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP). The so-called research is sprinkled with lots of scary words like PFAS and “forever chemicals,” implying such chemicals are being used by Olympus in drilling and fracking its wells — allegations with NO basis in fact. Protect PT, a radicalized group that receives funding from other Big Green groups, is challenging the DEP permits for the Metis pad, using SPR’s so-called research in its challenge. Olympus tried to have the SPR’s throw-enough-crap-against-the-wall-and-hope-some-of-it-sticks “research” tossed from being considered, but the Environmental Hearing Board (EHB), the special court in PA that hears appeals of DEP decisions, refused to toss the crap-throwing “research” out, saying Olympus should challenge said research during cross-examination.
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The “sue-till-green” strategy sweeping the nation began in 2012 when the radicalized Climate Accountability Institute (CAI) hosted a conference in La Jolla, California. The gathering discussed a new approach to climate activism, mirroring the campaign against Big Tobacco — but this time targeting the oil and gas industry. The goal of the radicals is to effectively revoke the oil and gas industry’s “social license to operate.” Ultimately, this approach buries oil and gas companies with legal fees and, together with other “green” policies, artificially raises the cost of reliable energy and subsidizes the production of unreliable alternative energy sources. Disgusting. And now this strategy has come to Pennsylvania.
Two weeks ago, during the week of April 29 – May 5, there were 16 new permits issued to drill in the Marcellus/Utica (and 26 the week before that). Last week, for May 6 – 12, there were just ten new permits issued. The trend has been going down for the past few weeks. Ascent Resources scored the most new permits last week, with six scattered between two well pads in Guernsey and Jefferson counties in Ohio. Coterra Energy received two new permits in Susquehanna County, PA. Antero Resources also received two permits, in Wetzel County, WV.
Wednesday evening, the supervisors of West Deer Township (Allegheny County), PA, held a regular monthly meeting. One item on the agenda was the potential adoption of revisions to the town’s oil and gas drilling ordinance. A number of (supposed) residents showed up to question the revisions and ask for stricter setbacks (a bigger distance from drilling to homes and other structures). Ultimately, the supervisors decided to delay a vote on the revisions, pushing it off until next month’s meeting.
Although Shell maintains flaring and accidental emissions from its multi-billion-dollar ethane cracker in Beaver County, PA, have not violated state and federal air standards, the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) says they have — on numerous occasions. Shell didn’t argue the point, and in May 2023, the company agreed to pay nearly $10 million in fines and “contributions” to benefit the local community (see 
CNX Resources Corp., KeyState Energy, and Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) are working together on a $1.5 billion project that, if completed, would make sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at PIT from coal mine methane gas. But only if the Bidenistas deeply embedded in the IRS allow coal mine methane to qualify for green energy tax credits. That’s a really big IF. CNX and KeyState announced yesterday that the two companies signed a letter of intent (non-binding for now) to build a SAF facility at PIT to turn coal mine methane into hydrogen that would be used as aviation fuel.
In March, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro traveled to Scranton, PA, to announce a proposal to “immediately pull Pennsylvania out of a multi-state carbon cap-and-trade program” (the so-called Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI) and instead enroll PA in its very own RGGI-like carbon tax program (see 
According to recently released data, water sales for fracking activities throughout Westmoreland and its neighboring counties represent only a tiny portion of what is distributed daily to local residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County (MAWC) said water purchased by local energy companies, which includes shale and conventional drillers, accounts for just 4% of the more than 11.5 billion gallons that were sold over the preceding 12 months. Whoops! Another lie of the environmental left — that fracking is soaking up all of our precious water supplies — is now exposed.
Every four years, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) must approve plans by PECO, Pennsylvania’s largest electric and natural gas utility, delivering power to nearly 1.7 million electric customers and more than 545,000 natural gas customers in southeastern Pennsylvania. The plans under review are for how PECO, a fully regulated utility, will procure (buy) electricity for the next four years. In February, PECO filed its 1,235-page purchase plan with the regulators. The company plans to do what it has been doing (i.e., what’s been working), which is to obtain the least expensive electric supply and purchase 8% of its power from renewable sources, including 0.5% of solar energy generated within the state. Anti-fossil fuel nutters are having a cow, demanding (they always demand) that PECO buy far more unreliable renewable electricity, skyrocketing the cost to consumers.
Last week, the Baker Hughes U.S. rig count lost another two rigs, down to 603, the lowest the count has been since January of 2022. Since last October, the national count had gone as low as 616 and as high as 629, and that was it — a fairly narrow band. That is, until three weeks when it crashed through the floor and went lower, down to 613. Then, two weeks ago, it was down to 605. And now, it has gone even lower, down to 603. Will we see it go lower than 600?
Epsilon Energy issued its first quarter 2024 update yesterday. Epsilon, a relatively small company, used to concentrate most of its effort on developing Marcellus Shale wells. However, over the past few years, the company has expanded into other plays and now owns assets in the Anadarko (Oklahoma and Texas) and the Permian (Texas and New Mexico). Epsilon typically does not do its own drilling. The company joint venture partners with (gives money to) other companies, like Chesapeake Energy (in the Marcellus), and the other company does the drilling. Epsilon’s capital expenditures were $21.4 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, primarily related to work in Texas and the completion of 7 gross (0.7 net) Marcellus wells in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania.
In March, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro traveled to Scranton, PA, to announce a proposal to “immediately pull Pennsylvania out of a multi-state carbon cap-and-trade program” (the so-called Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI) and instead enroll PA in its very own RGGI-like carbon tax program (see 
The environmental left is now attempting to co-opt the term “Evangelical Christian,” defined as protestants who tend to be pro-life and conservative in their political views. We’re here to expose them for who they really are. We’re talking about the so-called Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN) that keeps trying to pressure Pennsylvania to adopt unreliable renewable energy (by government fiat) and to force residents to dump their use of fossil energy. The EEN claims to be “pro-life” and “conservative” in their press releases. We question those statements. Our observation over the years is that EEN supports extreme leftwing Democrat policies ONLY, and they NEVER support any Republican energy policies in Harrisburg. NEVER. We don’t know about their use of the word “Christian” (that’s between them and God), but we can assure you they aren’t conservative. They certainly aren’t Evangelical in the traditional sense of that word.
In October 2020, a law firm filed a lawsuit on behalf of several Cabot Oil & Gas shareholders against Cabot (now Coterra Energy), claiming the company “had inadequate environmental controls and procedures and/or failed to properly mitigate known issues related to those controls and procedures,” and that the company “failed to fix faulty gas wells which polluted Pennsylvania’s water supplies through stray gas migration” (see 