Three advocates for Appalachian hydrogen and carbon capture projects–two lawyers and the head of Appalachian Energy Future–say that Pennsylvania (and Ohio and West Virginia) are missing key pieces of the hydrogen puzzle before a billion-dollar hydrogen hub can become a reality in any of those states. The missing pieces are permitting and regulations.
Read More “Missing Pieces of M-U Hydrogen Puzzle: Regulations & Permitting”
As we mentioned in passing in our post yesterday about Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s first budget, one of the items in his budget (and in his speech) was support for a $1 billion hydrogen hub project in the Keystone State (see Shapiro’s 1st Budget a Mixed Bag – Severance Tax Out, Carbon Tax In). All three of the potential hydrogen hub projects in which PA is involved depend on converting natural gas into hydrogen while capturing any resulting carbon dioxide and storing it–called “blue” hydrogen. Blue is not green enough for Big Green wackos who are panning Shapiro’s support for a hydrogen hub. Even though he was their candidate. Buyer’s remorse?
Read More “Big Green Not Happy with PA Gov. Shapiro’s Support for Blue H2”
Newly-elected Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro unveiled his first-ever budget yesterday, and it was a whopper, coming in at $44.4 BILLION. We were keeping an eye on his budget for two primary things: (1) Does it include a severance tax? (2) Does Shapiro plan to get revenue from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) carbon tax scheme? For the first, the answer is no. Thankfully, Shapiro did not lobby nor request a Marcellus-killing severance tax. Which is sure to tick off the left. However, it was a mixed bag because the budget DOES assume RGGI will kick in and provide the state with $663 million in proceeds for 2023-24. Wait, you thought Shapiro was against RGGI following his comments slamming it? Surely you’re not that dumb?
Read More “Shapiro’s 1st Budget a Mixed Bag – Severance Tax Out, Carbon Tax In”
Some 18 pro-business groups in Pennsylvania joined forces to send a letter to newly-elected Gov. Josh Shapiro and every member of the PA legislature. The letter, spearheaded by the PA Chamber of Business and Industry (also the Marcellus Shale Coalition and the American Petroleum Institute of PA), congratulates Shapiro and all those winning election or reelection. It was a verbal slap on the back. But the letter goes on to request all of these newly elected officials to work together to promote domestic energy production in the Keystone State. In other words, Why can’t we be friends?
Read More “18 PA Biz Groups Urge Shapiro, Legislature to Cooperate on Energy”
Could air pollution related to drilling shale wells affect those who live nearby? In particular, does shale drilling negatively affect the health of older folks (over age 65)? How would we know if it is affecting their health? Researchers set out to answer that question by analyzing Medicare data for older folks who live near Marcellus drilling in Pennsylvania, comparing the data with older folks who live in nearby New York, where there is no Marcellus drilling. The researchers conclude that living near shale drilling increases the likelihood of old folks having a heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular issues.
Read More “Research Claims Old Folks Near PA Marcellus Have More Heart Attacks”
Pennsylvania State Sen. Gene Yaw (Republican from Lycoming County), the Majority Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, announced last week that he intends to introduce legislation to establish an Independent Energy Office (IEO). The IEO would be established along the same lines as state’s successful Independent Fiscal Office (IFO). The IEO would, like the IFO, be a neutral agency that does not support or oppose the policies it analyzes.
Read More “PA State Sen. Yaw Proposes Creation of Independent Energy Office”
Once again, the lie machine that is the left, hellbent on destroying the Marcellus Miracle in Pennsylvania, is floating the idea of a Marcellus-killing severance tax. The big question is whether or not they will get the man THEY elected to office, Gov. Josh Shapiro, to go along with their insane plan to kill the Marcellus via high severance taxes. When Shapiro unveils his first state budget tomorrow, we’ll know the answer to that question. In the meantime, the wackadoodle machine cranked up its severance tax calls (once again, for the umpteenth year in a row) via the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, a partisan, leftist propaganda outfit with zero credibility.
Read More “Leftist Dems Trot Out PA Severance Tax for Umpteenth Year in a Row”
Yesterday the Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) released its latest quarterly Natural Gas Production Report for October through December 2022 (full copy below). There were 136 new horizontal wells spud (drilled) in 4Q22, a decrease of 18 wells (-12%) compared to 4Q21. Natural gas production volume was 1,856 billion cubic feet (Bcf) in 4Q22, down a big 100 Bcf (-5.1%) from 4Q21. It is the fourth quarterly decrease in production in a row (comparing the same quarters year-over-year). Sadly, 4Q22 production was also down from 3Q22–by 1.2%.
Read More “PA Shale Production & Drilling Tumble in Latest IFO Qtly Report”
Camera Bartolotta is one of those rare finds in swampy Harrisburg, PA. She’s a State Senator who sees the value of pipelines. But more than just valuing pipelines, she’s smart and articulate, and she makes a strong case that Pennsylvania and the entire country need more pipelines–NOW. Bartolotta points out in an opinion column that although Joe Biden has promised billions of dollars of investment in roads and bridges and railroads and electric vehicle charging stations, all of it using your money and mine (i.e. taxpayer money). Pipelines, on the other hand, are built with private investment. Pipelines don’t require a dime of taxpayer money. And they’re the safest form of transportation on earth! So why does dementia Joe ignore pipelines?
Read More “PA State Sen. Bartolotta Makes Strong Case for More NatGas Pipes”
Isn’t it typical for Democrats to try and use a crisis that has nothing whatsoever to do with shale and natural gas to block shale and natural gas? Seven members of Pennsylvania’s Congressional delegation, every single one of them a Democrat, sent a letter (copy below) to another Democrat, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg (an incompetent nincompoop), asking him to permanently delete a rule adopted during the Trump administration that allows LNG to be safely transported by special rail cars. The reason cited for banning LNG by rail? The train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio–an event that has nothing whatsoever to do with shale energy.
Read More “PA Democrats Demand DOT Cancel LNG by Rail After East Palestine”
On February 15, 2023, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania agreed to hear the case Dressler Family, LP v. PennEnergy Resources, LLC, a case addressing the question of whether Pennsylvania is an “at-the-well” jurisdiction, or a “first-marketable product” jurisdiction. The case may have profound implications for Pennsylvania landowners and drillers. The issue in this case revolves around whether or not a driller is allowed to deduct expenses from royalty payments for transporting and cleaning up natural gas between the well and the point of sale. Can a driller claim post-production deductions even if there are clauses that prohibit them?
Read More “PA Supreme Court to Address Royalty Post-Production Deduction Issue”
We have a second article today dealing with post-production deductions in Pennsylvania oil and gas leases. Although this is an “in the weeds” legal article, it’s worth your time and attention (if you are a PA landowner or driller) to read it and understand it. The lawyers at Houston Harbaugh, P.C. have discovered an ingenious way of exposing “net back pricing” and claiming post-production deductions under market enhancement royalty clauses as being hypocritical–by using a clause found in some leases that allows “free gas.”
Read More “Using PA “Free Gas” Clause in Leases to Refute Royalty Deductions”
Big Green is Big Business–especially in Pennsylvania, where leftist groups routinely file a blizzard of lawsuits against the shale industry. Some Big Green groups receive funding from foreign sources, including Russia and China. They seem to have endless pools of money to litigate every square inch of new pipeline and every proposed new well pad. As if being repeatedly sued isn’t enough, these disgusting groups want the fossil fuel industry to pay them for their lawyers! When the groups are the ones filing the lawsuits!! The Democrat judges of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, in a poorly reasoned decision issued yesterday, have granted Big Green the power to sue, and then get paid for suing.
Read More “PA Supreme Court Lets Big Green Collect Legal Fees When They Win”
Last summer then-Gov. Tom Wolf instructed the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) to conduct a comprehensive review of conventional oil and gas driller compliance with an eye on locating enough dirt to justify creating onerous new regulations for the industry (see PA Gov. Wolf Instructs DEP to Draft New Regs Following Act 96). The report was due by Sept. 1. The DEP finally issued its report on Dec. 29th, just as the upper echelon of the DEP was heading for the door to make way for Shapiro’s people to take over (see Departing PA DEP Attacks Conventional O&G in So-Called Report). The report was essentially a hit piece against the conventional oil and gas industry in the state.
Read More “PIOGA Responds to PA DEP’s Trashing of Conventional Drillers”
Pennsylvania State Rep. Martin Causer, Republican from Bradford (McKean County), PA, is introducing a new bill to prohibit PA municipalities from banning the installation and use of natural gas stoves and furnaces. “Pennsylvanians deserve better than to have their freedom restricted by an overly involved government that thinks it knows better than they do,” Causer wrote in a memorandum to his fellow House members, asking them to join him in co-sponsoring the bill. In our opinion, every single Republican member of the PA House should be listed as a co-sponsor of Causer’s “energy freedom” bill.
Read More “PA Rep Causer Introducing Bill to Block Bans of Gas Stoves/Furnaces”
The difference between the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) and the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) is stark. The former is well-run and rational, the latter is disorganized and irrational. At least with respect to fracking. Over the weekend, the SRBC published a notice in the Pennsylvania Bulletin to announce that during the month of January, the agency approved 38 requests for daily water use on shale well pads in the SRBC’s jurisdictional territory in Pennsylvania, totaling some 233.5 million gallons. Put another way, this is a handy list of where drilling will soon happen in northeastern PA.
Read More “SRBC Approves 233M Gal/Day of Water Use for 38 PA Shale Pads”