Virginia

Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Companies | Energy Services | EQT Corp | Equitrans/EQT Midstream | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Research | Statewide VA | Statewide WV | Virginia | West Virginia

Sierra Club Attacks Mountain Valley Pipeline with Sham Report
July 8, 2016July 8, 2016

Another day, another attack on natural gas by the radicals of the Sierra Club. In this case, the Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club found a retired geologist they could buy, er, a, hire to write a report slamming the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a $3.5 billion, 301-mile pipeline that will run from Wetzel County, WV to the Transco Pipeline in Pittsylvania County, VA. The pipeline is due to be built by EQT, NextEra Energy and several other partners. The geologist who sold himself out to the Sierra Club says the pipeline would run through a “karst” area–an area of sinkholes and caves–and building the pipeline could potentially damage the water aquifer in that area. Below is a news report and a copy of the sham report released by the Virginia Sierra Clubbers…
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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Regulation | Statewide VA | Virginia

Big Green Groups Oppose STRONGER Review of VA Drilling Rules
June 27, 2016June 27, 2016

Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME) wants an independent, third-party review of proposed natural gas drilling regulations in the state. The last time such regulations was reviewed was in 2004, over a decade ago. A lot has changed since then. At that time, a group called the State Review of Oil and Natural Gas Environmental Regulations (STRONGER) performed the review. It’s only natural that the same group do the new review–so the DMME hired STRONGER to do it. And that has anti-drilling nutjobs in a tizzy. Eight radical anti-drilling groups say STRONGER has industry backing and will not be fair and impartial in their review. In other words, STRONGER won’t recommend rules so strict as to ban fracking, which is what the radicals want. Here’s the thing: STRONGER has members of Big Green groups as part of the organization–including Earthworks and Trout Unlimited. STRONGER receives funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Dept. of Energy (DOE). So how do the nutters figure STRONGER isn’t objective or unduly influenced? If anything, STRONGER is influenced toward being too cozy with Big Green causes…
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Dominion Energy | Electrical Generation | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Statewide VA | Virginia

Dominion Begins Building Virginia’s Biggest NatGas Power Station
June 23, 2016June 22, 2016

Artist’s rendering of Greensville County Power Station – click for larger version

In March 2015, Dominion–a huge natural gas and electric utility as well as a midstream company–announced plans to build the State of Virginia’s largest natural gas powered electric generating plant, in Greensville County, VA (see Virginia’s Largest Electric Plant to be Powered by Marcellus Gas). The $1.3 billion state-of-the-art natural gas-fired electric generating station will generate 1,600 megawatts of electricity. Dominion’s own 550-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline (when built) will provide cheap, abundant, clean-burning Marcellus/Utica Shale gas to power it. In July 2015 Dominion filed a request with the Virginia State Corporate Commission (SCC) to build it (see Dominion to Build Electric Plant in S VA Powered by Marcellus Gas). The SCC approved the project in March of this year (see Virginia Approves State’s Largest NatGas-Powered Electric Plant). On Tuesday Dominion announced they’ve begun construction…
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Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Statewide VA | Virginia

Virginia Group Proposes Alternative Routes for Atlantic Coast Pipe
June 3, 2016June 3, 2016

Atlantic Coast Pipeline Alternative Route – click for larger version

There’s nothing more frustrating than engaging in a debate with people who fight dirty. The vast majority Big Green groups fight dirty when it comes to opposing natural gas drilling and infrastructure projects. They attempt use arguments about dirty air and dirty water and pollution to confuse the general population. But they can’t back up their words with any proof. The antis true motivation often stays hidden in the background–an irrational hatred of using fossil fuels of any kind. But they can’t help it–their true motivation often leaks out in their statements. There is no reasoning with an unreasonable person. So when we notice a group of antis that actually uses rational, well-thought-out arguments, it’s very much the exception to the rule–and worth noting. We have respect for those on the other side of the fossil fuel debate when they fight fair and challenge us using science and facts instead of innuendo and outright lies. Such is the case with a group opposing the existing route of Dominion’s Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) project through Virginia. The group, called Friends of Wintergreen, submitted a detailed, 128-page analysis of four alternate routes for the ACP to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) using analysis from national environmental, legal and pipeline engineering firms. Friends of Wintergreen is not demanding that ACP not get built–they’re recommending other routes and supporting their recommendations with lots of analysis. Cool. We applaud them. Here’s what the group said in a recent press release, along with a copy of their 128-page analysis sent to FERC…
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Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pipelines | Statewide VA | Virginia

Atlantic Coast Pipeline Wins Another Virginia Court Case
May 16, 2016July 7, 2016

Atlantic Coast Pipeline Route – Virginia (click for larger version)

Last year MDN reported that anti-drilling landowners in Nelson and Augusta counties (Virginia) who don’t want a pipeline to mar their weekend horse farm pastures refused to allow surveyors for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline access to their precious pastures. Dominion, the company building the 550-mile, $5 billion natural gas pipeline that will run from West Virginia, through Virginia and into North Carolina, took the antis to federal court and won (see Fed Judge Tosses VA Landowner Lawsuit to Stop Pipeline Surveys). The same landowners won’t leave it alone and took Dominion back to court (county court in this case) over the surveys. The county judge found that Dominion’s survey notices are “insufficient” because they use imprecise language about when the surveys will take place. But the judge essentially threw out everything else. In other words, this was yet another victory for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline–a pipeline that WILL get built…
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Dominion Energy | Electrical Generation | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Statewide VA | Virginia

Dominion Brunswick NatGas-Fired Plant Begins Electric Generation
April 27, 2016April 27, 2016

Brunswick County Power Station – click for larger image

The newest member of Dominion’s power generation fleet, the 1,358 megawatt, natural gas-fired Brunswick Power Station (Brunswick County, Virginia) began producing electricity for customers on Monday, April 25. The station produces enough electricity to power 325,000 homes. The power plant will eventually be fed by Marcellus Shale gas coming from Dominion’s own $5 billion, 550-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline. But right now it uses at least some Marcellus/Utica gas coming from the Williams Transco pipeline. Last September Williams completed and put into service the Virginia Southside Expansion project to feed this power plant (see Williams Completes $300M Pipeline Expansion in Virginia on Time). As we pointed out at the time, Williams has upgraded parts of the Transco in New Jersey and Pennsylvania in order to make the Transco bidirectional–pushing Marcellus/Utica gas southward. A plethora of these new plants in the region is an important new source of demand for abundant, clean-burning Marcellus/Utica Shale gas. Here’s the details about the latest clean energy plant from Dominion going online earlier this week…
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Dominion Energy | Electrical Generation | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Statewide VA | Virginia

Virginia Approves State’s Largest NatGas-Powered Electric Plant
March 30, 2016March 30, 2016

Last July Dominion filed a request with the Virginia State Corporate Commission (SCC) to build a $1.3 billion state-of-the-art natural gas-fired electric generating station in Greensville County, VA (see Dominion to Build Electric Plant in S VA Powered by Marcellus Gas). The new power station will generate 1,600 megawatts–enough electricity to power 400,000 homes. It will be the biggest electric plant in Virginia. The plant would be powered by–you guessed it–Marcellus Shale gas (see Virginia’s Largest Electric Plant to be Powered by Marcellus Gas). We have some great news to report. The SCC has approved the project. Construction, according to Dominion, will begin “later this year”…
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Energy Companies | EQT Corp | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pipelines | Statewide VA | Virginia

Mountain Valley Pipeline Wins Right to Survey in VA w/o Permission
March 9, 2016March 9, 2016

Mountain Valley Pipeline is a $3.5 billion, 301-mile pipeline that will run from Wetzel County, WV to the Transco Pipeline in Pittsylvania County, VA. The project, which filed an official application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission last October, is being built by EQT, NextEra Energy and several other partners (see Mountain Valley Pipeline Files FERC Appl, Now Just Matter of Time). The project has faced stiff opposition from landowners in West Virginia (see Mountain Valley Pipeline Sues 103 WV Landowners for Survey Access). The project has also faced opposition from landowners in Virginia. However, things just got a lot easier for Mountain Valley when it comes to surveying a potential route through the Old Dominion state. The Virginia Supreme Court on Monday decided NOT to hear an appeal of a lower court ruling that allows pipeline surveyors to access a property WITHOUT the landowner’s permission. That decision means the lower court ruling, which allows surveyors unpermissioned access, to stand…
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Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Regulation | Statewide VA | Statewide WV | Virginia | West Virginia

US Forest Service Blocks Atlantic Coast Pipeline in National Forests
January 25, 2016January 25, 2016

Cow Knob Salamander

In the end it was the cow nobs and red spruce that have slowed down Dominion’s $5 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) project from West Virginia through Virginia and into North Carolina. Specifically, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has refused to grant Dominion a special permit to cross teeny tiny sections of the Monongahela and George Washington national forests in West Virginia and Virginia. Why? Because of concerns about cow knob salamanders, northern flying squirrels and red spruce trees. Just last November MDN told you that Dominion and ACP were bending backwards, forwards and sideways to avoid running through cow nob salamander territory (see Dominion Files Pipeline Route Change to Avoid Salamanders, Swamp). Apparently the USFS doesn’t think Dominion’s plan is good enough. It’s now back to the drawing board to see where, in those regions, ACP can safely be run to avoid radical environmentalist demands. Of course the answer is “no where” as they are always unreasonable about these things. There is no “how can we work this out to your satisfaction” when it comes to nut cases. The antis simply demand, like petulant children, that you not do it at all. Which is just what the other side is now saying about ACP…
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Columbia Pipeline Group | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Regulation | Statewide VA | Statewide WV | Virginia | West Virginia

Columbia Pipeline Files to Build $850M WB XPress Project in WV/VA
January 11, 2016January 11, 2016

In addition to receiving Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approval for the Utica Access Project, Columbia Pipeline Group has just filed their full, official application with FERC for approval of the $850 million WB XPress Project, consisting of two new compressor stations, 26 miles of pipeline replacement located along existing corridors, and 2.9 miles of new pipeline in Virginia and West Virginia. The WB XPress Project will expand capacity of the Columbia Gas Transmission pipeline in the region by 1.3 billion cubic feet per day, linking Marcellus gas supplies to new markets…
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Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Statewide VA | Virginia

2 New NatGas Electric Turbines Planned Near Richmond, VA
January 6, 2016January 6, 2016

An electric generating operator with an existing facility near Kings Dominion amusement park (about 20 miles from Richmond, VA) has filed a plan with the Virginia State Corporation Commission seeking permission to build two new smaller natural gas-fired electric generating turbines at the existing facility in Hanover County, VA. The two turbines would create up to 340 megawatts of electricity and would be used only during peak electric demand times–when demand rises due to really cold or really hot weather. Doswell Energy Center already operates four combined cycle natural gas units (producing up to 665 megawatts of electricity) and one other turbine (generating 171 megawatts) at the site. The two new turbines would be built at the same location. There’s little doubt that Marcellus/Utica Shale gas will feed the new turbines, if built. Hanover County officials are on board with the plan…
Read More “2 New NatGas Electric Turbines Planned Near Richmond, VA”
Energy Companies | EnerVest | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | M&A | Range Resources Corp | Statewide VA | Virginia

Range Res. Completes Sale of VA Assets to EnerVest, 55 Lose Jobs
January 4, 2016January 4, 2016

In November MDN reported that Range Resources would sell 3,500 operated wells and approximately 460,000 net acres in the Nora/Haysi combined fields located in southwestern Virginia for $876 million to an unnamed buyer (see Range Sells Coal Bed Methane Wells in VA, Focusing on Marcellus). The stated reason for the sale is to pay down debt and use the money for more Marcellus drilling. The deal is done and dusted. The final price turned out to be $865 million, $11 million less than announced. Although Range has remained tight-lipped about who the buyer was, EnerVest admitted they are the buyer. At the time Range first announced the impending sale, they issued a WARN notice that up to 158 people would lose their jobs when the sale was completed (see 158 Range Resources Employees in SW VA May Lose Jobs by Dec 30). The sale was completed on Dec. 30, but fortunately not all 158 jobs were axed. “Only” 55 jobs were axed while 103 people were extended offers to work for EnerVest. Of course the 55 people who lost their jobs had a sucky Christmas…
Read More “Range Res. Completes Sale of VA Assets to EnerVest, 55 Lose Jobs”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Statewide VA | Virginia

Virginia Anti Groups Pressure Gov McAuliffe to Shut Down Fracking
December 10, 2015December 10, 2015

A group of virulent anti-drilling groups, including Clean Water Action, the Virginia Sierra Club and Shenandoah Riverkeeper, are pushing Virginia’s Democrat Governor Terry McAuliffe to halt any new fracking permits in the state until they can muster enough public support (through their lying public relations campaigns) to permanently shut down fracking in the Old Dominion, like has been done in the Empire State (i.e. New York). Said groups, which always position their “requests” as even-handed and really the only wise thing to do–have pulled this stunt in state after state after state. Fracking is a miracle. Fracking is safe. Fracking produces jobs. Fracking does not pollute water, air, land, etc. But you wouldn’t know that by the propaganda issued by these disgusting groups. We hope McAuliffe doesn’t cave to their pressure the way man-child Andy Cuomo did…
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Dominion Energy | Electrical Generation | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Statewide VA | Virginia

Dominion’s Northern VA NatGas Electric Plant an Award Winner
December 9, 2015December 9, 2015

A natural gas-powered electric generating plant in northern Virginia that MDN told you about more than four years ago is now an award winner. In September 2011 MDN told you that Dominion would build a huge new electric plant, powered by Marcellus Shale gas (see Marcellus is “Game Changer” for New Electric Power Plants). The 1,329-megawatt Warren County Power Station entered into commercial operation on December 10th, 2014. The natural gas-fired power station, located just north of Front Royal, VA, can produce enough electricity to power about 325,000 homes at peak demand. The plant is among the cleanest fossil-fuel fired facilities in the nation, using three combustion turbines and a steam turbine. This clean-burning, environmentally-friendly FOSSIL FUEL PLANT was named Gas-Fired Project of the Year for 2015 by the editors at Power Engineering and Renewable Energy World magazines…
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Energy Companies | EnerVest | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Range Resources Corp | Statewide VA | Virginia

158 Range Resources Employees in SW VA May Lose Jobs by Dec 30
November 23, 2015November 23, 2015

Three weeks ago MDN told you that Range Resources had decided to sell 3,500 operated wells and approximately 460,000 net acres in the Nora/Haysi combined fields located in southwestern Virginia for $876 million to an unnamed buyer (see Range Sells Coal Bed Methane Wells in VA, Focusing on Marcellus). The Nora/Haysi operation consists of coal bed methane natural gas wells–an operation more akin to conventional drilling than shale drilling. The reason for the sale, as we told you at the time, is so Range can pay off debt and continue to concentrate on more profitable Marcellus Shale drilling. We now know that EnerVest is the buyer of the Nora/Haysi fields. We also have sad news that it’s possible (not certain but possible) that 158 jobs associated with the wells/operation may not make the transition. Range has filed a WARN notice (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act) that 158 workers in Dickenson and Washington counties (in southwest Virginia) could be out of a job by December 30th. Merry Christmas…
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Clearfield County | Energy Companies | Energy Corporation of America | Greene County (PA) | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide VA | Virginia

Virginia Rejects Deal for DC-based Utility to Buy Marcellus Wells
November 18, 2015November 18, 2015

A Washington, DC-based natural gas utility company, Washington Gas (WGL Holdings), announced in May they had cut a $126 million deal with Energy Corp. of America to purchase a 96% interest in 22 Marcellus Shale gas wells in Greene County, PA and another 3 shale wells in Clearfield County, PA. The gas flowing from those wells would go to WGL’s customers in the State of Virginia, requiring state approval of the deal. The Virginia State Corporation Commission (VSCC) turned them down and nixed the deal. Why? VSCC said WGL’s assumptions about how much the wells will produce, and about the price of gas over the next 20 years, were not solid. Furthermore, the VSCC didn’t like that WGL is essentially shifting the risk of well production/prices onto the backs of rate payers. More deals like this are rumored to be coming down the pike. Will they get nixed too?…
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