TGP’s Extraordinary Security to Build 2-Mile Pipeline in Mass.
In March 2016–more than a year ago–the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved Tennessee Gas Pipeline’s (TGP) $86 million Connecticut Expansion project (see FERC Approves TGP Connecticut Expansion Pipeline Project). The project includes building 13.42 miles of new pipeline loops in three states: Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York. When completed, the new looping will serve an additional 72,100 dekatherms of (mostly) Marcellus Shale gas to three utility companies in Connecticut. A pretty low-key project overall with just 13.42 miles of new pipeline. But anti-fossil fuel kooks object to very square inch of new pipelines–no matter where they are constructed. (Perhaps if pipelines flowed marijuana instead of fossil fuels, they’d feel differently about them? But we digress.) The State of Massachusetts did its best to block construction there, but eventually lost and was forced to grant an easement for a lousy 2 miles of pipeline. And now, more than a year after getting a green light from FERC, TGP is finally beginning construction. The security they must maintain to construct a lousy 2-mile pipeline is, in a word, extraordinary…
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MDN has previously chronicled bought-and-paid-for research done by Duke University’s Avner Vengosh, professor of geochemistry and water quality at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment (see 
Last year the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, via their Institute for 21st Century Energy intiative, launched a “What If…?” series to counter the radical “keep it in the ground” movement–a movement that irrationally hates the use of fossil fuels. In August 2016, the Chamber released their first such report, titled “What If…Energy Production was Banned on Federal Lands and Waters?” (see 
Last December the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) said it would go on a “listening tour” in early 2017, to focus on so-called environmental justice (see 
The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading. In today’s lineup: March construction starts up 5% thanks to Marcellus/Utica pipelines; NY hurts energy development over dubious concerns; Rover Pipeline’s early messes don’t inspire confidence; officials speak out re Rover’s spills; PA wants more oversight of gas industry hiring practices; oil investors who bet on higher prices, lost; Trump signing more exec orders this week on energy, environment; oil majors lead the pack in a mad dash for gas; nuclear power subsidies robbing wind and solar; and more!
Last October EQT announced a deal to buy Trans Energy, Inc., a public pure-play driller in the Marcellus in West Virginia, which will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of EQT (see 
MDN friend Tom Shepstone has long pointed out the incestuous connection between THE Delaware Riverkeeper and the William Penn Foundation. William Penn is a nonprofit that, according to its nonprofit charter, cannot use its considerable wealth to engage in political activities. So like an organized crime ring, William Penn uses Riverkeeper as the front organization to do its dirty work–investing millions in the Riverkeeper to carry out its (William Penn’s) radical environmental agenda. All at an arm’s length–to protect William Penn’s tax exempt status (hello IRS and PA Attorney General’s office, are you reading this?). It is a thinly-veiled shell game of money changing hands. The William Penn/Riverkeeper shell game is exposed in a recent article in the Washington Examiner…
Last week the Natural Gas Supply Association (NGSA) released a report by Pace Global about the “critical role” of natural gas in generating affordable (and clean) electricity in the U.S. The report, titled “Natural Gas: Essential to a lower carbon energy future” (full copy below), finds that whether or not the U.S. federal government adopts Obama’s disastrous so-called Clean Power Plan, the shift was already underway and will continue–from using sources like coal to using natural gas to generate electricity. It is the single, biggest factor in lowering carbon dioxide emissions–if you care about that sort of thing (which we don’t). Along with the Pace report the NGSA released four key policy recommendations that will encourage even more use of natgas in power generation, and increasingly important market for Marcellus/Utica gas…
We reported back in February that a group of far-left House of Representatives Democrats sent a letter to President Trump imploring him to appoint new members to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (see 
Last week Kinder Morgan, the largest midstream (i.e. pipeline) company in the U.S., filed its first quarter 2017 update. 1Q17 saw a profit of $401 million, up $125 million (45%) from 1Q16. Revenue was up $229 million (7%) to $3.4 billion. And costs rose just $65 million (3%) to $2.4 billion. All in all a good start to 2017. However, as always, what we’re interested in is an update on key projects that Kinder Morgan is working on–projects that are located in or close to (with an impact on) the Marcellus/Utica region. Projects like the Utopia Pipeline in Ohio, the Elba Island LNG export facility in Georgia, the Orion Project in northeast PA, and the Louisiana pipeline project, going bi-directional to move our gas to the southwest. There were plenty of updates about projects of interest to the Marcellus/Utica (particularly those coming online in 2017) in the latest quarterly report…
According to one of the top accounting/consulting firms in the world, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), mergers & acquisitions (M&A) activity in the oil and gas sector in the U.S. set a new record high in 1Q17 for the first quarter of any year–$73.04 billion in deals. The report, titled “US Oil & Gas Deals insights first quarter 2017” (full copy below), says the market is quite pleased with The Donald’s pro-energy policies and is loosening up the money to fund new exploration and production. In fact, first quarter spending represents a “stunning 160% increase in deal value year over year.” Some 53 deals were announced in 1Q17, with upstream (i.e. exploration/drilling) taking the lion’s share with 32 deals worth $36.6 billion…
Big Chemical–companies like Dow Corning, BASF, Eastman Chemical and others, via their trade association, have launched a war to try and block American-made natural gas from getting exported to other countries. The reason? They want the natural gas they buy (in very large quantities) to be as cheap as possible. They recently sent a letter (copy below) to Secretary of Energy Rick Perry asking Perry to create barriers to exports of natural gas, ’cause you know, it’s “America First” now baby, and we want that gas all to ourselves. Strumming the patriotic heartstrings, the the Industrial Energy Consumers of America (IECA) says keeping all the gas here will grow more American jobs–and The Donald loves jobs for Americans. These are the same companies that, at the drop of a hat, left our shores and built plants in other countries. To play the patriotic “keep it all home” card is disgustingly hypocritical…
Events related (or of interest) to the Marcellus and Utica Shale, primarily pro-drilling events.