Antis Try to Stop Buffalo-Area Coal Plant Conversion to NatGas
In 2013, a coal-fired electric generating plant near Buffalo (in Dunkirk) was slated to be converted to burn natural gas–a win/win for everyone (see Dunkirk, NY Electric Plant Saved – Converting from Coal to NatGas). Radical environmentalists like the Sierra Club opposed it, but that’s to be expected. Crazy people do crazy things. Everything seemed to be fine until a competitor hauled NRG, the plant’s owner, into court to dispute the change from coal to natgas. They objected to ratepayers kicking in $150 million for the project. NRG said fighting the case in court will take years, so they just closed down the plant instead (see Dunkirk, NY Coal-Fired Electric Plant Closing in January 2016). It was an economic nuclear bomb for that community. The Town of Dunkirk gets 40% of its tax revenue from the plant. New York State “generously” shucked out $5.5 million so Dunkirk wouldn’t collapse economically. But doing that year after year will get old quick. Other communities can rightly demand state help too. But then the competitor who had objected to converting the old coal plant to natgas (with ratepayer assistance) dropped their objection, and NRG restarted the project in December (see Coal-to-Gas Plant Conversion in Western NY Back from the Dead). But once again, the environmental lunatics who would rather bankrupt Dunkirk than let the plant restart as a gas-fired plant, are lobbying the state Public Service Commission to block the deal…
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Mark McCollum, who had been Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Halliburton, the world’s second largest oilfield services company, has left to become the CEO of Weatherford, the world’s fourth largest oilfield services company. Sounds like a good move for McCollum’s career. But is it? Since last November we’ve highlighted the financial problems at the company (
You know it’s a slow week for anti-fossil fuel crackpots like Josh Fox and Maya van Rossum (THE Delaware Riverkeeper) when they have to hold a conference call to begin protesting something that hasn’t even happened yet. The Donald has been a busy boy, trying to weed out Obamadroids deeply embedded in the federal government. The President is responsible to appointing something like 5,000 people to positions throughout the federal government. Most of them pass through Presidential Personnel (an office MDN editor Jim Willis once worked in during the Reagan Administration, back in the Jurassic period) and do not require Congressional approval. But one agency of primary concern for us, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), is still missing three of five Commissioners. Trump has not (yet) put forward nominees to staff it, nominees who will have to be approved by the Senate. But lack of nominees isn’t stopping Josh Fox, Maya van Rossum, a PA pig farmer and others with an abject hatred of FERC because FERC is responsible for evaluating and approving pipeline projects. You know, pipelines that flow evil, disgusting, horrible fossil fuels that are poisoning Mom Earth. On a conference call scheduled for tomorrow, Josh, Maya & friends will outline their opposition to ANYONE Trump puts forward. Doesn’t matter who it is. The Dalai Lama? Against him. BH Obama? Against him too. Meryl “hates Donald Trump’s guts” Streep? Against her, even though she’s a hater. Queen Hillary? She’s yesterday’s news. Mickey Mouse? Set out a mousetrap. That will be the strategy outlined on tomorrow’s conference call…
The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading. In today’s lineup: Opposition to fracking in Maryland is anti-science; outrage over closing NY nuke plant; Exxon plans to invest $20B in U.S. Gulf region; GE & Baker Hughes get more info requests from DOJ on merger; Statoil says shale profitable at $50/barrel; #ExxonKnew activists target Shell next; Chesapeake “won’t hesitate” to dump more assets; hackers target energy sector; and more!
Along with chainsaws buzzing (until Mar. 31) and wood chips flying, Rover Pipeline has now started the backhoes. As MDN previously reported, on Feb. 3 the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) gave its final approval for Energy Transfer’s Rover Pipeline project, a $3.7 billion, 711-mile Marcellus/Utica natural gas pipeline that will run from PA, WV and eastern OH through OH into Michigan and eventually into Canada (see 
Statoil, based in Norway, is a big player in the West Virginia Marcellus Shale. Statoil paid property taxes to Brooke, Marshall, Ohio and Wetzel counties (all in WV) in 2015 and later found, during an audit/review, that they had overpaid those counties. They overpaid Brooke by $1.8 million, Ohio by $2.9 million, Wetzel by $1.6 million and Marshall by $342,000 (see 
Compressor stations in Ohio, needed to flow natural gas through numerous new pipelines being built, require a permit from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in order to get built. The Ohio EPA considers each application independently, a laborious and long process. In an effort to streamline that process, the Ohio EPA began work on a plan in September 2015 to issue “general permits” for compressor stations (see 
This is a story that MDN has been watching for years–the transformation (metamorphosis, really) of CONSOL Energy from, at one time, a 100% coal-producing company into a 100% natural gas-producing company. In February MDN reported on the company’s announcement in February to either sell or spin-off the remaining coal assets it owns–this year (see 
Each year utility and midstreamer Dominion East Ohio awards grants to community organizations across the Buckeye State, where it operates. A great program. Each year (in recent memory) the awards have totaled over $100,000. This year is no different. Last week Dominion East Ohio presented $110,000 in grants to 12 winning community organizations in its 22nd annual Community Impact Awards competition. Here’s who won…
Each year the Oil & Gas Awards recognize organizations operating responsibly and supporting the communities they operate within. Now in their 5th year, the Oil & Gas Awards are judged by over 100 senior industry professionals. A gala ceremony was held last Thursday in Pittsburgh to announce the winners. Below is a complete list of the 2017 winners, by category. Congratulations to all of the finalists and winners!…
Events related to drilling in the Marcellus and Utica Shale, primarily pro-drilling.