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PA DEP Issues Permits to Build Lycoming County Gathering Pipe
Pennsylvania General Energy (PGE) wants to install a tiny 3.7-mile gathering pipeline in Lycoming County, PA, to connect several PGE wells to the Transco pipeline system, along with two 8-inch water pipelines of about the same length (see Lycoming County Gathering Pipe in the Crosshairs of Anti Groups). The Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) held a virtual hearing in July so nutty antis could spout off against the project (see PA DEP to Host Virtual Hearing for Lycoming County Gathering Pipe). Good news: The DEP recently issued the permits to build the pipelines. Looks like all the spouting off was just that. Read More “PA DEP Issues Permits to Build Lycoming County Gathering Pipe”
While there are a number of interstate pipelines that crisscross the Marcellus/Utica, there is one pipeline system that is key to moving molecules out of our region to other markets, particularly in the southeast and the Gulf Coast: Transcontinental Gas Pipeline LLC (Transco), owned by Williams. Transco stretches from the Gulf Coast to New York City and was originally designed to flow gas produced in the Gulf northward. A number of years ago, Williams reversed the flow on Transco, and most of the time, it now flows M-U molecules southward to Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and beyond. When sections of Transco undergo maintenance, flows are reduced, driving down spot prices for natgas sold by drillers to the pipeline but raising the price paid by customers on the other end of the pipeline. And when maintenance is done and flows return, it reverses. 
Air Products, headquartered in the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania (Allentown area), once manufactured huge rocket-looking “production trains” or “heat exchangers,” which are pieces of equipment that turn natural gas into liquefied natural gas (LNG), in a plant in Wilkes-Barre, PA. The heat exchangers manufactured by Air Products in Wilkes-Barre were two-thirds of a football field long (180 feet) and used by plants all over the world to condense natural gas into a liquid. Air Products shut down the Wilkes-Barre plant in 2017 (see 
The Bidenistas at the EPA attacked coal and gas-fired power plants in April, threatening to destabilize the existing electric power grid with new regulations (see 
We spotted an article on the Rigzone website with the following headline: “What Would a USA Fracking Ban Mean for the Oil Price?” Our initial thought was, “A frack ban will never happen.” But we read the article and came across this comment by Matt Willer, Managing Director of Capital Markets at Phoenix Group Holdings: “Willer told Rigzone that, in his opinion, the likelihood of a U.S. fracking ban is less than 50 percent.” Whoa, wait just a darned minute! You mean IF The Cackler actually wins, there is a close-to-50% chance of a nationwide frack ban? That’s what Willer appears to be saying. If true, it’s alarming. It’s astonishing. And it’s all the more reason you must motivate everyone you know to vote for DJT. 
OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Eversource Energy completes exit of offshore wind business; NATIONAL: Bidenistas accuse John Hess of colluding with OPEC; Government control of what you eat is on the menu if Kamala wins; Maryland court ruling threatens to shut down Gulf of Mexico production; INTERNATIONAL: Japan LNG lobby urges government to help negotiate better contracts; China extracts commercially viable natural gas from deeper shale formations. 
Three weeks ago, MDN told you about a developing story of rig realignment in the Marcellus/Utica (see 
According to Pennsylvania regulation 25 Pa. Code § 78a.122(b)(6)(iv), a drilling company must provide a list of the chemicals intentionally added to the stimulation [fracking] fluid by name and chemical abstract service (CAS) number in a Completion Report. The PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) says three drillers, including EQT, Range Resources, and Greylock Energy, failed to file the proper paperwork for one or more wells.
For years, MDN has told you that the very first Marcellus well to be drilled and fracked was done by Range Resources Corporation in Washington County, PA. Beyond that, we didn’t know much. Thanks to an article appearing in the Washington Observer-Reporter, we now know the full story—or at least a lot more of the story—including the name of that very first Marcellus well. 
Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass LNG export facility received Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) authorization to place the final three liquefaction blocks (7-9) into service in November 2023 (see 
As we often say, we’re suckers for a good railroad story. There’s something magical about the clickety-clack of trains heading cross country. Shortline railroads play an important role in the Marcellus/Utica by transporting machinery, materials for drilling, and sand. But today’s story is not about shortlines but long-haul railroads. Here’s a fascinating fact: U.S. rail freight transported nearly 1.8 million metric tons of materials in 2023, with energy products, including coal, oil, and natural gas, being the most common. The number two most common product hauled (not even close) is agricultural products. 
There were 32 permits issued to drill new shale wells in Marcellus/Utica for the week of Sept. 16 – 22, more than doubling the 15 issued the prior week. The Keystone State (PA) had nine new permits, with five of them going to EQT in Greene County. The Buckeye State (OH) had 20 new permits. The floodgates opened up! The top recipient in OH was Encino Energy, which received eight permits divided between Guernsey and Carroll counties. EOG Resources received five permits in Harrison County. The Mountain State (WV) had three new permits after getting skunked the prior week. All three were issued to Northeast Natural Energy (NNE) in Monongalia County. 