Researchers at Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering have developed a “novel method” for direct lithium extraction from Marcellus produced water to contribute to the high demand for electric vehicles and so-called green energy. The researchers are getting a $1.8 million grant from the Department of Energy to optimize and scale up this new technique. Read More “Va. Researcher “Novel Method” to Extract Lithium from M-U Brine”
The Utica Shale Academy (USA), located in Salineville (Columbiana County), OH, is already a decade old. Where does the time go?! The USA, through an innovative high school curriculum, serves as a leading educational institution for all students who seek to explore, develop, and enhance career opportunities and further advance their education. The curriculum trains kids and adults in the skills needed to get jobs in the shale industry. Several weeks ago, USA staffers, state and local officials, and community members held a luncheon and ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the USA’s Connecting Communities Through Workforce Training Project. USA was heralded as a “transformative beacon for the community and education of youth and adults.” Read More “Utica Shale Academy Transforms Community Through Education”
Over the years, we’ve written many posts about the Everett LNG import terminal near Boston (see our stories here). Everett LNG plays a key role in keeping the lights on and the furnaces belching heat throughout New England (see Everett LNG’s Key Role in Keeping the Lights on in New England). The Everett terminal has 3.4 Bcf of LNG storage capacity and plays a crucial role in stabilizing gas supplies in New England. Everett can supply up to 35% of regional gas demand on peak winter days — and is typically used to fill supply gaps during high-demand periods or when regional gas systems are under significant stress. Everett is also a poster child for what’s wrong with American energy policy. Read More “Boston LNG Import Terminal is Poster Child for Bad U.S. Policies”
Oh yeah, Kamala “The Cackler” Harris is all in favor of fracking and natural gas and even oil. Right? Then why the heck did her campaign just hire Camila Thorndike, a self-styled “climate hype girl for democracy” who worked for two years at Rewiring America, the organization pushing a nationwide ban on natural gas stoves, as the campaign’s point person on climate outreach? These are the questions mainstream media should be asking, but mainstream media has become the de facto PR agency for the Democrat Party. You are being lied to every day about Harris and her true intentions. Read More “Harris Hires Director of Gas Stove Ban Effort for Climate Outreach”
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Protestors interrupt forum featuring Manchin and Capito; PJM considers fast-track review for shovel-ready generating projects; NATIONAL: Oil settles down 2%, big weekly drop after US jobs data; Why has the green hydrogen hype faded?; Bernie Sanders says Kamala Harris is lying to win; Democrat voters have been hypnotized by media flunkies.
Read More “Other Stories of Interest: Mon, Sep 9, 2024”
For the week of Aug. 26 – Sept. 1, a total of 32 permits were issued to drill new shale wells in Marcellus/Utica, nearly matching the previous week’s 34. It’s nice to see the numbers returning to higher levels. The Keystone State (PA) had 18 new permits. PA’s top recipient was EQT (and its subsidiary Rice Drilling), with ten permits in Greene County. Seneca Resources was second, with five new permits issued in Lycoming County. Olympus Energy received three permits in Westmoreland County. Read More “32 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Aug 26 – Sep 1”
Yesterday, the Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) released its latest quarterly Natural Gas Production Report for April through June 2024 (full copy below). There were 63 new horizontal wells spud (drilled) in 2Q24, a decrease of 26 wells (-29%) compared to 2Q23. That number was also down significantly (37%) from the 100 wells spud in 1Q24. This was the seventh consecutive quarter with a year-over-year (YOY) decline in new wells spud. Natural gas production volume was 1,776 billion cubic feet (Bcf) in 2Q24, down 89 Bcf (5%) from the 1,865 Bcf produced in 2Q23. Read More “IFO 2Q24 Report: New Wells Drilled, Production Both Down in Pa.”
In March of this year, MDN brought the news that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) had approved an Enbridge project to update its East Tennessee Natural Gas (ETNG) pipeline system (see FERC Approves East Tenn. NatGas System Alignment in NC, TN, VA). The project is referred to as the ETNG System Alignment Program Project. ETNG plans to add two electric compressor stations and pipeline capacity in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Here’s something you don’t read about every day: The original target by Enbridge was to begin construction on the project in the second quarter of next year. Scratch that! Last Friday, FERC gave Enbridge its approval to begin construction on the System Alignment Project now, nearly a year ahead of schedule. Read More “FERC Gives OK to Start Building ETNG System Alignment in TN, NC”
In 1961, the federal government and the governments of Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York made a huge mistake. They entered into an agreement that created the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC). The DRBC has the independent legal authority to oversee and manage the Delaware River Basin. The DRBC treats the 17 counties in Pennsylvania under its jurisdiction (particularly Wayne and Pike counties) as a fiefdom, banning shale energy within those counties (see DRBC Jumps Off Cliff – Votes to Permanently Ban Fracking). Big Green pretty much runs the agency. The DRBC appoints an executive director as a figurehead to push papers around. Earlier this year, Steve Tambini, current ED, announced he would retire as of Dec. 1 (see DRBC’s Disappointing Executive Director Steve Tambini is Retiring). Yesterday, the agency announced who would replace him. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Read More “DRBC Appoints New Executive Director Figurehead”
Corning Energy Corporation (formerly Corning Natural Gas) announced yesterday that Michael German, the company’s CEO, will retire effective December 31, 2024, after 18 years with the company. German was the key guy behind the creation of Leatherstocking Gas Company, which runs gas mains to residents and businesses in small, mainly rural communities—like Montrose, PA (see PA Rural Residents Burn Marcellus Gas, Save Big Bucks on Heating). Read More “CEO of Corning Energy, Owner of Leatherstocking Gas PA, Retiring”
Shell is putting numbers to the gross transgression of Venture Global in screwing over its contracted customers for LNG shipments. 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 Venture Global Gets FERC OK to Commission 3 Calcasieu Pass Trains). The other trains, 1-6, have been online for over two years. However, the entire facility is not officially in commercial service, even though it has shipped over 200 cargoes! Venture Global claims it is still working out the kinks. Shell and Venture’s other customers say horse manure! Shell says Venture Global has wrongfully earned $3.5 billion from selling cargos from long-term contracts on the spot market instead. PAY UP, Venture Global! Read More “Shell Says Venture Global Wrongfully Earned $3.5B from CP LNG Sales”
Yesterday, MDN told you that if The Cackler (Kamala Harris) can turn on a dime and supposedly embrace fracking, why can’t leftist New York Governor Kathy Hochul do the same (see A Plea to NY Gov. Hochul to Overturn the Ban on Fracking in Upstate). Perhaps Harris’ supposed change of heart would inspire (give excuse to) Hochul to do the same. And then we woke up from our dream and said, nah, ain’t ever gonna happen. And we were right! Yesterday, maybe after reading the NY Post article we quoted, Hochul expressed her hatred of fracking at an energy summit in Syracuse, quipping, “We’re not fracking, we’re not burning coal.” Comrade Hochul’s words were spoken like a true dictator wannabe. Read More “NY Gov. Hochul Makes it Clear That She Hates Fracking”
OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Berkeley now plans to tax buildings using natgas; NATIONAL: The leftwing judicial ethics crisis no one is talking about; Small storage build creates bullish shock to gas market; INTERNATIONAL: Egypt seeks to import more LNG for winter; Oil, gas will remain central to energy mix for foreseeable future; US imposes sanctions on companies, vessels linked to Arctic LNG 2. Read More “Other Stories of Interest: Fri, Sep 6, 2024”
The CEO of midstream giant Williams, Alan Armstrong, spoke at the Barclays CEO Energy-Power Conference yesterday. He gave conference attendees an update on the many (many!) projects Williams has recently completed, is currently completing, and is likely to complete in the future. The company is on track, said Armstrong, to add 12 new pipeline projects representing about 4.2 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of capacity from 2024-2027. Looking further out, the company said it has about 30 projects under development, representing about 11.5 Bcf/d of capacity from 2028-2032. That’s a staggering 15.7 Bcf/d of new capacity coming online from this one company. How much of it is in the Marcellus/Utica? Read More “Williams Adding 4.2 Bcf/d of New NatGas Pipes 2024-2027, More Later”
In 2019, when then-Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf announced he would unilaterally force the state to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a carbon tax scheme aimed at forcing coal- and gas-fired plants out of business, he claimed the tax would only amount to a few dollars per allowance (or “short ton”) of CO2 (see Gov. Wolf Goes Bonkers: EO Destroying Gas-Fired Elec, Carbon Tax). That lie was exposed early on when, in March 2021, the price per allowance for CO2 under RGGI soared to $7.60 (see RGGI Carbon Tax Hits All-Time High – Gas-Fired Plants Close). Since then, it’s only continued to increase. S&P Global said the quarterly auction held yesterday was on track to clear $27 per allowance!! Read More “RGGI Carbon Tax on Track to Hit New All-Time High of $27/Allowance”
MiQ is one of two major gas certification authorities that certify low methane emissions and is used by nearly every Marcellus/Utica driller. Last October, MDN brought you information about the two major gas certification authorities, MiQ and Project Canary, and the effort by drillers to get their gas officially certified as responsibly sourced (see Former “Responsible Gas” Becoming “Certified” or “Differentiated”). MiQ is expanding the options that drillers and others can use to verify their methane emissions including verification by aircraft, continuous monitoring, and satellites — so-called advanced LDAR technologies. Read More “MiQ Expands Methane Monitoring Options for Responsible Gas Cert”