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PA’s Natural Gas Star Beginning to Fade from Lack of Pipelines

It’s hard to underestimate the influence and role of Pennsylvania on the world’s energy sector, especially over the past 19 years with the rise of the Marcellus Shale. However, advocates for fossil energy (like the American Petroleum Institute) are expressing concerns that PA’s dominant role may change to one with far less influence. Why? Lack of pipelines to transport PA’s production to other regions (or to export plants). Their concerns are valid (see IFO: PA NatGas Production, Wells Spud Both Decreased in 3Q).Continue reading

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Williams CEO Armstrong Says NatGas Demand Up Significantly by 2025

Alan Armstrong

Alan Armstrong, CEO of pipeline giant Williams, appeared on CNBC’s “Money Movers” TV show yesterday morning. During the interview, Armstrong said there is more demand for U.S. natural gas now, and it is expected to grow more by 2025. “You can see quite a bit of contango in the market with prices picking up by about 25% from 2024 to 2025,” said Armstrong. “So, producers are holding their breath right now through those periods of low prices.” If anyone knows what’s going on in the natural gas market and where things will likely go, it’s Alan Armstrong. The future of his business depends on knowing.
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Ohio Natural Energy Foundation Accepting Scholarship Applications

If you’re a high school senior in Ohio looking for help paying for advanced education or training — whether it’s college, university, technical or trade school — listen up! The Ohio Natural Energy Institute (formerly called the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program, or OOGEEP) is now accepting applications for its 2024 scholarship program. Students can receive a $1,000 annual scholarship for up to four years ($4,000 total). Applications are being accepted through March 1 for the 2024 round.
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Other Stories of Interest: Thu, Jan 11, 2024

NATIONAL: EIA expects relatively flat crude oil prices in 2024 and 2025; Distinguishing gas gathering pipelines from transmission; Why the U.S. Senate must reject Joe Goffman for the EPA; Biden uses taxpayer protections to prop up wind, gut oil; API warns against U.S. slowing LNG exports; INTERNATIONAL: USA, UK shoot down 21 drones, missiles over Red Sea; Japan’s Kyushu Electric may invest in Lake Charles LNG.
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Chesapeake + Southwestern Merger Would Face Regulatory Hurdles

Interest in and speculation about a potential mega-merger between Chesapeake Energy (CHK) and Southwestern Energy (SWN) continues to build. On Monday, MDN told you about a story in the Wall Street Journal citing sources who say a merger is close and could be announced this week (see Chesapeake & Southwestern Very Close to Announcing $17B Merger). Let’s put a little context around such a merger. Both companies have major assets in both the Pennsylvania Marcellus and Louisiana Haynesville shale plays. A combined company would catapult over EQT to become the largest shale gas producer in the country.
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Coming Storms, Cold Snap Prompts NatGas to Close Higher, Now Over $3

Yes, we’ve noticed. The Henry Hub NYMEX futures price for natural gas soared yesterday. It has been on an upward trend for the last six trading days in a row. Yesterday, the NYMEX price jumped $0.21 (6.6%) to close at $3.19 per MMBtu. Spot (physical) prices have also moved higher. What’s causing it? And will the futures price now stay above $3?
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American Enviro. Reverse Merger w/Hospital Supply Chain Co Coming 1Q

Last October, MDN told you that American Energy Partners, Inc. (AEPT), based in Allentown, PA, with its fingers in several different pies, including subsidiaries in drilling, remediation, water, and more, changed its name to American Environmental Partners, Inc. (see American Energy Partners Changes Name, Swaps Enviro. for Energy). A few days later, MDN exclusively broke the news that American Environmental Partners would merge with a hospital supply chain company called SCWorx, a company that has nothing whatever to do with shale energy (see American Energy Announces Reverse Merger w/Hospital Supply Chain Co). Now comes word the merger will likely happen before the end of March (or maybe early April).
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Interim PA DEP Sec. Updates Citizens Advisory Council on Priorities

In October, Pennsylvania Secretary of the Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) Rich Negrin suddenly resigned after being on the job for less than a year (see PA DEP Sec. Negrin Resigning Dec. 8 – On Medical Leave Until Then). In his place, Jessica Shirley, who was named Deputy Secretary of the DEP earlier last year, became the Acting Secretary until a permanent replacement is named. Shirley updated the DEP Citizens Advisory Council yesterday about a variety of initiatives started by DEP Sec. Negrin. She said her vision for the department, building on Negrin’s, is to “move us into a more modern era.”
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PA-Based REV LNG Orders CNG Containers from Norway’s Hexagon

A press release out of Oslo, Norway, caught our attention. It was issued by Hexagon Agility, a business of Hexagon Composites. Hexagon said it had received an order from REV LNG for its TITAN Mobile Pipeline® modules — compressed natural gas (CNG) containers that get stacked on a trailer and hauled from point A to point B. REV LNG is a full-service supplier of liquid natural gas (LNG), compressed natural gas (CNG) and renewable natural gas (RNG) specializing in development, production, supply, transportation, and distribution solutions. REV is headquartered in Mendon, NY, with major operations in Ulysses, PA.
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Bidenistas Look to Block Authorization of New LNG Export Projects

The Bidenistas are conducting a secret “review,” being led by the Department of Energy, to evaluate whether regulators should consider mythical “climate change” when deciding whether a proposed natural gas export project meets the national interest. It is a prelude to introducing new guidelines that will almost certainly block the approval of ANY new LNG export project. Yet another attack by the Bidenistas against fossil fuels in general and natural gas in particular. Surprised? We aren’t.
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Enverus 2024 Outlook: 10 O&G and 10 Energy Transition Predictions

The research arm of Enverus (formerly Drillinginfo), one of the most trusted, energy-dedicated SaaS platforms, offering real-time access to analytics, insights and benchmark cost and revenue data, has just released its 2024 Outlook that includes a series of reports discussing topics the organization believes will shape the energy sector this year. Enverus says, “With a tumultuous year behind us marked by escalating inflation and interest rates, the challenge of navigating the Inflation Reduction Act, and the outbreak of multiple wars, the energy industry is grappling with an atmosphere of deep uncertainty. Enverus has compiled these insights from its intelligence research division into one encompassing 2024 Outlook that includes Enverus Intelligence Research’s (EIR) key energy trends to watch.” Anything Enverus has to say is worth listening to.
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Boston LNG Import Plant Gets 2 Deliveries from Trinidad, So Far

Yesterday, MDN told you that Constellation Energy, the owner and operator of the Everett LNG terminal, is actively trying to find new contracted customers so it can keep the import terminal open (see Boston LNG Import Terminal Still Looking for Customers to Stay Open). Today, we have another story about the Everett terminal and why it’s still needed. In December, and then again this past weekend, the Everett terminal received LNG shipments (two in total) from Trinidad.
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PA Coalition Prefers Energy Poverty Over Real Climate Solutions

Have you ever been around the kind of irritating person who says “No!” to everything? Someone who is perennially unhappy and loves to share that unhappiness with everyone around him or her? Someone who, when you offer valid solution after valid solution to a given “problem,” the person shoots each one down, unwilling to try anything? Such people are toxic. On an organizational level, we have a perfect example of such toxicness — the No False Solutions PA coalition.
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The Deep Divide on Pa. Environmental Policy – Senate vs. House

Republicans control the Senate in Pennsylvania. Until last year, Republicans also controlled the House. Now, leftist Democrats control the PA House by a single seat. As narrow as the numbers are, the philosophical divide between the two parties and the two chambers with respect to environmental issues is a chasm. Republicans like Sen. Gene Yaw, Chairman of the Senate Environmental Resources & Energy Committee, are focused on safe and responsible energy development and grid reliability in 2024. On the other hand, Democrats, like Greg Vitali, Chairman of the House Environmental Resources & Energy Committee, are focused on the mythology of man-made global warming and blocking anything remotely connected to fossil fuels. It means there is little to no room for compromise on environmental issues.
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U.S. O&G Jobs Slight Decline in December, but Up Overall in 2023

The Energy Workforce & Technology Council, located in Houston, TX, is a national trade association for the global energy technology and services sector, representing more than 650,000 U.S. jobs in the technology-driven energy value chain. The Energy Workforce Council works to advance member policy priorities and empower the energy workforce of the future. The Council closely tracks job numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Yesterday, the Council issued an update on O&G job numbers for December and for all of 2023. Interesting factoid: In December, the M-U industry employed 44,192 people.
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