Accidents | Columbia Pipeline Group | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | TC Energy/TransCanada | Virginia
Columbia Gas Pipeline Near Interstate 81 in Va. Explodes, Big Fire
Talk about bad luck. On Monday, TC Energy announced it had sold a 40% stake in its Columbia Gas Transmission pipeline subsidiary to Global Infrastructure Partners for $3.9 billion (see TC Energy Sells 40% Interest in Columbia Pipeline to Investor GIP). Yesterday, a portion of the Columbia Gas Transmission pipeline in rural western Virginia–in Shenandoah County near Interstate 81–exploded and caught fire. Fortunately, the blast did not hurt nearby residents, nor were there any injuries among first responders who helped extinguish the fire.
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Range Resources’ new CEO, Dennis Degner, told analysts yesterday during a quarterly update that he doesn’t think the commodity price of natural gas and the overall demand for natgas will increase for the rest of this year and most of next year. So Degner will keep the company’s drilling program active enough to keep production at the current level of 2.1 Bcf/d. Range must drill 60-65 new wells yearly to maintain production.
Douglas is a small town in southern Worcester County, Massachusetts. The population was 8,983 at the 2020 census. It includes the sizable Douglas State Forest, managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), and not much else. Douglas desperately needs new businesses to move in to help with the tax base, but with no natural gas service, businesses were not interested. So Douglas officials contacted Eversource, one of the state’s largest utility companies, about the possibility of running natural gas lines into and through Douglas. And they’ve done it–behind the backs of radicalized anti-fossil fuelers, who are livid.
Columbia Gas Transmission pipeline is in the news–all over the place. Yesterday we told you about TC Energy’s plan to sell a 40% stake in the Columbia Pipeline (owned by TC) to Global Infrastructure Partners for $3.9 billion (see 
Liberal Democrats never give up on their poor ideas–even when they are rejected year after year. In 2021, the Dems who controlled the U.S. House of Representatives with an iron fist under der Führer Pelosi introduced five bills, including the FRAC Act, aimed at destroying the oil and gas industry in this country (see 
The Bidenistas noticed that shale companies are beginning to use various private NGOs to certify the production of natural gas as responsible. The effort is picking up steam, and the Bidenistas don’t like the fact they are not in control. They can’t call the shots and determine what is and is not “green enough” for them. So in March, the Bidenistas began “holding talks” to try and establish a national/international standard (see 
OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Consumers Energy replaces 55 miles of natural gas pipeline; Pipeline expansions key to unlocking the second wave of LNG exports; NATIONAL: ETCH, Inc. secures seed-stage investment for decarbonization process; What you need to know about President Biden’s methane agenda; Warren Buffett lifts fossil fuel bets; INTERNATIONAL: China’s natural gas consumption to grow 5.5%-7% in 2023; In the global LNG race, America holds all the cards.
TransCanada Corporation, which renamed itself TC Energy in 2019, bought out/merged in U.S.-based Columbia Pipeline Group (now Columbia Gas Transmission) in 2016 (see 
A group of Pennsylvania State Senators are (once again) trying to expand the swampy bureaucracy of the state Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP). A group of six Democrat state senators issued a co-sponsorship memorandum last Thursday to say they want to expand the DEP’s power to reject “facilities such as incinerators, landfills, and sewage plants” based on the premise that such facilities are typically built in communities where there are minorities or poor people–and they are just too poor (or too dumb) to “fight back” against such projects. That is, the DEP can reject anything it wants for “environmental justice” reasons. The very premise of the bill is, itself, racist!
In January 2016, Invenergy announced its intention to build a natural gas-powered electric plant in Elizabeth Township, in Allegheny County, PA (see 
Christopher Lewis, who trades Forex (foreign exchange), calls himself “The Trader Guy.” Lewis, writing for DailyForex, is calling attention to charts that (in his opinion) signal natural gas will “likely” reach the $3/MMBtu level soon. With only one or two brief exceptions, the Henry Hub price has traded below $3 since February. For most of the last five months, we’ve been range-bound, with the price of gas trading between $2 and $2.50/MMBtu. It’s lousy! We have eagerly watched for signs and signals the price would go higher. We notice the odd analyst or trader who predicts it, but nothing seems to come of it. Will this time be different? Is the price ready to break through and stay above $3?
The Bidenistas are coming for ALL of your household appliances. It began with natural gas stoves. It moved to dishwashers. Now its new regulations for water heaters (both electric and gas water heaters). And they’re not done. The Bidenistas are moving forward with rules impacting dozens more appliances, including consumer furnaces, pool pumps, battery chargers, ceiling fans, and dehumidifiers. Let’s not forget coffee pots! These people are out of control.