NATIONAL: Oil tumbles as demand fears reignite; House Republicans plan to kill Democrat climate crisis committee; Working natgas stocks end refill season near five-year average.
Read More “Other Stories of Interest: Mon, Nov 21, 2022”
The Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced that CNX Resources has paid two civil penalty assessments totaling $200,000 for violations at two different well sites in Richhill Township, Greene County. According to the civil penalty assessment paperwork, CNX spilled “production fluids” (wastewater, drilling mud, etc.) and didn’t clean it up quickly enough. Tallying all of the spills, CNX inadvertently spilled 2,170 gallons of production fluid at two sites, and ended up removing roughly 3,400 tons of “contaminated” soil.
Read More “CNX Clipped $200K by PA DEP for Wastewater Spills in Greene County”
Yesterday the Pennsylvania Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) voted to approve the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) and its Environmental Quality Board’s (EQB) rammed-through (in a rush) regulation to control volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and by extension methane, for conventional drilling sites throughout the state (see PA EQB Rams Through VOC Reg to Control Conventional Well Emissions). The DEP had SIX YEARS to get this regulation done and missed deadline after deadline. With a Dec. 16 deadline approaching to finish up the reg or risk losing half a billion dollars in federal highway funds, the DEP tried to bully the conventional drilling industry into accepting its onerous regulation with no comment period, no feedback, no nothing. Earlier this week, the Republicans on the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee voted to send a letter to the IRRC disapproving of the EQB’s final, rushed regulation (see PA House Environmental Ctte Votes to Disapprove Final VOC Reg).
Read More “PA IRRC Votes to Approve Rushed Conventional VOC Regulation”
Equitrans Midstream (formerly EQT Midstream) owns the Rager Mountain Gas Storage Area in Jackson Township, Cambria County, in Pennsylvania. Beginning Nov. 6th, one of the wells at the Rager Mountain area (a depleted conventional well drilled in 1965) began leaking methane around the well casing (see Equitrans Gas Storage Well in Cambria County, PA is Leaking). The good news is that the leak, as of yesterday, is plugged. But not before the well leaked an estimated 1 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of methane into the atmosphere–roughly 10% of the gas stored at the Rager Mountain Gas Storage Area.
Read More ““Massive” Gas Storage Well Leak in Cambria County Finally Plugged”
Earlier this week, Shell announced its mighty ethane cracker plant in Beaver County, PA (near Pittsburgh) is finally, ten years after first announcing, fully operational and producing plastic pellets (see Shell Officially Launches Pa. Cracker Plant Using M-U Ethane). Part of the raison d’etre for granting the plant a $1.7 billion break on taxes for 25 years is to lure manufacturers (and investments, and jobs) to locate nearby, in PA (see Gov. Corbett’s PR Campaign for $1.7B Cracker Plant Tax Break). So far, frankly, that hasn’t happened. At least not in a big way. But don’t worry, says Shell execs. They are “optimistic” the region will attract new manufacturing plants that want to use Shell’s plastic pellets.
Read More “Shell Officials Optimistic Cracker Plant Will Attract New Business”
In March of this year, the three Democrats who occupy and control the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) sent a loud and clear signal they don’t like the Commonwealth LNG plan to erect a new LNG export plant in Cameron Parish, La. due to concerns over so-called environmental justice (see Biden’s FERC Slams New LNG Plant Proposal Over “Enviro Justice”). Their comments (in March) came as part of a draft environmental impact statement. However, yesterday, all five members of FERC, including the three Democrats who don’t like Commonwealth LNG, voted to approve an order allowing the plant to get built. What changed?
Read More “FERC Flips – Unanimously Approves La. Commonwealth LNG Terminal”
Ascent Resources, Ohio’s largest natural gas producer and the 8th largest natural gas producer in the U.S., recently donated STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) curriculum and supplies to some 2,100 elementary students in eastern Ohio, where the company works. The materials in the curriculum boxes that Ascent staff assembled came from the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program (OOGEEP). The kiddies can now learn about the wonders of fossil energy and contemplate one day working in the Utica oil and gas industry, using STEM every day in their jobs.
Read More “Ascent Resources Donates STEM Program to 2K Elementary Kids in OH”
Permits issued to drill new Marcellus/Utica wells slipped last week, for the week of Nov. 7-13. Last week saw a total of 26 new permits issued, falling from 43 permits the week before. Pennsylvania received the most permits, just barely, with 13 new permits. Ohio received 12 new permits, and West Virginia a single new permit.
Read More “26 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Nov 7-13”
On Tuesday, Freeport LNG released a summary of the “root cause failure analysis report” they got back from an independent, third-party investigation into the cause of a pipeline explosion at the plant (see Freeport LNG Releases Reasons for Pipeline Explosion on June 8). Freeport’s brief summary of bullet points was the company’s spin on the report. A few hours later, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), the regulator in charge of investigating the accident, released a heavily redacted (but full) copy of the consultant’s report, which we have embedded below. It appears to us that the PHMSA was not happy with Freeport’s spin version and wants the public to know the fuller story.
Read More “PHMSA Releases Redacted Version of Freeport LNG Explosion Report”
Two separate but related cases concerning Pennsylvania’s entrance into the interstate carbon cap-and-trade program known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which we call a carbon tax, had their day in court yesterday. Judges from PA’s typically conservative Commonwealth Court heard oral arguments and, according to leftists, zeroed in on the issue of whether the so-called RGGI “fee” assessed by the Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) is really a fee, or instead is really a tax. It makes a difference. The DEP can, constitutionally, assess a fee, but it cannot unilaterally slap a new tax on coal- and natural gas-fired power plants (as it is trying to do).
Read More “RGGI Carbon Tax Lawsuits Get Their Day in Court – Tax or Fee?”
The leftist members of the Allegheny, PA County Council have proven just how leftward they have lurched (and how unhinged they have become). In July, the Council voted to overturn the veto of a ban on drilling for natural gas under (never on top of) county parks (see Allegheny County Council Overturns Veto/Upholds Frack Ban in Parks). The Council’s action denies taxpayers millions of dollars in revenue to fix and repair and expand county parks. County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, a Democrat himself, vetoed the idiotic ban, but the Democrats of the County Council just couldn’t help themselves. They voted to override Fitzgerald’s veto. Full of themselves and their “victory” in making all county residents poorer, the anti-fossil fuel fanatics recently discussed how the same strategy could be used to shut down drilling in Allegheny County’s 130 municipalities and townships.
Read More “The Left Cooks Up a Recipe to Ban Fracking in PA Municipalities”
Investors in the 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) continue to write down their investments in the long-delayed project. MVP, which is 95% done and in the ground, travels from Wetzel County, WV, to Pittsylvania County, VA, where it connects with other pipelines to carry Marcellus/Utica molecules to the southeastern U.S. RGC Midstream, which is owned by RGC Resources, is a very small investor in the project. RGC said this week it is taking a further impairment (writing down value) for its investment in MVP.
Read More “More Impairment (Write-Down) Costs Taken for Mountain Valley Pipe”
Spire Inc. is the owner and operator of the Spire STL Pipeline, a 65-mile pipeline that connects to and flows Marcellus/Utica gas from the Rockies Express (REX) pipeline in Scott County, IL, to residents and businesses in the St. Louis, MO area. Yesterday Spire issued its third quarter update and included a tidbit of information that had escaped us. In October, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a full, final, positive environmental impact statement (EIS) for Spire STL, the final step before issuing a permanent certificate for the pipeline to operate.
Read More “FERC Issues Positive Final EIS for Spire STL Pipeline”
As things wrap up at the latest annual confab of leftist tyrants and wackos who seek to control the world by using the scare tactics of global warming, also known as the UN’s 2022 Climate Change Conference (COP 27), a group of countries calling itself energy importers and exporters (includes the U.S. as represented by the Bidenistas) issued a “joint declaration” that says, pretty much, they all hate fossil fuels and intend to stop using them in the next 20-30 years.
Read More “Bidenistas Pledge Swift Action to Kill Oil, Gas, Coal at COP27”
A new study from the American Gas Foundation (full copy below) concludes that the ability of the natural gas system to meet seasonal and peak day demands and to reliably deliver natural gas, even during high-impact events, represents an important and valuable resource that must be considered when designing future energy systems and building pathways to a low-carbon future. In other words, solar farms and windmills alone will NEVER be enough to provide reliable energy for the American consumer. If we want “resilience” (the capacity to recover quickly), we need natural gas. It’s that simple.
Read More “Study: Strong U.S. NatGas System Equals Energy Resilience”
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: California’s climate plan calls for no new gas-burning power plants; Cayuga RNG signs agreement for renewable natural gas project; NATIONAL: White House must not double down on anti-drilling agenda.
Read More “Other Stories of Interest: Thu, Nov 17, 2022”