NATIONAL: Vehicle-to-grid technology could make EVs an asset to the power grid; U.S. LNG exports remain flat as domestic market braces for cold season; INTERNATIONAL: Scholz welcomes Qatar LNG deal as ‘building block’ for German energy security.
Read More “Other Stories of Interest: Fri, Dec 2, 2022”
Yesterday the Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board (EQB), a part of the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection, voted to adopt a last-minute, rushed-through-in-a-hurry regulation to control volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions (and by extension, methane emissions) from conventional oil and gas operations in the state. The DEP and EQB had more than five years to work on these regulations and chose to fritter away the time. Faced with losing federal highway budget money without a new regulation in place, they rushed it–and botched it. Now the mom-and-pop oil and gas companies across the state will pay the price (and some will go out of business).
Read More “PA EQB Approves Onerous VOC/Methane Reg for Conventional O&G”
The Shell ethane cracker plant near Pittsburgh (now called Shell Polymers Monaca) had an orange glow over it Monday night. The neighbors were not impressed. According to Shell, there was an issue with the steam generator that caused the operators to initiate ground flaring–the burning of hydrocarbons. The flares relieve pressure by burning off hydrocarbons flowing through a malfunctioning piece of equipment. Shell insisted the flare itself is not a malfunction but instead “a safety device.” Kind of distinction without a difference, no?
Read More “Shell Cracker Plant has Flaring Episode – Skyline Turns Orange”
In February, MDN brought you news about a “last mile” pipeline from Dominion Energy (see Will Dominion Back Down on Pipe Under Blue Ridge Parkway?). Last mile pipes are the pipes utility companies install and maintain to run gas to homes and businesses. Dominion wants to install a new 760-foot pipeline under the Blue Ridge Parkway (managed by the National Park Service) in North Carolina. Naturally, anti-fossil fuel zealots oppose the project because it flows an evil fossil fuel. However, yesterday, the National Park Service issued a FONSI to say there will be no significant impacts from the pipeline on the pretty views from the Parkway.
Read More “Blue Ridge Pkwy Says Dominion Pipe has “No Significant Impact””
You know what we think of Pennsylvania’s foolish decision to elect the state’s current Attorney General, Josh Shapiro, to its next governor. If you care anything about the Marcellus industry in PA, you should be VERY concerned that Shapiro will attempt to scale back shale drilling in the state. He made a career out of trying to shake down and shut down Marcellus drillers over minor accidents–relabeling accidents as crimes (see these stories). What kind of power will Shapiro have to make mischief as governor, come January 1st? A left-leaning (very partisan) “news” organization tackles that question.
Read More “Can Josh Shapiro Regulate PA’s Fracking Industry as Governor?”
Diversified Energy (formerly Diversified Gas & Oil), with major assets in the Marcellus/Utica region (other regions too), owns approximately 8 million acres of leases with close to 70,000 (mostly) conventional oil and gas wells. Diversified has aggressively moved to control methane emissions from its operations over the past year (see Diversified Uses Handheld Devices to Detect, Eliminate Methane Leaks, Diversified Investing $9M for Aerial Scans to Detect Methane Leaks, and Diversified Energy Deploys Innovative Methane Measurement Equipment). It’s time to pay attention to the “other” so-called greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide. Diversified is partnering with Iconic Air to automate, benchmark, and manage carbon emissions from its operations.
Read More “Diversified Energy Using Iconic Air Software to Track & Lower CO2”
Yet another area heavily infested with far-left Democrats has voted to abolish the freedom of residents to choose their own energy source. The Montgomery County (Maryland) County Council voted 9-0 (all nine are Dems) to ban new natural gas hookups beginning in 2026. Montgomery County is a suburb of the D.C. swamp (lots of swamp dwellers in Montgomery). The County Executive, also a Dem, said he supports the ban and will sign it into law. This is what happens under one-party rule when that party doesn’t give a damn about the poor people and people of color who will end up being most affected by such a ban.
Read More “D.C. Suburb Votes to Ban New Gas Hookups Beginning 2026”
NATIONAL: Analyst flags rail strike threat as short term supply risk; Pan Capital looking to invest in natgas storage & midstream; INTERNATIONAL: EU is hooked on Russia LNG.
Read More “Other Stories of Interest: Thu, Dec 1, 2022”
The partisan bully Josh Shapiro, far-left Attorney General in Pennsylvania (who is becoming Governor on Jan. 1, to PA’s shame), has claimed victory in converting what was at best an accident into a crime against Coterra Energy (née Cabot Oil & Gas). Yesterday in a courtroom in Susquehanna County, PA, Coterra plead “no contest” to a single misdemeanor charge Shapiro ginned up against the company over stray methane in a few water wells in Dimock, PA going back 14 years. It is a horrible miscarriage of justice. We wouldn’t blame Coterra if they NEVER drill another well in the state.
Read More “PA AG Shapiro Dismisses 14 Felony Charges Against Coterra re Dimock”
The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) has just published its “2022 Size and Impact Report” (Executive Summary below). In general, the report shows how the U.S. plastics industry, which is critical and necessary for modern existence, is growing. Manufacturing plants that use plastics once moved overseas and are now returning the U.S. Why? To take advantage of cheap plastics being produced here as a result of shale energy. Here’s something that surprised us about the report: Ohio is the #1 state in the entire country for the number of jobs in the plastics industry. Ohio beat out both California and Texas (the two most populous states in the country) in plastics employment. Wow!
Read More “Plastics Industry Crowns Ohio #1 State for Plastics Employment”
Over the years, we’ve tracked how Marcellus/Utica molecules have traveled, via pipeline, to the Gulf Coast and to petrochemical, but most importantly, to LNG export facilities. We’ve shown how M-U gas feeds Cheniere Energy’s Sabine Pass and Sempra’s Cameron facilities in Louisiana (see How Marcellus/Utica Gas Feeds Sabine Pass & Cameron LNG in La.). We’ve also traced our molecules to facilities in Texas, to Freeport (currently offline), and to Corpus Christi. A number of new LNG plants along the Gulf Coast are now in the works that will expand our country’s LNG export capacity. Will they also tap into M-U molecules? Not likely, according to RBN Energy.
Read More “Gas to Feed New LNG Plants Will NOT Come from M-U, Sadly”
Most New Yorkers are clueless about a law passed in 2019 called the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (or “Climate Act”), which limits carbon dioxide emissions to zero (an impossibility) by 2050 (see New York Pulls the Trigger, Commits Energy Suicide with New Law). The law is going to ban the use of oil and natural gas for heat during our cold winters. It will also ban the use of wood stoves (see New York Plans to Outlaw Heating with Wood, Cites Global Warming). At some point, New Yorkers will wake up to the fact they are being forced into using all-electric for heat, cooking, etc. And it’s going to cost them–big time. The Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) released a report yesterday showing that the average New York household will be forced to spend $27,800 in order to comply with a ban on new hookups for natural gas, yet another law being peddled by Gov. Hochul and the left.
Read More “NYers Will Pay Average $28K to Retrofit Homes for All-Electric”
The Bidenistas continue their drive to kill fossil energy production in this country. The latest attack comes from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), a part of the Dept. of Interior. Earlier this week, the BLM released a new draft regulation to “address the waste of natural gas during the production of oil and gas on federal and Tribal lands.” Sounds like a good thing, right? The regulation will force expensive new equipment to be purchased, enforce new methods to reduce methane emissions, and in general, bury both new drillers and existing producers under mountains of paperwork required to prove wells aren’t leaking methane. One of the places this proposed new reg will affect is the Allegheny National Forest (ANF) in northwestern Pennsylvania.
Read More “BLM Proposes New Reg to Reduce O&G Production on Federal Lands”
Yesterday Northwood University (in Michigan), along with the Mackinac Center for Public Policy (also in Michigan), published a new study called, “The Truth About Natural Gas: A Wellspring for the U.S. and Global Energy Future” (full copy below). The study says we ignore the many benefits of natural gas at our own peril. Flawed energy policies by the Bidenistas are harming our ability to meet everyday needs. The study looks at Europe and the boneheaded policies they adopted that reduce domestic natural gas production there. Europe’s policies have created an all-out energy crisis for its citizens (don’t blame Putin–if Europe had its own supplies of natgas it could tell Vlad to kiss off).
Read More “Northwood Univ. Study Touts NatGas for Low Emissions, Stable Power”
The apostle of LNG, EQT CEO Toby Rice, was once again holding court and sharing his view that LNG exported from the U.S. will bring peace, prosperity, and security to America and its allies. Rice spoke to a lunch crowd gathered at a VisionPittsburgh event at the Duquesne Club Tuesday afternoon. He also made a strong case for more pipelines and less influence by environmentalists.
Read More “Toby Rice Pushes LNG Benefits in Talk to Hometown Crowd”
OTHER U.S. REGIONS: US LNG export terminal usage falls as fog disrupts traffic; NATIONAL: United Rentals adds emissions information to equipment marketplace; US shale producers chase productivity gains; INTERNATIONAL: Gazprom warns European natgas prices could top $3,000 MCM.
Read More “Other Stories of Interest: Wed, Nov 30, 2022”