PA Still Going its Own Way, Trying to Attract Hydrogen Hub
Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia are all scrambling to form working groups or other alliances in an attempt to be THE state chosen for one of four regional hydrogen hubs funded by the so-called Biden infrastructure bill (see WV, OH, PA Compete Against Each Other to Attract $2B Hydrogen Hub). The infrastructure bill provides $8 billion for four regional hydrogen hubs. It’s a safe bet one of those hubs will be located in either PA, OH, or WV. Unfortunately, the three states that should be cooperating to attract the hub are instead going their own way, attempting to do it without cooperation. PA is making a serious push to be THE state chosen as the site for the northeast.
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Last month MDN brought you the news that Joe Biden is renominating Richard “Dick” Glick to serve yet another undistinguished term at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (see 
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: State trade groups among coalition calling on Biden to increase O&G; NATIONAL: Walmart expands electric, hydrogen, natural-gas truck testing; Warning signs for the next oil price crash; INTERNATIONAL: Oil tops $122 with global supply crunch concerns.
EQT CEO Toby Rice is and has been on a mission–to spread the gospel of LNG (see 
Each month the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) issues a monthly Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO). Last month, in May, the STEO made the startling prediction that the average Henry Hub price for natural gas (the national benchmark) would hit $8.13 for 3Q22 and $8.59 for the entire second half of this year (see 
The number-crunchers at our favorite government agency, the U.S. Energy Information Administration, published their analysis of LNG exports for the first four months of 2022. Unsurprisingly, because of the Ukraine war, EIA found that 74% of the LNG exported from the U.S. during that time has gone to Europe. It’s pretty much a reversal of last year when 34% of our LNG went to Europe. Last year most of our LNG went to Asia–China and South Korea. The percentages of how much U.S. LNG goes to Europe and how much goes to Asia have changed places over the past year.
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” (Quote attributed to Joseph Goebbels, the head of Nazi Germany’s Ministry of Propaganda) The left so often adopts the attitude if you keep repeating the same lie over and over–preferably the bigger the lie the better–the lie will become accepted as the truth. State Sen. Katie Muth, D-Montgomery, chair of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee, and Sen. Jim Brewster, D-Allegheny, are expert practitioners of this strategy with respect to lying about the Marcellus Shale and fracking. They were at it again last week holding a public (i.e. propaganda) hearing at the Community College of Allegheny County.
A group of international scientists has discovered a fourth type of natural gas. Wait, there are different “types” of natgas? Yes, at least different types of origins for natural gas. To date, three main sources of natural gas had been identified–microbial, thermogenic, and abiotic. Scientists have discovered a fourth type or origin for natural gas–natgas generated by radiolysis, which is the dissociation of molecules by ionizing radiation of the organic matter in shale rock. Yeah, it’s science and it’s complicated. Let us bottom line this for you right here: The presence of natural gas with a “thermogenic” signature (i.e. fingerprint), which indicates gas coming from a drilled shale well, has been blamed for contaminating water supplies in places like Dimock, PA. It’s quite possible thermogenic gas has been misidentified as radiolysis gas, and that leaky wells are not the cause of gas in water.
Engineers at the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering are developing a new way to reduce the environmental impact of drilling and fracking by cleaning produced water for reuse. Produced water is the water that comes out of the hole long after drilling and fracking is done. It is “water from the depths”–far below the water table–and it’s full of minerals, which is why it’s often called brine (or salt). Pitt engineers have researched membrane distillation (MD) to treat this salty wastewater. Pitt has discovered how to use MD to economically recycle and reuse produced water from shale.
On May 24, Cleveland State University researchers quietly published the “Shale Investment Dashboard in Ohio Q1 and Q2 2021” (full copy below). The new report details shale-related investment in Ohio, looking at upstream, midstream, and downstream activities. The investment estimates are from January through June of 2021–the first half of last year. The report shows investment in the Ohio Utica continued to increase last year, during the height of the pandemic. It also shows just two companies drilled 73% of Ohio’s new shale wells and 69% of the money invested in drilling new shale wells in the Buckeye State in 1H21. Which two companies?
In what is being called an “explosive” trading session yesterday, the price for the front-month NYMEX contract (July) spiked up 80 cents in a single day to close at $9.32/MMBtu–the highest level in over 13 years. The August NYMEX contract closed at one penny less, $9.31/MMBtu. The weather seems to be the main reason for the spike. Longer range forecasts for Texas and the Midcontinent region are for high heat in the coming weeks. The high heat will lead to running air conditioners that use electricity. Windmills in Texas are “faltering” and not expected to deliver their normal load, meaning natgas plants will need to make up the difference. Once again unreliable renewables prove they are not up to the task.
It’s time to remove three radicalized Democrat judges who have consistently (12 of 14 times) voted against Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) in appeals brought by Big Green groups. The three judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (we call it the 4th Circus) are bigoted and prejudiced against natural gas pipeline projects. We’re talking about Judge Stephanie Thacker, appointed by Barack Hussein Obama; Judge James Wynn, appointed by Barack Hussein Obama; and Chief Judge Roger Gregory, appointed by William Jefferson Clinton. These three leftwing judges find the smallest, nitpicky things to use as an excuse to block the completion of the 94% completed, 303-mile MVP project. MVP has just filed a request with the 15 members of the 4th Circuit to appoint three new judges in their place.
Broadcasting its intent to expand aggressively in the LNG export market, Chesapeake Energy is advertising to hire a liquefied natural gas (LNG) advisor. The LinkedIn ad shows that so far 41 people have applied. The ad opens by saying the company is looking for “a lead for new business opportunities for Chesapeake for liquified natural gas (LNG) and provides guidance on LNG Marketing activities in order to optimize the company’s revenue.” And hey, good news: The job can be 100% remote!