WV Legislators Look for Solution to Maryland Blocking Potomac Pipe
Columbia Gas, a subsidiary of Canada-based TC Energy (formerly TransCanada), wants to build a tiny 3.37-mile, 8-inch pipeline under the Potomac River from Maryland to West Virginia. The Eastern Panhandle Expansion, as it is called, is being blocked by the lefties in Maryland (see Fed Judge Upholds Maryland Decision to Block Pipe Under Potomac). West Virginia House of Delegates members recently debated what could be done to overcome Maryland’s illegal blockade of the pipeline.
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Among the speakers who addressed the conference delegates at Hart Energy’s DUG East conference on Tuesday was Chesapeake Energy COO Josh Viets. He traced the roots of the current energy crisis back to decisions and events some 20 years ago. Viets said, “Access to energy correlates to quality of life, and the industry has a responsibility to work to provide energy that is affordable, reliable and low-carbon.” Europe, said Viet, dropped the ball beginning 20 years ago by buying into the hype about so-called renewable energy and forsaking fossil fuel development, while the U.S. invested in fracking and fossil fuels, leading to our energy independence under Donald J. Trump.
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Hearing testimony says energy stifling policies driving high inflation; Verbal fireworks fly at Republican gubernatorial debate in NY; Mike Pence to meet with Ohio Gov. DeWine on energy; NATIONAL: Oil falls on largest interest rate increase since 1994; Pilot partners with VoltaGrid on CNG, hydrogen; As gas prices soar, Biden’s bended-knee tour of OPEC continues; Biden lashes out at oil refiners in latest outburst on gas prices.
Freeport LNG provided an update yesterday to inform the public about what happened at its export facility just south of Galveston, Texas, situated on the Gulf Coast. Freeport said an “incident” occurred in pipe racks that support the transfer of LNG from the facility’s LNG storage tank area to the terminal’s dock facilities located on the intracoastal (i.e., north) side of Freeport LNG’s dock basin. None of the liquefaction trains, LNG storage tanks, dock facilities, or LNG process areas were impacted. Freeport originally said the facility would be back online in three weeks. That’s a pipe dream (pun intended). Yesterday Freeport revised their estimate to three months minimum before partial operations are back online. It will be the end of the year for full operations exporting all 2 Bcf/d are back online, according to Freeport.
On Monday MDN brought you the news that West Virginia State Treasurer Riley Moore sent a letter to six big banks/investment firms alerting them they are about to be added to the state’s “blacklist” for violating policies by not investing or doing business with fossil fuel companies (see 
Southwestern Energy yesterday announced a multi-year, certified Responsibly Sourced Gas (RSG) sales agreement to the North American subsidiary of Uniper, one of Germany’s largest publicly listed energy supply companies. Uniper will use the RSG gas it buys from Southwestern to resell to its customers here in the U.S., as well as send some of it to LNG export facilities where it will find its way to other countries, primarily in Europe. The molecules for the RSG agreement will come from both the Marcellus/Utica and from Southwestern’s newest plaything–the Haynesville Shale.
In years gone by arrogant Europeans turned their noses up to American “fracked” LNG (see 
Last weekend the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) published a notice in the weekly (Saturday) edition of the Pennsylvania Bulletin to announce final guidance (i.e. regulations) on handling radioactive waste going to solid waste processing and disposal facilities from unconventional shale gas drilling operations and other sources. Last year MDN told you about a plan by the Wolf administration to require quarterly testing at landfills that accept shale drill cuttings (see
Since 2013 anti-fossil fuel zealots–people with an irrational hatred of fossil fuels–have tried to ban drilling under (not on) public parks in Allegheny County, PA (near Pittsburgh). A small group of 100 radicals gathered outside the City-County building in downtown Pittsburgh last week to throw a collective temper tantrum, demanding Allegheny County Council ban any new drilling under county-owned parks (see