OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Exxon launches sale of shale gas properties in Texas; NATIONAL: Schumer urges Biden to tap SPR; Oil prices edge higher as market awaits SPR decision; Shale is making too much money to rescue Biden from oil shortage; INTERNATIONAL: Russia joins OPEC+ USA pushback; For Canadian producers, most promising natural gas price outlook in years.
Read More “Other Stories of Interest: Tue, Nov 16, 2021”
EV Royalty Partners, an affiliate of EnerVest Ltd., has retained Oil & Gas Asset Clearinghouse for the sale of a Utica Shale overriding royalty interest (ORRI) package across multiple counties in Ohio. The package on offer includes portions of ORRI in some 340,894 acres. The acreage is actively leased and developed by Encino Energy, Ascent Resources, and Southwestern Energy. Bids are due by Dec. 2nd.
Read More “EnerVest Utica Shops 340K Acres of ORRI in Ohio Utica Shale”
The so-called Pennsylvania Environmental Defense Foundation (PEDF) lost a big court case in Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court in August (see Radical Green Group Loses Lawsuit to Block PA State Land Drilling). The radicals, via their frivolous lawsuit, attempted to block any and all new drilling for oil and gas on PA state-owned land. The judges of the Commonwealth Court rejected the ridiculous lawsuit. On Nov. 9 (last Tuesday) the radicals appealed that rejection to the PA Supreme Court. Unfortunately, the Supremes (almost all Democrats) have a habit of favoring radicalized groups like PEDF.
Read More “PEDF Asks PA Supreme Court to Ban Shale Drilling on State Land”
You know it’s the end of the world when (in this case) the far-left editors of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, who universally hate shale drilling, support shale drilling under public parks in Allegheny County (Greater Pittsburgh). Last week MDN told you that anti-drilling zealots in Allegheny County were making yet another play, as they did eight years ago, to get County Council to pass a permanent ban on fracking under (not on) county parks (see Antis Lobby to Ban Fracking Under (Not In) Allegheny County Parks). The Post-Gazette has just broken with their fellow zealots to say, via an editorial, that a previous experiment with drilling under Deer Lakes Park (by Range Resources) has been a big success.
Read More “End of World! Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Supports Public Park Drilling”
Over the past two years, MDN has told you about a tiny 2.1-mile looping pipeline segment proposed by Kinder Morgan’s Tennessee Gas Pipeline (TGP), to be buried next to the existing TGP, to connect regions around Springfield, Massachusetts to receive more natural gas supplies. Springfield neighborhoods like Holyoke have an ongoing moratorium on hooking up new natgas customers unless/until more supply is provided (see Holyoke, Mass. Gas Moratorium Continues Due to No New Pipelines). Although most (all?) local and state politicians have made noises opposing the project, there is one local Democrat politician, State Rep. Carlos Gonzalez, who (using political doublespeak) appears to have flipped from opposition to support.
Read More “Mass. State Rep (Anti) Softens Opposition to NatGas Reliability Pipe”
Although this story technically is not about the Marcellus/Utica, it is about the parent company of the Shell ethane cracker in Beaver County, PA, and it is instructive for politicians everywhere that increasingly love to bash fossil fuel companies. Royal Dutch Shell Plc was founded in and has been headquartered in The Netherlands for the past 100+ years. The Netherlands is attacking the company via the courts and with threats of insane taxes. So Shell is doing the unthinkable: Reorganizing and dropping “Royal Dutch” from the name and relocating its headquarters from the Netherlands to London.
Read More “After Netherlands Attacks Shell, Company Renames, Moving HQ to London”
It’s been too long (months!) since we’ve last updated our calendar of events page. We updated it as of today. Below is the list of events we are aware of that will be of interest to those with an interest in the Marcellus/Utica shale region for the balance of 2021 and into early 2022. Some events are in the region (PA, WV). Some are not (TX, KY). Some are virtual/online, but most have returned to in-person. All of them are of potential interest to the MDN audience.
Read More “Calendar of Events 2021 – Marcellus/Utica & Beyond”
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: EQT recognized for advancing women’s leadership and board diversity; Pittsburgh shoots itself in the head with so-called energy strategy for builders; NATIONAL: U.S. natural gas in storage in early November is 3% below the recent average; Wake up America! China is making fools of us on energy!; Why are oil prices so high when the U.S. remains one of the world’s largest producers?; Shale drilling could accelerate soon; US shale basin merger and acquisition activity surpasses seven-year high; INTERNATIONAL: Oil and gas will be in the global energy system ‘for decades,’ BP chief says; Europe’s first winter cold spell already straining natural gas supplies.
Read More “Other Stories of Interest: Mon, Nov 15, 2021”
Epsilon Energy concentrates most of its effort on the Marcellus in Susquehanna County, PA. Epsilon doesn’t typically do its own drilling. The company joint venture partners with (gives money to) other companies, like Chesapeake Energy, and the other company typically does the drilling. Epsilon issued its third quarter update on Wednesday. The company’s Marcellus net gas production was 2.6 Bcf (billion cubic feet) in total for 3Q21, compared to 3.0 Bcf of net gas production in 3Q20 (a 13% decrease). However, revenues were $13.1 million in 3Q21, compared to $5.8 million in 3Q20 (more than doubled). In addition to the 3Q numbers, we have an update on Epsilon’s lawsuit against its partner Chesapeake Energy.
Read More “Epsilon 3Q: Production Falls, Revenue Doubles, Lawsuit Continues”
S&P Global Platts and their crack analytics unit say U.S. natural gas production continues to “surge” this month, hitting fresh 19-month highs. The surge is propelled by gains in output across Appalachia, the Haynesville Shale, and the Permian Basin. The Marcellus/Utica (i.e. Appalachia) hit a brand new record record-high of 34.7 Bcf/d (billion cubic feet per day) earlier this month. Awesome! Around the same time the M-U’s chief competitor (for investment dollars), the Louisiana/Texas Haynesville, also hit an all-time record high of 14.1 Bcf/d. The Permian came close to its all-time record of 14.0 Bcf/d, set back in June.
Read More “U.S. and Marcellus/Utica NatGas Production Hit Fresh 19-Mo. Highs”
We are stupified watching how the biased, leftwing mainstream media is treating utility company Spire (located in St. Louis) over the company’s recent statements warning natural gas customers their gas may run out if the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) does not act to extend an emergency certificate authorizing the operation of a pipeline that’s been up and running for the past two years–Spire STL. Yesterday we told you about vicious attacks against Spire for simply speaking the truth (see Spire Exercises Free Speech by Sending Warning Email re Pipe Closure). Those attacks continue…
Read More “Leftwing Media Continues to Blame the Victim – Spire STL Pipe”
Ohio’s House Bill (HB) 6 law granted billions (plural) of dollars to FirstEnergy in an attempt to prop up the company’s economically failing nuclear power plants. FirstEnergy bribed state legislators to pass, and keep passed, HB 6 by paying out $61 million to a small group of insiders, including the now-former Speaker of the House (see FirstEnergy Involved in Bribery Scheme to Pass $1B Nuke Bailout Law). It is the biggest bribery scandal in Ohio history. HB 6 empowered FirstEnergy to add a new charge to the electric bills for all ratepayers, on the theory subsidizing nuke plants was a good thing because nukes don’t create carbon dioxide emissions (that extra charge has since been overturned). A group of FirstEnergy ratepayers sued after the scandal broke, and a federal judge has just certified a class action against the company.
Read More “Judge Certifies Class Action Against FirstEnergy re Nuke Bailout”
A coalition of upstream (drilling), midstream (pipeline), and downstream (utility) companies formed an industry group called ONE Future back in 2014. The aim of the group is to lower methane emissions across all aspects of the natural gas infrastructure system nationwide and to emit (lose into the atmosphere) no more than 1% by 2025. A number of Marcellus/Utica companies have joined (see our previous ONE Future stories here). ONE Future issued its fourth annual methane intensity numbers yesterday. Great news! The coalition registered a 2020 methane intensity number of 0.424% (versus the 2025 goal of 1.0%), beating its one percent goal by 58% some five years early!
Read More “Natural Gas Coalition ONE Future Beats Methane Intensity Goal by 58%”
In September MDN brought you a fantastic column by Paul Driessen, a senior policy advisor for CFACT (Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow, a Washington, D.C. think tank), taking aim at so-called ESG, or environment, social, and governance programs, that are all the rage these days (see The ESG Emperor has No Clothes – Will Anyone Else Say So?). We have another terrific column from CFACT about ESG, this time written by Ronald Stein, author, engineer, and energy expert. Stein writes that ESG programs are forcing underinvestment in energy infrastructure, and that underinvestment is helping to create the current energy crisis and the crisis in our supply chains.
Read More “ESG Movement Bodes Ill for Electricity Market and Supply Chains”
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: TV’s Dr. Oz is a potential candidate in U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania; Keith Coyle receives shale gas advocate award; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: California joins the “we love OPEC” alliance; NATIONAL: SPR should not be used to manipulate oil market; US weekly LNG exports increase, Henry Hub spot price falls; INTERNATIONAL: The vilification of oil producers continues apace at COP26; SOS OPEC+ – suddenly, the Western world needs Russian energy amid sanctions; Belarus leader threatens to shut off natural gas to Europe.
Read More “Other Stories of Interest: Fri, Nov 12, 2021”
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). In November 2013 the Allegheny County Council voted down a proposed ban on drilling under parks (see Allegheny County (PA) Council Votes Down Drill Ban for Parks). In 2014 the Council approved drilling under Deer Lakes Park, which created hysteria among antis that lingers to this day (see Allegheny Cty Approves Deer Lakes Park Lease, Antis Throw Tantrum). Interestingly, nobody died and no harm came to the environment with drilling under Deer Lakes Park. Yet the zealots are back, again, demanding a ban on drilling under county parks.
Read More “Antis Lobby to Ban Fracking Under (Not In) Allegheny County Parks”