OTHER U.S. REGIONS: NM governor’s car gets 13 mpg as she demands state average of 52 mpg; Ida hit one of the country’s biggest oil and chemical hubs; INTERNATIONAL: Trudeau pledges tighter rules for oil cos.
Read More “Other Stories of Interest: Tue, Aug 31, 2021”
Although some 92% of the 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) is already built and in the ground, important segments remain unfinished, including pipeline built under or through rivers, streams, and wetlands. One of the key remaining segments for water crossings is in Virginia. Last Thursday the Virginia Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) issued a draft Section 401 of the federal Clean Water Act permit that would approve plans to let MVP finish its work in the state. The DEQ is now accepting comments on the plan. Anti-drilling zealots have gone nearly berserk with the news. Did they really think they would stop this $6 billion project?
Read More “Virginia DEQ Draft Water Permit for MVP Signals Project Approval”
Olympus Energy, the renamed Huntley & Huntley Energy Exploration (HHEX), continues to make progress in Upper Burrell Township in Westmoreland County, PA. The company currently has two well pads (Zeus and Calliope) with multiple wells drilled in Upper Burrell. Now comes word of plans for a third well pad, named the Selene Well Pad by the company. Olympus will present plans for the new pad at a hearing on Wednesday.
Read More “Olympus Energy Plans Third Well Pad in Upper Burrell Twp”
Say a prayer for the folks in Louisiana. Hurricane Ida made landfall Sunday as a Category 4 storm near Port Fourchon, Louisiana. Gov. John Bel Edwards described it as “one of the strongest storms to make landfall here in modern times.” As the storm worked its way through the Gulf of Mexico, nearly all (95%) of the oil and natural gas platforms in the Gulf went offline and evacuated personnel in preparation. Given supplies going offline, and given the hurricane missed major LNG export facilities (meaning they will continue to operate), the price of natural gas skyrocketed, closing at $4.37 and (according to some analysts) on its way to a modern-era high of $4.50 or more.
Read More “NatGas Prices Soar with Hurricane Ida Shutting Down Gulf Production”
Some interesting facts and figures from our favorite government agency, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). In 2011 the U.S. had 317.6 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired electric generation capacity. About 88.7 GW (28%) of that capacity was retired from 2011 to 2020. The primary reason? Marcellus/Utica natural gas. Cheap, abundant, and clean-burning natural gas began to be used in electric generating plants. Another fun fact: Of the 93.5 GW of natural gas capacity built in the U.S. from 2011 to 2020, 14.3 GW (15%) is located in Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Read More “EIA: Marcellus/Utica Gas Pushes Coal-Fired Plants into Retirement”
We believe there is a total lack of scientific proof that an increasing amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, put there by burning fossil fuels, is causing Mom Earth to catastrophically toast. In fact, we did our own quick analysis of temperatures in the Binghamton area over the past 70 years and found a total lack of proof that CO2 is causing global warming (see Happy Earth Day! MDN Debunks Global Warming Using Actual Temp Data). Still, if we want to talk to the great masses of those who do believe in the man-made global warming fairy tale, we have to talk with them in a language they understand and speak. Marcellus Shale Coalition President Dave Callahan has done just that.
Read More “M-U Natural Gas is Leading the Country in Fixing “Climate Change””
A number of big Marcellus/Utica drillers (i.e. producers) have gone whole hog on ESG (environmental, social, governance) programs in an attempt to prove to the world natural gas and the way we produce it is green too. One of the companies that popped up over a year ago to help M-U drillers (and drillers in other plays) prove they are clean and green was Independent Energy Standards Corporation (IES) TrustWell™ Responsible Gas Program (see Southwestern Sells 1st Certified “Responsible Gas” to NJ Resources). Since that time Project Canary merged with and took over IES and became the new name on the door for the TrustWell Responsible Gas Program. Project Canary has just released the first-ever Freshwater Stewardship Certification developed for oil and gas producers.
Read More “First Freshwater Stewardship Cert Developed for Oil & Gas Drillers”
OTHER U.S. REGIONS: California wises up and chooses natural gas; Permian natural gas growth spurs more processing capacity; NATIONAL: Record plastic prices may go stratospheric; Biden’s infrastructure plan is Solyndra on steroids; Time to rethink Biden’s anti-American energy policies; INTERNATIONAL: OPEC+ seen sticking to plan.
Read More “Other Stories of Interest: Mon, Aug 30, 2021”
In June MDN brought you the news that Enbridge’s Texas Eastern Transmission (TETCO) pipeline was being flow-restricted by the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA). Some 40% of the Marcellus/Utica molecules that flow through TETCO’s pipeline to destinations in the southeastern U.S. disappeared and were predicted to stay that way until the end of September (see TETCO Pipe Throttling 40% of M-U Southbound Gas to Last All Summer). However, Enbridge and PHMSA concluded their investigation early and the pipeline returned to full pressure in early August, some two months ahead of schedule (see TETCO Pipeline Returns to Full Pressure This Week – 2 Mo. Early). With TETCO back to full strength and with gas storage down this summer, the price of natural gas at various trading hubs around the M-U is high and staying high.
Read More “TETCO Pipeline Restart Boosts M-U NatGas Cash Prices”
What’s happening with New Fortress Energy’s (NFE) proposed LNG liquefaction plant planned for Wyalusing, PA? We told you in March the company hasn’t given up on the plan, but for now is focused elsewhere (see New Fortress Hasn’t Given Up on PA LNG, Focused Elsewhere). We have evidence that indeed, NFE has not given up. The PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued an air permit for the facility when NFE filed its original plans. That air permit is due to expire and NFE wants it extended. The extension has brought the crazies out of the woodwork to object…
Read More “Radicals Object to PA DEP Extending Air Permit for Wyalusing LNG”
Chester County, PA commissioners are, once again, attempting to instill irrational fear into county residents over the construction and operation of the Mariner East 2 (ME2) pipeline. ME2 runs hundreds of miles across the state, from eastern Ohio all the way to the Marcus Hook refinery near Philadelphia. The pipeline runs through Chester on its way to Marcus Hook. Chester commissioners are preparing to pay big bucks to hire a consultant to help the county draw up emergency plans for the pipeline in case it blows up or leaks. It’s a scare tactic. “The sky is falling!” MDN friend Garland Thompson has written a cogent and devastating response to an article highlighting news of the commissioners’ attempt to amplify people’s fears about ME2. His response offers the bigger (and truer) picture about ME2 safety.
Read More “Chester County, PA Leaders Continue to Sow Fear of ME2 Pipeline”
In March 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning to enter the public consciousness, some 500 people from labor unions and industry met in Pittsburgh to launch an organization called Pittsburgh Works Together (PWT), dedicated to fighting back against those who want to end southwest PA industries including steel, natural gas, and petrochemicals (see CNX CEO Backs New SWPA Group to Counter “Elites and Extremists”). The alliance is going strong. In May, PWT condemned PA Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to force the state to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), an obscene carbon tax on coal and gas-fired power plants (see Pittsburgh Works Together Biz/Labor Group Condemns Wolf Carbon Tax). PWT recently filed comments with the state IRRC encouraging the commission to reject Wolf’s plan.
Read More “Pittsburgh Biz/Labor Group Strongly Objects to Wolf RGGI Carbon Tax”
It’s that time of year again. Annual maintenance along pipelines that feed several major U.S. liquefaction (LNG) facilities will negatively impact gas deliveries to some terminals over the next six weeks according to notices to customers. Pipelines that serve the Cove Point, Maryland LNG facility and the Sabine Pass, Louisiana facility will be affected. Marcellus/Utica gas flows to both facilities.
Read More “Pipeline Maintenance Slows Gas Deliveries to LNG Export Plants”
The latest weekly Enverus U.S. rig count shows total rigs in use faltered slightly and lost ground. For the week ending August 26, the rig count stood at 621, down 3 rigs from the previous week. That’s a slight retreat after last week’s new post-pandemic high. The Marcellus and Utica plays stayed even with the previous week–no rigs gained or lost. Collectively the M-U currently operates 45 rigs.
Read More “Enverus Rig Count @ 621 (-3); Marcellus @ 32 (+0), Utica @ 13 (+0)”
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Murphy shouldn’t stop NJ homes & businesses from having access to affordable, reliable natural gas; GO-WV unveils specialty WV license plate design; NATIONAL: House Democrats seek more oil drilling bans; New contracts inch North American LNG projects closer to FID; US LNG exports climb this week; Ex-fracker at Walmart reveals one risk to U.S. oil supply growth.
Read More “Other Stories of Interest: Fri, Aug 27, 2021”
In February of this year, PTT Global Chemical adamantly claimed a final investment decision (FID) to build the $10 billion ethane cracker plant project in Belmont County, OH would happen by “middle of 2021” (see PTT Says Recent Reports of Ohio Cracker Decision Delay “Not True”). They lied. Again. Last week we told you that since May, PTT Global Chemical’s parent company, PTT Pcl (Thailand’s biggest company by far), has spent almost $10 billion to build an electric vehicle business and buy up petrochemical assets in Europe and renewable-energy projects in Asia (see PTT Blows $10B on Renewables Since May, Still No OH Cracker FID). Yet they can’t scrape together the money to build the Ohio cracker plant. PTT Global Chemical has finally come clean and admitted there will be no FID for the cracker plant–not until they secure a partner to help finance the project. In other words, it’s on indefinite hold.
Read More “PTT Finally Admits Truth – Ohio Cracker Project on Indefinite Hold”