OTHER U.S. REGIONS: NC Gov. Cooper nominates former DEQ lobbyist Elizabeth Biser to lead agency; NATIONAL: U.S. ethane exports surge with additional export capacity and expanded tanker fleet; FERC establishes Office of Public Participation; INTERNATIONAL: China to use more natural gas in energy mix to 2035.
Read More “Other Stories of Interest: Fri, Jun 25, 2021”
“I’m greener than you!” … “No, I’M greener than YOU!!” So we imagine the backroom squabbling that’s going on among Marcellus/Utica drillers as we watch companies engage in a form of brinksmanship for how clean and green their natural gas is versus a competitor’s. EQT announced that in addition to the myriad of environmental programs they already belong to, they’ve joined a United Nations program to further prove their commitment to reduce global warming (see today’s related post). Not to be outdone, Southwestern Energy stepped up its commitment to a program it first joined in 2018 to certify some of its production as responsibly developed. Now ALL of Southwestern’s M-U gas will get the TrustWell certification.
Read More “Southwestern Grows Certification – All M-U NatGas “Responsible””
EQT continues to fall all over itself in its efforts to prove the natural gas it extracts from Mom Earth is environmentally friendly and safe and good and yummy and worthy and… We’ve lost track of how many certification programs the company has joined–at least four prior to yesterday. The latest (fifth?) program EQT has joined is the United Nations’ Climate and Clean Air Coalition’s Oil & Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP 2.0).
Read More “EQT Joins UN’s Oil & Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 Initiative”
A “reporter” at the Columbus Dispatch has just published a hatchet job on a shale waste handling and processing facility located in Belmont County, OH. The facility is located (gasp!) a half-mile away from a high school and a hospital. It’s also located near the Ohio River and it handles (gasp!) “radioactive waste.” That’s how the article begins. It goes downhill from there, making wild claims of “overflowing barrels” of radioactive waste at the facility.
Read More “Biased Hit Piece in Columbus Dispatch Attacks M-U Waste Facility”
Here’s a peer-reviewed, published research study you won’t read about in mainstream media. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), Penn State University, and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation recently published research in The Electricity Journal (full copy below) detailing how much money it cost New England electric ratepayers in 2014 when there was a cold-weather event that caused a shortage of natural gas used for power plants, due to lack of pipelines. New Englanders paid $1.8 BILLION for that one event in skyrocketed electric rates–due to the folly of their elected leaders in blocking new pipelines to the region.
Read More “CMU Research Finds Lack of NatGas Pipes Cost New Englanders $1.8B”
John Applegath, referred to as a “gentle giant,” was a giant in the Marcellus Shale industry. Years ago we heard him speak at an industry event in Pittsburgh. Applegath was the man largely responsible for the huge success of Range Resources in drilling in the Marcellus Shale. After retiring from Range, Applegath joined Huntley & Huntley (now Olympus Energy). And after H&H, Applegath went to work for Encino Energy, the company bought all of Chesapeake Energy’s Ohio Utica Shale assets. He has been a key player in our industry for the past 14+ years. He died Tuesday afternoon. RIP John.
Read More “Marcellus Shale’s “Gentle Giant” John Applegath Dies – RIP”
DarkPulse, a company that manufactures, sells, installs, and monitors laser sensing systems for the oil and gas industry, is partnering with Grae-Con Construction in Marietta, OH to offer DarkPulse’s unique products to Marcellus/Utica drillers and pipeline companies. DarkPulse uses dark-pulse sensor technology to monitor drilling activities (in the upstream) and the thickness of pipelines (in the midstream) to provide early detection of problems.
Read More “DarkPulse Teams with Grae-Con to Bring Laser Sensing to M-U”
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Natural gas company donates $10K to food bank; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Dallas Fed says E&P, OFS execs optimistic for higher Henry Hub, WTI prices; Exxon must face Massachusetts lawsuit alleging climate change deceit; NATIONAL: Oil prices finish higher amid overbought signs; Shale output flat despite 400% jump in frac crews; Mont Belvieu propane prices top $1 a gallon; how high will they need to go?; No plan ‘right now’ to permanently ban new oil and gas leasing, Haaland says; Climate policy by judicial decree; INTERNATIONAL: Power CEOs defend role for natgas in shift to climate-friendly grid; How Vladimir Putin uses natural gas to exert Russian influence and punish his enemies.
Read More “Other Stories of Interest: Thu, Jun 24, 2021”
Three far-left Democrat judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit have attacked the Marcellus/Utica by overturning a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approval for a long-completed and flowing natural gas pipeline in the St. Louis, MO area–a pipeline that flows M-U gas to residents, businesses, and electric generating plants in the region. The Spire STL pipeline now faces closure. It is a gross miscarriage of justice.
Read More “Fed Court Overturns Marcellus to St. Louis Pipe – Shutdown Coming?”
White vapor clouds (i.e. water) will be visible from Shell’s mighty ethane cracker facility beginning this month as the company begins “first fire” activities in a ramp-up to full production at the facility. In a process called “steam blowing” Shell is testing and checking the plant’s steam piping system. Those passing near the plant may also hear noise associated with testing.
Read More “Shell Cracker Near Pittsburgh Begins “First Fire” Activities”
The price of natural gas traded on “forward” contracts for the fall at what used to be called the Dominion South (now called Eastern Gas Transmission) trading hub near Pittsburgh is up 23 cents (14%) for contracts in September and October. Forward prices are based on current spot prices. Translation: The market is strongly indicating it thinks the price of M-U gas is heading higher in the coming fall months.
Read More “M-U Forward NatGas Prices Head Higher – Supply Can’t Keep Up”
An interesting post by our favorite government agency, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) about their latest predictions for the price of natural gas at the benchmark Henry Hub. EIA predicts the average price at HH this year, in 2021, will end up being around $3.07 per million British thermal units (MMBtu). The average in 2020 was $1.998 (round it up to $2.00). So this year the average price will be some 54% higher than last year. What about 2022?
Read More “EIA Predicts Henry Hub Avg of $3.07 in 2021, up 54% from 2020”
We have published a number of posts about hydrogen (H2), the next “big thing” in energy (see our hydrogen posts here). Although it may seem that hydrogen is new and big and different, it’s actually been a part of our energy mix since the 1950s. We previously explained the difference between “gray” and “blue” and “green” H2 (see Blue vs. Green vs. Gray Hydrogen – Differences, NatGas Connection). Today we have an article that explains how so-called gray hydrogen can easily be made blue and (for the more extreme among us) almost as good as green H2.
Read More “The Key Role of Hydrogen in Current O&G Operations – Gray to Blue”
Two of three Marcellus/Utica states received permits to drill new shale wells last week, and boy did they open the floodgates! Pennsylvania issued 30 new permits, the majority of which are located on three well pads operated by EQT, Chesapeake Energy, and Range Resources. Ohio issued no new permits. After getting skunked for two weeks in a row, West Virginia issued 16 new permits–to just two drillers: Antero Resources and EQT. All of the WV permits were issued in the same county.
Read More “Weekly Shale Drilling Permits for PA, OH, WV: Jun 14-20”
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Pipelines deliver the energy that powers Pennsylvania – and the U.S.; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Is wider well spacing leading to better performance?; NATIONAL: Biden admin crackdown prompts refinery closure; INTERNATIONAL: BP to stick with oil and gas for decades, CEO says; European natural gas prices hit highest level in over a decade; Oil prices falter amid OPEC+ meeting rumors; China on top of the LNG market.
Read More “Other Stories of Interest: Wed, Jun 23, 2021”
A fire broke out at a Williams pipeline valve station located in Buffalo Township in Washington County, PA following a reported lightning strike. The fire was small and contained and Williams’ workers were able to quickly put it out. No one in the surrounding area needed to be evacuated, and no one was injured. Whew.
Read More “Lightning Strikes Williams Valve Station in Washington County, PA”