DOE Sec. Jennifer Granholm has the REMEDY for Methane Emissions
We sometimes wonder if politicians understand how STUPID they sometimes sound (Sleazy Tiresome Uninformed Politicians Inventing Descriptions). Here’s the latest shining example: The Dept. of Energy, now under the thumb of the most unqualified person to be DOE Secretary in a generation, Jennifer Granholm, yesterday announced a new $35 million program aimed at reducing methane emissions in the oil, gas, and coal industries. Granholm is all proud of herself and thinks she’s quite clever by calling it the REMEDY program–Reducing Emissions of Methane Every Day of the Year. Does she know how STUPID she sounds?
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MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Verde Bio Holdings announces acquisition of mineral and royalty interests; UGI companies join Natural Gas Supply Collaborative; Antero Resources announces retirement of co-founder Glen Warren; NATIONAL: Lawmakers tell Biden to maintain Army Corps permitting rule; Groups petition EPA to remove ethane and methane from list of compounds exempt from emissions limits.
Last MDN told you that the West Virginia House of Delegates had passed House Bill (HB) 2581, which changes how the State Tax Department values producing oil and gas wells for property tax purposes (see 
Prepare for some mental gymnastics. Limber up your brain so you can follow this story. As you know, some big pension funds and investment firms have been on a “divestment” kick, eliminating their investments in filthy fossil fuel companies (see 
A month ago MDN told you about some of the biggest drillers in the Marcellus/Utica announcing new or expanded ESG (environment, social, governance) programs during their quarterly updates (see 
The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) most recent monthly short-term energy outlook (STEO) contains some disheartening numbers regarding natural gas production and consumption. EIA, with some of the best number crunchers in the business, predicts natural gas production will hit 91.41 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2021 and 93.29 Bcf/d in 2022. The current all-time high was 93.06 Bcf/d, hit in 2019 prior to the pandemic. That’s the good news. The bad news is that consumption (i.e. demand) is forecast to decrease even further this year and next year.
There are those who talk a good game about fighting back against the cultural rot that is consuming our country, fighting back against those who spread the false gospel of socialism and claim that capitalism is somehow evil. There are those who talk a good game about supporting fossil fuel energy. And then, there are those who actually do something about it. Talk is cheap. Action is expensive. You can classify Nick Deiuliis, CEO of CNX Resources, as an action guy. Yesterday Nick announced an exciting new mentorship program for high schoolers.
This is not good. The Weymouth compressor, the final piece of the $452 million Atlantic Bridge expansion project experienced a third “unplanned release” of natural gas yesterday. No word yet on how much gas was released or why. The project is already under an intense microscope with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) threatening to shut it down after only went online in January (see 
Last week the State of New Jersey, along with co-conspirator the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, filed their responses to defend their indefensible actions in blocking PennEast Pipeline’s eminent domain taking of land owned or controlled by NJ. It was their last, desperate attempt to avoid having a lower court ruling overturned. They gave it their best shot, but we think they came up short.
Last week we brought you the earthshattering news of a resurrection–the resurrection of the Williams Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline project in the New York City area (see 
Last week a group of U.S. Senators, including John Kennedy (R-La.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), introduced the Natural Gas Export Expansion Act. The bill, if it becomes law, will remove regulatory bottlenecks for LNG (liquefied natural gas) and increase LNG exports to the more than 160 countries in the World Trade Organization.
All three M-U states received permits to drill new shale wells last week. Pennsylvania received 6 new permits (4 of them for Chesapeake Energy). Ohio received 4 new permits last week, all of them for Antero Resources (2 different well pads). And West Virginia received 4 new permits (3 of them for Southwestern Energy).