OH Supremes Say Landowner Looked Hard Enough, Keeps Mineral Rights
The Ohio Supreme Court just delivered a decision that affects one particular landowner (and former mineral rights owner), but also has implications for all Ohio landowners and rights owners. And by extension, implications for drillers that pay royalty payments. The Supremes found in Gerrity v. Chervenak that the landowners in the case (the Chervenaks) did enough due diligence when searching for the rights owner who had moved out of the area. The Supremes said the landowner performed the proper steps to reclaim ownership of the severed mineral rights under their land.
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Anti-fossil fuelers love to protest things. Fine. Let them protest. This is (still) America. But when antis tip over into illegal acts like blocking legal activities of building pipelines or drilling wells, or when antis tip over into acts of vandalism like destroying equipment, that’s NOT okay. Antis call it “protesting.” We call it criminal behavior. A bill just passed in the Ohio legislature calls such activity what it is–crimes. And now (provided Gov. DeWine signs the bill into law, which is expected), such miscreants will pay stiff fines and in some cases do jail time for their crimes.
From the “With friends like this…” department, we have some upsetting news to report. The incoming chair of the American Gas Association (AGA), David Anderson, president and CEO of Northwest Natural Holding Co., says it’s time to “think big and think differently” about the end of natural gas. Anderson likes hydrogen and methane from landfills and the buttholes of animals, instead of natural gas that comes out of the ground. Go figure.
Wood Mackenzie, also known as WoodMac, is a global energy, chemicals, renewables, metals, and mining research and consultancy group. WoodMac writes reports and dishes out expert advice to investors dealing with the energy industry. WoodMac analysts have put their heads together to predict what we should expect in the energy space in the coming year, from oil markets to solar costs and coal exports to electric vehicles.
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: CNX helps bring virtual learning to West Greene students; OOGEEP educates record number of Ohioans on oil and gas industry; New York uses drones to find, plug ‘orphan’ gas wells; NATIONAL: Sen. Whitehouse’s call for climate inquisition undermines scientific research; US shale producers keep tight grip on purse strings; Natural gas – a very bullish weather scenario is developing; Once again, Congress reaches into taxpayer wallets for the renewable energy lobby; Republican threatens ‘brawl’ over Biden’s EPA, Interior picks; INTERNATIONAL: 5G could worsen “climate change,” claims French government advisor.
During the Williams third-quarter 2020 update in early November, CEO Alan Armstrong shared some interesting and relevant (to the Marcellus/Utica) comments (see 
In March 2019 MDN told you about National Fuel Gas Company’s (NFG) FM100 Project in northwestern Pennsylvania that will beef up and extend an existing pipeline network to flow an extra 330 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of Marcellus gas to Williams’ mighty Transco Pipeline (see 
Oaktree Capital Management, a huge investment firm with 1,000 employees and $140 billion in assets under management, is investing some of its considerable stach in BKV Corporation. BKV (which stands for Banpu Kalnin Ventures) is the American shale drilling arm of Banpu, Thailand’s largest coal mining company. BKV/Banpu has invested ~$500 million in the PA Marcellus, going as far as building a regional office in northeastern PA a year ago (see 
The Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) over the weekend published a final (revised) version of its Waste General Permit which governs how wastewater from shale fracking and produced water can be processed and reused for more drilling and fracking.
It really is frustrating and beyond belief. Republicans in Ohio continue to fiddle around and try to delay overturning House Bill (HB) 6 that gives FirstEnergy a $1.1 billion bailout to keep its economically failing nuclear power plants from closing. The company’s Energy Harbor subsidiary is accused of bribing Ohio House members with $60 million to pass and keep passed HB 6 (see 
Innovex Downhole Solutions ordered 100 jackets for its workers as Christmas gifts from popular outdoor recreation and clothing giant The North Face. But North Face turned its face away and told Innovex because the company is part of the nasty fossil fuel industry, North Face would refuse to fulfill the order. In essence, North Face told Innovex to go screw itself. [Yes, it’s time to boycott The North Face and refuse to buy anything from them, and if you get a Christmas present manufactured or sold by North Face, please return it and let them know why you want a refund.]
The Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board (EHB), a special court set up to hear appeals of decisions by the Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP), ruled on Wednesday that Sunoco Pipeline’s Mariner East 2 project does NOT have to reroute around Marsh Creek State Park in Chester County as ordered by the DEP. At least, not yet.
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC), the agency in charge of issuing permits for building the Mariner East pipeline projects, has just poked its head up to weigh in on another Energy Transfer project it issued permits to build: Revolution Pipeline. The PUC is proposing a $1 million penalty for “multiple violations” that led to an explosion of the pipeline as it entered service. The PUC also details a bunch of hoops ET must jump through in order to start service on the pipeline.