DC Court to Rehear Atlantic Sunrise Pipe Eminent Domain Decision
Here we go again. In August a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) had the right to approve Williams’ Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline project, including the right to use eminent domain to build it before details are finalized over compensation to landowners (see DC Court Upholds FERC Authority in Approving Atlantic Sunrise Pipe). The Sierra Club and other Big Green groups, with endless mountains of money from people like Mike Bloomberg and Tom Steyer, kept pushing and finally convinced the entire DC Circuit (all of the judges, call “en banc”) to rehear and reconsider the case already decided by three of their number.
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Last week Equitrans subsidiary EQM Midstream Partners (formerly EQT Midstream) canceled a contract with Texas-based Trinity Energy to build portions of the now-stalled Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) project. You may recall that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) stopped all new construction on MVP in October, until a new U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service permit that passes muster with the courts can be issued (see 
Masquerading as a nonpartisan, independent nonprofit, the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) reportedly “conducts research and analyses on financial and economic issues related to energy and the environment.” The Institute’s stated mission is “to accelerate the transition to a diverse, sustainable and profitable energy economy.” In other words, they’re anti-fossil fuels. We spotted an article appearing on OilPrice.com that quotes a new “study” issued by IEEFA. The article opens by saying, “drillers in Appalachia are in particularly bad shape.” Is it true? Is the end near? Is it a shalepocalypse?
Scrum master. Agile coach. Data scientist. Cloud architect. Those are jobs young people typically seek in Silicon Valley, working for companies like Google, Apple and Facebook. However, those are jobs available *right now* in the shale oil and gas industry. There is a perception that oil and gas does not use high tech. Not so!
Our favorite government agency, the U.S. Energy Information Administration, brings us news that (so far) the lamestream press refuses to share. In September the United States exported 89,000 barrels per day (b/d) more petroleum (crude oil and petroleum products) than it imported. That’s the first month this has happened since monthly records began in 1973! The first time in recorded history! But not a peep from the press or their Big Green overlords. This is ALL due to the miracle of shale drilling.
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Future of oil and gas in Ohio Valley looks bright; NATIONAL: Analysis: US oil, gas rig count falls by 4 to 691, Permian totals slide; N. American shale primed for growth despite possible oil price declines; Gas lobby group goes on attack to halt move to ban new hook-ups; Natural gas outpaced renewable energy in reducing greenhouse gases; Moore’s Law misapplied (video); INTERNATIONAL: As Lopez Obrador focuses on oil, U.S. natural gas exports to Mexico soar; Europe was favored destination for US LNG in November amid activity ramp-up.
In an impressive feat of financial jiu-jitsu, Chesapeake Energy has just snapped closed the mouths of those who said the company was imminently heading for bankruptcy following the company’s third quarter update (see 
Today wraps up the Hart Energy Marcellus-Utica Midstream Conference being held in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately MDN editor Jim Willis could not attend this year. But Pittsburgh Business Times‘ ace reporter Paul Gough did attend, and he’s reporting some interesting comments at yesterday’s sessions. Pipeline companies offered frank and sobering comments. Times are not good for Marcellus/Utica drillers right now due to low low prices, and that translates into times being not good for pipeline companies too. But, “we’ve been here before” said one speaker, and better days are ahead…when prices once again increase.
Dominion Energy’s Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) previously filed a request with the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit that judicially creates a new law stipulating pipelines can’t cross under the Appalachian Trail without (no kidding) an Act of Congress. The Supremes get 8,000 such requests each year, and accept maybe 80 (or 1%). Lightning struck. The ACP case was accepted by the Supremes in October (see 
For some time we’ve been concerned about competition for Marcellus/Utica gas coming from western Canada being piped to Canada’s East Coast (see 
In October MDN reported that Equitrans (formerly EQT Midstream) had settled an outstanding issue with the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) over the company’s failure to produce a “verified statement” that proves they have turned over every rock and branch looking for old conventional wells that are not mapped in a natural gas storage field in Greene County, PA (see 
The mafiosi at FirstEnergy lost their lawsuit filed with the Ohio Supreme Court in a bid to block a referendum aimed at giving all Ohio residents the right to vote to overturn an ill-conceived corporate welfare law passed that puts $1 billion into FirstEnergy’s pocket in order to keep two failing nuclear power plants open. Although they lost the case, FirstEnergy claims the Supreme Court decision is a “victory” for their attempt to keep their grubby hands on taxpayer’s money. How does that work?