FBI Investigates Wolf Admin for Corruption re ME Pipe Permits
Earlier this week the Associated Press, which sometimes can and sometimes can’t be trusted, broke an exclusive bombshell story in which they claim “sources” have told them the FBI has launched an investigation into the Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf administration over how permits came to be issued for the Mariner East 2 pipeline project. The focus of the investigation is on whether Wolf and his administration “forced environmental protection staff to approve construction permits” and whether Wolf or his administration received anything in return for those permits. Favors. Corruption. Kickbacks. That’s what’s being implied by the leakers who, of course, spoke only on condition of anonymity.
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In September, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit issued a precedent-setting decision that disallows PennEast Pipeline from using the federally-delegated power of eminent domain to cross properties either owned by, or with easements granted to, the state of New Jersey (see 
Man-child Andrew Cuomo, “governor” of New York State, is a truly desperate man. And desperate, corrupt politicians like Cuomo do desperate, mean, vicious and corrupt things–especially to protect their own backsides. Cuomo is following through on a recent threat he made to de-certify National Grid’s natural gas utility service that serves all of Long Island and parts of New York City. Just take it away from National Grid and (very corruptly) give it to another company (no doubt with lots of kickbacks to Cuomo’s campaign to follow).
The Risberg Line, a 60-mile pipeline from Crawford County, PA to Erie County, PA, and from there across the border into Ashtabula County, OH, began construction in February (see 
Left-wingers opposed to fossil fuels have apparently infiltrated the non-profit Allegheny Conference on Community Development (Pittsburgh region), and Marcellus/Utica driller CNX Resources, one of the Conference’s corporate members, is quitting because of it. It’s about time our industry stops supporting leftist causes that seek to end the use of fossil fuels.
Montage Resources, which formed in a merger of Eclipse Resources and Blue Ridge Mountain Resources (formerly Magnum Hunter Resources) in March of this year, announced in July they would cut back from two to one active drilling rig in the second half of 2019 (see 
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Wolf breaks with Pittsburgh’s Peduto on nat gas, enraging environmentalists; Bankrupt Philly refinery gets interest from 15 potential bidders; aims for a January auction; Rep. Keller touts Williams partnership; Pennsylvania pipeline protests go too far; Amid opposition to fracking and plastics, moderate Dems walk a fine line on climate policies; NATIONAL: DOE authorizes long-term small-scale LNG exports; EIA improves its propane and other hydrocarbon gas liquids data; Mesa Natural Gas Solutions and Crusoe Energy Systems target 50 MW of flare-to-computing projects next two years; EIA 2020 Henry Hub spot price forecast slips again, to $2.48; INTERNATIONAL: U.S. LNG cargo set to arrive at U.K. South Hook terminal; Global natgas market still oversupplied in 2020; weak pricing seen threatening U.S. LNG.
On Feb. 4, 2019, the parent holding company for Marcellus driller Arsenal Resources, Arsenal Energy Holdings LLC, applied for what has to be the fastest “prepackaged bankruptcy” we’ve ever heard of. They sailed through the whole process in 10 days flat (see 
Washington (PA) Observer-Reporter reporter Rick Schrum recently went on a tour of fracking operations at a Range Resources site in Allegheny County, PA. Schrum interviewed Range’s water operations manager about how and where Range gets the water to drill and frack its wells.
Speaking of electric fracking, this past summer CNX Resources converted to using 100% electric frac fleets in its drilling operations (see 
UGI Energy Services, the pipeline subsidiary of UGI Corporation (utility company) has just completed the fourth expansion of their northeastern PA pipeline gathering system called the Auburn Gathering System. In May 2018 MDN told you about UGI’s plans to add another two compressor stations and more gathering pipelines to benefit Cabot Oil & Gas (see 
Last week the West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association (WVONGA) held its two-day 2019 Fall Meeting in Morgantown. We previously reported talk about WV’s new co-tenancy laws dominated the first day (see 
On April 1 of this year the U.S. exited natural gas consumption season (“winter”) with a relatively low value of 1,155 billion cubic feet (Bcf) in storage. Fast forward to October 31 and the end of the injection season, when gas is stored away for the winter months, and that number had soared more than 3X to 3,724 Bcf. Underground storage of natgas as of October 31 was 37 Bcf higher than the previous five-year end-of-October average. The U.S. Energy Information Administration, our favorite government agency, calls this year’s injection season ramp-up pace a “near-record.”
Thank you for your patience while we navigated through web server hell this week. The MDN website was finally reactivated yesterday on its new server (computer). But then, as soon as that happened, MDN’s email account went offline due to some technical explanation we don’t fully understand, having to do with domain name servers and such. So if you sent MDN (or editor Jim Willis) an email yesterday afternoon/evening, he may not have received it. Feel free to re-send any messages you sent yesterday.