A lawsuit brought by greedy lawyers (ab)using a group of 21 ignorant children against the United States for not doing enough about mythical man-made global warming is once again in the news. The lawsuit aims to force the end of using all fossil fuels in the United States, to address so called man-made global warming.
Read More “9th Circus Hears Arguments in Kids ‘Ban All Fossil Fuels’ Lawsuit”
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: PA Senate confirms Patrick McDonnell as Secretary of DEP; Pittsburgh Mayor Peduto wants pension funds divested from fossil fuels; One of Pittsburgh’s biggest law firms enters Houston; Gillibrand backs ambitious New York climate plan; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Massachusetts Attorney General sued over use of Bloomberg-funded attorneys; Natural gas flaring hits record high in first quarter in U.S. Permian Basin; Flash fire injures 3 at natural gas plant in northern Colorado; NATIONAL: EIA tool compares individual power plants’ generation, cooling water use, and emissions; US FERC’s Chatterjee rekindles grid resilience debate; Animated chart: Annual US natural gas production by US state from 1967 to 2018.
Read More “Energy Stories of Interest: Thu, Jun 6, 2019”
Three families who lived near a former drill site and frack wastewater impoundment in Washington County, PA sued Range Resources in May 2012 claiming the air they breathe and the water they drink had been contaminated by Range’s operations at the site (see EPA Investigating Range Drill Site in Western PA). Range eventually settled what became known as the “Haney” case with the three families in 2018. The settlement was, until yesterday, secret. Facing ongoing pressure from “media” outlets, Range released a copy of the settlement showing the families got a collective $3 million–minus 33% for overpaid lawyers.
Read More “Range, Others Paid SWPA Landowners $3M to Settle “Haney” Case”
New Fortress Energy is building an LNG liquefying plant in northeastern Pennsylvania and will truck (eventually rail) the LNG to a port located on the Delaware River along the New Jersey shoreline for export to Puerto Rico and other destinations (see Big News! Marcellus LNG Export Plant Coming to Landlocked NEPA). We didn’t know much about New Fortress–until now. Bloomberg recently published an article profiling Wes Edens, the billionaire co-founder of New Fortress.
Read More “The Billionaire Behind New Fortress LNG Export Facility in NEPA”
On May 15 New York’s Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC), under the direction of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, denied a permit for the Williams Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) natural gas pipeline (see NY Gov. Cuomo Denies Permit for Williams NESE Pipeline to NYC). It’s no secret the denial is political. The DEC claimed there was a “technical issue” with the application. Williams immediately fixed the “error” and refiled on May 17. The DEC has just declared the new application “complete”–meaning they will now reject it for other reasons.
Read More “NYDEC Declares Rejected NESE Pipe Application Now “Complete””
Since 2013 so-called environmentalists have protested, agitated and lobbied to prevent the Cayuga Power Plant in Lansing (Ithaca suburb) from switching from burning coal to burning clean natural gas–because they irrationally hate fossil fuels (see NY Eco Group Protest to Stop Plant Converting from Coal to NatGas). The region needs more electricity, not less. However, a new plan has been hatched to convert the coal plant that currently produces electricity into a data center that uses massive amounts of electricity (and taxpayer money)! Only in Planet Ithaca.
Read More “Ithaca: Turn Elec-Producing Coal Plant into Elec-Using Data Plant”
Ever notice how leftists force their will on the American people via leftist judges–because they can’t win at the ballot box? It’s frustrating that we elected President Trump to do a job, and his administration is doing their darnedest, and at every turn there’s a lib Dem judge waiting to make life miserable. Such is the case with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which just rendered a decision (by three Dem-appointed leftist judges) in an Appalachian pipeline lawsuit that is actually a win for the pipeline–but also a warning shot that the lib Dem judges want the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to bow to their demands that FERC consider mythical man-made global warming when evaluating future pipeline projects.
Read More “Court Gives Antis Hope re Forcing FERC to Consider Global Warming”
If you’re heading to college (or know someone who is), or maybe in college right now, or considering a career change and you have the time and money to get another college degree…we have a suggestion. Take a look at petroleum engineering as your major. Those with a petroleum engineering degree earn the highest average salaries in the country! A survey looked at college degrees and salaries for those in the workforce between the ages of 29-31 and found the highest average salary ($169,680 per year) belongs to petroleum engineer grads!
Read More “Highest-Paying College Major? Petroleum Engineer – $170K per Year”
OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Cheniere Energy inks deals to support two expansion projects; NATIONAL: Ethane exports on the rise, but hemmed in by its uniqueness; U.S. hydrocarbon gas liquids production reaches 5 million barrels per day in 2018; Many 2020 Democrats favor banning fracking, fossil fuel exports. That’s millions of jobs; INTERNATIONAL: Shell sets out oil, gas growth case despite fossil fuel qualms; Natural gas and efficiencies feature as national oil companies respond to climate-change initiatives; Australia remains divided on roaring LNG sector.
Read More “Energy Stories of Interest: Wed, Jun 5, 2019”
Yesterday Toby and Derek Rice issued another (new) letter to EQT shareholders in the quest to make a case that the existing EQT board and management must be thrown out. A few hours later EQT responded with its own letter to shareholders. Here’s the latest in the proxy war to control EQT.
Read More “Rice Boys, EQT Send Dueling Letters to Shareholders re Board Vote”
The Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) issued first quarter 2019 numbers for Utica shale oil and gas production last Friday. Both natural gas and oil production increased over last year’s 1Q. Natgas production was up 14.5% over the same period last year, to 609.5 billion cubic feet (Bcf). However, 1Q19 production is down from Ohio’s all-time high of 663.5 Bcf in 4Q18. Oil production was 5.1 million barrels, up 29% over last year’s 1Q, but down from 4Q18’s 5.8 million barrels. So, 1Q19 numbers are up from last year’s 1Q, but down from the previous quarter (4Q18). A mixed bag.
Read More “Ohio Utica O&G Production in 1Q19 a Mixed Bag – Top 25 Wells”
In March MDN brought readers a pair of posts about a new bill in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, HB 247, which would allow fully leased parcels that are part of one drilling “unit” to be combined with parcels in a different unit–“cross-unit drilling” if you will (see PA Floats Bill to Allow Shale Drilling to Span Multiple Units and Revisiting PA Bill to Allow Shale Drilling Across Multiple Units). The National Association of Royalty Owners (NARO) at a recent meeting in WV warned landowners about HB 247 and its potential to come to both WV and OH if it passes in PA.
Read More “NARO Warns WV & OH About PA Cross-Unit Drilling Bill”
Adelphia Gateway, a plan to convert an old oil pipeline stretching from Northampton County, PA through Bucks, Montgomery, and Chester counties, terminating in Delaware County at Marcus Hook, is close to receiving final approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The project recently received approval from the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP).
Read More “Bucks County Residents Ramp Up Opposition to Adelphia Compressor”
“Quit playing that @#$% video game!” How often have young people heard that refrain from a parent? Hey parents, you may want to lighten up a bit on the video game thang. The eye-hand coordination and quick thinking skills built by long hours of playing video games are helping youngsters who grow up and enter the work force get jobs operating seriously big pieces of construction equipment used in the Marcellus/Utica, like cranes and earthmovers.
Read More “Video Games Prep Young People to Become M-U Operating Engineers”
We’ve said, for years, that it’s just fine to be a clueless idiot and protest pipelines, fracking, drilling, fossil fuels–whatever. BUT, protesting doesn’t give you the right to illegally block a legal activity, like building (or operating) a pipeline, drilling a shale well, etc. Irrational anti-fossil fuelers are trying to excuse their illegal, anarchist behavior by claiming it’s somehow free speech or freedom of expression. WRONG. And now, the federal government is in the process of revising its criminal guidelines to ensure such behavior sees jail time and stiff fines.
Read More “Feds Plan to Lock Up Pipeline Protesters Who Break the Law”
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Cabot – a sustainable gas major; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Oregon, Washington pass bans on fracking despite little E&P; Panhandle TxOk natural gas cash price falls to record low on robust supplies; NATIONAL: U.S. working natural gas stocks deficit to the five-year average fall to lowest level since March 2018; It’s adapt or die for U.S. refiners; Exploring the innovative evolution of hydraulic fracturing; Weatherford demise represents warning to oil services sector; Henry Hub gas hits multi-year lows on bearish fundamentals; Passions & Power – when ignorant kids get their own way (video); Mexico is our most important natural gas export market; INTERNATIONAL: Proposal to pipe fracked natural gas from Alberta to Saguenay, Que., under scrutiny; Natural gas taking over from coal in Greece’s energy generation; Renewable energy jobs in UK plunge by a third.
Read More “Energy Stories of Interest: Tue, Jun 4, 2019”