We spotted a couple of op-eds yesterday commenting on the obtuse position taken by New York State (Andrew Cuomo) in blocking natural gas pipelines. One of the columns, by MDN friend Katie Klaber, makes a brilliant point. Want to know where New York is heading energy-wise? Just look at Venezuela.
Read More “Want to Know Where NY is Heading re Energy? Look at Venezuela”
Our use of language and the word radicalized is intentional. In the same way some otherwise peace loving and normal Americans have become radicalized by fringe elements of Islam, it’s also happening in the environmental movement. Otherwise rational people are becoming radicalized–with an irrational, intense hatred against fossil fuels like natural gas. It’s totally bonkers. One of the places it’s happening–Vermont.
Read More “Radicalized Senator Intros Bill to Ban New Pipelines in Vermont”
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Lackawanna College delivers great careers in natural gas for locals; The Dimock water quality hustle fully revealed in deposition; West Virginia’s rebound is raising wages and reducing welfare; Hull Street buys 2 natgas-fired plants in New York; GOP governor names attorney to Ohio PUC; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: For sale in Texas: natural gas at record low price; MHPS JAC turbine selected to power the world’s most efficient plant in Va.; NATIONAL: Hydraulic fracturing conference hits full stride on day two; The surprisingly low seasonality of U.S. natural gas prices; INTERNATIONAL: Tests at Cuadrilla’s British fracking site show substantial gas flows.
Read More “Energy Stories of Interest: Fri, Feb 8, 2019”
The West Virginia House Energy Committee passed a bill yesterday that appears to be picking up steam and possibly headed for approval by both the House and Senate. It’s an interesting bill that allows local natural gas utilities to pay drillers to drill new gas wells in areas where there is not a reliably sufficient supply of gas.
Read More “WV Bill Would Let Utilities Pay Producers to Drill New Gas Wells”
The folks at Argus Media have done an analysis of the number of shale well permits issued in Pennsylvania for January 2019. The numbers show the number of new permits issued during January were up 72% from the number issued in December 2018, but down 11% from the number of permits issued in January 2018, one year earlier. Can we divine anything from this mixed bag of numbers?
Read More “PA Shale Drilling Permits Issued in January Show Mixed Bag”
Dominion Energy’s 600-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) is facing serious delays and cost overruns mainly due to lawsuits brought by Big Green groups (see Dominion Delays Atlantic Coast Pipeline Again – 2018 Update). The project is now delayed until late 2020 for a partial startup, with full service sometime in 2021, and the new price tag has ballooned to $7.5 billion.
Read More “Dominion “Still Committed” to Building Atlantic Coast Pipeline”
One of the long-running complaints from shale drillers across Pennsylvania has been the amount of time it takes the state Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) to issue a simple permit–like an erosion and sediment control permit.
Read More “PA DEP Southwest Office Says Permit Backlog Down 75%”
Perhaps two unrelated cases of individual landowners challenging Energy Transfer’s Mariner East 2 (ME2) Pipeline–one in court, the other with regulators–doesn’t make a trend, but it is worth noting. Our antennae are up.
Read More “New Anti Tactic? Individuals Challenge Mariner East Pipelines”
Pieridae Energy wants to build an LNG export plant in Nova Scotia, Canada. The Mi’kmaq (pronounced mic-mac) indigenous peoples of Nova Scotia (i.e. Indians) have never formally surrendered their “ownership” claim of Nova Scotia–a claim long disputed. In order to build and operate the Goldboro LNG export facility, Pieridae has agreed to pay off the Mi’kmaq. Call it “leave us alone” money.
Read More “Pieridae Energy Pays Off Nova Scotia Indians to Allow LNG Plant”
A lawsuit brought by greedy lawyers (ab)using a group of 21 children against the United States for not doing enough about mythical man-made global warming has once again heated up. 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 “Global Warming Lawsuit by Brainwashed Kids Begins at 9th Circus”
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Gas severance tax must solve problem to be worth fallout; Pa. should lease land to drill natural gas to improve parks; Con Ed could run out of natural gas before moratorium starts; Diversified says CNX rogue Utica well did not impact their wells; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Record Haynesville Shale output to push 2019 U.S. LNG volume above 40m tons; NATIONAL: The natural gas price plunge isn’t over yet; Future U.S. electricity generation mix will depend largely on natural gas prices; Who will feed the LNG monster?; New report with ex-Clinton official suggests shale oil could be good for renewables.
Read More “Energy Stories of Interest: Thu, Feb 7, 2019”
Let the fight begin. Yesterday the Rice brothers, Toby and Derek, held a conference call with EQT investors to lay out their detailed proposal for how EQT should be run. The Rice plan includes giving the boot to current EQT CEO Rob McNally and much of top management, and installing Toby as CEO, bringing along 15 Rice alumni to kick-start EQT’s “moribund performance” (our interpretation of what Toby said).
Read More “Proxy War: Rice Brothers Say Top EQT Mgmt, Board Must Go”
Landowners in Ohio who didn’t like being force pooled with their neighbors have, since 2015, tried to get the courts to declare that forced pooling is illegal. They’ve struck out in every court where they’ve tried that argument, including (now) the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Read More “6th Circuit Court Upholds Ohio’s Forced Pooling Law”
More eco-terrorism to report, unfortunately. Someone (not yet arrested, but they’ll be hunted from now until eternity) set fire to construction equipment being used to build the 300-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP). The construction site is located in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. A reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest.
Read More “Eco-Terrorism: Fire Set at MVP Site in Virginia, $500K Damage”
The New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC), thoroughly corrupted by, and a political tool of, NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo, continues to have a bad week. Monday we told you about a recent court decision that gives new hope for both the Constitution and Northern Access Pipeline projects (see Recent Fed Court Decision Gives NY Pipes Hope for Bypassing Cuomo). A second court decision has just been issued that allows Northern Access to take a huge step forward.
Read More “Federal Court Slaps Down NY DEC Rejection of Northern Access Pipe”
Southwestern Energy released its 2019 predictions (guidance) yesterday. In line with other 2019 guidance numbers issued from other Marcellus/Utica drillers, Southwestern says they will spend less money and drill fewer new wells.
Read More “Southwestern 2019: Spend $70M Less, Produce 83 Bcfe More”