Other Energy Stories of Interest: Thu, Mar 8, 2018
The “best of the rest”–stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading: DRBC concludes shame hearings on frack ban with comedy routine; free program offers fast-track to join natgas industry; mobile oilfield learning unit comes to NEPA; goodbye radicalized Trout Unlimited; industry eagerly waits for WV gov to sign co-tenancy bill into law; North American shale growth faces setbacks; US shale revolution helps other countries with energy security; Saudis give shale a try; Chevron joins Shell in predicting LNG shortage by 2025; and more!
Read More “Other Energy Stories of Interest: Thu, Mar 8, 2018”
Last Friday a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia granted Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) the right to enter and construct the pipeline on properties of landowners who have refused to negotiate a right-of-way across their land. There are nearly 300 landowners who have refused to deal with MVP–and their time is now up. Instead of getting a higher price for leasing their property, MVP will first build and later let a court determine how much money the landowners will receive. The courts almost always determine amounts lower than could have otherwise been negotiated between the landowner and the pipeline company. Oh well. Some folks have to learn the hard way…
Sometimes radicals who have “jumped the shark” and descended into complete lunacy go up a tree–literally. We’ve spotted this mental condition before (see 
The Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) needs fixing. That fact is acknowledged by everyone. The question (or rather disagreement) is in how to fix it. The DEP can’t seem to get its act together with respect to approving simple erosion permits. Turnaround from the time a permit is requested until it is supposed to be approved is, by DEP’s own statutory standards, 14 days. Last year it was taking over 250 days in some areas of the state (see 
Ohioans are wising up to the misleading information being pedaled by radical anti-fossil fuelers. MDN warned you last month that “Keep It In the Ground” activists have launched a new, deceptive campaign in their holy mission to end the use of fossil fuels–fake landowner coalitions (see 
Pin Oak Energy Partners is an interesting company. As we reported in early February, the company recently closed on several deals to acquire 70,000 Utica acres in both Ohio and Pennsylvania, adding to its portfolio (see 
Pennsylvania ended 2017 with a bang–at least with respect to natural gas production. Yesterday, the PA Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) released their latest quarterly Natural Gas Production Report for Oct-Dec 2017 (full copy below). It shows natgas production rose 9.8% compared to the same period last year. It also shows the number of producing wells is up 9.2% from last year. Total natural gas production volume was 1,401.8 billion cubic feet (Bcf) and the number of producing wells in 4Q17 was 8,268…
As MDN reported last Friday, the very first cargo of LNG (liquefied natural gas) left the Cove Point LNG export facility in Lusby, Maryland (see 
A brand new midstream (i.e. pipeline) company called Mettle Midstream Partners has just launched. Two private investment firms, Pearl Energy Investments and Natural Gas Partners, are investing a cumulative $100 million in the new venture. Quite a vote of confidence! Mettle is based in Dallas, TX, but is looking to buy or build “first-class midstream assets in resilient unconventional plays across the U.S.” Will one of those areas be the Marcellus/Utica? Consider this: The company’s president and chief commercial officer has worked in a number of shale plays, including the Marcellus/Utica. While the company doesn’t specifically say they are targeting our region, we think it’s a pretty safe bet they are…
In the ongoing effort by Democrats and their sycophantic, servile media partners to oust Donald Trump from the White House by using a concocted, false story of “Russian collusion” in the elections–the REAL Russian collusion story is missed. That story is how Russia, using social media platforms and funding American anti-fossil fuel groups, has tried its best to interfere with and change American energy policy. Specifically, the Russians have targeted shale natural gas production–hoping to curtail or even stop our prolific production of natgas from shale plays like the Marcellus/Utica. The REAL story of Russian collusion and tampering in our politics can be found in a report recently released by the United States Congress, a report ignored by the so-called press…