Industrywide Issues

Natural Gas Power Plants the Big Winner Under Trump Presidency

There’s no shortage of articles about the incoming Trump administration and what it will mean for the energy space. We’re trying not to bury you with such speculation. However, when we notice items that pique our curiosity and interest, things that make us sit up and take notice, we will bring you those items. This…

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M-U Rigs Steady @ 35; National Rig Count Drops One Rig @ 583

The rig count in the Marcellus/Utica appears to have stabilized, and that’s a good thing. For a while, it was in freefall, at least in Pennsylvania. In October, Pennsylvania’s rig count dropped to just 12 rigs, the lowest that state has operated in the last 17 years (see PA Drops Another Rig to 17-Year Low;…

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Reuters Was Right – Blackstone Paying EQT $3.5B for Pipeline Stake

Just about one month ago, Reuters reported that sources “familiar with the matter” whispered to its reporters that private equity firm Blackstone is “in advanced talks” to acquire minority stakes in the interstate natural gas pipelines now owned by EQT Corp. (following its purchase of Equitrans Midstream) for a whopping $3.5 billion (see Blackstone Seeks…

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Closed Fairmont, WV Wastewater Plant Not Cleaned Up 1.5 Years Later

On May 30, 2023, a fire and subsequent explosion damaged an above-ground storage tank and the upper process building at the already-closed Fairmont Brine Processing plant in Fairmont, WV (see Unrelated Explosions at OH Utica Well Pad, WV Brine Plant). Following the fire, elevated readings of TENORM radiation were found in several areas of the…

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SRBC Approved 1 New, 41 Renewed Water Requests for Shale Wells

The highly functional and responsible Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), unlike its completely dysfunctional and irresponsible cousin, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), continues to support the shale energy industry by approving water withdrawals for responsible and safe shale drilling. The Pennsylvania Bulletin from this past Saturday (Nov. 23) carried an official notice from the…

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Bankruptcy Judge Tosses Freeport LNG Lawsuit Against 3 Contractors

We’ve been tracking the up down up down up down situation at Freeport LNG (where some Marcellus/Utica molecules flow) since it came online in 2019. Freeport was mostly offline for the first half of this year following an episode of cold temps in January (see Freeport LNG Repairs Won’t be Done Until May – 2…

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Venture Global LNG May Be on Hook for $5.9B to Jilted Customers

In August, we told you that most of Venture Global’s contracted customers for LNG from the company’s Calcasieu Pass LNG export facility in southwestern Louisiana’s Cameron Parish had filed for arbitration over Venture Global’s refusal to sell them cargoes under contract (see Shell, Edison, BP File for Arbitration Against Venture Global LNG). Instead, Venture Global…

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Circuit Court Judge Rules Virginia Can’t Leave RGGI Carbon Tax

In 2021, as he was running for Governor in Virginia, Glenn Youngkin pledged that if he won, he would remove the state from the onerous carbon tax on coal- and gas-fired power plants called the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Youngkin kept his promise, although it took longer than he had hoped. Unfortunately, the left-leaning…

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Mountain Valley Pipe Dinged Small Fine by Va. for Erosion Violation

Antis did their best, but their best wasn’t good enough. Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) victoriously began to flow up to 2 Bcf/d of Marcellus/Utica molecules in June (see Confirmed: M-U Gas Now Flowing Through Mountain Valley Pipeline). Construction of the project, which crosses steep mountains, has not been without its challenges, chief among them erosion…

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NY Whistling Past the Graveyard by Blocking New Gas-Fired Plants

Living in New York State, as MDN editor Jim Willis does, is like watching a slow-motion train wreck. You can see it coming; you warn those nearby to get off the tracks and leave the area, but no one is listening. We’re talking about the coming brownouts and blackouts across the state (especially in New…

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Look for Increase in U.S. LNG Exports to Europe in Coming Weeks

Reuters predicts a sharp increase in U.S. LNG exports to European destinations “in the coming weeks.” Why? Because “the price spread between domestic natural gas and Europe’s main gas pricing hub hit one-year highs.” What the heck does that mean? We will explain it below. To view this content, log into your member account. (Not…

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IPAA’s Plan to Make American Energy Great Again

We’ve brought you Harold Hamm’s top energy priorities for the incoming Trump administration (see Harold Hamm’s Oil & Gas Priorities for Trump’s Second Term) and the top five priorities from Jeff Eshelman, the president and CEO of the Independent Petroleum Association of America (see Top 5 Energy Issues for Trump-Vance to Tackle Starting Jan. 20)….

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DT Midstream Buys 2 Interstate Pipelines with M-U Connections

DT Midstream (DTM), headquartered in Detroit, owns major assets in the Marcellus/Utica region and in other regions, such as Haynesville. Yesterday, DTM announced it had cut a deal to buy three FERC-regulated interstate pipelines from Oklahoma-based ONEOK, Inc. for $1.2 billion. Two of the three pipelines flow Marcellus/Utica molecules to Midwestern markets. To view this…

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UGI Sells Marcellus Gas-Fired Power Plant in NE Pa. to Castleton

UGI Corporation, a diversified energy company with midstream (pipeline) operations in the Marcellus and one of Pennsylvania’s largest utility companies, is selling its 169-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant near Wilkes-Barre, PA, to Castleton Commodities International for an undisclosed amount. The plant’s owner/seller is actually a wholly-owned subsidiary of UGI Corp. called UGI Energy Services. To…

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NW Pa. Injection Well Leak Went Undiscovered for 109 Days

MDN is going to eat some crow with this story. In 2016, we called attention to efforts by neighbors (and anti-fossil fuelers) in Warren County, PA, in testing water sources near a wastewater injection well that had been operating since 2013 (see Concerned Citizens Test Water Near NWPA Injection Well, No Leaks). There had been…

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