PA DEP Issues Interim “Final” Shale-Drilling-is-Racist Regulation

On August 17, the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) posted an Interim Final Environmental Justice Policy to guide DEP’s permit application reviews and outreach efforts in environmental justice areas throughout the Commonwealth. New Environmental Justice (or EJ) policies are a euphemism for regulations that prohibit drilling and pipelines built in neighborhoods of color or…

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EID, MSC Destroy Pitt Fake Study Tying Fracking to Cancer in Kids

Earlier this week, Pittsburgh University (Pitt) researchers released three studies commissioned by the State Dept. of Health supposedly investigating whether or not there is a connection between shale drilling and childhood diseases, including cancer (see Pitt Releases Fake Research, Claims PA Fracking Linked to Kid Cancer). Our position from the beginning, when Pitt received $2.5…

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10 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Aug 7 – 13

New shale permits issued for Aug 7 – 13 in the Marcellus/Utica crashed for a second week in a row. There were 10 new permits issued last week, down 14 issued the previous week (half of the 29 issued three weeks ago). Last week’s permit tally included 10 new permits in Pennsylvania, no new permits…

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Natural Gas – 100 Years Ago Today, August 18, 1923

Natural Gas – 100 Years Ago Today, August 18, 1923 Tom Shepstone Shepstone Management Company, Inc. …. ….  Natural gas news from a hundred years ago offers great perspective for discussing one of the cleanest sources of energy available then and still today. It’s fun and illuminating to look back 100 years ago at what

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PA Gov. Shapiro’s Anti-Marcellus Views Reflected in New DEP Regs

In 2018, Pennsylvania’s then-Attorney General, Josh Shapiro, assembled a grand jury to “investigate” Marcellus drillers. He lied to them for over two years and eventually got them to indict a number of Marcellus companies on trumped-up charges. The so-called grand jury issued a report (which was actually authored by Shapiro and his minions) in June…

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Plum, PA House Explosion Investigation Expands to Local O&G Wells

Last Saturday, a house exploded in Plum, PA, causing two neighboring houses to burn to the ground. Plum is located in Allegheny County near Pittsburgh. Five people died in the blast and fires. However, a sixth person died yesterday from his injuries. We grieve with the families and friends of those who died or were…

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Climate Change Is Natural: The Proof Is in the Hemlock!

Climate Change or Climate Scam: The Proof Is in the Hemlock Josh First President and CEO, Appalachian Land & Conservation Services Author: Josh First’s Blog … [Editor’s Note: Climate alarmism would have us believe climate change is unnatural, man-made and recent but the truth is in the hemlock showing climate change is very natural.] Climate

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Pa. Health Study Finds ‘No Associations’ Between Natural Gas Development and Childhood Cancers

A new study attempting to blame natural gas development for negative health outcomes largely shows the opposite: that no linkage exists between fracking, adverse birth outcomes, and nearly all of the cancers studied. The study, released by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, is the result of a four-year, multi-million-dollar taxpayer-funded venture commissioned to study

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Pitt Releases Fake Research, Claims PA Fracking Linked to Kid Cancer

We now have the perfect example of how the government corrupts science. In 2020, Pennsylvania’s then-Gov. Tom Wolf gave $2.5 million (via his Dept. of Health) to Pittsburgh University (Pitt) with instructions to research whether or not a single cause, shale drilling, is linked to a small cluster of rare childhood cancers in southwestern PA…

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Talen Energy’s Montour, PA Coal to Gas Power Conversion Nearly Done

In November of 2020, MDN told you about a deal Talen Energy cut with the odious Sierra Club, signing a pledge to convert several coal-fired power plants to use natural gas in both Maryland and Pennsylvania (see Talen Energy Dumping Coal, Converting Elec Plants to Gas in PA, MD). The Clubbers promised to stop suing…

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Ugly…U.S. Rig Count Drops Another 5 Rigs, M-U Drops 2 More Rigs

It’s gettin’ ugly out there. For the fifth week in a row and the 14th in the last 15 weeks, the U.S. active rig count lost rigs. Last week the number decreased by ANOTHER five rigs, after falling five rigs the week before, and five the week before that–now down to 654 active rigs across…

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KeyState NatGas/CCUS Project in Clinton, PA Now $2B, Extra 2 Yrs

The KeyState Natural Gas Synthesis project in Clinton County, PA, is developing the first carbon capture project in Pennsylvania, which will locally produce hydrogen, ammonia, and urea (see Innovative Clinton County, PA Petchem Plant Gets More Investors). The project includes a closed natural gas extraction and manufacturing system that produces zero emissions and emission-reduced products….

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18 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jul 31 – Aug 6

New shale permits issued for Jul 31 – Aug 6 in the Marcellus/Utica were down a lot from the previous week. There were 14 new permits issued last week, down more than half from the 29 issued the previous week. Last week’s permit tally included just 4 new permits in Pennsylvania (very low), 14 new…

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Natural Gas – 100 Years Ago Today, August 11, 1923

Natural Gas – 100 Years Ago Today, August 11, 1923 Tom Shepstone Shepstone Management Company, Inc. …. ….  Natural gas news from a hundred years ago offers great perspective for discussing one of the cleanest sources of energy available then and still today. It’s fun and illuminating to look back 100 years ago at what

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PA Dept. of Health to Release $2.5M Study on Shale & Kid Cancer

In December 2020, then-Gov. Tom Wolf announced a $2.5 million contract had been awarded to the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) Graduate School of Public Health to “conduct research on the potential health effects of hydraulic fracturing in Pennsylvania” (see Pitt Researchers Get $2.5M for Fake Study to Link Shale & Kid Cancer). As we have…

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