Will New Biden EPA Methane Rule Kill Responsible Gas Certifications?

EPA Administrator Michael Regan used a considerable amount of fossil energy and emitted billows of carbon dioxide to jet over to Dubai to participate in the COP28 confab where he released a final rule that was “two years in the making” to force the U.S. oil and gas industry to cut methane emissions by using…

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Ohio Oil & Gas Commission to Decide Fate of 3 K&H Injection Wells

The Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) “temporarily” suspended the operations of four fracking waste injection wells in Athens County in September (see ODNR Temporarily Shuts Down 4 Injection Wells in Athens County). ODNR said the wells presented an “imminent danger” to health and the environment. The Ohio Oil and Gas Commission heard two days…

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PA Has 2 Years to Update Methane Regs Following Biden EPA Edict

EPA Administrator Michael Regan used a considerable amount of fossil energy and emitted billows of carbon dioxide to jet over to Dubai to participate in the COP28 confab. At that event, Regan released his agency’s latest attempt to illegally regulate the oil and gas industry (see Bidenistas Unleash Hellscape of U.S. Methane Regs at COP28)….

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Freeport Fined $163K by EPA for June 2022 LNG Plant Explosion

Freeport LNG’s export terminal with three liquefaction “trains” shut down in June 2022 after an explosion and fire (see Explosion Rocks Freeport LNG Export Plant – Offline for 3 Weeks). What was initially thought to be a three-week outage lasted for ten months. The plant finally returned online in March of this year (see Freeport…

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PA Senate Republicans Advance Energy Info Office Bill, EHB Nominee

Yesterday, the Republicans who sit on the Pennsylvania Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee got work done while the Democrats tried to block work. The committee advanced legislation to establish an Independent Energy Information Office by a party-line vote, with Republicans supporting. There was also a party-line vote advancing Paul Bruder, an environmental attorney nominated…

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INGAA Files Lawsuit Challenging PHMSA’s New Pipeline Safety Regs

In May, the PHMSA issued a proposed new rule that would slap onerous and very expensive new requirements on pretty much all natural gas pipelines in the country, including 2.7 million miles of gas transmission, distribution, and gathering pipelines; 400+ underground natural gas storage facilities; and 165 liquefied natural gas facilities (see Biden DOT Issues…

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PA DEP Spending $44M This Yr, $76M Next Yr to Plug Orphaned Wells

In May, MDN told you that since taking office in January, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has been a major dud — someone who doesn’t know how to lead (see Secretive PA Gov. Josh Shapiro a Major Dud Since Taking Office). He’s bereft of any idea of what to do and how to do it, especially…

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Massachusetts Commits Energy Hari-kari – Plans to Ban NatGas

After more than three years of “study,” the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) issued an order yesterday meant to signal gas utilities that they don’t have a long-term future in the state. With Order 20-80, the DPU aims to “guide the evolution of the natural gas distribution industry to clean energy” with an eye…

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Marcellus Shale Coalition Analyzes PA DEP Enviro Justice Policy

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 (see PA DEP Issues Interim “Final” Shale-Drilling-is-Racist Regulation). New Environmental Justice (or EJ) policies are a euphemism for regulations that prohibit drilling…

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DEP Allows EQT to Continue Work at Greene Well Frac-Out Site

In July 2022, MDN brought you news of a possible frac-out, or “inadvertent return” that happens when drilling mud pops out of places where it’s not supposed to — places outside the borehole being drilled (see Possible Frac-Out Reported at EQT Well Site in Greene County, PA). A landowner who lives near a well being…

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Big Green Files Appeal of PA Court Rejecting RGGI Carbon Tax

Last week, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced that he will appeal a decision by the Commonwealth Court that blocks PA’s entrance into the obscene Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) carbon tax scheme (see PA Gov. Shapiro Proves He’s Radical Left – Appeals RGGI Decision). PA’s Commonwealth Court was not fooled by the Democrat left’s attempt…

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MVP Gets FERC Permission to Drill 24/7 Under Interstate 81 in Va.

More progress to report on finishing the 94% completed (now likely closer to 97% completed) Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) project. MVP needs to cross under Interstate 81 in Montgomery County, VA, and it’s no small challenge to drill under the highway because it’s solid rock. On Oct. 13, MVP (being built by Equitrans Midstream) filed…

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Big Green Tries to Pressure PA to Block NatGas in Hydrogen Hubs

We spotted an article appearing on the PBS-backed Allegheny Front website supposedly reporting a story about Pennsylvania lawmakers looking for “best practices” to adopt in regulating the soon-coming hydrogen hub projects the state will see. PA will see some investment in hydrogen from two different hydrogen hub projects led by neighboring states (West Virginia and…

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Dominion LNG Storage for Va. Power Plant Exempt from FERC Regs

On November 16, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) agreed to Dominion Energy subsidiary Virginia Electric and Power Company’s petition requesting that FERC declare Dominion’s planned LNG production, storage, and regasification facility in Greensville County, VA, would be exempt from FERC jurisdiction under section 7 of the Natural Gas Act (NGA). The project includes a…

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West Deer Approves Olympus Compressor Stn at Well Pad Site

Olympus Energy (formerly Huntley & Huntley) drills in the Greater Pittsburgh region, in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. Olympus owns a pipeline subsidiary called Hyperion Midstream that builds gathering lines to the company’s wells. Hyperion applied to build a compressor station on a recently approved Olympus well pad in rural West Deer Township (Allegheny County). The…

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