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Federal Court Tosses Challenge to WV’s 2022 Forced Pooling Law

Hopefully, we’re now at the conclusion of an effort to overturn a bill passed in early 2022 by the West Virginia legislature, Senate Bill (SB) 694, which finally brought forced pooling for shale wells to the Mountain State after eight years of trying (see WV House Passes Forced Pooling Bill, Done Deal When Gov Signs). A lawsuit brought by two West Virginia landowners seeking to overturn the state’s forced pooling (i.e., unitization) law was put on pause by a federal judge in December 2022 (see WV Landowner Lawsuit to Block Forced Pooling Law Dealt Another Blow). The federal judge said the lawsuit belongs in state court and that he did not have jurisdiction over the case. West Virginia officials disagreed and appealed the ruling to the next rung up the federal court ladder (see WV Appeals Lawsuit re Forced Pooling Law to Higher Fed Court).
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Martins Ferry Mayor Gives Update on Closed Frack Wastewater Facility

Yesterday, MDN reported that Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost took legal action on Monday, seeking to force Austin Master Services (AMS) in Martins Ferry (Belmont County), OH, to correct “egregious violations of Ohio law” regarding the storage of oil and gas waste that he says threatens the Ohio River and Martins Ferry’s drinking water supply (see Ohio AG Sues Austin Master Services for Unsafe Storage of Wastewater). Last night, Martins Ferry Mayor John Davies addressed the ongoing situation of the now-shuttered AMS facility at the biweekly City Council meeting. We learned some interesting things in reading his comments.
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BLM Floats Draft Assessment for Drilling in OH’s Wayne Nat’l Forest

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the seemingly moribund effort to drill shale wells on land located in Ohio’s Wayne National Forest (WNF) is active once again. WNF is a patchwork of public and private mineral rights that covers over a quarter million acres of Appalachian foothills of southeastern Ohio. For years, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) blocked new permits and drilling in WNF. During the Trump administration, the BLM began to auction off federal leases and permits (see our stories about BLM auction in WNF here). However, a federal judge blocked drilling in WNF in 2021 after Biden seized control of the White House (see Federal Judge Blocks Permits to Drill in OH’s Wayne Natl Forest).
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U.S. NatGas Production Grew by 4% in 2023; M-U Grew 3% – 1.2 Bcf/d

According to the data geeks at the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), U.S. natural gas production grew by 4% in 2023, which was similar to the growth in 2022. U.S. gas production in 2023 averaged a whopping 125.0 Bcf/d (billion cubic feet per day). In 2023, more natural gas was produced in the Appalachia (Marcellus/Utica) region of the Northeast than in any other U.S. region, accounting for 29%, or 37.7 Bcf/d, of gross natural gas production. However, production growth in Appalachia slowed because our region doesn’t have enough pipeline takeaway capacity to transport more natural gas out of the region to the markets that would buy it.
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The Many Lawsuits Challenging Woke SEC’s Climate Disclosure Reg

Earlier this month, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), corrupted by the Bidenistas, voted 3-2 (three Democrats vs. two Republicans) to issue a final regulation that will force all publicly traded companies to disclose their so-called greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the imaginary climate risks their businesses face (see Woke SEC Adopts Modified Version of Climate Disclosure Reg). The end result of the Biden SEC’s new regulations will be to “kneecap” oil and gas companies (see SEC Reg Requiring Disclosure of Climate Change Risk “Kneecaps” O&G). And that’s the purpose. The Bidenistas and the left are looking to close down fossil fuel companies by using regulatory agencies like the SEC. Not so fast. A plethora (too many to count) of companies, organizations, and states are suing the SEC in an attempt to overturn the new reg.
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Mississippi Issues BlackRock Cease & Desist Order re ESG Investing

BlackRock, the largest investment firm in the world with over $9 trillion in assets under management, continues to reap the bitter fruit of its woke ESG investment strategies. Last week, we told you that Texas has pulled some $8.5 billion away from BlackRock over its ESG ways (see Texas Yanks $8.5 BILLION Out of BlackRock re ESG). Yesterday, the State of Mississippi sent BlackRock a “cease and desist” order accusing the company of fraud in its representations to Mississippi investors. Larry Fink (CEO of BlackRock) is up to his rear-end in alligators.
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Research Survey Shows NJ Residents Strongly Prefer Natural Gas

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, an extreme radical, is attempting to force the residents of his state to give up natural gas and convert to using electricity for everything (see NJ Gov Murphy Seeks to Ban NatGas for Heat, Appliances Statewide). Murphy may want to check in with those he supposedly governs. A recently conducted public opinion survey finds that an overwhelming majority of New Jersey residents prefer natural gas to heat their homes and power their appliances. A research poll from Affordable Energy for New Jersey conducted earlier this month of nearly 1,200 registered New Jersey voters revealed that 76% view natural gas as a favorable energy source. Of those surveyed, 67% also favor natural gas over electricity.
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Other Stories of Interest: Thu, Mar 28, 2024

MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Capito writes EPA boss about concerns on proposed natgas tax; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Climate protesters block Amazon’s Seattle HQ to oppose fossil fuel plans; Berkeley will repeal its landmark ban on natural gas in new homes; What’s causing negative gas prices in the Permian and how long will they last?; NATIONAL: Macquarie sees USA oil production exiting 2024 at 14M bpd; ESG by any other name would smell just as bad; INTERNATIONAL: Oil falls as U.S. inventories increase.
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FERC Approves East Tenn. NatGas System Alignment in NC, TN, VA

Last week, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved an Enbridge project to update its East Tennessee Natural Gas (ETNG) pipeline system. The project is referred to as the ETNG System Alignment Program Project, a project that heretofore was not on our radar screen. ETNG plans to add two electric compressor stations and pipeline capacity in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. In what has become a typical pattern, FERC Chairman Willie Phillips (Democrat) and Commissioner Mark Christie (Republican) voted to approve the project. Radicalized Commissioner Allison Clements (Democrat, former NRDC attorney) voted against approving the project.
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FERC Approves Ala. Georgia Connector to Upgrade 5 Compressors

Last year, Williams filed a formal application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to upgrade Transco pipeline’s capacity in Alabama and Georgia (see Transco Seeks FERC OK to Expand Capacity in Alabama and Georgia). The Alabama Georgia Connector Project involves upgrades to five compressor stations that will increase capacity in the region by an extra 63.8 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d). Georgia is in desperate need of more natgas, and this project will help provide it. Last week, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the Alabama Georgia Connector Project.
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Ohio AG Sues Austin Master Services for Unsafe Storage of Wastewater

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost took legal action Monday, seeking to force Austin Master Services in Martins Ferry (Belmont County), OH, to correct “egregious violations of Ohio law” regarding storage of oil and gas waste that he says threatens the Ohio River (500 feet away) and Martins Ferry’s drinking water supply (1,000 feet away). Austin Master Services serves the Marcellus/Utica industry (and other industries) with radiological waste management solutions, including remediation, decontamination & decommissioning (D&D), and transportation. The company was bought by and is now a subsidiary of PA-based American Environmental Partners, Inc. (see American Energy Buys Radioactive Waste Co. Austin Master Services).
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PA Investing $967K on New Gas Pipes in Heart of NEPA Marcellus

Pennsylvania’s Pipeline Investment Program (PIPE) grants cover part of the cost of building new natural gas pipelines to connect homes and businesses, typically in rural parts of the state, to homegrown Marcellus Shale gas supplies. We’ve written about many of the dozens of PIPE grant projects awarded over the years (see our PIPE stories here). Yesterday the State Dept. of Community and Economic Development (DCED) announced another $1 million PIPE investment, most of it going to a project in Susquehanna County in northeastern PA.
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PA Gov. Shapiro Seeks to Require 35% Unreliable Renewables by 2035

In 2004, Pennsylvania implemented one of the most aggressive mandates to adopt wind and solar energy. At the time, less than 1% of net energy generation came from wind and solar in the Keystone State. In 2023, after the state had spent nearly $1.5 billion in subsidies, wind and solar generated less than 2%. And yet current Gov. Josh Shapiro (liberal Democrat) wants to double down by requiring 35% of electricity to come from politically favored sources, such as wind and solar, by 2035. The one energy source that has PROVEN to reduce carbon dioxide emissions? That would be natural gas, which is not on the politically favored sources list.
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Response to Eco-Radicals Trying to Block SC NatGas Power Plants

South Carolina House Bill H.5118, sponsored by S.C. House Speaker Murrell Smith, addresses the pressing need for more power generation in the Palmetto State in the wake of explosive population growth. H.5118 would establish specific timelines for the S.C. Public Service Commission (SCPSC) and other permitting agencies to rule on applications for all future projects, including gas-fired power plants. The legislation would also establish a streamlined process by which all future appeals go straight to the S.C. Supreme Court (which happens about 99% of the time). Yet radicalized leftist groups like Conservation Voters of South Carolina (CVSC) are having a heart attack, trying to defeat this commonsense bill.
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Freeport LNG Maintenance Work Continues – Gas Flows to One Train

As we told you last week, the problem-plagued Freeport LNG export plant continues to be mostly offline following an episode of cold temps in January (see Freeport LNG Repairs Won’t be Done Until May – 2 Trains Offline). Freeport announced that two of the three trains at its facility would remain out of service for testing and repairs through May. The plant has not operated at full capacity since late January following a deep freeze in Texas that caused problems in Train 3. We have a better fix on just how much natural gas is (and is not) currently flowing to the Freeport facility.
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Other Stories of Interest: Wed, Mar 27, 2024

NATIONAL: Summer pump prices set to hit $4 a gallon just as Americans hit the road; Blockchain demands attention in oil and gas; Robert F. Kennedy Jr. picks Nicole Shanahan as his running mate; U.S. policymakers must adjust to energy transition wake-up call; INTERNATIONAL: Oil dips as continued OPEC cutbacks are likely; Gas-rich Australia’s looming need for LNG imports draws fire.
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