On February 28, Ohio US Senator Sherrod Brown and Oregon US Senator Jeff Merkley introduced the Protecting American Households from Rising Energy Costs Act, legislation that would ban the export of crude oil or liquefied natural gas (LNG) to our biggest adversaries: China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.  Read more here.

In November, Pittsburgh-based EQT Corporation, the largest producer of natural gas in the US, relaunched its "Unleash” LNG Exports initiative that argued the US "has a duty to provide” natural gas to countries like China because they don't have natural gas of their own. Read more here.

In reaction, the shale gas industry newsletter Marcellus Drilling News published this on March 6, 2024--

“This is a complicated issue for MDN [Marcellus Drilling News].

“Since the late 1980s when MDN editor Jim Willis worked on Capitol Hill for a time (for Congresswoman Helen Bentley), Jim has considered himself a “fair trade” proponent and not an unfettered “free trader.”

“Which is a position that hews more to the Democrat side than the Republican, we are well aware. We won’t launch into an extended discussion of free trade here.

“What we will say is what we’ve said dozens (maybe hundreds) of times before — that China is our enemy. They are our biggest enemy on the planet.

“Anything we do to enable China to be more powerful is pure stupidity.

“More of the products Americans buy come from China than those manufactured here at home — it’s insanity.

“China will one day use its economic power to crush us.

“So maybe you won’t be surprised to read that this one time (perhaps the first!), we think Brown and Merkley’s bill is not such a bad idea.

“As far as we know, we’ve never agreed with either of them on anything.

“But selling oil and natural gas to China? Or Russia? Or North Korea? Or Iran?

“It simply should not happen, period.

“Sorry to our drilling friends who will disagree with us (those who sell LNG to China).

“For us, this is a matter of putting our country above profits.”

Click Here to read the article.

PA Weekly Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - March 2 to 8 - 119 Conventional Well Abandonment Violations; Pipeline Land Slips; Ignored Orders  [PaEN] 

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - March 9 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 69 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In March 9 PA Bulletin  [PaEN] 

Related Articles This Week - Gas:

-- DEP Oil & Gas Advisory Board Meets March 19 On Drinking Water Supply Impacts From Drilling; New Financial Assurance Strategies To Prevent Abandonment; Draft Spill Policy; Injection Well Primacy; Much More  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Imposed $422,365 In Penalties On 14 Conventional Oil & Gas Well Operators In 2023 For Abandoning Wells, Spills, Venting Gas; 93 Operators Cited For Abandoning 271 Wells  [PaEN] 

-- DEP Declares 101 Medina Res Dev Co. LLC Conventional Oil & Gas Wells Abandoned, Not Plugged In Crawford, Erie Counties On March 5  [PaEN]

-- New Reporting On The Uncontrolled Impacts Of Shale Gas Industry: The ‘Poisons Are Still Going Through My System;’ Roar, Fire From Gas Flares; Nothing Has Changed In 15 Years  [PaEN]

-- US Senators Introduce Bill To Ban US LNG Gas Sales To Any Entity Under The Control Of Communist China To Protect US Jobs; Americans From Price Spikes; EQT Says We Have A ‘Duty’ To Provide LNG Gas To China; Where Do AMERICAN Interests Lie?  [PaEN]

-- Marcellus Drilling News: ‘Selling Oil And Natural Gas To China?’ ‘It Simply Should Not Happen, Period’  [PaEN]

-- Stars and Stripes Guest Essay: Pause On Permits For New LNG Gas Export Facilities Right Move For National Security - Rivals Like China Are Using US LNG To Build Influence - By Steve Anderson, US Army Brigadier General - Retired  [PaEN]

-- EPA Region III Issues Formal Notice With Instructions On Appealing Penneco Oil & Gas Wastewater Injection Well In Allegheny County  [PaEN]

-- DEP Reports Progress On Permitting Reform; Reduces Permit Backlog By 41%  [PaEN]

NewsClips This Week - Gas:

-- WTAE: Concerns Over Flaring, Fracking In Cecil Twp., Washington County

-- The Energy Age Blog: What Flaring At A Shale Gas Well Pad Looks Like From Your Bedroom Window, Same As It Did 15 Years Ago  [Welcome To Washington County]

-- WTAE: Concerns Mounting Over Gas Leaks In Cecil Twp. Columbia Gas System In Washington County

-- Reading Eagle: Kutztown Post Office Evacuated After Gas Leak

-- Warren Times: Company Confirms Malfunction At United Refinery Releases ‘Silica Material’ Coating Homes, Vehicles

-- Erie News Now: United Refining Release Of Silica Dust Causes Concern In Warren [Video]

-- The Allegheny Front/PublicSource: Pittsburgh-Based EQT Gas Drilling Expansion In WV Sent 4 Families Reeling, While State Regulators Trusted The Company To Answer Their Complaints

-- Reuters: Pittsburgh-based EQT To Reduce Gas Production Through March On Low Prices

-- Bloomberg: Natural Gas Prices Jump As EQT Slashes Output To Fight Glut

-- LancasterOnline: Why UGI Gas Rates Going Down - Glut Of Gas, Mild Winter Lowering International Gas Prices

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Hearing Begin On Proposed Peoples Natural Gas Rate Increase Of Up To 21.4%

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: A Rescue Plan For American Energy And The Environment- Unleash Gas Production, Expand LNG Exports - By Dave McCormick, Republican US Senate Candidate  [No Support For Limiting LNG Exports To China ]

-- Williamsport Sun Guest Essay: Pennsylvania Needs To ‘Get Smarter’ About Natural Gas Production - PA Making Times Tougher On Natural Gas, Coal Industries - By Rep. Joe Hamm (R)    

-- Williamsport Sun Guest Essay: State Legislators Need To Become Better Informed About All Energy Issues - By Ralph Kisberg, Responsible Drilling Alliance

[Posted: March 6, 2024]

3/11/2024