ShaleDirectories, LLC.: Natural Gas NOW Picks of the Week

Tom Shepstone
Shepstone Management Company, Inc.

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Natural Gas NOW readers pass along a lot of stuff every week about natural gas, fractivist antics, emissions, renewables, and other news relating to energy. As usual, emphasis is added.

Fracking Saves Railroad!

Fracking is saving an invaluable railroad in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania:

Fracking for Marcellus Shale natural gas deep underground keeps pushing a local railroad to new heights. After setting a new record for freight traffic last year, the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority might just do it again for 2018.

Through Nov. 21, the Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad, which operates the authority’s tracks, hauled 8,301 carloads of freight this year, just shy of the 8,572-carload in 2017, said Larry Malski, the authority’s longtime executive director.

‘We’re going to blast through that next month,” Malski said. ‘We’ve had a little boom with the Marcellus gas stuff.”

He attributed most of the surge to increases in demand for fracking sand by the Linde Corp., which supplies the sand to drillers out of a railroad yard in Carbondale and also builds gas pipelines.

Nice to see my long-time friends Larry Malski and Linde Corp.doing so well with this. There’s no fracking to speak of in Lackawanna County but look at the benefits!

New Jersey Needs Our Natural Gas! Who Knew?

Some great news from FERC, approving a pipeline infrastructure upgrade in New Jersey:

Williams today reported that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has issued a certificate of public convenience and necessity authorizing the Gateway Expansion Project – an expansion of the existing Transco natural gas pipeline designed to create 65,000 dekatherms per day of firm transportation capacity for northeastern markets.

The Gateway project helps meet growing natural gas demand by consumers in New Jersey and New York in time for the 2020/2021 winter heating season, providing additional natural gas service to PSEG Power, LLC (PSEG) and UGI Energy Services, LLC…

The project has been designed to minimize community and environmental impacts by maximizing the utilization of existing pipeline infrastructure. Virtually all of the project activities are within Transco’s existing rights of way and/or property boundaries. It includes adding electric horsepower at an existing Transco compressor station in Essex County, N.J., in addition to making modifications to two existing Transco meter stations in Passaic County and Essex County, N.J.

Following the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, Williams anticipates beginning construction on the Gateway Expansion Project in the spring of 2019, with a target in-service date of Nov. 1, 2020.

PSEG supplies its affiliate Public Service Electric & Gas Company, which is New Jersey’s largest provider of electric and gas service – serving 2.2 million electric customers and 1.8 million gas customers. UGI Energy Services supplies and markets natural gas and electricity to 40,000 customers across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern U.S.

For all the New Jersey official hyperbole directed against fracking and pipelines, the state needs our natural gas and that’s why FERC approved this project but not without additional blather from one of the FERC Commissioners about impact on global warming; as if natural gas wasn’t lowering CO2 emissions by providing an alternative to coal. Read MDN‘s take here.

Football Is More Than A Game If You Look Closely

The following is a guest post by the Ohio Oil & Gas Energy Education Program (OOGEEP) Executive Director, Rhonda Reda. It appeared on Well Said Cabot:

When most people think of modern-day, football, they think about cleats, helmets, shoulder pads, stadium lights, and what each season is sure to hold: tailgating, fantasy football, rivalries, tradition, and the talented players and coaches that make up America’s favorite spectator sport.

What is often overlooked is how the products that have helped make the game safer and more viewer-friendly are due to the numerous products made from oil and natural gas byproducts. From your local high school games to professional football, these products are found everywhere.

Identifying players on the field is made easier thanks to jerseys made from nylon, polyester and spandex. Checking to see if that last run is a first down is possible thanks to the plastic markers used by the referees. The shoulder pads and helmets worn by players are all manufactured from petrochemicals designed to help keep players safe.

Even the playing field benefits from products made from oil and natural gas. Keeping a green, consistent field for games is an important aspect of the sport. Fields with natural grass are closely monitored and upkeep often includes the use of fertilizers to grow a lush field. And fields with artificial grass, often referred to as AstroTurf, are made using nylon, polypropylene, or polyethylene. Artificial grass has the added advantage of an underlying layer of rubber which helps lessen the impact when a player hits the ground.

Even the Friday night lights associated with the tradition of watching your hometown football team each fall take on a rival community were brought to you thanks to natural gas. Natural gas provides over 30% of electric generating power in America which brings lights to the stadium and makes sure you can watch your favorite college team from the comfort of your own home.

Oil and natural gas are a big hit at tailgates, too. From powering your grill to cook hot dogs and hamburgers to the coolers keeping your drinks cold to the tents used to help keep your party protected, these products are there to help you have a wonderful time cheering on your favorite team.