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Federal agency orders work to stop on Mountain Valley Pipeline
by Duane Nichols via EC 03 Aug '18

03 Aug '18

https://www.roanoke.com/news/local/ferc-orders-work-to-stop-on-mountain-val… In a letter to pipeline officials, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission cited an appeals court decision last week that reversed earlier-granted approvals for pipeline work in the Jefferson National Forest. With work on that 3.6-mile segment of the pipeline now on hold, FERC determined that construction of the rest of the 303-mile project should not proceed.

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FERC STOP WORK ORDER TO MVP ATT'D
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. via EC 03 Aug '18

03 Aug '18

FERC STOP WORK ORDER TO MVP ATT'D QUOTE: *MVP is hereby notified that construction activity along all portions of the Project and in all work areas must cease immediately, with the exception of any measures deemed necessary by those land managing agencies or FERC staff to ensure the stabilization of the right of way and work areas. * William V. DePaulo, Esq. 860 Court Street, North Suite 300 Lewisburg, WV 24901 Tel 304-342-5588 Fax 866-850-1501 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com

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FERC says NO to FirstEnergy Pleasants sale
by frank young via EC 13 Jan '18

13 Jan '18

From: West Virginians For Energy Freedom [mailto:info@energyfreedomwv.org] Sent: Saturday, January 13, 2018 9:51 AM To: fyoung(a)mountain.net Subject: MAJOR NEWS: FERC says NO to FirstEnergy Pleasants sale THANK YOU FOR STANDING UP FOR WEST VIRGINIANS AND FOR ENERGY FREEDOM! Email not displaying correctly? <http://go.communitypowernetwork.org/webmail/126391/203402632/cb86e7159e3395…> View it in your browser. West Virginians For Energy Freedom logo <http://go.communitypowernetwork.org/l/126391/2017-03-06/3tttbv/126391/32679…> FERC denies Pleasants Power Station transfer GREAT NEWS! The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission yesterday denied FirstEnergy Corp.'s request to transfer the Pleasants power plant to Mon Power and Potomac Edison, two of the Ohio company's West Virginia subsidiaries. The decision ends this attempt by FirstEnergy for another bailout from its West Virginia customers. "FERC rejected the Pleasants sale because of the risk that it would result in improper cross-subsidization among subsidiaries of FirstEnergy. This order is not surprising because FirstEnergy clearly orchestrated the sale of the Pleasants plant in order to shift costs and risk from a deregulated subsidiary onto the customers of Mon Power and Potomac Edison." — Cathy Kunkel, an energy analyst with the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis <http://go.communitypowernetwork.org/e/126391/2018-01-13/4sqfvh/203402632> We'll be sharing more analysis of the decision soon. Watch your inboxes, along with our Facebook <http://go.communitypowernetwork.org/e/126391/estVirginiansForEnergyFreedom-…> and Twitter <http://go.communitypowernetwork.org/e/126391/EnergyFreedomWV/4sqfvm/2034026…> feeds. <http://go.communitypowernetwork.org/e/126391/on-OpenNat-asp-fileID-14797085…> Download and read the FERC decision Read the article in today's Charleston Gazette-Mail <http://go.communitypowernetwork.org/e/126391/84-55e9-b6fd-755af0d0a951-html…> You wrote letters and op-eds, sent faxes and signed petitions, testified at hearings, passed municipal resolutions, and made this a major public issue. THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT AND HARD WORK <http://go.communitypowernetwork.org/e/126391/2018-01-13/4sqfvt/203402632> EnergyFreedomWV.org | 304-460-9833 (WVEF) | <mailto:info@energyfreedomwv.org> Info(a)EnergyFreedomWV.org <http://go.communitypowernetwork.org/unsubscribe/u/126391/cb86e7159e33950f25…> unsubscribe from all emails <http://go.communitypowernetwork.org/email-preference-center?ehash=cb86e7159…> update subscription preferences <http://go.communitypowernetwork.org/r/126391/1/203402632/open/1>

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BUCKLE THINE SEAT BELT: "$83.7 billion energy investment boosts state, WVU on world stage"
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. via EC 09 Nov '17

09 Nov '17

THE TWO GREAT RISKS: 1. IT'S NOT TRUE 2. IT *IS* TRUE. WVU-CHINA DEAL RE GAS HUB <https://wvutoday.wvu.edu/stories/2017/11/09/-83-7-billion-energy-investment…> William V. DePaulo, Esq. 122 N Court Street, Suite 300 Lewisburg, WV 24901 Tel 304-342-5588 Fax 866-850-1501 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com

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Fw: 2017 National Energy Conference - October 20
by James Kotcon via EC 20 Sep '17

20 Sep '17

FYI. JBK ________________________________ From: WVU Law Center for Energy & Sustainable Development <wvulaw(a)mail.wvu.edu> Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2017 3:00 PM To: James Kotcon Subject: 2017 National Energy Conference - October 20 [http://d31hzlhk6di2h5.cloudfront.net/20170920/af/0e/f8/a9/957d4c74790fe1936…] <https://t.e2ma.net/click/3cwt1/r7v8km/jxee7j> Please join us for our Sixth Annual National Energy Conference [http://d31hzlhk6di2h5.cloudfront.net/20170920/dd/5c/8f/39/82da2674682313b7a…] The Emerging Energy Economy for West Virginia October 20, 2017 | WVU College of Law Event Hall [2017 National Energy Conference at WVU College of Law] <https://t.e2ma.net/click/3cwt1/r7v8km/zpfe7j> The energy industry in the U.S. is undergoing a significant transformation. Utilities are responding to the changing economics of electricity production and to the demands of their largest customers for a low-cost energy supply. Consumers, the environmental community, and regulators are placing increasing expectations that a greater proportion of that supply come from renewable sources, and through more environmentally responsible and less carbon-intensive extraction and production processes. The Sixth Annual Energy Conference<https://t.e2ma.net/click/3cwt1/r7v8km/fige7j>, hosted by the West Virginia University College of Law<https://t.e2ma.net/click/3cwt1/r7v8km/vahe7j>, will focus on these trends in West Virginia, bringing together all parties in this discussion to examine the measures open to policymakers to better position West Virginia to take the lead in developing an environmentally responsible and viable energy future. This free, one-day conference features speakers from industry, academic institutions, public policy organizations, and environmental groups. The conference will feature four panel discussions on the following topics: * Taking advantages of opportunities for a low-carbon economy * Minimizing the environmental impact of energy production and distribution * The expanding role of renewables and energy efficiency * Policy initiatives to position West Virginia to benefit from the new energy economy At lunchtime, two case studies will be presented that examine the opportunities for new jobs in industrial energy efficiency in West Virginia, and the practices used by national parks that enable energy resources to be developed while preserving air, lands, water and climate. Participants in the conference include representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy, Natural Resources Defense Council, The Nature Conservancy, WV SUN, Appalachian Power, National Parks Conservation Association, American Jobs Initiative, Downstream Strategies, RAND Corporation, WV Rivers, Canaan Valley Institute, Energy Efficient WV, Center for Responsible Shale Development and Solar Holler. This year’s National Energy Conference is jointly presented by the Appalachian Stewardship Foundation<https://t.e2ma.net/click/3cwt1/r7v8km/b3he7j> and the College of Law’s Center for Energy & Sustainable Development<https://t.e2ma.net/click/3cwt1/r7v8km/rvie7j>. The conference is free, but registration<https://t.e2ma.net/click/3cwt1/r7v8km/7nje7j> is requested. Register<https://t.e2ma.net/click/3cwt1/r7v8km/ngke7j> National Energy Conference Agenda and Information<https://t.e2ma.net/click/3cwt1/r7v8km/38ke7j> WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LAW 101 Law School Drive | Morgantown, WV 26506-6130 law.wvu.edu <https://t.e2ma.net/click/3cwt1/r7v8km/j1le7j> | (304) 293-5301 | wvulaw(a)mail.wvu.edu<mailto:wvulaw@mail.wvu.edu?subject=> Share this email: [http://d1v4jtnvxv2013.cloudfront.net/media/images/themes/editor/img/socialn…]<https://t.e2ma.net/share/outbound/e/3cwt1/r7v8km> [http://d1v4jtnvxv2013.cloudfront.net/media/images/themes/editor/img/socialn…] <https://t.e2ma.net/share/outbound/t/3cwt1/r7v8km> [http://d1v4jtnvxv2013.cloudfront.net/media/images/themes/editor/img/socialn…] <https://t.e2ma.net/share/outbound/f/3cwt1/r7v8km> [http://d1v4jtnvxv2013.cloudfront.net/media/images/themes/editor/img/socialn…] <https://t.e2ma.net/share/outbound/l/3cwt1/r7v8km> Manage<https://app.e2ma.net/app2/audience/signup/1767092/1740165/744004997/> your preferences | Opt out<https://t.e2ma.net/optout/3cwt1/r7v8km?r=aHR0cHM6Ly9hcHAuZTJtYS5uZXQvYXBwMi…> using TrueRemove™ Got this as a forward? Sign up<https://app.e2ma.net/app2/audience/signup/1767092/1740165.46264709/> to receive our future emails. View this email online<https://t.e2ma.net/message/3cwt1/r7v8km>. PO Box 6130 Morgantown, WV | 26506 US This email was sent to james.kotcon(a)mail.wvu.edu. To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book. <james.kotcon(a)mail.wvu.edu> [powered by emma]<https://t.e2ma.net/click/3cwt1/r7v8km/ztme7j>

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Pipeline Foes See Options in Court Ruling
by frank young via EC 28 Aug '17

28 Aug '17

Pipeline Foes See Options in Court Ruling <http://www.publicnewsservice.org/2017-08-28/energy-policy/pipeline-foes-see -options-in-court-ruling/a59195-1> Share this page <http://www.publicnewsservice.org/print.php?key=59195-1> August 28, 2017 - Dan Heyman, Public News Service (WV) <http://www.publicnewsservice.org/mp3.php?f=rss-59195-1.mp3> Play Audio in Browser Window <http://www.newsservice.org/getimage.php?p=c2dpZD01OTE5NSZzaWQ9MQ==> Energy companies have proposed building a large number of pipelines to carry Marcellus and Utica natural gas. (Pixabay) Energy companies have proposed building a large number of pipelines to carry Marcellus and Utica natural gas. (Pixabay) CHARLESTON, <http://www.publicnewsservice.org/articlepx.gif?key=59195-1> W.Va. - In light of a new court ruling <http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3960330-DC-Circuit-Pipeline-Ruling.h tml> , opponents want to force regulators to look at the climate impact of the gas from two huge proposed pipelines. Last week the Washington, D.C. District Court ruled in favor of the Sierra Club that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission should have considered the greenhouse emissions from gas carried by a pipeline from Alabama to Florida. Kirk Bowers, pipelines program coordinator for the Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club <http://content.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2017/08/court-rules-ferc-faile d-adequately-review-environmental-impacts-sabal-trail> , says his group will push for that decision to be applied to the Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast pipelines. He says burning gas from those pipelines would mean more carbon than all Virginia power plants now emit - nearly 100 million tons a year. "And that's almost double what we have now," he points out. "And that means that we're blowing our carbon budget at a time when we can't afford to use more fossil fuels and emit more greenhouse gasses." The companies behind the pipelines did include those carbon emissions in their applications. But Bowers calls their estimates "incomplete, inaccurate and low." Energy companies have plans for about a dozen new pipelines to carry Marcellus and Utica gas. They argue the projects are justified by future demand, although others dispute that. Mountain Valley and Atlantic Coast are two of the three pipelines that would go from northern West Virginia to eastern Virginia and North Carolina. The Sierra Club has pushed for FERC to consider cumulative impacts and overall need - arguing the commission was created to prevent duplicate projects. But Bowers says FERC insists on looking at each pipeline separately. "FERC said they weren't in the business of determining whether they should have three pipelines or not," he states. "And we've got all these reasons why we don't need more pipelines, and FERC said they're taking a blind-eye approach." Bowers says FERC also will grant permission for pipelines to go ahead, even before the application process and court challenges are finished. He says in fact, the Alabama pipeline was finished and operating before last week's court ruling came down. --- You can change your settings to receive more or less content, or unsubscribe at any time by logging-in <http://publicnewsservice.org/login.php> from the Public News Service website. To be removed from this list please send an e-mail to remove(a)publicnewsservice.org and put the word "remove" in the subject line.

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Sierra Club v. FERC Docket: 16-1329 Opinion Date: August 22, 2017 DC CIR Judge: Thomas Beall Griffith
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. via EC 23 Aug '17

23 Aug '17

Sierra Club challenged FERC decision approving the construction and operation of three new interstate natural-gas pipelines in the southeastern United States. Determining that it has jurisdiction to entertain Sierra Club's claims, the DC Circuit held that the FERC's environmental impact statement did not contain enough information on the greenhouse-gas emissions that will result from burning the gas that the pipelines will carry. However, the Commission acted properly in all other respects. Accordingly, the court granted Sierra Club's petition for review and remanded for preparation of a conforming environmental impact statement. William V. DePaulo, Esq. 122 N Court Street, Suite 300 Lewisburg, WV 24901 Tel 304-342-5588 Fax 866-850-1501 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com

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Request for proposals for lobby team coordinator. [1 Attachment]
by frank young via EC 08 Aug '17

08 Aug '17

Hi all, See attached and below. Please forward this to your contacts. West Virginia Environmental Council P.O. Box 1007, Charleston WV 25324 <http://www.wvecouncil.org> www.wvecouncil.org phone: 304-414-0143 August 7th, 2017 Request for Proposals for A Lobby Team Coordinator for the 2017 Interim sessions beginning no later than October of 2017 AND for the regular session beginning in January 2018. Lobby Team Coordinator: The WV Environmental Council (WVEC) is seeking proposals for a Lobby Team Coordinator to perform legislative lobbying during the 2017 Interim Legislative Sessions, beginning in October, 2017 and the regular session that runs from early January 2018 through mid-March 2018. It is anticipated that this would be a full-time position. The Lobby Team coordinator is expected to assist with assembling a lobby team, lobbying, and liaison as requested by the WVEC Government / Legislative Affairs Committee and the WVEC Board of Directors. Please include in your proposal the number of hours per day, week, or month to which you are willing to commit during the regular Session and the monthly 3-day interim sessions. Political savvy and capacity for relating to and influencing a wide variety of people are a plus. Dedication to environmental causes and policies that protect residents of WV from degradation of our water, land and air are essential. The ability to remain firm in your convictions in the face of opposition is a key skill Victories are few and far between , but they are that much more savored when attained. Proposals should include: personal background information, relevant experience, and monetary expectations- subject to negotiation of duties and time commitments. The Lobby Team Coordinator is expected to write articles for our GREEN Weekly newsletter regarding what's happening at the session. Lobbyists are also expected to meet as requested with the WVEC Governmental / Legislative Affairs Committee. Please include a writing sample in your proposal. The Lobby Team Coordinator is also expected to work in a team environment and communicate regularly with Member Groups regarding how activists from the Member Groups can be involved in lobbying efforts Experience in budget planning and fundraising a plus In your proposal, please address the following questions: 1- How would you propose to facilitate the use of WVEC member groups and other supporters in assisting our lobbying efforts? 2- How would you propose to collaborate with other lobbying groups, such as teachers, social workers, organized labor, children's issue advocates, health issue advocates, etc. into a coalition, as appropriate, to further enable WVEC to reach its environmental policy goals? 3. An analysis of the current WV Legislature and the political landscape in WV;. Such analysis should include a report of the current legislative leadership, any potential champions for environmental legislation, and what will likely be the themes and issues put forth by members of the House and State Senate. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- All Proposals are due not later than August 25th, 2017, and should be sent both electronically and by hard copy. Please e-mail your proposal to WVEC Secretary, Karen Yarnell, at: karen.yarnell(a)fairmontstate.edu . A hard copy of your proposal, postmarked no later than August 25th, 2017 should be mailed to: WV Environmental Council P.O. Box 1007 Charleston WV 25324 You should hear back from the hiring team, no later than September 8th. Direct any questions to: WVEC Governmental Affairs / Legislative Committee Chair Bill Price by telephone to (304) 389-8822. No proposals will receive preferential treatment because of any applicant’s prior position(s) on the WVEC Lobby Team. Bill Price, Senior Organizing Representative Sierra Club 922 Quarrier Street, Room 206 Charleston, WV 25301 Phone 304-389-8822 (cell) Email: bill.price(a)sierraclub.org "If there's no struggle, there's no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet renounce controversy are people who want crops without plowing the ground..." Frederick Douglass 1817-1895 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "WVEC Board - Business" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to wvec-board+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to wvec-board(a)googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/wvec-board. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. __._,_.___ <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/WVHCBOARD/attachments/725645050;_ylc=X3…> View attachments on the web _____ Posted by: "frank young" <fyoung(a)mountain.net> _____ <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/WVHCBOARD/conversations/messages/30501;…> Reply via web post • <mailto:fyoung@mountain.net?subject=Re%3A%20Request%20for%20proposals%20for%20lobby%20team%20coordinator%2E> Reply to sender • <mailto:WVHCBOARD@yahoogroups.com?subject=Re%3A%20Request%20for%20proposals%20for%20lobby%20team%20coordinator%2E> Reply to group • <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/WVHCBOARD/conversations/newtopic;_ylc=X…> Start a New Topic • <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/WVHCBOARD/conversations/topics/30501;_y…> Messages in this topic (1) _____ <https://s.yimg.com/ru/static/images/yg/img/megaphone/1464031581_phpFA8bON> <https://yho.com/1wwmgg> Have you tried the highest rated email app? With 4.5 stars in iTunes, the Yahoo Mail app is the highest rated email app on the market. What are you waiting for? Now you can access all your inboxes (Gmail, Outlook, AOL and more) in one place. Never delete an email again with 1000GB of free cloud storage. _____ Working since 1967 for the conservation and wise management of West Virginia's natural resources <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/WVHCBOARD/info;_ylc=X3oDMTJkN2ZkNmQyBF9…> Visit Your Group <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo;_ylc=X3oDMTJjbDM2anZtBF9TAzk3NDc2NTkwBGdycElkA…> Yahoo! Groups • <https://info.yahoo.com/privacy/us/yahoo/groups/details.html> Privacy • <mailto:WVHCBOARD-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe> Unsubscribe • <https://info.yahoo.com/legal/us/yahoo/utos/terms/> Terms of Use . <http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714/grpId=108108/grpspId=1705064177/msgId=…> <http://y.analytics.yahoo.com/fpc.pl?ywarid=515FB27823A7407E&a=1000131032227…> __,_._,___

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Long Promised, the Global Market for Natural Gas - "Part of what persuades nations to invest in infrastructure to import and burn gas is a belief its price will stay low. There are no signs supply growth is slowing."
by William V. DePaulo, Esq. via EC 06 Jun '17

06 Jun '17

WALL ST JOURNAL - JUNE 6, 2017 <https://www.wsj.com/news/types/business> Long Promised, the Global Market for Natural Gas Has Finally Arrived Liquefied gas, new infrastructure and revamped contracts have changed the calculus for consumers, countries and companies By Russell Gold and Alison Sider June 6, 2017 11:03 a.m. ET 38 COMMENTS <https://www.wsj.com/articles/long-promised-the-global-market-for-natural-ga…> One day in March, the Rioja Knutsen tanker, filled with liquefied natural gas, was traveling from the U.S. to Portugal. Suddenly, Mexico’s power company lobbed in a higher bid for its cargo. At the Bahamas, the ship abruptly made a starboard turn and headed south. How natural gas is bought and sold in the world’s scattered regional markets for the fuel is changing rapidly. Ships such as the Rioja Knutsen are stitching those regions together and a single global market is emerging. This is already how nearly every other hydrocarbon, from crude oil to obscure petrochemicals, is sold. As gas joins the club, the effects will ripple through energy prices, company profits, the environment and geopolitics. Behind the evolution is improving technology for moving gas as a liquid, which means it can go to many more places rather than simply where a pipeline runs. In addition, a glut of gas has producers working to develop new consumers all over the world. The result is growing flexibility in once-rigid gas contracts and a convergence in prices long dictated by local factors such as weather. Going Global The seaborne trade in liquefied natural gas has grown significantly in recent years. LNG import volumes in millions of metric tons, by country: [image: Source: IHS Markit] Source: IHS Markit The share of gas moving by sea reached 40% of total trades in 2015, and the International Energy Agency forecasts that seaborne gas will account for a bigger share of trading than pipelines by 2040. Thirty-nine countries now import LNG, up from 17 a decade ago, according to data and analytics firm IHS Markit. Several more, among them Uruguay, Bahrain and Bangladesh, are expected to lift the total to 46 in the next couple of years. In one sign of how gas is going global, the U.S. and China are working on a trade deal that could send vast quantities of gas pumped in Texas and Pennsylvania to factories in Shanghai and Guangdong. Improved access for U.S. exporters to China’s giant energy markets could boost overall global shipments. The changes are contributing to rapidly narrowing price differences from place to place. In 2012, Asia spot prices for LNG were $5.74 per million British thermal units higher than natural-gas prices in Europe, according to S&P Global Platts. This year so far, the difference has averaged less than $1, something analysts expect to continue. Worries by U.S. political leaders that gas exports would drive domestic prices significantly higher haven’t been borne out, at least so far, as Energy Department studies show only marginal effects. The U.S. appears to be exporting its low gas prices rather than importing higher ones from the rest of the world. As LNG import terminals open in more locations, gas pricing and trading mechanisms are developing as well. Some investors are increasingly using the gas price at a pipeline intersection in Louisiana, called the Henry Hub, as a global benchmark. Trading in the New York Mercantile Exchange’s Henry Hub gas futures contract is becoming more global, said Peter Keavey, global head of energy at Nymex owner CME Group <http://quotes.wsj.com/CME> . In May, Standard & Poor’s and the Intercontinental Exchange launched the first futures contract based on LNG produced in the U.S. Seaborne gas is reducing some countries’ historic dependence on pipelines that run through potentially unfriendly territory. Poland, for instance, opened its first import terminal a year ago, lessening its reliance on gas piped from Russia. When global trade in LNG began in the 1960s, the cost of liquefying gas was so high it was a niche product, affordable only by developed countries such as Japan. As the technology proved reliable, trade in LNG became more common, but contracts to deliver the fuel by ship were decadeslong and had ironclad destination clauses. Gas contracted for Tokyo couldn’t be rerouted to Seoul. Traders called gas tankers “pipelines at sea.” Now, contracts are getting shorter and starting to allow gas to be diverted to where demand is greatest. Earlier this year, three large LNG buyers in Japan, China and South Korea agreed to work together to push sellers for more contract flexibility and fewer onerous restrictions. At any given time, there are about 170 tankers filled with LNG on the world’s oceans, up from 150 a year ago, according to a tracker firm called ClipperData. Before long, traders will be able to “make a very quick phone call to get that gas to whatever market is in distress at that particular time,” said Charif Souki, chairman and founder of Tellurian <http://quotes.wsj.com/TELL> Inc., which is seeking to export gas from the U.S. Gulf Coast. At the heart of the changes is supply. Huge new discoveries in the U.S., Middle East, East Africa and Australia, along with recovery techniques such as fracking, have expanded the amount of gas available for export. Companies and countries are moving to develop new markets to where they can sell it all. One pioneer is Houston-based Cheniere Energy Inc. Founded and led for years by Mr. Souki, Cheniere initially developed terminals to import gas along the U.S. Gulf Coast. When U.S. gas production soared in recent years, the company converted its facilities into export terminals. It has spent more than $19 billion on plants at Sabine Pass, La., and Corpus Christi, Texas, that cool gas to minus 260 degrees Fahrenheit, at which point it turns into liquid and can move by tanker. The U.S. continues to import some gas via pipeline from Canada. By next year, Sabine Pass and other LNG terminals are expected to turn the U.S. into a net gas exporter. In a quest for customers, Cheniere has invested in a Chilean project to build a power plant, LNG terminal, storage facility and pipeline. The company is willing to put in “early-stage capital, modest amounts of equity...to grow the LNG market,” said Anatol Feygin, chief commercial officer. Oil titans Total <http://quotes.wsj.com/TOT> SA and Royal Dutch Shell <http://quotes.wsj.com/RDS.B> PLC also are offering to build facilities to burn gas. The two and their partners are building an import terminal and pipeline for an estimated $200 million in Ivory Coast, which will feed a power plant in the West African country’s economic hub of Abidjan. Part of what persuades nations to invest in infrastructure to import and burn gas is a belief its price will stay low. There are no signs supply growth is slowing. Qatar, the longtime LNG leader, recently lifted a self-imposed moratorium on the development of its North Field, the single largest gas reservoir in the world. The volume of LNG expected to be delivered this year, 294.1 million metric tons, is up 22% in three years. It is likely to rise 21% more by 2020, according to IHS data and forecasts. “We are going into a period of oversupply, and prices will face downward pressure for some time,” said Gautam Sudhakar, an LNG analyst with IHS Markit. LNG faces competition even at low prices, because in some places it is cheaper to keep burning coal than to build gas facilities. In India, one of the world’s largest consumers of coal, it is renewables such as solar power, rather than natural gas, that may be mounting the strongest challenge. In nuclear power, Japan recently restarted some idled plants and China is building several new ones. “LNG is going to have to fight for its place in the global energy mix,” said Keo Lukefahr, general manager of natural gas for the Americas arm of PetroChina International. “It has a narrow window to establish itself as a cost-competitive clean energy resource if it is going to realize its potential in the world’s energy supply.” To take advantage of the window, producers are looking for new ways to finance gas-burning projects. Virginia-based AES <http://quotes.wsj.com/AES> Corp. is building a $1 billion project, including an import dock and gas-burning power plant, near the mouth of the Panama Canal, the recent widening of which has enhanced trading <https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-lng-for-china-arrives-via-panama-canal-147…> by letting larger tankers pass. The project is aided by a $150 million loan from the World Bank’s International Finance Corp. It became involved both to provide Panama with needed power and because the plant will displace electricity from dirtier fuels such as diesel. Helping make gas more accessible is a relatively new technology—floating LNG facilities. Offshore plants can be built in about half the three years it takes to put up a land-based LNG import terminal. Their mobile nature also is an advantage in certain markets where an importer doesn’t have spotless credit. If it can’t pay, the terminal can weigh anchor and relocate. The first floating terminal was christened in 2005. Today there are 25, according to the International Group of Liquefied Natural Gas Importers, a trade association. Excelerate Energy, a Houston company that developed this technology, is working on new floating terminals in Namibia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and elsewhere. The equipment to liquefy gas can also now be put on a large vessel that can be anchored offshore. One sea creature owes its life to this new, interconnected gas market. When the Rioja Knutsen tanker abandoned its Portugal destination to take advantage of an opportunity in Mexico, the Algerian energy company Sonatrach stepped into the breach, sending a tanker of LNG to Portugal. That tanker, the Cheikh El Mokrani, returned to Algeria to fill up with a new cargo on April 9. As it idled off the coast, its crew spotted a small whale trapped in a fishing net. A sailor jumped in to untangle it. A video posted online showed the whale swimming free as the rest of the crew cheered. —Christopher M. Matthews contributed to this article. *Corrections & Amplifications * In May, the Intercontinental Exchange launched the first futures contract reflecting LNG produced in the U.S., based on S&P Global Platts Gulf Coast price assessments. An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated Standard & Poor’s and the Intercontinental Exchange launched the contract. (June 6) *Write to *Russell Gold at russell.gold(a)wsj.com and Alison Sider at alison.sider(a)wsj.com William V. DePaulo, Esq. 122 N Court Street, Suite 300 Lewisburg, WV 24901 Tel 304-342-5588 Fax 866-850-1501 william.depaulo(a)gmail.com

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Clarksburg Exponent Telegram editorial on Pleasants transfer
by James Kotcon via EC 28 May '17

28 May '17

Attached is a copy of the editorial calling for careful review and more competition of First Energy's proposed transfer of the Pleasants power plant to Mon Power and Potomac Edison. When even a very conservative paper such as the ET starts questioning this deal, we need to seize the opportunity. I also attach our fact sheet on this issue. This would be a great opportunity to contact the editor of your local paper and ask them to consider running something like this. We need to generate more media coverage of the issue, and highlight the risks of investing in yet another coal-fired power plant. Is that something you would consider doing? Alternatively, we could draft an op/ed to submit. I would be happy to circulate a first draft if you would be willing to co-sign. Let me know if this is something you would like to do, or if you have any other ideas we can use. Jim Kotcon 304-293-8822 (office) 304-594-3322 (home)

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