Pennsylvania

Yet another sinkhole has formed near the Mariner East (ME) pipelines in southeast Pennsylvania, but the system remains in service as state regulators investigate the latest incident, Energy Transfer LP confirmed on Thursday.

Pennsylvania regulators are monitoring Sunoco Pipeline LP’s efforts to bring the Mariner East (ME) 1 natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline back online more than three months after it was shut down to address a sinkhole that formed near it in the southeast part of the state.

The natural gas industry went before Pennsylvania lawmakers to again spar with representatives of the nuclear power sector, who pushed in recent testimony before the state Senate’s consumer protection committee for passage of a bill requiring electric distribution companies and suppliers to purchase credits from nuclear plants.

Pin Oak Energy Partners LLC said Wednesday it has completed a deal to acquire 43,000 acres in northwestern Pennsylvania from Royal Dutch Shell plc affiliate SWEPI LP, buttressing its inventory of deep rights across a region that saw heavy development in the early days of the Appalachian shale boom.

A Pennsylvania appellate court handed the state attorney general’s (AG) office a victory last week, finding that it may move ahead with a wide-ranging lawsuit against Chesapeake Energy Corp. and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. for deceptive business practices.

Legislation has been introduced in Pennsylvania to support nuclear power plants that face stiff competition from natural gas in the wholesale markets by requiring electric distribution companies and suppliers to purchase credits from the facilities.

The Delaware County District Attorney’s (DA) office in southeast Pennsylvania said it has opened a second criminal investigation into the construction and operation of the Mariner East (ME) 1, 2 and 2X projects.

Diversified Gas & Oil plc has reached a 15-year agreement with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection that addresses asset retirement obligations in the state, where about 40% of all its wells are located.

The U.S. rig count fell by 11 to 1,027 units for the week ended Friday (March 8), including a slowdown in Ohio’s Utica Shale, according to data from Baker Hughes, a GE Company (BHGE).