The cyberattack on the Colonial Pipeline exposed America's vulnerable energy infrastructure. But the hackers are only one part of the problem. There are numerous laws on the books in America that exaggerate the damage caused by pipeline failures, but not all the fault lies in this country. Other countries willing to turn a blind eye to cyber criminals within their borders also have some culpability for the actions of those criminals. Patrick Howell O'Neill, in the MIT Technology Review, examines Russia's relationship with the hackers who attacked the Colonial Pipeline, and how America could … [Read more...]
Pipeline Attack Exposes America’s Vulnerable Energy Infrastructure
We know from experience in Newport, RI how exposed we are to pipeline vulnerabilities after losing heat on the coldest day of the year. Now we have the Colonial Pipeline attack which supplies roughly 45% of the gasoline and other fuels consumed on the East Coast. Can you guess what the local solution for the future is? Moving away from natural gas by putting home heat on renewables and the electric grid. What could possibly go wrong? I don’t doubt Commerce Secretary and former RI Gov. Gina Raimondo’s sincerity and concern, but how about taking another look at that Biden infrastructure … [Read more...]
How One Man and His Family Survived the Texas Deep Freeze
Among the millions who suffered in Texas during the recent deep freeze, there were some rare individuals and families who persevered. These were people who kept calm, had already done some level of preparation, and didn't wait for others to solve their problems for them. One of these survivors is Mike Papa, who writes for The Federalist. Papa has endured many hurricanes in Texas, and applied the survival knowledge he gained from those rough encounters to keep his wife and children safe and comfortable during the deep freeze. Here's how he survived: Due to the storm, our family, which … [Read more...]
Here’s What You Need to Get Prepared for Winter Storm Gail
Your Survival Guy is writing to you this chilly December 15th morning as all of the Northeast prepares for winter storm Gail. I've run through a "go, no go" Apollo 13 (I hope not!) checklist. The "go" are the following: Water/Food/Generator/Self-Defense/Satellite phone/Go bag/Evacuation plan. The "no go" list is usually discovered in the heart of the storm or later. But seeing that Newport, RI lost natural gas on the coldest day of the year in 2019, I'm not taking any chances. Here’s a list of what you need to prepare for a winter storm that might knock your power or gas out. … [Read more...]
America is the Saudi Arabia of Natural Gas, but not in the Northeast
As the title explains America is swimming in natural gas, but if you live in the northeast politics and lack of infrastructure starve the region of this precious source of energy. Stephanie Yang and Ryan Dezember report for The Wall Street Journal: Earlier this year, two utilities that service the New York City area stopped accepting new natural-gas customers in two boroughs and several suburbs. Citing jammed supply lines running into the city on the coldest winter days, they said they couldn’t guarantee they’d be able to deliver gas to additional furnaces. Never mind that the country’s most … [Read more...]
Green Dreams and Gas Nightmares in the Northeast
There's an ocean of natural gas in Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale formation, but you wouldn't know it based on the paltry natural gas infrastructure running from the area into the nearby population centers of the Northeast. Despite troves of cheap natural gas only a short way away over land, 20% of New England's natural gas is delivered via expensive liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments to Boston's Everett LNG terminal. Freight Waves, an industry journal, reports that in Westchester County, New York, nearly on top of the Marcellus Shale play itself: Con Edison (ED: NYSE), a New York utility … [Read more...]
Preventing the Next Natural Gas Outage
I've been writing to you lately about the gas outage in Newport, Rhode Island that my family and 7,000 others suffered during the cold snap last week. Needless to say, losing heat and hot water in the winter is an uncomfortable experience at best. Thanks to the support of a solid network of friends and family, my family was able to endure the outage, but many residents had it rough. In Minnesota, residents are in the grip of the Polar Vortex, and extreme low temperatures are causing them to draw on their natural gas supplies at a rapid pace. Xcel Energy, the area's utility company, is … [Read more...]
Your Survival Guy: Out of Gas in Newport, Now What?
Your Survival Guy: Out of Gas in Newport: 80% back on the Grid Your Survival Guy: Out of Gas in Newport Day 5 (and 5 to go) Your Survival Guy: Out of Gas in Newport Day 4 Your Survival Guy: Out of Gas in Newport Now that Newport, RI is back on the natural gas grid, I want to share with you a conversation I had with an owner of a successful natural gas operation. He said that the problem basically comes down to the fact that the green movement is spending the money and has politicians in its back-pocket. The utilities aren’t spending the money for political messaging. As a … [Read more...]
Your Survival Guy: Out of Gas in Newport: 80% back on the Grid
Happy Monday Morning, it’s good to be back on the grid with natural gas service restored to 80% of Newport customers. If you were at your home this weekend, then you had several opportunities to intercept a National Grid truck/crew to turn on your gas. I’m guessing the final 20% are vacation homes etc. and could take longer, but the worst is over. This was a unique outage. There are three towns comprising Aquidneck Island: Newport, Middletown, and Portsmouth. Newport had 6,400 outages (not all homes/hotels were impacted because they pull from a different gas line), Middletown 350. If you … [Read more...]
Your Survival Guy: Out of Gas in Newport Day 5 (and 5 to go)
Good Morning. Today is day five of no natural gas service in Newport, RI. After a mild yet stormy day yesterday with temps in the low 50s, this morning is sunny with temps in the low to mid 30s. It’s hard to believe a mechanical issue could be the culprit of this man-made disaster. And that’s what it is. Because the United States is the Saudi Arabia of oil and natural gas. Take a look at the Marcellus formation in PA and you can see that it’s the lack of pipelines that are keeping Newport in the cold. The thin and narrow pipeline capacity that feeds natural gas to the Northeast is like … [Read more...]