 By Alvin Engelke
alvinengelke@hotmail.com
Rev. Keith Belt filled his regular appointment at the Burning Springs M. E. church. He was somewhat the worse for wear after doing some repair work under a house trailer.
Gay Park is home from the hospital but is feeling somewhat less than well. She has asked for prayers.
A big crowd was on hand for the Terry Arthur fundraiser at the Creston Community Building. Terry's house burned to the ground earlier in the winter and he lost all he had. The Triple Threat Band played and there was a dip and donate with all kinds of good food as well as silent auction, ugly woman, pretty man contest, 50/50, etc. Virginia Simmons who lives on Pine Creek said that this was the first time she had been in Creston since 1996.
Wilma Mowrey reported that she had been over to Miletree to see Frankie and that Euell Russell was fine. Some other folks have stayed away because of the problem with influenza.
The "postal service" is talking of a new rate hike but in the big scene the postal system is going to sell 56 big post offices to raise $19 billion and then rent the buildings back from the new owners. A no bid contract has been set up to make all this happen and the enabling firm is CBRE whose owner is Richard Blum who just happens to be the husband of California U. S. Senator Diane Feinstein, one of those who "looks after the poor & downtrodden". While "Mr. Feinstein, a/k/a Mr. Blum is to make a 'paltry' $billion on the deal it is said to be "legit & aboveboard" and has no sign of misuse of federal office for personal gain or some such.
Down at the Mouth of the Elk, Broadway Joe's little wife, Gayle, who keeps tabs on things while hubby is away doing the Big Eared One's bidding down in the lower Potomac swamps hired a new state school super who is all for Common Core, complete federal control, etc. The 'green weenies' are still upset that the state approved curriculum would ask that students ask questions about the veracity of their global warming religion that is now taught as gospel truth. Christianity & Judaism are banned in schools now by the elite but the officially sanctioned dogma is to be taught without question or opposition of any kind & those who would object would be, of course, called bad names like deniers. Satellite data showed that it has now been 18 years since there was "global warming" and the true believers are scrambling to explain why the results don't match the much vaunted computer model promoted by the high priest, Al Gore, Jr. who didn't make it all the way through divinity school. One way they get around it is to put thermometers over asphalt parking lots and near heat exhaust fans and then "adjust" the data from other stations. The new excuse is that small volcanic eruptions had a greater impact from what was originally thought to be the case. Some folks have had some fun asking the true believers what is wrong with longer growing seasons, something that would happen if their "religion" was factual.
Broadway Joe is also said to be upset that the new legislature plans to repeal his "cap & trade" bill that requires power plants in West Virginia to curtail their use of West Virginia coal, a bill passed obviously at the behest of the Big Eared One and those who pull his strings. Meanwhile a court date has been set on the Manchin family trial where the MD (doctor) brother wants back the $1.7 million he loaned to Joe & brother Rock to keep the family carpet business afloat.
Mountaineer Gas announced that they want the PSC (Public Service Commission) to give them a raise in their domestic gas prices from the present $9.32/mcf. The company purchased natural gas at $3.42/mcf. while gas on Mother Hope's system for November netted local gas producers just $1.30/mcf. It was said the California state retirement system owned Mountaineer and times must be tough for them out in the land of fruits & nuts.
The war on the American shale fields brought by the Saudi Arabians continues although the A-rabs claim that someone else "done it". The price of local Pennsylvania grade crude is now $47.69 with drip fetching just $23.69/bbl, Marcellus & Utica light $41.69 and medium $47.69/bbl. While this has caused a slowdown throughout the nation long term plans continue. The low natural gas and oil prices have hit "legacy producers" hard and Junior Hildreth announced the layoff of some of his men.
Aubrey McClendon came up with $500 million to buy minerals in the best places and he recently bought something over $3.5 million worth of oil, gas & minerals in Wirt County [where "it ain't no good"]. Big pipeline projects are in the works to take gas from West Virginia to other parts of the nation and for export as LNG. The 42" Mountain Valley pipeline will start at the Mark West Mobley gas fractionation facility in Wetzel County and go south through Lewis, Braxton, etc. counties to Monroe County & then to Virginia & will have a capacity of 2 billion cubic feet of gas/day.
Mother Hope (the Rockefeller family) plans on the 42" Atlantic Coast pipe line that will go from Lightburn Station in Lewis County to Hampton Roads, Virginia and will have a capacity of 1.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas/day. The Rover pipeline will take 3.25 bcf/day to Sarnia Ontario was a 36" line to the Sherwood stripping plant in Doddridge County and a connection to the Majorsville fractionation facilities in Marshall County and there is the Appalachian Connector by the Williams Company that will move 2 bcf/day as well. It should be noted that most of the wells that will be needed to fill these lines have yet to be drilled. Also in the works are the ethane cracker plants at Washington Bottom below Parkersburg & Shell's cracker plant near Pittsburgh. EnLenk is also installing a line to take ethane to the gulf coast while other lines will take the raw material to Ontario and to the coast for export to nations that believe in economic growth.
HG Energy, now apparently, American Energy Appalachia Holdings, LLC drilled and fracted a Marcellus well on Dallas road off the ridge in Ritchie County near Brohard. A line is being laid to the well and more wells are planned. Former Chesapeake CEO Aubrey McClendon apparently has acquired from Terrence Pegula all of the HG properties. Antero recently acquired some acreage in Ohio for $20,000/acre that included some wells but those who calculations on such matters determined that the open acreage was valued at $16,000/acre, good to know when the Antero man says, "Oh we only pay $3,000/A, top".
The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Hur Herald. | 
