Rev. Kevin Gillespie filled his regular appointment at the Burning Springs M. E. Church.

The benefit for the Gary Dickens family held at Shade Tree on Saturday was a success. There was lots of good food.

Connie Boggs took a turn for the worse on Friday.

Crocuses and other spring flowers are blooming in Creston.

The two new veterinarians who have opened a practice at Spencer will be at the Wirt County Farm Bureau meeting Tuesday March 11 at 7 P. M. At the Fire Station in Elizabeth. They do both large animal and small animal medicine and, of course, this is a positive matter for the entire area.  Folks are urged to come and meet them

Some Creston area folks were among those who visited with the W. Va. Legislature and participated in the Taste of West Virginia reception for legislators and elected officials. Some didn’t get to go because of viruses that were out and about.  It was learned that there is a move to set aside the Tawney Case where the W. Va. Supreme Court found that Columbia Gas & associates were violating both state & federal law and were illegally taking deductions from oil & gas royalties.  A hearing is set for April 15. It is clear that some who claim to represent the citizens of West Virginia actually answer to out of state entities that stand to gain $billions.  Check with your favorite elected officials and see how/where they stand.

The government mandated fast time [so called daylight savings] started Sunday so now local folks have to adjust their biological clocks messing up diurnal periodicity.

Discussion continues about Mother Hope’s plan to abandon natural gas gathering lines that connect wells to the marketplace.  A PSC hearing is scheduled for May 14 in Charleston and a local meeting is scheduled for 6 P. M. On March 25 at the old school/city hall in Ellenboro in Ritchie County.  There are no meetings planned for Wirt or Calhoun County.  It was reported, but not confirmed, that Rusty Hutson, jr.’s Diversified was to acquire the lines that the Rockefellers wanted to abandon.  The late Harley Maze told about his part in laying the line that crosses the West Fork of the Little Kanawha & goes up Goose Nest Run.  He was working with his team and the day was done for him & his team when three joints of pipe were taken to the top of the hill.

Some local folks from Brooksville & Creston attended the Ohio Oil & Gas meeting in Columbus.  One of the topics there was Class VI CO2 injection wells.  An outfit called Tenaska plans some in Ohio, Pennsylvania & West Virginia.  The carbon dioxide which is generally considered “plant food” is to be injected into the brine found in the Rose Run formation.  Their man said each well would inject gas into 2,000 to 5,000 acres and he refused to say what the payment would be to landowners but another at the meeting noted that the initial offer was a one time $300/acre but such was for “the low hanging fruit who didn’t know better”.  There is a problem of liability and wells in other states have problems with “leaks”.  It was noted that the Rose Run brine is very corrosive.  South Dakota has eliminated eminent domain as a tool for the CO2 hucksters, much to their chagrin.  Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) owns several senators and they want to show “their concern for the environment”.

In Ohio, like W. Va. There was this plan under the “inflation reduction act” to plug “marginal” wells to cut down on emission of methane.  Marginal wells produce 10 bbl of oil/day or 90 mcf. Of natural gas.  Presently these programs are “in suspense” and hopefully dead just like the methane tax.    The proposed net zero and complete electrification of America is in limbo.  It was noted to comply there would have to be more copper mined that has been mined worldwide since the beginning of the bronze age.  Also the so called hydrogen hubs which will cost $billions are doubtful although professional federal dollar suck up Battelle says all is rosy.

One of the topics at the Ohio meeting was locating data centers in Ohio near power plants that use Utica & Marcellus natural gas.  It was noted that such was the most efficient way.  Some others plan to have them around Washington DC with electric coming from Pennsylvania and using the eastern West Virginia counties as “utility corridors.  There is a plan to locate a data center & gas fired power plant in Wirt County which would be fed by wells drilled locally.  It was noted that wind & solar are not reliable for serious power users like data centers & AI.  During the cold snap in February natural gas and coal “kept the lights on” and if the federally mandated shut downs happen the next cold snap will result in blackouts.

Vivek Ramaswamy, who is running for governor of Ohio, talked and his plan is to make Ohio the #1 state in the nation using AI, using the resources produced locally and upping education so children learn.  He mentioned the cult or false religion of “global warming”.  He noted that the Ohio Valley would be a key part of the advancement to the golden age.  The folks at the Shale Crescent would also make West Virginia very rich as well.

Ohio set a new record for oil production most of which is from the oil window of the Utica shale.  The Utica at Creston is 1100 feet thick and all three sections of the Utica are present in W. Va.

One outfit is leasing property for $650/acre in Wood, Jackson & Roane counties.  No doubt the leases will be sold for real money to an unknown producer.

Mountaineer Gas paid $7 for January gas in Wirt County. The NYMEX price was $4.35 which is the highest in a long time. The Ergon oil price telephone number is not functioning.