Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Wed, May 2, 2012

The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading:

Website to provide info on Marcellus shale drilling
POP City
A website on Marcellus shale natural gas wells aimed at giving residents information about drilling with the touch of a mouse and computer keyboard has been introduced by the Westmoreland County Planning Department.

Council backs Moravian prof’s concerns over gas drilling law
WFMZ
A novelist [fiction writer] who teaches at Moravian College wrote an email [also fiction] that was persuasive enough to convince city council to go on record opposing a state law governing natural gas drilling.

Democrats plan ‘fix’ for Act 13
PhillyBurbs.com
Each week since Gov. Tom Corbett signed Act 13 into law in mid-February, Steve Santarsiero has risen to speak on the House floor against the measure that imposes an impact fee on companies drilling in the Marcellus Shale.

DiNapoli cheers Chesapeake’s move to replace board chairman
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli was quick to cheer the news that Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon would be replaced as chairman of the company’s board, ending a dual role that had received increasing scrutiny in recent weeks.

House Dems Running On 6-Point ‘Marcellus Compact’ Plan
Keystonepolitics.com
This is all great stuff. I was hoping Harrisburg Democrats would use this election to draw a sharp contrast with Republicans on fracking, and this is exactly what I had in mind: ensure tax fairness for Pennsylvanians by imposing a reasonable statewide tax on natural gas drillers.

Anti-frackers yesterday; pro-frackers tomorrow
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
The Independent Oil & Gas Association of New York is having a lobby day of its own on Wednesday, two days after a conference of students held a protest outside Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office against hydrofracking for natural gas.

Export Natural Gas, Import Profits
The Motley Fool
On most occasions the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s report on energy consumption and production projections conjures up little more than a yawn. Every once in a while, though, something such as horizontal drilling comes along and turns every projection on its head.