Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, Mar 22, 2013

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

New York

Actions, not words provide insight into NY’s fracking future – 3 signs the state will not permit shale gas anytime soon
Shale Gas Review
Early last summer, Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed to allow fracking on a test basis in certain areas along the state’s border with Pennsylvania over a prime area of the Marcellus Shale. A month later, Cuomo suggested that the state’s policy review on the issue would be completed by Labor Day.

Pennsylvania

Shale drilling changes prospects for American Dream
Independentweekender
George Laird keeps the stubs from his monthly natural gas royalty checks in a binder he saved from leaner years when he tried to supplement his income by selling melaleuca, a kind of Australian tea tree oil marketed as “The Wonder from Down Under.”

Editorial: Fracking performance standards would offer accountability as studies continue
The Jersey Journal
A consortium of unlikely partners — environmentalists, philanthropies and energy companies – has set out to hold shale-drilling companies to higher performance standards.

Utility-borough deal a step toward expanding shale gas access
Lewistown Sentinel
One of the most important challenges facing the region – and the nation as a whole – is increasing access to natural gas from the Marcellus Shale.

EQT Corp. adds to natural gas station in Pittsburgh’s Strip District
Post-Gazette.com
Part of EQT Corp.’s effort to increase demand for the natural gas that it’s extracting from the Marcellus Shale appears to be paying off.

Marcellus gas drilling fees generate $5M to ease housing shortages
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
The state is looking to spend $5 million in fees generated from Marcellus shale drillers to ease housing shortages in areas that have been flooded by a migrating stream of industry workers.

Ohio

Utica shale report: Sales tax receipts, but not jobs, see healthy increase
Business First of Columbus
The 13 counties with strong shale activity saw their sales activity rise 21 percent in 2012 compared with the prior year, says a new study by researchers at Cleveland State University’s College of Urban Affairs.

Utica Scramble: Who’s Buying and Selling in the Shale (Video)
Motley Fool
With only 45 producing wells, the Utica Shale is still a very young play. From the outside, it’s hard to gauge how much value is waiting to be unlocked when some producers are scrambling to get in — and others to get out.

Oil, gas industry taps more water
Bucyrus Telegraph Forum
Drillers have identified using almost three times as many rivers, streams and ponds for water sources in the first two months of this year than during the same period in 2012 and all of 2011.

Petroleum council lauds Ohio House for Keystone XL support
Akron Beacon Journal
The Ohio Petroleum Council (OPC) today applauded the Ohio House of Representatives’ passage of HCR 9, a resolution urging the federal government to approve construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.

West Virginia

Judge won’t let plaintiffs out of oil and gas lease
West Virginia Record
Three corporate defendants, including Chesapeake Appalachia, have won dismissal of a case that sought to void an oil and gas lease agreement, though the decision is being appealed by the plaintiffs.

Official predicts chemical sector boost
Charleston Daily Mail
The stage is set for a significant increase in chemical manufacturing in West Virginia, a leading national expert said Thursday.

Marcellus Shale could be billion dollar industry
WAJR
Marcellus Shale could be billion dollar industry. Marcellus Shale is becoming a bigger and bigger part of West Virginia’s economy and it looks like that’s going to continue for years to come. “It’s transformational. It has changed the entire landscape…

National

Electricity and Gas Markets Are Out Of Synch: Sooner or Later, This Will Hurt Us
Forbes
Gas fired power plants need gas to run, but they often fly standby with respect to gas deliveries rather than reserving capacity on the pipelines.  Which means they run the risk of not getting the gas to generate when the power market needs it.

Obama Energy Pick’s Gas Study Faulted Over Industry Ties
Bloomberg
President Barack Obama’s nominee for energy secretary is drawing criticism for leading a study that minimized risks of natural gas while failing to disclose that some of its researchers had financial ties to the industry.

Chesapeake Energy – How Can Such A Large Producer Have No Idea Where Natural Gas Prices Are Headed?
Seeking Alpha
I suppose with the benefit of hindsight, the fact that Aubrey and gang fancied themselves to be “players” in the derivative markets should have been a warning sign with respect to their lack of respect of risk.

International

Romania ends moratorium on shale exploration
Akron Beacon Journal
From Bloomberg News: Romania ended a moratorium on shale gas exploration in a bid to boost domestic energy resources and curb reliance on fuel imports from Russia. It may take four to five years to assess potential volumes…