Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, Jul 26, 2013

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

New York

All We’re Saying Is Give Natural Gas A Chance
Natural Gas Now
Andrew Cuomo, locked in some Albany office, is talking in the mirror to himself about how to build a legacy and what to do about fracking, but music fans might say “just give natural gas a chance.”

Ohio

Welcome to Portage County, the Fracking Waste Disposal Capital of Ohio
Mother Jones
As fracking—pumping a briny solution of water, lubricants, anti-bacterial agents, and a cocktail of other chemicals into underground shale formations at high pressure to fracture the rock and extract trapped natural gas—has expanded in the Midwest, so has the need for disposing of used fracking fluid. That fracking waste can be recycled or processed at wastewater treatment facilities, much like sewage. But most of the waste—630 billion gallons, each year—goes back into the ground, pumped into disposal wells, which are then capped and sealed. A bunch of it ends up underneath Portage County.

1 Company Growing in This Risky Shale Play
The Motley Fool
Gulfport Energy recently provided investors with an operational update, and some interesting information is tucked within the release. While many of its major competitors are looking to exit entirely or reduce positions in the Utica, Gulfport announced that it’s continuing to expand its presence in the play. The company appears to have found the lucrative liquids sweet spot and it’s seeking to pick up as much acreage around its core position as it can.

Pennsylvania

Consol sees loss in Q2, looking to cut assets and jobs
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Cecil-based coal and gas producer told investors Thursday that it is feverishly looking at opportunities to sell, spin-out or restructure assets so that its share price would more accurately reflect the value of its various segments. Consol reported a loss for the second quarter of $12.8 million, or 5 cents per share. At this time last year, Consol had net income of $153 million, or 67 cents per share. Total revenue during the three months ended June 30 was $1.2 billion. “Everything is on the table,” chairman and CEO Brett Harvey repeated during a call with analysts.

Marcellus Shale Exports Could Transform Global LNG Market
Pennsylvania StateImpact
In energy-hungry countries, all eyes are on Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale gas. In a dramatic shift from just five years ago, the U.S. is looking to export, instead of import natural gas. And if more natural gas starts getting shipped abroad, Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale could help change the global market for natural gas, and lighting homes in Tokyo.

Study: Rural Economies Booming Thanks to Natural Gas
Energy in Depth
There is a lot of rhetoric and misinformation that surround the process of developing natural gas from shale. One common misconception is that it only benefits the companies and the “lucky” landowners who receive royalties. In reality, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Anyone living in Pennsylvania can drive down the street and see the benefits of shale gas development throughout their communities. As evidence, the McKinsey Global Institute issued a study earlier this month that further demonstrates this. The Susquehanna Valley Center for Public Policy discussed the report…

West Virginia

W.Va. attorney general says county can accept donations to extend hours, digitize records
WCHS Channel 8
West Virginia’s attorney general says Tyler County may accept private donations to extend operating hours at the county clerk’s records room or digitize the records stored there. Weaves and Stitches Patrick Morrisey says that as long as the donation is unsolicited and is given to the county as a whole and not to an individual, it’s OK. Morrisey says Tyler and other counties in the state’s Marcellus Shale region are seeing an increase in the use of their records rooms as lawyers, title abstractors and others try to trace land and mineral ownership. He says Tyler county’s records room isn’t big enough to handle the demand. Tyler County Prosecutor D. Luke Furbee requested the attorney general’s opinion.

National

Congressional hearing on EPA’s science approach to fracking
AP/Akron Beacon Journal
Scientific advisers were on the hot seat Wednesday during a congressional hearing to examine the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s approach to research on health and safety implications of hydraulic fracturing. Republicans on the House Science Subcommittees on Environment and Energy blasted the agency’s approach to an ongoing study of the effects of fracking on drinking water. Environment Subcommittee chairman Chris Stewart, R-Utah, asked whether the study is “a genuine, fact-finding, scientific exercise or a witch hunt to find a pretext to regulate.”

Halliburton, Baker Hughes Cooperating on U.S. Frack Probe
Bloomberg
Halliburton Co. and Baker Hughes Inc., two of the largest providers of hydraulic-fracturing services, said they are cooperating with a U.S. Justice Department antitrust investigation related to the fracking market. Halliburton received a Civil Investigative Demand from the department during the second quarter and is in the process of providing responses, Beverly Blohm Stafford, a spokeswoman for the Houston-based company, said in an e-mail today. Baker Hughes got a May 30 demand from the department, covering the prior two years of information, the Houston-based company said in a regulatory filing yesterday.

UPS Says Natural Gas ’Game Changer’ for Cutting Emissions
Bloomberg
United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS), the world’s largest package-delivery company, said it can save 40 percent in fuel costs by running its long-haul semi-tractor trailer fleet on natural gas instead of gasoline or diesel. UPS is reducing gasoline and diesel use to cut emissions and operate more efficiently, Scott Wicker, the Atlanta-based company’s chief sustainability officer, said in an interview today. The company wants to reach 1 billion miles (1.62 billion kilometers) driven by alternative or advanced-technology vehicles by 2017, up from a previous target of around 400 million, it said today in its sustainability report.

World Energy Consumption to Increase 56% by 2040 Led by Asia
Bloomberg
World energy consumption will rise 56 percent in the next three decades, driven by growth in developing countries such as China and India, the Energy Information Administration said. Demand will increase to 820 quadrillion British thermal units in 2040 from 524 quadrillion in 2010, the EIA said in the International Energy Outlook 2013, with the two Asian countries accounting for half the gain. One quadrillion Btu is equal to 172 million barrels of crude oil. China, which used 3.4 percent more energy than the U.S. in 2010, is expected to double U.S. demand by 2040.