Benesch Shale Report: Chesapeake Sale Rumors Swirling

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The Ohio law firm of Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff are one of the northeast’s top energy law firms. Each quarter they publish a Shale Industry Report, largely focused on what’s been happening in the Ohio Utica Shale (most recent report covering fourth quarter 2013 is embedded below). It’s a great update–one that we like to read and enjoy being able to bring it to you. The top issue listed in the opening of the report is the rumor that, unsurprisingly, corporate raider Carl Icahn (Chesapeake Energy’s second largest shareholder) is shopping Chesapeake for sale to other companies. We’ve warned you about this from the beginning, when Icahn first started flexing his raider muscles and bullying the company into submission.

Everyone yells at MDN, “Chesapeake needed fiscal discipline…Aubrey McClendon was reckless and almost bankrupted the company…a strict hand was needed at the helm and Icahn came along at the right time…etc.” We say bunk. This has always been about adding more zeros to Icahn’s bank account–from firing more than 1,200 people to selling off assets right and left in the equivalent of fire sales. There’s nothing disciplined or wholesome or good about it. It’s about fat cats getting fatter (i.e. richer). Yes it’s a free country (maybe, we need to check how many more illegal executive orders have been issued in the past 24 hours by Obama)–and in a free country this kind of thing can happen. But we don’t need to like it, and we sure as heck don’t. Icahn and his toady Doug Lawler need to go. End rant. So who’s rumored to be interested in buying Chessy?…

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