By Andy Leahy
Sometime last week, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation’s Mineral Resources Division quietly posted its 2013 annual report–finally getting around to covering that year’s activity in the extractive (and regulatory) industries, concerning oil, gas, and other minerals. The report covers a year that ended some 14 months previously, which is a typical breakneck schedule in the Empire State for finishing up these kinds of things. No surprises on the highlights. Natural gas production was down 11%. Oil production was down 5%. Completed wells were down 3%. Drilling permits issued were down 5%. How about the number of occurrences of such phrases or words as “Marcellus shale,” “Utica shale,” “hydraulic,” “frack,” or possibly even “SGEIS”?…
