Lawrence County, PA Gets its First Marcellus Shale Well

Lawrence County, a western Pennsylvania county which borders Ohio, has just had its first Marcellus Shale gas well drilled, with hydraulic fracturing of the well under way now. With 815 land leases signed since last year, it’s a pretty safe bet more wells are coming to Lawrence County soon.

Shell’s Marcellus Shale Exploration & Drilling Strategy in PA – Drill the Edges First

An article about Shell’s activity in the Pennsylvania Marcellus Shale, particularly along the western fringes of the Marcellus in Butler and Lawrence Counties (PA), reveals interesting insights about their strategy:

Shell PR Offensive: Full Disclosure of Fracking Chemicals, Groundwater Monitoring, 100 Percent Wastewater Recycling

Royal Dutch Shell, one of the largest energy companies in the world, is going on a public relations offensive with respect to its shale gas operations in the U.S. In a master PR move, Shell used the uber-liberal Aspen (CO) Ideas Festival to unveil its Global Onshore Tight/Shale Oil and Gas Operating Principles. Among the [...]

Shell Commits to Building a Billion Dollar Chemical Plant in the Marcellus Region of U.S.

Royal Dutch Shell, one of the largest energy companies in the world, announced on Monday that it will build a “world-scale” chemical plant in the Marcellus region of the United States. The chemical plant is called a “cracker” and typically costs more than a billion dollars to construct. Its construction would provide thousands of both [...]

Surprise! New York State’s Pension Fund Invests $1 Billion in Shale Gas Drilling Companies

In an interesting (some would say hypocritical) twist on New York State’s moratorium against drilling in the Marcellus Shale because of environmental concerns, it seems the state’s comptroller has no problem investing some of the state’s huge $140 billion pension fund in shale gas drilling operations, to the tune of $1 billion:

Foreign Investment in America’s Shale Gas: Is it Good or Bad?

One of the main arguments in favor of Marcellus shale gas drilling is that America can become more energy independent—less dependent on the energy (oil and gas) from other countries. It is an argument that strikes a chord with many Americans. The argument also goes that much of the gas produced in the region will [...]

Some Landowners in Tioga, PA Area Receive Six-Figure Royalty Checks – Each Month

An article discussing the potential impacts of shale gas drilling in the area around Erie, PA does a good job in exploring the benefits of shale gas drilling that have already occurred in Tioga County, PA. Tioga County is one of the most densely populated drilling regions in the entire Marcellus Shale play. A few [...]

East Resources Sells to Royal Dutch Shell for $4.7 Billion, Deal Includes All of East’s Marcellus Shale Operations