| | | | |

New Marcellus/Utica Shale Supply Chain Website Launches

ShaleLink logoThe Youngstown Business Journal and Farris Marketing today launch a new Marcellus and Utica Shale supply chain connection website called ShaleLink.com. The website offers free listings for businesses interested in in selling (or buying) services related to the shale oil and gas industry. But there’s a catch: Your business has to be located in either Ohio or Pennsylvania to be listed for free.

Here’s the press release/story from the ShaleLink.com website describing the new service:

Continue reading

| | | | |

Two Views on Road Use Agreements for Drillers in NY

Some counties in Upstate New York are prepared for potential road damage caused by trucks and heavy equipment when and if shale gas drilling begins. Some of those counties are a lot more welcoming of drillers than others.

Steuben County in New York’s Southern Tier area—one of the five named counties likely to receive permits when drilling begins—is one of the counties ready with a road-use agreement for drillers. Interestingly, Vince Spagnoletti, Public Works Commissioner for Steuben County, says the road use agreement in Steuben originated not because of potential gas drilling but because of potential wind farm development:

Continue reading

| | | | |

Surprise! EcoNuts Object to Proposed Utica Shale Pipeline

On Tuesday MDN brought you the news of a major new Utica Shale gas pipeline that will be built from Ohio through Michigan and into Canada by DTE Energy, Enbridge Inc. and Spectra Energy Corp (see this MDN story). It didn’t take long for anti-drillers, like EcoWatch, to announce their opposition.

This is what passes for news on MSNBC:

Continue reading

| | | | | | |

Pittsburgh Enviro Services Company Heckmann Merging, Moving

Heckmann Corporation, a publicly traded environmental services company with a major footprint in Pittsburgh and throughout the Marcellus and Utica Shale region, announced on Tuesday they are merging with Power Fuels, a privately held environmental services company based in North Dakota, the largest such firm in the mighty Bakken Shale. The merger puts Heckmann well on the path to their stated goal of becoming the country’s largest environmental services company.

Soon after the announcement, it was disclosed on a conference call to analysts that the new headquarters for Heckmann would be moving from Pittsburgh to Scottsdale, Arizona. That announcement has created a fair amount of angst in Pittsburgh. However, Heckmann says they “anticipate” no layoffs in the Marcellus region:

Continue reading

| | |

Food & Water Watch Targets NY Gov. Cuomo with Ad in NC

The unreasonable, extremist and increasingly shrill organization Food & Water Watch (FWW), headquartered in Washington, D.C. (and attempting to interfere in New York’s debate over fracking) is targeting New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo with a full page advertisement in today’s Charlotte Observer. Wait, what? A full page ad in a North Carolina newspaper? Yep.

Gov. Cuomo will be in Charlotte today to speak to the New York delegation at the Democrat National Convention. He’ll then stick around to witness the sinking of the Titanic acceptance speech of Barack Obama. FWW apparently thinks Andy wants to run for president in 2016 and they want to run a head-fake on him that if he approves fracking in New York, his chances of winning in 2016 will be about the same as Obama’s chances of winning this year—close to nil. They also think Andy’s bound to pick up a copy of the Charlotte Observer while he’s in town, hence the ad.

Here’s a copy of the FWW propaganda ad appearing today:

Continue reading

| |

Encana Says Investigation Shows No Collusion with Chesapeake

Back in June, Reuters somehow, magically, got ahold of private personal property (emails) from Chesapeake Energy and Encana Corp. Encana is Canada’s largest natural gas company. Reuters attempted to put the two companies on trial in the court of public opinion for “colluding” to keep prices down on leases in Michigan (see this MDN story). MDN still wonders, did Reuters break the law or aid and abet laws being broken in getting those emails?

But no attention is being paid to the mighty Reuters. No, the intended affect was accomplished: a plethora of investigations by various organizations began, not least of which is an ongoing investigation by the Obama Justice Department (see this MDN story). Encana did their own internal investigation by brining in outside help and the results are in from that investigation: Encana says they’re not guilty of colluding with Chesapeake.

Continue reading

| |

Political Stunt: PA Rep Wants Sec. of DEP Elected Position

Making some rather wild claims about being denied access to information from the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection, and apparently on a political vendetta against PA Gov. Tom Corbett and DEP Sec. Michael Krancer, State Rep. Jesse White (Washington County) has introduced two bills into the PA legislature that would turn Krancer’s position from being a secretary appointed by the governor into being a term-limited commissioner elected by voters statewide—similar to attorney general and state treasurer.

White introduced House Bills 2606 and 2607 to amend the Pennsylvania Constitution, saying:

Continue reading