Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Wed, Oct 31, 2012

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

Fracking: Landowners profit from oil and gas boom
WKYC-TV Cleveland
Turns out Faber’s land is rich in natural gas and oil, at least that was the bet investors were willing to take when they approached him about leasing his mineral rights to them.

Former EPA Chief Al Armendariz Said Frackers Lit a Well on Fire, So the Frackers Lawyered Up
Dallas Observer
[“Crucify ‘em” Al is back!] Range Resources, a company that fracks shale formations across America, wants controversial former EPA regional chief Al Armendariz to shut up about what happened in Parker County.

Ecologix Environmental Systems Integrated Treatment System Named Finalist in Platts Global Energy Awards
Business Wire
The Integrated Treatment System – a solution developed by Atlanta-based Ecologix Environmental Systems for high-volume, mobile water treatment in hydraulic fracturing operations – has been named a finalist for the Platts Leading Technology Award for Sustainable Innovation.

The Real Stimulus: Low-Cost Natural Gas
National Center for Policy Analysis
The United States is experiencing a revolution in oil and gas. Half a decade ago, it was assumed that the United States would become a large importer of liquefied natural gas; now the domestic natural gas market is oversupplied, thanks to the ability to produce shale gas through hydraulic fracturing.

WVU researcher gets award to study natural gas
SFGate
A West Virginia University researcher is examining potential sources of pollution that could result from natural gas drilling.

Gas Golden Age Darkens in Europe on U.S. Coal: Energy Markets
Bloomberg
Europe is missing out on the natural gas boom that is transforming energy use in the U.S. and Asia, instead burning cheaper, dirtier coal imported from America.

Why I’m Pursuing A Natural Gas Career
Energy in Depth – NMI
A West Virginia University student discusses how the environmental, technical, and economic issues surrounding natural gas extraction in the Marcellus Shale region have all affected him personally.

Questions about fracking tax still loom
Columbus Dispatch
Senate President Tom Niehaus says it’s still too early to know whether lawmakers will move on Gov. John Kasich’s proposed increase in shale drilling taxes this year, or if it will wait for the new legislative session in January.

Supply Chain News: Could Low Natural Gas Prices Drive Manufacturing Renaissance in Midwest?
Supply Chain Digest
Drive along the Ohio River towards Youngstown, just west of the Pennsylvania border, and you will pass what seems like an endless stream of abandoned or nearly abandoned steel mills, with what look like equally dismal small towns usually surrounding the ghostly factories.