Month: February 2013

Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Statewide OH | Taxation | Utica Shale

Details of OH Gov. Kasich’s Utica Shale Severance Tax Hike
February 6, 2013February 6, 2013

Ohio Gov. John Kasich released his budget for fiscal years 2014 & 2015 yesterday, and along with it, he resurrected the same plan he first introduced a year ago to increase severance tax on oil and gas production in the Utica Shale (see Details on Ohio Gov. Kasich’s New Tax on Shale Drilling). The plan in a nutshell: Hike the severance tax on Utica Shale drilling, then spread the new-found wealth around to buy votes to get re-elected.

Here’s a summary of the coming changes (and make no mistake, the plan will pass this time):

Read More “Details of OH Gov. Kasich’s Utica Shale Severance Tax Hike”
Energy Services | Harrison County | Industrywide Issues | MarkWest Energy | Monroe County | Ohio | Pipelines | Processing Plants | Statewide OH

Cash Runs Low – MarkWest Floats $150M Loan in Utica Midstream JV
February 6, 2013February 6, 2013

At the end of 2011, MarkWest Energy and The Energy & Minerals Group (EMG) announced that MarkWest was buying out EMG’s share in a 3-year-old joint venture deal in the wet gas portion of the Marcellus Shale called MarkWest Liberty Midstream. EMG owned a 49% stake in that JV (see MarkWest Pays $1.8B to Buy Out JV Partner in Liberty Midstream). At the time of the buyout, the two companies announced they would form a new JV to build midstream infrastructure in the Utica Shale starting in 2012.

The new Utica JV (called MarkWest Utica EMG) ramped up in early 2012 as the pair set out to duplicate their success in building out the Marcellus in the fledgling Utica. The strategy? “Creating a large network of processing complexes connected through an extensive NGL gathering system,” which they immediately began to do by beginning construction on two new processing complexes in Harrison and Monroe counties in Ohio (see MarkWest to Expand/Build NGL Plants on New Agreements). Just one tiny problem: the Utica JV is now running short on cash…

Read More “Cash Runs Low – MarkWest Floats $150M Loan in Utica Midstream JV”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

NY Drillers: “Optimistic” DEC will Meet Feb 13 Fracking Deadline
February 6, 2013February 6, 2013

Landowners in New York State wait with bated breath for next Wednesday, Feb. 13 (one week from today), to see if the Dept. of Environmental Conservation publishes a final version of new fracking regulations. If the DEC misses the deadline next Wednesday, the new rules will almost certainly not be released on Feb. 27, which is the final deadline to release those rules or… or the process restarts. More public comments. More posturing by environmental extremists. More everything. If the deadline next Wednesday is missed, all bets are off on whether New York will ever see fracking in our opinion.

What does “the industry” think? Perhaps the best barometer of what drillers are thinking comes from Brad Gill, the executive director of the Independent Oil & Gas Association of New York (IOGA of NY). He was in Albany yesterday to meet with lawmakers. Here’s what he said:

Read More “NY Drillers: “Optimistic” DEC will Meet Feb 13 Fracking Deadline”
Ohio | Statewide OH | Utica Shale

Ohio: 512 Utica Shale Permits Issued, 223 Utica Wells Drilled
February 6, 2013February 6, 2013

The numbers keep racking up for Utica Shale permits and wells drilled in Ohio. According to the latest report from the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources, Ohio has now approved 512 permits for Utica Shale drilling and the state has 27 drilling rigs busy at work in the Utica right now. So the numbers will continue to rapidly rise for the foreseeable future.

Here’s the particulars of where permits and drilling are taking place, including two helpful interactive maps:

Read More “Ohio: 512 Utica Shale Permits Issued, 223 Utica Wells Drilled”
Columbia Pipeline Group | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pike County | Pipelines | Regulation | Tennessee Gas Pipeline | Wayne County

DRBC – Fishing for Money from 2 Pipeline Companies?
February 6, 2013February 6, 2013

The regional quasi-governmental organization in charge of “protecting” the Delaware River Basin—the Delaware River Basin Commission—has just reversed a decision about whether or not they have the right or power to review (i.e. regulate) two newly completed natural gas pipelines that run through DRBC’s territory. Yes, both pipelines are now completed (barn door…horse?).

It appears the DRBC is kowtowing to anti-drilling environmental organizations like Delaware Riverkeeper Network by going after these two pipeline companies…

Read More “DRBC – Fishing for Money from 2 Pipeline Companies?”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

NY Comptroller Bullies Cabot O&G over Frack Fluid Disclosure
February 6, 2013February 6, 2013

Being the sole person in charge of a pot of investments worth $150 billion is an awesome responsibility—and invests that person with an enormous amount of power. Power which can (and is) abused. New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli is the sole person in charge of the New York State Common Retirement Fund and he regularly throws his weight around with the companies the fund invests in to strong-arm them into doing things they typically don’t want to do. Call it bullying (because that’s what it is).

The latest example: DiNapoli, himself an anti-driller, is crowing that he forced Cabot Oil & Gas, one of the companies the Fund invests in ($35.8 million), to “publicly disclose its policy and procedures for eliminating or minimizing the use of toxic substances in its hydraulic fracturing fluids.” Never mind that Cabot already lists the components of its fracking fluids in the FracFocus.org Chemical Disclosure Registry. Let’s not let facts get in the way of a good PR campaign.

Read More “NY Comptroller Bullies Cabot O&G over Frack Fluid Disclosure”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Wed, Feb 6, 2013
February 6, 2013February 6, 2013

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

Read More “Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Wed, Feb 6, 2013”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

Martens Prepares to Blame Shah if Fracking Doesn’t Happen in NY
February 5, 2013February 5, 2013

Pennsylvania is doubling their natural gas output every year by using fracking. So is West Virginia. Ohio has now joined the fracking club and is ramping up their natural gas production. All of the states in the northeast “neighborhood” are fracking—without water contamination, without pollution problems, without a negative impact on “public health,” et cetera et cetera. All except New York, which continues to dither over its decision to frack. Why? Politics. Not science, not health concerns. Politics.

In testimony before the NY legislature yesterday, Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens acknowledged if the DEC doesn’t meet a Feb. 13 deadline to publish final drilling rules the review process will need to restart—yet he also told legislators there is no projected date for finishing shale gas drilling rules and it will depend on recommendations from a health review the DEC will receive “in a few weeks.” MDN finds Martens’ comments from yesterday troubling…

Read More “Martens Prepares to Blame Shah if Fracking Doesn’t Happen in NY”
Albany County | Broome County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York

Phelim McAleer & FrackNation Documentary Come to Upstate NY
February 5, 2013February 5, 2013

If you live anywhere in the vicinity of either Binghamton, NY or Albany, NY, the Joint Landowners Coalition of New York (JLCNY) is hosting a free screening of Phelim McAleer’s new documentary FrackNation this weekend. Phelim himself will be there!

The dates are Sunday, Feb. 10 at 2 pm in Binghamton, and Monday, Feb. 11 at 7 pm in Albany. MDN editor Jim Willis will attend the Binghamton screening and would love to meet MDN readers (drop me a line to let me know you’re going: jim@marcellusdrilling.com).

Here’s the press announcement:

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Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies

Chesapeake Pays $15.4M to Prevent Exodus of Top Talent
February 5, 2013February 5, 2013

Last week MDN told you the news that Chesapeake Energy founder and CEO Aubrey McClendon was given the pink slip by the Chesapeake board of directors (see Breaking: Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon Gets Pink Slip). At the time we theorized that Chesapeake may rue the day they let him go—we fully expect to see McClendon turn up again, running a new company to compete with Chesapeake. He’s young (53 years old), he’s charismatic, and he’s full of energy and determination.

Although it was pure speculation at the time, perhaps we weren’t so far off the mark. Chesapeake has awarded big (big) stock option “retention” bonuses worth $15.4 million to three members of McClendon’s leadership team to keep them right where they are—at Chesapeake:

Read More “Chesapeake Pays $15.4M to Prevent Exodus of Top Talent”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | New York | Pipelines | Spectra Energy | Statewide NY

Judge Tosses Out Lawsuit Against Spectra NYC Pipeline Project
February 5, 2013February 5, 2013

Spectra Energy continues to battle environmental extremists who want nothing to do with more natural gas (especially “filthy” shale gas) coming into New York City, even though NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg calls more natural gas “vital” to the city. Spectra has had to battle nutty protesters that strip down (see NYC Pipeline Protesters Get Naked, Paint Themselves Green), and even protesters who don’t tell themselves they’re about to break the law (see Nutjob Protester Stops NYC Pipeline Construction for 2 Hours).

The protesters and their more adult-acting supporters took Spectra to court in New York State to stop the 16-mile pipeline from New Jersey to New York City from being built. A judge has just tossed the lawsuit telling the protesters, “wrong court”…

Read More “Judge Tosses Out Lawsuit Against Spectra NYC Pipeline Project”
Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Statewide OH | Taxation

OH Gov. Kasich Budget Soaks Drillers & Farmer Landowners
February 5, 2013February 5, 2013

Ohio Gov. John Kasich (supposedly a Republican) just released his biennial budget and as promised, it’s a socialistic masterpiece that raises taxes on shale drillers and farmers in order to fund a massive expansion in Medicaid and provide a state income tax cut.

When liberals like what you’re doing and you’re a Republican, that’s not a good sign…

Read More “OH Gov. Kasich Budget Soaks Drillers & Farmer Landowners”
Chenango County | Cortland County | Delaware County | Lease & Royalty Payments | New York | Ohio | Otsego County | Statewide OH | West Virginia | Wirt County

WV Group Largest Landowner Coalition in Marcellus/Utica
February 5, 2013February 5, 2013

A group of landowners in Wirt County, WV have just taken the crown as the largest landowner coalition MDN is aware of in the entire Marcellus and Utica Shale. The Wirt County Oil and Gas Group closed the door on new signups as of Monday, and the total acreage represented by the group is an astonishing 227,000 acres—almost 1/4 million acres! The really attractive part for potential drillers? The land is located in the wet gas area of the Marcellus.

The next largest group MDN is aware of is in Upstate New York—the CNY (Central New York) Landowners Coalition—with 194,500 acres. Both the Wirt County and CNY coalitions have representatives in Houston this week for the NAPE Winter Expo, shopping the acreage looking for a lease.

More details on the Wirt County group:

Read More “WV Group Largest Landowner Coalition in Marcellus/Utica”
Accidents | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | MarkWest Energy | Pennsylvania | Washington County

MarkWest Sues Enerflex Over Compressor Station Fire in Western PA
February 5, 2013February 5, 2013

Midstream powerhouse MarkWest filed a lawsuit on Monday in Washington County, PA seeking $1.1 million from Enerflex Energy Systems, manufacturer of equipment for compressor plants. MarkWest says Enerflex sold them defective equipment that led to a fire, and a lot of damage, in their compressor facility in Avella, PA last year:

Read More “MarkWest Sues Enerflex Over Compressor Station Fire in Western PA”
About MDN | Calendar

Calendar of Events for Feb 4-17, 2013 [Free]
February 5, 2013February 5, 2013

Below are upcoming events for this week and next.

Read More “Calendar of Events for Feb 4-17, 2013 [Free]”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Tue, Feb 5, 2013
February 5, 2013February 5, 2013

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

Read More “Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Tue, Feb 5, 2013”