Month: February 2013

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

MDN Editor Jim Willis Corrects “First NY Marcellus Wells” Story
February 17, 2013February 17, 2013

No one likes to admit they were wrong, I know I don’t. Although MDN has attitude and edginess in its reporting (it is a blog/news site), I always try to be accurate and fair with the facts.

I ran what I consider to be a very important story on Friday about the potential locations of the first Marcellus and Utica wells to be drilled in New York when and if drilling begins (see Exclusive: First NY Marcellus Wells to be Drilled are Identified). There’s a decent chance I was wrong. Let me explain…

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Broome County | Cattaraugus County | Chautauqua County | Chemung County | Chenango County | Chesapeake Energy | Delaware County | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Madison County | New York | Norse Energy | Regulation | Statewide NY

Exclusive: First NY Marcellus Wells to be Drilled are Identified
February 15, 2013February 17, 2013

NOTE: Please see the correction to this story on this page:
MDN Editor Jim Willis Corrects “First NY Marcellus Wells” Story.

An astute MDN subscriber sent us a tip that the New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) updated their “Notices of Intent to Issue Well Permits” web page last night at 7:00 pm (Feb 14, 2013). In the list of well permits they “intend” to issue are 43 Marcellus Shale wells and 1 Utica Shale well.

Does this mean DEC Commissioner Joe Martens is getting ready to accept the SGEIS and issue permits? We believe it’s still too early for optimism on that front. However, if New York does decide to move forward and issue drilling permits “within 10 days” after accepting the SGEIS drilling rules, it stands to reason the wells in this list will be the very first wells to receive permission to drill.

We’ve harvested the information for all of the “Intent to Issue” wells, looking up each latitude and longitude and translating it into a street address. We’ve also rearranged the information in an easier to scan and understand format. You won’t find this information anywhere else but on MDN…

Read More “Exclusive: First NY Marcellus Wells to be Drilled are Identified”
Crime | Industrywide Issues | Mahoning County | Ohio | Wastewater

Youngstown Shale Wastewater Dumper Faces Jail and Big Fines
February 15, 2013February 15, 2013

MDN has been tracking the story of Ben Lupo, owner of Hardrock Excavating and D&L Energy in Youngstown, OH. Lupo instructed an employee to repeatedly dump shale drilling wastewater into a storm drain that ended up in the Mahoning River. The Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources quickly shut down both Hardrock and D&L (see OH Company Dumping Frack Wastewater in Drain May Appeal Shut-Down). It was thought there was originally up to six dumping incidents and about 200,000 gallons of wastewater, but the Hardrock employee involved has confessed it was more like 20 dumping incidents. It represents a mind-boggling millions of gallons of wastewater literally down the drain.

In addition to having his companies shut down, Lupo now faces the prospect of jail time and huge fines. He’s facing federal criminal charges from the U.S. Attorney’s office for violating the Clean Water Act:

Read More “Youngstown Shale Wastewater Dumper Faces Jail and Big Fines”
EMG | Energy Companies | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | MarkWest Energy | Ohio | Pipelines | Processing Plants | Rex Energy | Statewide OH | Utica Shale

MarkWest Does Midstream Deal with Rex Energy in Utica Shale
February 15, 2013February 15, 2013

MarkWest Utica, a joint venture between MarkWest and EMG, announced today that they’ve signed up Rex Energy to provide pipeline gathering and processing services for Rex’s Utica Shale wells. Yesterday MDN told you about Rex’s big plans for the Marcellus and Utica Shale region (see Rex Energy Plans to Invest $200M on Marcellus/Utica Drilling in 2013). If you do a lot of new drilling, you’re going to need a way to get the gas to market. That’s what this deal does.

MarkWest says when their construction is done in 2014 they will have the largest processing and fractionation capacity in the entire Utica Shale. Here’s today’s announcement about their deal with Rex:

Read More “MarkWest Does Midstream Deal with Rex Energy in Utica Shale”
Aquatech | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Tioga County (PA) | Wastewater

PA DEP Issues Permit to Shale Wastewater Facility in Northern PA
February 15, 2013February 15, 2013

The Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) has granted a permit to Aquatech to operate a shale wastewater treatment facility in Tioga County, PA. The facility will treat and recycle wastewater from PA’s Marcellus Shale drilling operations, mostly located in the northeastern and north central parts of the state.

The announcement from Aquatech:

Read More “PA DEP Issues Permit to Shale Wastewater Facility in Northern PA”
Industrywide Issues | Pipelines

ShaleNavigator Mapping Service Adds Pipelines for ALL Shale Plays
February 15, 2013February 15, 2013

MDN partners with ShaleNavigator to produce the Marcellus and Utica Shale Databook—a 3-volume set of maps and commentary that shows where permits and drilling are happening, county by county, throughout the Marcellus and Utica Shale region. ShaleNavigator is a top-notch online mapping system that offers users the ability to zoom in and out and add various “layers” of detail—layers like “show me recent lease offers in a certain area” and “show me where compressor stations are located.” It is without a doubt the premier online mapping system for natural gas development.

Infrastructure is the story for 2013 when it comes to shale plays. Pipelines, compressor stations and processing plants are needed—and quickly—to get the enormous amount of gas that’s been drilled to market. ShaleNavigator is great at showing infrastructure. Pipelines in the Marcellus and Utica Shale have been one of the most-used layers in ShaleNavigator. Now, ShaleNavigator has added a new layer showing all major gas pipelines across the United States located in every shale play. Wow! This new feature is a Godsend for drillers, contractors, utilities, real estate people, abstractors, appraisers…the list goes on. ShaleNavigator offers a free 7-day trial, and the lowest subscription prices we’ve seen for this kind of service. Details below…

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Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, Feb 15, 2013
February 15, 2013February 15, 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: Fri, Feb 15, 2013”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Washington County

PA DEP Not Attending Hearing on Water Testing Near Shale Drilling
February 14, 2013February 14, 2013

PA State Rep. Jesse White, Democrat from Cecil, PA, is hosting a hearing next week in Western PA that will look at the state Dept. of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) policies in conducting water testing near shale drilling sites. The one organization that won’t be there? The DEP. They’re calling White’s hearing next week political theater, unproductive, unprofessional and a waste of time…

Read More “PA DEP Not Attending Hearing on Water Testing Near Shale Drilling”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

NY Frack Update: Cuomo Dithers, Landowners Mad, Lawyer Explains
February 14, 2013February 14, 2013

It’s painfully obvious the reason New York is not moving forward with hydraulic fracturing is because of its governor, Andrew Cuomo. He’s the man the New York Times says “is becoming Hamlet on the Shale,” meaning he’s dithering and indecisive. Not good qualities to have if you’re a political leader seeking the highest office in the country.

Yesterday, Cuomo continued his pathetic excuses about why there’s an ongoing delay with fracking in New York State. Also yesterday, the group representing 77,000 landowners with more than a million acres of land to lease fired back at the DEC’s latest delay. Plus, we have a bit more insight from a pro-fracking lawyer about Joe Martens’ mysterious statement of moving forward with permits even without new regulations. Read on…

Read More “NY Frack Update: Cuomo Dithers, Landowners Mad, Lawyer Explains”
Butler County | Energy Companies | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Rex Energy | Statewide OH

Rex Energy Plans to Invest $200M on Marcellus/Utica Drilling in 2013
February 14, 2013February 14, 2013

Rex Energy is planning to invest nearly $200 million on shale drilling in the Marcellus and Utica Shale in 2013. Around $107 million of that will be allocated for drilling in the Marcellus, in the Butler County, PA area, and about $85 million will be spent on Utica Shale drilling in Ohio. See a Rex presentation embedded below for full details of their 2013 drilling plans.

Here’s a rundown of their plans for Ohio’s Utica Shale from the Energy in Depth – Ohio website:

Read More “Rex Energy Plans to Invest $200M on Marcellus/Utica Drilling in 2013”
Air Quality | Bradford County | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Susquehanna County

Air Pollution Goes Up in Some PA Counties from Marcellus Drilling
February 14, 2013February 14, 2013

Yesterday MDN reported the story that air pollution in Pennsylvania overall has gone done significantly from 2008 to 2011 due to the increased use of Marcellus Shale gas now being mined and used (see “Thank You for Fracking” – Air Pollution Goes Down in PA). The reason air pollution has gone down is mainly due to the switch away from burning coal to burning natural gas.

However, closer analysis of the data (MDN has not been able to get a copy of the full report—yet) shows that in PA counties with a lot of shale drilling, certain kinds of air pollution went up during that period even though the state average went down. Why? Mainly because of (we’re guessing) the increased use of diesel engines used in the equipment operating at drill sites and from the large number of trucks coming and going to drill sites. Compressor plant emissions also contribute to the increase.

Read More “Air Pollution Goes Up in Some PA Counties from Marcellus Drilling”
Ohio | Statewide OH | Utica Shale

Ohio Utica Shale: Permits, Wells & Rig Count
February 14, 2013February 14, 2013

The numbers continue to increase for permits issued and wells drilled in the Ohio Utica Shale. The latest report from the Akron Beacon Journal, including the number of active drilling rigs in the Ohio Utica:

Read More “Ohio Utica Shale: Permits, Wells & Rig Count”
Appalachian Resins | Energy Services | Ethane | Industrywide Issues | Marshall County | Processing Plants | West Virginia

Coming to WV: The Little Ethane Cracker that Could
February 14, 2013February 14, 2013

On Monday, MDN reported the outlines of a deal from Appalachian Resins Inc. to bring a “small” ethane cracker plant to a location “south of Wheeling,” in West Virginia (see “Small” Ethane Cracker Plant Coming to Wheeling, WV). Although we don’t know the exact location yet, we do have a few more details on the rapidly-progressing deal, which looks more promising each day:

Read More “Coming to WV: The Little Ethane Cracker that Could”
Energy Companies | New York | Norse Energy | Statewide NY

Norse Energy: We’re Still Here, We Still Need Money & We Have Gas
February 14, 2013February 14, 2013

In a pair of press releases issued yesterday, the now bankrupt Norse Energy Corp. wanted to let the market know “we’re still here, we’re still looking for investors, and we’re still hanging on by a thread hoping that New York allows us to start drilling any time now.” That’s about the sum total of what was said.

If New York does begin to issue shale drilling permits (a really big “if”), Norse is likely to be one of the first companies to receive permission to drill because they are one of the first companies to file permit applications for drilling in the Marcellus/Utica in New York.

Read More “Norse Energy: We’re Still Here, We Still Need Money & We Have Gas”
Anadarko | Athens County | Encore Energy | Energy Companies | Guernsey County | Lease & Royalty Payments | Meigs County | Monroe County | Morgan County | Noble County | Ohio | Utica Shale | Washington County (OH)

Encore Energy to Anadarko: We’ve Got OH Land for You
February 14, 2013February 14, 2013

A for-profit company that pools acreage from both landowners that want to lease their land, and from energy companies with leases who want to re-sell those leases, is trying to get the attention of Anadarko and other drillers in the Ohio Utica Shale. Encore Energy issued a press release yesterday announcing they have land available for lease. They specifically tap Anadarko on the shoulder to tell them they have 1,300 Utica Shale acres “just 3 miles” from land they’re already drilling on in Washington County, OH.

Encore is shopping more than 18,000 acres across a number of Ohio counties, including Morgan, Washington, Noble, Guernsey, Monroe, Athens and Meigs. Here’s their “hey Anadarko, pay attention” press release:

Read More “Encore Energy to Anadarko: We’ve Got OH Land for You”
Accidents | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | MarkWest Energy | Soil | West Virginia | Wetzel County

MarkWest Fined for Soil Erosion/Creek Damage Near WV Plant
February 14, 2013February 14, 2013

MarkWest Energy has been slapped with a $306,000 fine by the West Virginia Dept. of Environmental Protection for polluting a small stream near its new Mobley processing plant in Wetzel County. The plant just went online in December (see MarkWest’s Mobley, WV Wet Gas Processing Plant Goes Online). During construction of the plant, the DEP says MarkWest’s work caused landslides of dirt, trees and other debris into a nearby creek.

MarkWest has agreed to pay the fine and “accepts responsibility” for the damage, yet they officially admit no wrongdoing under the proposed settlement order. Hmmm.

Read More “MarkWest Fined for Soil Erosion/Creek Damage Near WV Plant”