Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, Jun 7, 2013
The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading:
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Chesapeake Sells Utica Leases in Columbiana County, OH to Hilcorp
A great piece of investigative journalism from the Youngstown Business Journal has found that Chesapeake Energy, the largest leaseholder in the Utica Shale, transferred nearly 1,100 leases (representing tens of thousands of acres) in Columbiana County, OH to Hilcorp earlier this year. No announcements of any kind from either Chesapeake or Hilcorp about the deal. Which is interesting, because not long after the deal was signed, sealed and delivered, Chesapeake on an earnings call singled out Columbiana as one of two Utica counties that they are committed to (see Chesapeake Earnings Call Highlights Utica Results in 2 OH Counties).
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Oneida County | Regulation
Utica, NY Bans Shale Drilling in the Utica (and Marcellus)
It seems life in New York State is full of irony. The Marcellus Shale is named after the town of Marcellus, NY, where there is an outcropping of shale at ground level and the reason that particular shale layer was so-named. A while back the Town of Marcellus banned shale drilling. In like manner, the Utica Shale is named for Utica, NY. Tuesday night, the City of Utica Common Council banned drilling and fracking within city limits. Not that it would happen there anyway–but still, Et tu, Brute?
We find this brief reference on the blog site of the local Utica newspaper:
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Belmont County | Carroll County | Columbiana County | Harrison County | Ohio | Statewide OH | Utica Shale | Washington County (OH)
Latest OH Utica Permit Numbers, Rig Count Discrepancy
As of June 1, Ohio has issued 693 Utica Shale drilling permits. Of the permits now issued, 339 (about half) of the wells have been drilled. Of the half now drilled, Utica has 102 wells (almost one-third) now online and producing natural gas, gas liquids and oil. According to the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR), there are currently 37 drilling rigs operating in the Utica Shale. That number is different from the Baker Hughes weekly tracking number which reports for the last week of May there were 32 active rotary rigs in Ohio. Why the difference? We don’t know. (We’ve included the Baker Hughes monthly averages in a handy chart below for OH, PA and WV.)
During the week of May 26 – June 1, the ODNR issued 18 new permits, most of them to the usual suspects. Here’s where the permits were issued, and the companies that received them:
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Doddridge County | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | MarkWest Energy | Pipelines | Summit Midstream | West Virginia
MarkWest Sells Doddridge County, WV Pipeline System to Raise Cash
From the “hmm, that’s interesting” department: MarkWest Energy Partners yesterday announced they have sold their pipeline gathering system (but not their gas processing plant) in Doddridge County, WV to Summit Midstream Partners for $210 million in cash. MarkWest is the largest midstream company in the Marcellus and is quickly becoming the largest in the Utica as well. MDN previously reported on funding shortages for some of MarkWest’s projects in the Utica, a situation which we thought had been resolved in February (see MarkWest: We Just Banked $450M from EMG, Another $2.8B Available). Perhaps it was not resolved. This latest sale sure seems like MarkWest is trying to raise more money to keep some of their new projects afloat…
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Energy Companies | Lease & Royalty Payments | Olympus/Huntley & Huntley | Pennsylvania | Westmoreland County
Conventional Driller Eyes Marcellus Under Murrysville, PA Park
A privately-held, small conventional driller from southwestern PA near Pittsburgh, Huntley & Huntley, wants to begin drilling unconventional wells that target the Marcellus Shale. They’ve chosen Westmoreland County, PA as the place to do it. Huntley & Huntley has already leased land surrounding the Murrysville Community Park and now wants to lease the 305-acre park too. They plan to set up drill pads outside of the park, on adjoining land, and drill under the park.
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Fayette County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation
Perry Twp Anti-Driller Trots Out Same Old Lies about Drilling
A local anti-drilling, anti-fossil fuel resident of Perry Township (Fayette County), PA asked the town board on Tuesday to institute a five-year drilling moratorium in the town. A quick check of the Marcellus and Utica Shale Databook 2013 (Vol. 1) shows no permits issued in Perry for drilling for the first four months of 2013, although a few permits were issued in neighboring towns. The anti-driller used the old, worn-out fear tactics of cancer-causing sand and chemicals (run for the hills!) to try and convince town officials into acting unwisely…
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Anti-Drilling Group Tries to Connect Harch to Radioactive Issue
Unfortunately when someone from “our side” violates the public trust as happened with yesterday’s revelation that Harch Environmental Resources had been caught dumping frack wastewater on the ground in Ohio (see Another OH Company Shut Down for Illegal Frack Wastewater Dumping), it gives the irrational anti-fossil fuel opposition ammunition. The pro-fracking side is held to a standard of near-perfection, while the other side plays fast and loose with facts, truth and lies.
So it was no surprise to MDN that the odious and misnamed organization Food & Water Watch (FWW) issued a statement yesterday calling for…we’re not quite sure. Less regulation? More regulation? Hard to tell with that bunch what they really mean/want…
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Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Thu, Jun 6, 2013
The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading:
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Belmont County | Crime | Energy Companies | Gulfport Energy | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Wastewater
Another OH Company Shut Down for Illegal Frack Wastewater Dumping
Yesterday the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) shut down St. Clairsville (Belmont County), OH company Harch Environmental Resources saying the company was caught illegally dumping fracking wastewater on the ground in Ohio. ODNR also rapped Gulfport Energy on the knuckles but good as well. Gulfport used Harch but, according to ODNR, “failed to meet its responsibility to monitor” frack wastewater from cradle to grave. Both Harch and Gulfport are now being investigated by Ohio’s attorney general for civil and criminal charges.The notice issued yesterday from ODNR:
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PA Judge Rules on When Drilling “Begins” & Extends a Lease
An important question for PA landowners whose leases are set to expire soon: When, exactly, does the law consider a driller has begun drilling? Sometimes drillers will do the bare miniumum to prepare a site without doing any actual drilling and declare they’ve met their lease obligation, and those very basic actions reset the clock, giving the driller more time (sometimes years) to actually drill the well. Such was the case with Range Resources and Good Will Hunting Club in southwestern PA. Last week a district court judge ruled and said the drill bit doesn’t have to touch the ground for drilling to have “commenced”…
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Energy Services | GreenHunter Resources | Industrywide Issues | Marshall County | Wastewater | West Virginia
Wheeling Councilwoman Softens Stand Against Frack Wastewater Plant
When anti-drillers shut up and actually listen, they tend to learn things. Case in point: The recent tour given by GreenHunter Water of their proposed frack wastewater recycling plant along the Ohio River in Wheeling, WV (see GreenHunter Gives Tour to ‘Wheeling Water Warriors’) seems to have softened the opposition of at least one anti-drilling Wheeling City Council member–Gloria Delbrugge. After touring the proposed plant and getting answers to her questions, Delbrugge said: “It was interesting. … I’m still not sure how I feel about it. I learned a lot more that I didn’t know.” That’s quite a change in attitude from just two months ago (see Wheeling Councilwoman Vows to Prevent Frack Water Treatment Plant).
So perhaps it was “mission accomplished” with Ms. Delbrugge. As for the obtuse “Wheeling Water Warriors,” it seems their mouths remain opened and their minds remain closed…
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OH Gov. Kasich Goes Foreigner-Hunting in Strasburg
Never mind that under Barack H. Obama illegal aliens continue to pour across an unprotected border along Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California (new Democrat voters streaming across to assist in the next election). Ohio Gov. John Kasich has far more important work to do in personally securing Ohio’s borders by investigating “foreigners” (i.e. American citizens) from exotic locations like Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and yes, Texas who come to Ohio to operate oil and gas drilling equipment. Kasich is on a mission to keep them out! (See OH Gov. Kasich Continues Trash Talk Out-of-State Workers.)
Kasich’s latest excursion in foreigner-hunting led him to Strasburg (Tuscarawas County), Ohio, to Schlumberger–pronounced shlum-bur-zhay, kinda Frenchy soundin’ y’know. Inquiring minds want to know… Did Kasich find any foreigners working there?
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Energy Companies | EQT Corp | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Seismic Testing | Washington County
Siesmic Testing, Drilling (?) Coming to New Eagle, PA
Some thumping and bumping is coming to New Eagle (Washington County), PA. EQT presented plans last night at a council meeting to conduct seismic testing in the borough in late August/early September. Seismic testing, depending on what it finds, usually precedes drilling…
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Antero Resources | Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Gulfport Energy | Ohio | Statewide OH | Utica Shale
Utica Shale Potpourri: Gulfport, Chesapeake, Antero & More…
The Akron Beacon Journal‘s Bob Downing does a great job, as usual, of jamming a lot of useful facts and figures into a single article. He posted a story on Monday that we would call “Utica Shale potpourri”…a round-up of interesting tidbits from the world of Utica Shale drilling from recent analyst and investor phone calls.
Here’s Bob’s latest information feast!…
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EV Energy Partners’ Extensive Utica Shale Investment
As part of a larger story on investors website Seeking Alpha about EV Energy Partners, we get this interesting update about EV’s investments in drilling, midstream and even royalty investments in the Utica Shale:
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