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Cabot’s NE PA Wells “Some of the most productive on Earth”

Number 1The mainstream media catches up to MDN and other industry-focused publications–eventually. On October 14, 2013, MDN gave you the details for the top 10 most productive wells in the Marcellus Shale with respect to natural gas production. We told you eight of those top 10 are found in one northeastern Pennsylvania county–Susquehanna–and are drilled by the same driller: Cabot Oil & Gas (see PA’s Top 10 Marcellus Shale Wells – Full Details). A Wilkes-Barre newspaper has finally come along to also blow the trumpet about how productive Cabot has been in Susquehanna County. They too make the observation that Cabot’s natural gas wells may be “some of the most productive on Earth.” Indeed.

But this mainstream story also brings to light information MDN is sometimes asked and until now didn’t have a ready answer for: When it comes to Cabot in the Marcellus with “dry gas,” or companies like Gulfport in the Utica, very successful with “wet gas,” are they just lucky in hitting the “sweet spot”? Or are they smart about the geographies where they decide to lease and drill? Although luck plays a role, this article, in talking about Cabot’s work in the Marcellus, says they fully knew what they were doing when they leased up thousands of Susquehanna County acres. Forthwith, a really good story from a mainstream media source!…
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UC Study: OH Utica’s Most Drilled County – No Water Contamination

Results from a new scientific study of drinking water in the most drilled Utica Shale county in Ohio, Carroll County, were released last week at a meeting of Carroll Concerned Citizens (anti-drilling group). And what, pray tell, did the study, conducted by researchers at the University of Cincinnati find? “You have very good quality water. There’s no evidence of problems from drilling.”

Whoops, that story line won’t play well in the mainstream media! We thought that (like Mary and her little lamb) everywhere that drilling went, water problems were sure to follow. What happened to that nursery rhyme thinking? That’s right–it’s a fiction that’s debunked by study after study after study. The UC study is just one more in a long line that proves shale drilling doesn’t contaminate drinking water supplies…
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OH Utica Drilling Shifting from North to South, Gradually

Although the Ohio Utica Shale is still in its relative infancy (very early days yet) when it comes to figuring out where the best places to drill are located, the “sweet spot” is ever-so-gradually taking shape. Early on Chesapeake Energy guessed it was in the northern counties of eastern Ohio–particularly in Carroll and Columbiana counties. But in December 2012 they admitted they got it wrong (see Chesapeake Admits Misjudging Ohio Utica Sweet Spot). Gulfport seems to have dialed in on one of the more productive locations in the Utica–in Belmont and Harrison counties (see Gulfport’s New Record-Breaking Well in Belmont Cnty – 30.3 Mmcf/d).

In fact, Belmont County now has 50 permits to drill. That may seem small compared to 339 permits in Carroll County, but as we said, ever-so-gradually the focus on drilling seems to be shifting south in Ohio. An update…
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PA’s Roads Vastly Improved – Thanks to Marcellus Drilling

The new president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, Dave Spigelmyer, has hit the ground running. He’s making the rounds (recently in Scranton, see Cabot’s Big CNG Celebration at Johnson College in Scranton, PA). Now, he’s hitting the editorial pages of major state newspapers, like the Harrisburg Patriot-News.

In an editorial published yesterday, Spigelmyer makes a strong case for the enormous positive impact shale drilling has had on the state’s infrastructure–roads in particular. He points out over the past several years Marcellus drillers have spent 3/4 of a billion dollars to improve PA’s roadways. That’s money that didn’t come out of taxpayers’ pockets. And in addition to now $400+ million raised from an impact fee/tax, another $1.8 billion has flowed in to local and state coffers from taxes on Marcellus-related activities. It’s hard to overstate the huge economic impact the drilling industry has had in PA…
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Latest Shale M&A Mania to Hit Ohio…Banks?!

It doesn’t surprise when we hear about mergers and acquisitions (M&As) between “producers” (i.e. drillers) in the Marcellus and Utica Shale–for example the recent purchase of Oxford Oil by Eclipse Resources (see Eclipse Resources buys Oxford Oil, Adds Another 49K Utica Acres). Nor does it surprise when we hear about M&As between midstream–pipeline and processing plants–companies (see Crestwood/Inergy Complete Their Merger Today, Worth $8B).

However, what may surprise you is to hear that the Marcellus/Utica is also driving an increase of M&As among banks–particularly in eastern Ohio…
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TU: If You Can’t Beat Shale Drillers, Try a New Lie

An interesting twist. Apparently the devout anti-drilling group Trout Unlimited has at least one leader and one chapter that isn’t quite so anti-drilling. Either that or they’re trying a new tactic: bald-faced lying (wouldn’t be the first time).

At a local Penns Creek chapter meeting of TU in Lewistown, PA, Paula Piatt, a “sportsmen organizer” for the group said she doesn’t want to tell landowners not to lease and not to drill–well, she really does want to tell them that, but she isn’t, not right now anyway. No, what she does want to tell them is this is how you should drill. To which we say, the utter arrogance of these people….
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Cuomo Continues to Stall on Fracking in NY, Decision by Nov 2014

In case you missed it, Gov. Andrew “the ditherer” Cuomo was asked the day after the November election by Binghamton reporter Bob Joseph (WNBF Radio) if he expects to make a decision on fracking before next November’s election. And Cuomo said, “Yes, I do.” Meaning, “Yes, I expect to make a decision, but I’ll hedge my bets and delay that decision as long as I can” (our words, but his real meaning).

Real presidential leadership by our fearless governor, wouldn’t you say? What a waste of a politician. No different than his prevaricating father Mario…
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PA Dems Continue to Beat the “Tax & Regulate Marcellus” Drum

Here’s not a surprise: The eight (or ten or twelve) Democrats who have announced they’re running against incumbent Republican PA Gov. Tom Corbett next year want to more than double the taxes on Marcellus Shale drilling and slap super-strict and unnecessary new regulations on drilling. Ever hear of an elected Democrat who wasn’t in love with taking YOUR money and giving it to other people? Or an elected Democrat who doesn’t love micromanaging your life for you–telling you what you can and can’t eat, drink, smoke, do? (Everything except sex–you can have all the risky sex you want.) No, we haven’t either, which is why we NEVER vote for them. EVER.

We won’t make this an anti-Democrat diatribe–MDN has lots of Dem subscribers (and friends) and we appreciate them all–and we hear from them when we make these kinds of comments. 🙂 Have no fear–we will not cover the upcoming PA governor’s race ad nauseam. However, every now and again we’ll bring you an illustrative story of the PA governor’s race just to remind you of the philosophical Grand Canyon that exists between those who truly support drilling and those who would, by intent or ignorance, crush it with ill-advised over-tax and over-regulate policies…
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