Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Thu, May 29, 2014

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

New York

Yogurt Dreams Fading? Time for Shale Gas?
Natural Gas Now/Cherie Messore
New York wants to be the yogurt capitol but it’s high-tax and over-the-top regulatory environment may be rendering that unrealistic for the long term. Meanwhile, why is shale gas getting short shrift?

Ohio

Ohio has 869 Utica wells drilled, 399 wells in production
Akron Beacon Journal
Ohio has approved 1,283 Utica shale permits, as of May 24. That includes 869 Utica wells that have been drilled and 399 wells that are in production, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Oil & Gas Resources Management. It says 41 rigs are working in Ohio. The 19 new permits are: Belmont County, two; Carroll County, two; Guernsey County, four; Harrison County, one; Monroe County, two; and Noble County, eight.

Pennsylvania

Century-old water driller’s new rigs walk into oil field service
Houston Chronicle Fuel Fix Blog
For much of its 114-year existence, Schramm [West Chester, PA] has built machines designed for mining and drilling water wells. But seizing on the boom in domestic energy development — and the demand for more efficiencies in the oil field — Schramm is designing sophisticated new rigs that take fewer truckloads to transport and then can move on their own power among tightly spaced well sites.

Montrose United Fire Company putting equipment to good use
Cabot Oil & Gas Well Said Blog
This year will mark the fourth year in a row that Cabot has made a $25,000 grant to first responders in Susquehanna County – bringing the total amount to $100,000. Montrose United Fire Company just sent us a letter about how their 2011 grant money for equipment has helped them to save lives.

Drilling permit fees to rise
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The price for a shale well permit in Pennsylvania is about to go up so the ranks of environmental regulators can grow. A proposal by the state Department of Environmental Protection to increase by around $1,800 the permit fee to drill an unconventional natural gas well is in the final review stages after it was approved by a regulatory oversight board this month.

National

PDC Energy: Significantly Undervalued And Ripe For A Takeover
Seeking Alpha
PDC Energy, Inc. is an independent oil and natural gas small cap (~$2.2 billion) company focused on achieving organic production growth by exploiting the Wattenberg Field and Utica shale. The company’s efforts at optimizing margins through efficient drilling operations and sound well management are yielding strong results. PDC has decided to prioritize liquids-rich production in the Wattenberg and Utica shale plays over dry-gas production in the Marcellus.

California fracking moratorium bill could add to sting of critical report
L.A. Biz
Lawmakers in the state Senate will decide this week on a law that would halt fracking in California until state government officials deem it safe – a move that could prevent the creation of some 195,000 jobs, according to figures provided by the oil industry.

Chevron Shareholders Reject Shale Disclosure Measure for Fifth Year
NGI’s Shale Daily
Chevron Corp. shareholders on Wednesday rejected for the fifth year in a row a proposal to disclose more information about unconventional drilling operations. A preliminary tally indicated that 72% voted against the stockholder proposal. Last year 69% voted against the measure (see Shale Daily, May 31, 2013).

The Myth of the Climate Change ‘97%’
Wall Street Journal
Last week Secretary of State John Kerry warned graduating students at Boston College of the “crippling consequences” of climate change. “Ninety-seven percent of the world’s scientists,” he added, “tell us this is urgent.” Where did Mr. Kerry get the 97% figure? Perhaps from his boss, President Obama, who tweeted on May 16 that “Ninety-seven percent of scientists agree: #climate change is real, man-made and dangerous.”

They Long to Be Close to You—Moving Marcellus/Utica Gas to the Southeast
RBN Energy
The southern half of the Eastern Seaboard is a logical market for the natural gas surplus that will be flowing out of the Marcellus/Utica in coming years. Annual gas consumption in the fast-growing Maryland-to-Florida region now tops 8.7 Bcf/d and is rising quickly, largely due to the ongoing shift from coal-fired to gas-fired power generation. The region is close to major gas production areas in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio, and already has Williams’ Transco mainline, the gas-transportation equivalent of an eight-lane highway, as well as other Trunkline interstate pipes running right through it.

Chamber Study Predicts Obama Climate Rule Will Kill Jobs
Bloomberg
The nation’s biggest business lobby says President Barack Obama’s plan to tackle climate change could cost the U.S. economy $50 billion a year. Supporters predict it will create jobs and lower power bills. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Natural Resources Defense Council are both releasing economic impact studies this week, signaling that the political battle over the president’s plan will be fought over dollars and cents.

Damage Award in Texas Fracking Case Raises Stakes in Air Quality Debate
Bloomberg
Between February 2010 and July 2011, Lisa and Bob Parr filed 13 complaints about air pollution from gas and oil operations near their ranch in Wise County, Texas. Sometimes they had trouble breathing, they told the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). They also experienced nausea, nosebleeds, ringing ears and rashes.

International

Canada infrastructure gains advantage for crude exports
Akron Beacon Journal
While the US ‘procrastinates’, Canada is taking concrete action to ensure its ability to increase crude exports into both the Atlantic and Pacific basins with the development of new pipelines, says an analyst with research and consulting firm GlobalData.