| | |

3 PA Drilling Assoc. Warn Politicans: Don’t Pass Severance Tax

warning shotWith Pennsylvania Republicans starting to get weak knees on the issue of a potential sky high severance tax on top of already-high corporate state income taxes, PA’s three big shale drilling industry groups have sent a letter to key state politicians warning them (in flowery language) that if they pass a severance tax, drillers WILL shift their rigs and drilling to Ohio and West Virginia. The letter (copy embedded below) tells House Speaker Sam Smith and Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati and nine other legislators, with a copy of the letter also going to Gov. Corbett, PA better think twice and thrice before passing a severance tax…
Continue reading

| | |

PA Gov. Corbett’s Re-election in Doubt if Severance Tax Passes

Let’s speak very plainly. If Republican Gov. Tom Corbett signs a budget with a new high tax aimed at the drilling industry–he’s political toast. He will not win re-election and his political career will be over. Unfortunately it seems he is listening to the RINOs around him and his resolve is wavering. Don’t do it Tom. Don’t listen to them. The future of your state and this country is at stake…
Continue reading

| | | |

Scranton Newspapers “Me Too” Articles on Moxie Energy Power Plant

It’s not often that MDN “breaks news” as in we bring you the story first. But sometimes we do, as we did last Friday when we told you that Moxie Energy is in the hunt for a third Marcellus gas-fired electric generating plant project–this one in Luzerne County (see Moxie Energy in Hunt for Third Marcellus-Powered Electric Plant?). We spotted a very brief mention from a local Wilkes-Barre TV station and sketched out the story for you, providing the background and detail–connecting the dots no one else noticed. So it gives us great pleasure to point out that after we broke the story, both the Scranton Times-Tribune and the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader then picked it up…
Continue reading

| | | | |

Magnum Hunter JV Deal with EdgeMarc to Drill 1,080 Acres in OH

This morning Magnum Hunter Resources announced a new, small joint venture with EdgeMarc (EM Energy Ohio) to drill on and under 1,080 acres of Marcellus/Utica property in Washington County, OH. This is the third such smallish jv between Magnum Hunter and other companies to drill in either the Marcellus or Utica Shale…
Continue reading

| | | |

Carrizo Begins Drilling 2nd Utica Well – in Guernsey County, OH

Last week the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environment Protection slapped Carrizo Oil & Gas with a $192K fine (see PA DEP Fines Carrizo $192K for 2 Incidents in Wyoming County). Totally unrelated, but perhaps timed to soften that blow, Carrizo (the day before) released an update to say their spudder rig has arrived on site in Guernsey County, OH where the company will begin drilling its second Utica Shale well “shortly”…
Continue reading

| | | | | |

Bubblin’ Oil at Site of PDC Well Blowout in Morgan County, OH?

An update to a story we’ve tracked since early May. PDC Energy had begun drilling several Utica wells in Morgan County, OH when one of the wells had an accident and spilled drilling mud on the drill pad, overflowing off the pad (see PDC Accident: Drilling Mud Spills into Creek in Morgan County, OH). A quick investigation determined that the blowout preventer failed (see Blowout Preventer Failed at Morgan County, OH Utica Well Site). We have an update on that well and two other wells located on the same pad…
Continue reading

| | | | | |

OH Newspaper’s Sloppy Reporting on Drilling Workers/Problems

Local newspapers in drilling towns should know better, but sometimes reporters are either snookered, or they have an anti-drilling bent. We’re not sure which it is for The Marietta Times (Washington County, OH), but a recent article uses a so-called research report from the anti-drilling FracTracker that says when drilling comes to town so too does an increase in crime. And on that particular false premise the reporter hangs an entire article full of anecdotes and innuendo. Shame on The Marietta Times
Continue reading

| |

Accenture Report: Where’s the Next Big Non-US Shale Play?

Will shale drilling ever take off outside of the U.S. and Canada? And if it does, when will it take off, and where? Those are some of the questions answered by researchers at power-house consulting firm Accenture in a new report just released. Titled “International Development of Unconventional Resources: If, where and how fast?” (full copy embedded below), the report says that yes indeed shale drilling will take off in some locations in the next 5-10 years. In fact, the report, which covers shale basins in Argentina, Australia, China, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Kingdom, says one of those countries in particular may be the next big thing in shale. To find out which one, read on…
Continue reading

| |

4 Companies Merge to Form New Oilfield Services Firm

A new competitor for Halliburton and Baker Hughes? Maybe! Four oilfield services companies, some of which have operations in the Marcellus/Utica, have combined to form a new company. The four companies are: Northern States Completions, Tripoint LLC, CDK Perforating and Integrated Production Services Canada. The new company is called Nine Energy Service and is headquartered in Houston, TX. Why the unusual name Nine? It’s aspirational. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being perfect, they aspire to be a 9, which is about as good as you can get. Hence the name, which is kind of cool. Here’s the press release announcing the merger of the four into one with hopes of becoming a nine…
Continue reading

| |

When Enviros like Greenpeace Don’t Get Own Way, They Bully

When environmentalist wacko “non-governmental organizations” or NGOs like the odious Greenpeace don’t get their way, they resort to threats and intimidation. Kind like a “green” mafia. Recently the green bullies at Greenpeace International, World Wildlife Fund and the Center for International Environmental Law sent threat letters to the CEOs and board members of Exxon Mobil and other oil and gas companies to let them know that they personally–the people running those organizations–may be liable for non-existent global warming. That is, Greenpeace and others intend to launch lawsuits against individuals running the companies to force them–at the gunpoint of the courts–to do or not do the things the bullies want them to do…
Continue reading