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NY AG Schneiderman Shakes Down Anadarko & EOG Resources

The ShakedownNew York State’s out-of-control Attorney General, Eric “the anti-driller” Schneiderman, continues his out-of-control ways vis a vis shale drilling. It makes no difference that there is no shale drilling in New York State. Schneiderman continues to go after shale drilling in other states–abusing his office’s power to investigate the world of Wall Street. In what appears to us to be nothing more than smoke and mirrors, AG Schneiderman’s office on Friday announced he has reached an “agreement” with both Anadarko Petroleum and EOG Resources to disclose more information on the financial effects of regulation, litigation, and environmental impacts related to hydraulic fracturing. That is, Anadarko and EOG have volunteered to provide information about fracking that may cause their respective companies’ stock to take a hit. In other words, they’ve agreed to provide information to the public that they already provide to the public…
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DEP to DePasquale: Problems Fixed Years Ago, Where Have You Been?

The Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) is, once again, defending itself from baseless allegations from PA’s pro-wind (and anti-natural-gas) Attorney General, Eugene DePasquale (Democrat). As MDN readers know, DePasquale, upon taking office, set out to castigate and denigrate the fine men and women of the DEP by conducting a years long study of the department’s ancient history and then claiming the DEP wasn’t ready to handle the sudden onslaught of Marcellus drilling in the state–as if any department could have foreseen it (see Anti-Drilling PA Auditor General Criticizes DEP in “Report”). Immediately, former DEP secretary, Michael Krancer, identified gaping holes and inaccuracies in DePasquale’s “report” (see Former DEP Sec. Krancer Skewers Auditor General “Report”). Last week DePasquale participated in more Democrat theater designed to shake public confidence in a solid and professional organization, the DEP (see Sleazy: PA Dem Senators Use Unpublished “Study” to Smear Shale Drilling). The DEP said “enough” and called out DePasquale and his continued lies…
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Details on 4 Bids to Drill Under Ohio River in WV

As MDN recently reported, West Virginia solicited bids from drillers to drill under portions of the Ohio River in areas where the state owns land adjacent to the river and in areas where there is Marcellus and/or Utica Shale present. The state received four bids (see WV Receives 4 Bids to Drill Under the Ohio River). What we now have are the details of those bids…
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Harrison County Landowers Say Dominion Pipeline Offer is Too Low

Dominion wants to widen an existing right-of-way to build a 16.5 mile natural gas pipeline in Harrison County, OH. But according to landowners under whose property the pipeline would sit, Dominion is low-balling them–offering, literally pennies on the dollar. How much is the offer, and what’s the going rate to lease land for a 36″ pipeline in that area of Ohio?…
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Magnum Hunter Shops for New Loans to Pay Old Loans + New Slides

Magnum Hunter, a driller laser focused on the Marcellus and Utica Shale, announced today they are shopping for a couple of new loans in the amount of $390 million to, ah, pay off older loans of $256 million (and give it an extra $134 million of wiggle room for future drilling operations). They also released a new PowerPoint investor presentation with some interesting slides (below)…
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Maryland Risk Assessment for Shale Drilling Finds Little Risk

The Maryland Dept. of the Environment and the Dept. of Natural Resources–the two state agencies charged with researching and evaluating whether or not hydraulic fracturing in shale and tight formations in Maryland should be allowed–turned in an important report on Friday. The report is part of a years-long evaluation process that is, hopefully, nearing an end. We always made fun of Maryland as being “more dysfunctional than New York” when it comes to fracking. Guess what? New York is even more dysfunctional than Maryland! It’s now looking like Maryland may actually begin to frack before New York. The 241-page report released Friday is titled “Assessment of risks from unconventional gas well development in the Marcellus Shale of Western Maryland” (full copy below). In it the two departments break down the drilling process from beginning to end and assess risks, to people and the environment, at each stage of the process. The short version, which won’t make anti-drillers happy, is that shale drilling can be done safely–with minimal risks…
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Hearing on Range Yeager Impoundment/Water Contamination Continues

More from the ongoing hearing into the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection’s actions, or lack of actions, in determining a private water well 2,800 feel (half a mile) downhill from a Range Resources wastewater impoundment that was found to be leaky was fouled by that impoundment. We previously explained that in order for a lawsuit by the landowner Loren Kiskadden against Range for “contaminating” his water well to be valid, the DEP must reverse a previous finding that Range’s Yeager impoundment did not foul his well (see Did DEP Mishandle Range Wastewater Impoundment Investigation?). So one of the DEP’s investigators has been on the hot seat explaining his previous findings and reports…
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Opposition to Dominion SE Pipeline: Bulldozers & Salamanders

It was just a scant few months ago that Dominion first announced a new pipeline project to carry Marcellus and Utica Shale gas from West Virginia through Virginia and into North Carolina (see Dominion Announces 2 New Pipeline Projects from Marcellus/Utica). Eventually what was a single company building a $2 billion pipeline became four joint venture partners building a 550-mile, $5 billion pipeline with the name Atlantic Coast Pipeline (see Dominion Commits to Major New Marcellus/Utica Pipeline Project). Surveyors are in the field attempting to chart a path for the new pipeline, and some landowners are none too pleased at the prospect. One crotchety old geezer who lives near the fabled Walton’s Mountain area says he’ll lay down under a bulldozer if they show up on his land…
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Failed Drug Tests Continue to Keep Ohioans from Utica Shale Jobs

Back in January 2013 MDN brought you the story of why more Ohioans (instead of “foreigners,” as Gov. John Kasich calls them) don’t work in the flourishing Utica Shale industry (see Why More Ohioans Don’t Work in Utica Shale Industry? Drugs). As the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program executive director Rhonda Reda puts it, it’s not an “unemployment” issue, it’s an “unemployable” issue. Apparently it’s not getting any better. If anything, the drug problem is getting worse…
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