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After 6+ Years, Andrew Cuomo Bans Fracking in New York

Andrew Cuomo dunceYesterday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo held a rare cabinet meeting to discuss a variety of issues. The main focus of the meeting, however, was to announce Cuomo’s decision to ban fracking in New York. NY State Dept. of Health Howard Zucker presented his agency’s “review” of so-called impacts of fracking on public health. The entire charade was well-scripted to insulate Cuomo from the decision to ban fracking in the state, making it seem as if “science” has determined fracking is not safe. Zucker recounted the process his agency pursued in reviewing available studies and evidence of the possible affects of shale drilling on those who live near it. Zucker’s repeated claim was that there is not enough evidence, not enough “gold standard” studies thus far, to prove that fracking is not a health risk. Zucker intentionally chose prove a negative, which is a logical fallacy (you can’t prove a negative). Immediately following Zucker’s dog and pony show, NY Commissioner for the Dept. of Environmental Conservation, Joe Martens, said a) with all of the town bans happening, fracking would only be allowed in maybe 30% of the state, that the economic benefits are far less than originally thought, and b) given Zucker’s findings that fracking may not be safe, he (Martens) would close out the draft regulations, known as the SGEIS, and that he (Martens) would not allow fracking for the foreseeable future. Cuomo pretentiously said, “I don’t even think I have a role here.” Below we have the “report” from Zucker, a video of the cabinet meeting, and reaction to this carefully scripted and choreographed decision…
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How Did We Lose in New York, and How Can We Win it Back?

So how did we end up with a ban on fracking in New York? Largely through repeated lies by people who hate fossil fuels. Mind you, those same people refuse to stop using the fossil fuels they say are causing an environmental holocaust. They refuse to turn in their cars for a horse and buggy. They refuse to heat with solar or wind (or wood). They refuse to turn off their gas stoves. They love the low priced natural gas coming from Pennsylvania and elsewhere. But they demand their neighbors not be allowed to access the gas under their land. Go figure. MDN spotted a brag-piece (one of many) that chronicles how a bunch of ragtag hippies got Andrew Cuomo to ban fracking. It is an instructive piece, one that we can learn from…
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Antis to Take Frack Ban Campaigns National with NY “Success”

Never ones to let a good disaster go to waste, the odious nutters at Food & Water Watch, a rabidly leftist, anti-drilling organization, are attempting to use the ill-fated decision in New York to ban fracking to try and counter Maryland’s recent decision to allow fracking. You see, Maryland government organizations evaluated fracking just like New York government organizations did–but Maryland’s officials came to a different conclusion. They concluded fracking CAN be done safely. Which doesn’t sit well with the nutters at FWW. So they’ve jumped on the NY decision and are trying to spin it like crazy to pressure Maryland into rethinking its decision to allow fracking…
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CBO Report: Enormous Positive Impacts of US Shale

While Andrew Cuomo and his buddies were busy banning fracking in New York, the Congressional Budget Office (certainly no bastion of conservatism) issued a report on fracking. The new report, titled “The Economic and Budgetary Effects of Producing Oil and Natural Gas From Shale” (full copy embedded below) says we now get 30% of our oil and 40% of our natural gas from home-grown American shale. The report says without safe, clean, fracked American shale, our natural gas prices would be 70% higher than they are. Do you like those low gasoline prices we’ve seen lately? That’s because of American-produced oil from shale deposits. The enormous amount of supply from right here at home is flooding the market and causing prices to drop like a rock. If Cuomo & co had their way, all fracking across the country would stop tomorrow. Dangerously stupid is about the only thing we can think of to say to the strange attitude being exhibited by New York’s so-called leaders. Here’s a high level overview of the CBO study, followed by a full copy of the study…
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McClendon Deal Last June was HG Energy’s OH Utica Acreage/Wells

Columbus Business First is reporting that during this past summer’s wheeling and dealing by Aubrey McClendon and his American Energy Partners (see McClendon Buys 48K WV Marcellus Acres, 27K More OH Utica Acres), McClendon picked up HG Energy’s Ohio Utica Shale acreage–all 27,000 acres–along with HG’s already-drilled Utica Shale wells (in the June announcement HG was simply referred to as “an unnamed private company”). HG Energy has now fully exited the Utica Shale. Oh! Two of the HG wells purchased by McClendon as part of that deal were in the top 10 most productive wells in the state for 3Q14. Yet another smart move by Aubrey…
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EnLink Launches 1 Month Open Season for ORV Condensate Pipeline

In August, MDN told you about EnLink Midstream’s newly planned condensate pipeline. The Ohio River Valley (ORV) Pipeline, as it’s called, will connect to EnLink’s existing 200-mile pipeline in eastern Ohio and West Virginia, providing drillers in the region access to markets through EnLink’s Bells Run barge facility and Black Run rail terminal (see EnLink Midstream Announces New Condensate Pipeline in ORV). The OVR Pipeline, expected to be completed in the second half of 2015, will have an initial capacity of approximately 50,000 barrels per day (bpd). Yesterday EnLink announced a binding open season for the pipeline–the time when drillers and other customers can sign up to reserve capacity on the new pipeline…
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