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JKLM Energy Accident Contaminates 5 PA Water Wells with Soap

Dawn dish soapIn February MDN told you about a deal signed by a hospital in Potter County, PA to lease 742.9 acres of hospital-owned land to JKLM Energy to drill Utica Shale wells (see Potter County, PA Hospital Leases Land to JKLM for Utica Drilling). Since that time, drilling under the property (and presumably under surrounding properties) has taken place. And, unfortunately, there was an accident. JKLM discovered that 55 gallons of soap (yes, soap) used to free a broken drill bit around 570 feet down the bore hole on Sept. 18 leaked into the water aquifer and migrated to five local water wells. No one is in danger. The soap is already heavily diluted and will soon disappear. There is no lasting damage. But the way the Harrisburg Patriot-News is covering it, you would think a chemical tanker had overturned irreparably polluting an entire town’s water supply. The way JKLM has responded has been exemplary, testing everything in sight, communicating with landowners and the hospital, issuing press releases with full details on a daily basis…
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Halliburton Laying Off Up to 20,000, More than 25% of Workforce

rumor millVery interesting development with Halliburton. As we previously reported, Halliburton is forcing Baker Hughes to the alter in a shotgun wedding/takeover (see Halliburton & Baker Hughes Vote to Approve Shotgun Wedding). Before the two can get hitched, regulators are forcing Halliburton to first sell certain assets (see Halliburton Shotgun Divorce – Forced to Sell Certain Divisions). The prime candidate to buy those assets was Weatherford. However, Weatherford just canceled a plan to raise $1 billion, presumably to be used to buy Halliburton’s cast-offs (see Oilfield Services Weatherford Flip Flops on Stock/Note Offering). Now we know why Weatherford wanted $1B–but the deal to buy Halliburton’s assets is now in doubt. Enter the latest news from Halliburton–that they’re about to lay off a massive 20,000 people–something like 25% of their workforce…
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AR “Baby” Cracker Plant in Monroe County, OH Put on Hold

on holdIn February 2013 MDN brought you news about plans from Appalachian Resins (AR) to build a polyethelene (PE) manufacturing plant complete with a “baby” ethane cracker. The original plan was to build it in the Wheeling, WV area. However, a year later the location shifted across the border to Monroe County, OH. As late as April of this year AR was still committed to the project (see Ohio “Baby Cracker” Plant Still a Go – 2018 Startup Date). Turns out commitment is a fickle thing when it comes to cracker plants–either baby or fully grown. AR recently revealed they have put their “baby cracker” plant project on hold. The leaders of AR say with both Shell and the PTT Global projects heating up, they don’t believe there will be enough talent in the region to build their project. Interestingly, the CEO of AR says he firmly believes the PTT Global project (a company based in Thailand) will get built–but not for the reason you might expect (i.e., economics)…
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Landowners’ Countersuit Against Martians Tossed by Obama Judge

miscarriage of justiceNOTE: MDN received a note from a subscriber (and lawyer) who has appeared before Judge Horan several times and believes our characterization is unfair and unwarranted. Indeed, the lawyer says Horan is “certainly not a radical” and has rendered industry-favorable decisions on several occasions. We appreciate it when subscribers take time to point out when our gut reaction, usually spot on, may not be. We want to be fair and not impugn someone’s reputation without cause.

Once again justice has been corrupted in a corrupt Pennsylvania court. It’s A.O.K. for four local residents (Martians) and two tax-exempt non-profit groups from the opposite side of the state to bring lawsuits to stop legal Marcellus drilling in Butler County, PA, costing Butler County taxpayers in excess of $35,000 in legal fees (see ACLU Asks County Judge to Toss Lawsuit Against Litigious Martians). The Martians have children in the Mars School District located 3/4 of a mile away from the proposed Rex Energy drilling site. Never mind other school districts in the state have allowed drilling ON CAMPUS. A dozen landowners in Middlesex and Adams Townships that want drilling to commence counter-sued the Martians and the Big Green groups for holding up a legal process (see Shoe Now on Other Foot: Landowners Sue Martian Anti-Drillers). Butler County Judge Marilyn J. Horan (Democrat) has tossed the landowners’ counter-suit out of the nearest ivory tower window. That’s “justice” for you in Butler County, PA. You may be interested to know that Judge Horan is a radical/activist judge, recently nominated by President Barack Hussein Obama to become a federal judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania–no doubt because of her radical views…
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XTO Files Motion to Dismiss Royalty Lawsuit in Butler County, PA

court gavelAn update on a royalty lawsuit we first reported in July. Two Butler County, PA landowners with a combined 245.7 acres of land leased to (and drilled by) XTO Energy have sued XTO claiming the company is breaking the lease agreement by paying royalties below 1/8 of what XTO receives in revenue for the gas (see PA Landowners Sue XTO Energy for Shorting Them on Royalties). The landowners hoped the case would become a class action lawsuit. Last week XTO’s lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, hoping to prevent it from becoming a class action…
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Analysts Say Marcellus/Utica 2016 Production Will Exceed 2015

crystal ballAnalysts with global investment firm Jeffries are out with a forecast for natural gas production next year, in 2016. Jeffries says while natural gas production in the Marcellus/Utica will slow next year, they are the only two plays in the entire country that Jeffries says will still grow in production year over year. However, overall the U.S. will produce slightly less gas in 2016 than we will have in 2015–with production estimated to decline by 0.8% (less than a single percentage point)…
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CoBank Report: US Natural Gas Outlook through 2020

supply demandCoBank, a national cooperative bank serving vital industries across rural America, has just published a study titled “U.S. Natural Gas Outlook through 2020: Demand Is the New Captain of the Ship” in which they predict the United States will become a net exporter of natural gas in 2017. While we don’t have a copy of the full report, we do have a summary below listing the key points in the report, along with a video…
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Adults Response: NH Town Negotiates NED Pipeline Route Change

behave like an adultOne New England town shows how to “do it right” when it comes to dealing with a big pipeline company like Kinder Morgan. As we’ve covered (endlessly), Kinder’s Northeast Energy Direct (NED) project will expand the mighty Tennessee Gas Pipeline to run across parts of Massachusetts and New Hampshire before terminating near Boston. Anti-fossil fuel nutters demand the project be canceled–sentencing New Englanders to obscenely high gas and electric rates forever. One town–Amherst, NH–had concerns about the route and worked with Kinder Morgan to get the pipeline shifted to a route that works for them. This is how adults behave…
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PA DEP Supports Fed EPA Effort to Control “Fugitive” Methane

fugitiveThe Obama Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be in Pittsburgh tomorrow to conduct a hearing into how they can illegally regulate oil and gas drilling through the back door of so-called “fugitive” methane emissions, which they claim are insanely high in shale plays like the Marcellus/Utica (announcement of EPA hearing). The PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP), headed by the PennFuture Secretary of the DEP, John Quigley, will be on hand to support the EPA’s illegal effort. The DEP is planning their own draconian regulations for controlling so-called “fugitive” methane emissions–even though it’s in the best interests of the industry to trap every last molecule of methane they can (it’s what they sell!) and even though year after year the industry gets better at doing it–virtually eliminating fugitive methane. Makes no difference–the heavy hammer of government is preparing to come down to make extracting natural gas more expensive and less profitable with senseless new regulations by Big Brother…
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Scranton Newspaper Wants State to Enshrine Pope’s Enviro Policies

church and stateThe Christ-less editorial board of the Scranton Times-Tribune has all of a sudden gotten the Catholic religion. The anti-drilling Dems who run the Times-Tribune are normally religion-free–but since Pope Francis visited Philly and mouthed words that he believes in the myth of man-made global warming, Pope Francis (regardless of his stance on issues like abortion) is the new patron saint of the Times-Tribune. They go so far in their latest editorial as to link Pope Francis and another Democrat saint–John Quigley, the PennFuture Secretary of the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection…
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Correcting Pope Francis’s Mistaken Utterances on the Environment

Pope Francis - No Fracking SupporterWe don’t like bashing Pope Francis–honest. We have a very healthy respect for the Catholic Church. But Pope Francis is a Marxist–and he’s pedaling Marxist dogma instead of Christian dogma and he needs to be called out for it. During the Pope’s visit to the U.S. this past week, mainstream liberal media went wall to wall with the visit–euphoric over his pronouncements on the environment and his belief in the fairy tale of man-made global warming. Pope Francis is a big hit with godless atheists in this country–which should tell you something. We spotted a refutation of the Pope’s misguided philosophies when it comes to dumping fossil fuels, offered by the bright minds at The Heartland Institute. We found their comments to be spot on and the best possible refutation and correction of the errors delivered by il Papa during his U.S. visit…
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Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Mon, Sep 28, 2015

best of the restThe “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading. In today’s lineup: Is fracking really banned in NY?; Murrysville stalled fracking ordinance; methane emanating from Clean Air Council; PA counties benefit from gas grant; shale gas revolution isn’t over yet; S&P cuts HH price outlook; and more!
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