Marcellus Drilling News

Bill Extending NY Fracking Moratorium Hits Assembly Today

January 18, 2012January 18, 2012

canon shot New legislation will be introduced in the New York Assembly today to extend the moratorium on fracking in New York State until either June, or “the end of” 2013, depending on the news source. MDN previously warned that this was coming (see this MDN story).

The bill will be introduced in the Assembly by Robert Sweeney, and likely will be introduced into the Senate by Greg Ball.

Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues

Shale Gas Leads to 50% Drop in Wholesale Electricity Prices

January 18, 2012January 18, 2012

An article in Bloomberg Businessweek takes a look at the profound impact shale gas is having on the cost of energy in the United States. One of the biggest eye-poppers in the article: The average price of wholesale electricity has dropped 50 percent on average since 2008. Why? Because electrical generating plants are switching from other forms of producing electricity to using natural gas to produce electricity.

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Pastor Claims Bible Says ‘Thou Shalt Not Frack’

January 18, 2012January 18, 2012

The following brief is purely for your entertainment purposes, to illustrate how loony the anti-drilling opposition can get. Yesterday, at a rally in Harrisburg, PA to protest new Marcellus Shale drilling legislation, a Lutheran pastor laid claim that the Bible says we shouldn’t frack.

Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Statewide PA

Range Resources Doubles PA Marcellus Output in 2011

January 18, 2012January 18, 2012

Range Resources, one of the largest drillers in the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania, just posted year-end results and said that despite selling their Barnett Shale acreage, 2011 was the eighth consecutive year of double-digit gains for the company. In the Marcellus, Range doubled their output from 2010 levels.

Energy Companies | Enerplus | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Enerplus Allocates 24% of 2012 Capital Budget to Marcellus

January 18, 2012January 18, 2012

Enerplus Corp. , a Calgary-based oil and gas producer, has approved an $800 million capital spending program for 2012 the company expects will help boost production 10 percent. Of that $800 million, Enerplus will spend $190 million (24 percent) in the Marcellus Shale, focused primarily on drilling to delineate and retain leases. The target is to drill 20 Marcellus wells in 2012, with 18 of those wells coming on-stream by the end of the year. They plan to nearly triple their Marcellus production from 25 mmcf/d (million cubic feet per day) now to 70 mmcf/d by the end of the year.

Exporting | Industrywide Issues

Details on Proposed LNG Export Facility in Texas

January 18, 2012January 18, 2012

More details have become known about a proposed new liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporting facility to be built by Gulf Coast LNG Export. The facility, if approved by the U.S. Department of Energy, would be the country’s largest LNG exporting facility, exporting some 2.8 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day to other countries.

Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Wed, Jan 18, 2012

January 18, 2012January 18, 2012

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