Marcellus Drilling News

NY Landowners Sue Inflection Energy over Force Majeure

February 20, 2012February 20, 2012

A group of 18 Tioga County, NY landowners have sued Inflection Energy to overturn Inflection’s “force majeure” claim to extend the lease on their collective 1,200 acres. A force majeure clause is written into most gas lease contracts. It means a driller can automatically extend the length of the lease if there are unforeseen events that hinder the terms of the contract—in this case commencement of drilling—from happening.

Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Susquehanna County

Where was PA’s Top Producing Marcellus Well in 2011? Dimock

February 20, 2012February 20, 2012

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection released new gas well production data on Friday for the second half of 2011. Gas production was up an aggressive 40 percent in the second half of the year. PA now produces more gas than they consume, making the state a net exporter of natural gas.

Carroll County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Utica Shale

Carroll County – The Center of Ohio’s Utica Shale Boom

February 20, 2012February 20, 2012

Carroll County, OH is at the center of Ohio’s Utica Shale drilling boom. There have been 127 drilling permits issued in Ohio to tap both oil and gas in the Utica and Marcellus Shales. One-third of those permits are for sites in Carroll County.

Commodity Price | Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Northeast PA Starting to Feel the Dry Gas Drilling Slowdown

February 20, 2012February 20, 2012

The decision by Chesapeake Energy and other drillers to reduce drilling in dry gas (methane only) areas and instead concentrate on wet gas (natural gas liquids) areas is already having an impact on Pennsylvania’s northeastern counties where drilling last year was extremely active. Rig counts are going down, and with them, the amount of drilling activity goes down. It ultimately impacts the local economy in those areas, as noted in a recent Scranton Times Tribune article.

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Steuben County

Wayne, NY Votes to Ban Fracking for One Year

February 20, 2012February 20, 2012

The Town of Wayne, in Steuben County, NY is the latest New York municipality to enact a legally questionable ban on horizontal hydraulic fracturing:

Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Lackawanna County | Pennsylvania

PA CareerLink Offers Free Training to Work in Drilling

February 20, 2012February 20, 2012

Pennsylvania CareerLink announced they are offering a training program for those interested in working as roustabouts in the shale gas drilling industry for free for 20 people. The four- to six-week training course normally costs $2,500.

Drilling Liquids Spill at Chevron Gas Well in SW PA

February 20, 2012February 20, 2012

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection reports it is investigating a spill of condensate at a gas well in Washington County, in the southwestern part of the state.

Kinder Morgan Officially Cancels OH NGL Pipeline Project

February 20, 2012February 20, 2012

MDN speculated a few weeks ago that a proposed 240-mile pipeline Kinder Morgan planned to build from West Virginia to Toledo, OH was dead (see this MDN story). Kinder Morgan has now officially said just that:

Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Mon, Feb 20, 2012

February 20, 2012February 20, 2012

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