Marcellus Drilling News

NY DEC: We’ll Have our Cake and Eat it Too

December 3, 2012December 3, 2012

Last week when the New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) filed for a 90-day extension to the rulemaking process for new fracking rules, the DEC issued a press statement to some media outlets (but still has not posted it on their website). A Gannett reporter provides us with the four paragraph statement, which contains several curious comments.

The following statement was made last week by DEC spokesperson Emily DeSantis:

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

Pro-, Anti-Drillers Comment on NY DEC Revised Fracking Rules

December 3, 2012December 3, 2012

Following the release of a revised set of “tweaked” drilling rules last week by the New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC), both sides of the drilling debate had observations about the revised rules. In general, some of the language was tightened, tweaked or expanded. In some cases rules were made more strict (on setbacks, for example). What do pro- and anti-drillers think of the DEC’s 90-day rule extension and the documents released as part of it?

Industrywide Issues | Lackawanna County | Pennsylvania | Trucking

Clarks Summit, PA Targets Marcellus Trucks for Violations

December 3, 2012December 3, 2012

Warning to Marcellus trucks passing through Clarks Summit, PA: The local police department is watching you. And if your truck has a taillight out or appears to be “sitting low,” you may well be pulled over and ticketed.

Halcon Resources to Perform Seismic Testing in Eastern OH

December 3, 2012December 3, 2012

Halcon Resources continues to step up its presence (and telegraph its intentions) with drilling in Trumbull and Mahoning counties, Ohio. The latest indicator that Halcon is serious about eastern OH? The presence of 25 workers seeking permission from landowners to take seismic readings in the area:

Ohio RR Company Signs Deal with Utica East to Ship NGLs

December 3, 2012December 3, 2012

Utica East Ohio Midstream’s new $900 million natural gas liquids (NGL) processing plant in Scio, Ohio is about to become connected—but not by pipelines alone. Genesee & Wyoming announced today that their subsidiary, Columbus & Ohio River Rail Road Company has signed a long-term agreement with Utica East to ship some 10,000 carloads of NGLs annually. The new NGL processing plant is due to go online in May 2013.

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Regulation | Statewide MD

MD Fracking Commission Casts First Vote – in 15 Months!

December 3, 2012December 3, 2012

Fifteen long months after it was created, Maryland’s Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Initiative Advisory Commission, set up by Gov. Martin O’Malley, has cast its first formal vote. The vote came in western Maryland at a regularly scheduled meeting of the group.

The vote by the Commission proposes four broad principles revolving around (surprise!) money. Maryland legislators are making noise about passing new laws concerning the future of drilling during the next legislative session (due to meet in January), and the Commission apparently wanted to get out in front of some of the ideas being tossed around with their opinion.

Allegheny County | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Research

CMU Researching Ways to Convert Shale Gas to Petrochemicals

December 3, 2012December 3, 2012

Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh is hard at work figuring out how to convert Marcellus Shale gas directly into “aromatic” chemical compounds used by chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturers. From a CMU press release:

Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio County | Supply Chain | West Virginia

New Welding Business Plugs in to the Marcellus Supply Chain

December 3, 2012December 3, 2012

More tales of small companies in the process of making it big by plugging in to the Marcellus and Utica Shale “supply chain.” This one is about a couple of welders (and friends) who have started a specialty welding company in Wheeling, WV:

Butler County | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines

PA Pipeliners Donate 1,100 Toys & Cash to Toys for Tots

December 3, 2012December 3, 2012

Local Marcellus Shale gas pipeliners in Sarver and Butler, PA (both union and non-union members) recently collected over 1,100 toys and $700 cash and donated it to the Toys for Tots organization. Toys for Tots, in case you are unfamiliar, each holiday season collects toys for needy children in the community where the toys are collected. It’s an outstanding organization run by the U.S. Marine Corps.

A press release and a few pictures are included below. The point of the release (and why is MDN covering it)? Many—perhaps most—of the pipeliners that donated toys and money are not residents of western PA. Contrary to negative news stories about “out of towners” who work for drilling and pipeline companies boozing it up and spreading venereal diseases and crime, these people (mostly men) are hard-working and have good hearts. The recent Toys for Tots campaign in western PA speaks volumes about the character of these men and women.

About MDN | Calendar

Calendar of Events for Dec 3-16, 2012 [Free]

December 3, 2012December 3, 2012

Below are upcoming events for this week and next.

Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Mon, Dec 3, 2012

December 3, 2012December 3, 2012

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