Marcellus Drilling News

Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Heinz Endowments Backs both Anti- and Pro-Drilling Sides
June 3, 2013

Yesterday the Associated Press published a story about the somewhat schizophrenic nature of the Heinz Endowments in funding both anti- and pro-drilling organizations. One person quoted in the story said Heinz is “hedging their bets”–like companies do in giving money to opponents in a political race–to curry favor with whichever one wins. Apparently Heinz, traditionally betting on the anti-drilling horse, has decided the pro-drilling horse may end up winning after all, which is something that distresses the ec0 groups. Heinz is spending money on pro-drillers, like the Center for Sustainable Shale Development (CSSD), that could be going to them. Boo hoo.

MDN was reading and enjoying this latest fair and balanced story from AP (an unusual occurrence), a story written by someone other than Mary Esch (an AP reporter we admire), when we happened across a quote in the story we quite liked–one that made the point that eco groups are selective in whom they criticize. Dang if it wasn’t a quote from MDN! 😉 The AP reporter quoted from our story Eco Groups Shun EDF over Membership in Sustainable Shale Center. Below is the AP story from yesterday, which we modestly recommend is well worth the read, even without the MDN quote…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Washington County

Washington, PA Victims Reject PA Rep White’s Faux Apology
June 3, 2013June 3, 2013

In a follow-up to last week’s revelation that anti-drilling PA State Rep. Jesse White used fake online IDs to smear some of his own pro-drilling constituents with vicious online comments, Pittsburgh TV station KDKA (a CBS affiliate) asked two of the people White smeared if they accept his non-apology apology (see How the Mighty Have Fallen: PA Rep White Admits Guilt, Not Sorry). Their response in a word? “No!” One them has a suggestion for White: Resign. (You can weigh in on the question of whether or not White should resign in the latest MDN poll, located on the right side of any page.)

Here’s the latest in this very sad saga:
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Energy Services | GreenHunter Resources | Industrywide Issues | Marshall County | Wastewater | West Virginia

GreenHunter Gives Tour to ‘Wheeling Water Warriors’
June 3, 2013June 3, 2013

Super hero capes waving in the breeze, the Wheeling Water Warriors entered the belly of the frackwater beast on Friday… Well OK, maybe it wasn’t quite that dramatic. A local anti-fossil fuel “group” (more like half a dozen people) opposed to a new frack wastewater treatment facility in Wheeling, WV, the “Wheeling Water Warriors” (yes that’s really what they’ve named themselves), went on a tour with GreenHunter Water, the company that wants to build said plant, on Friday. The Water Warriors along with members from city council toured the now abandoned 10.8 acre barge terminal that sits along the Ohio River in Wheeling that GreenHunter plans to convert into a water treatment facility and potentially barge some of the frackwater downriver to injection wells for disposal.

Kudos to GreenHunter for reaching out to the opposition. However, don’t for a minute think you’ll actually change their minds…
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Energy Companies | EQT Corp

EQT Analyst Presentation: EUR for Marcellus Wells Goes Up
June 3, 2013June 3, 2013

On Friday, EQT Corporation released updated numbers for their estimated ultimate recovery (EUR) rates in the Marcellus Shale, along with a new analyst presentation (full copy embedded below). EQT says the average well in southwest PA and WV will produce close to 10 billion cubic feet of natural gas per well over their lifetimes, while wells in central PA will produce around 6 1/2 billion cubic feet on average. The EUR numbers are up from previous estimates.

EQT owns 560,000 acres of leases in the Marcellus Shale on which they plan to drill >2,800 wells. Here’s the press release and analyst presentation:
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Energy Companies | Erie County | Pennsylvania | Utica Resources | Utica Shale

New Driller Targets Utica Shale in Erie County, PA
June 3, 2013June 3, 2013

When you’ve been following both the Marcellus and Utica Shale going on five years, you figure you’ve seen about every driller’s name out there that’s targeting one or both of the plays. And then a new name comes along you haven’t seen before. Such is the case with Utica Resources Inc., a newly formed company (formed in 2011) targeting natural gas and oil in the Utica Shale play. The company, and their first batch of drilling permits, are located in–Pennsylvania! Not Ohio. Although Utica Resources’ headquarters in Oil City (Erie County), PA shares a border with Ohio.

Utica Resources has just drilled their first test well in Erie County. The well will be fracked later this month…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Education | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Lehigh County | Pennsylvania

Allentown, PA Children Brainwashed Against Fracking
June 3, 2013June 3, 2013

It’s sick and it’s twisted: Brainwash school children against fracking so the next generation coming along will someday ban it. Oh, and while you’re at it, call it “art” and pretend you care more about the environment than anyone else. Foolish, sick, dumb. That’s what it really is.

Ignorance was on full display over the weekend in Allentown, PA as less than 50 people gathered (with media coverage of course) to act out skits about how fracking harms the environment and people. A group of local young (and old) “artists” from Allentown, with funding from Yoko Ono (who’s taste in art is decidedly pornographic), pimped and made fools of themselves for Ono’s anti-fossil fuel group:
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Economic Impact | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Sand/Proppant | Trumbull County | Utica Shale

Revamped Trumbull County, OH Rail Yard Coming for Utica Shale
June 3, 2013June 3, 2013

All aboard! The Ohio Commerce Center in Lordstown (Trumbull County), OH, once a World War II train yard, is quickly transforming into a modern rail transloading and warehouse facility to serve the Utica Shale. Using a $2 million grant from Ohio Jobs Ready, the revamped facility is in the process of getting a new 12,000-foot loop track that can handle the longest trains on the tracks today. The upgraded facility will be able to warehouse both sand (for fracking) and oil (from fracking), for shipment along the tracks…
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Ohio | Statewide OH | Utica Shale

Conference Speakers Bullish on Utica Shale’s Prospects
June 3, 2013June 3, 2013

Last week the 3rd Annual Utica & Marcellus NGL & Gas Markets 2013 event was held in Columbus, OH. The event was held just a few weeks after what some called disappointing results for Ohio’s 2012 production. However, disappointment was not the mood at the conference–far from it. Greg Davis, vice president of marketing at Range Resources, said the Ohio Utica Shale will be an international play–not just a small liquids play.

Tom Stewart, executive vice president of the Ohio Oil & Gas Association said the Utica is “in its infancy.” He also addressed the issue of Ohio’s oil prospects from the Utica…
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Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Mon, Jun 3, 2013
June 3, 2013June 5, 2013

The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading:
Read More “Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Mon, Jun 3, 2013”