Marcellus Drilling News

Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Crestwood Midstream | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | New York | Schuyler County

Josh Fox Among 21 Arrested at Crestwood Facility in Upstate NY
May 15, 2015May 15, 2015

Thank God we get some comic relief every now and again by the bizarre antics of anti-drillers. Covering the miracle of wholesome, safe and good hydraulic fracturing and the many benefits to society of natural gas is rewarding, but what makes it fun is to point out the hypocrisy and stupid behavior of those who oppose it. On Wednesday a group of mostly old upstate NY hippies staged yet another protest and illegally blocked the entrance of the future underground propane storage facility near Watkins Glen, NY owned and operated by Crestwood Midstream. Getting arrested in front of the Seneca Lake facility to gain media attention is a regular occurrence (see 10 Antis Arrested for Blocking Crestwood Facility at Seneca Lake and NY Protesters Arrested for Blocking NatGas Storage Facility). On Wednesday, the largest number of protesters illegally blocking the facility–a veritable mob–was arrested. There were 21 arrests in all. Among them was Gasland mockumentary maker and minor celebrity Josh Fox…
Read More “Josh Fox Among 21 Arrested at Crestwood Facility in Upstate NY”
Beaver County | Energy Companies | Ethane | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Processing Plants | Shell

More Signs Shell is Close to Decision on PA Ethane Cracker Plant
May 15, 2015May 15, 2015

More signs that Shell is much closer to a decision on whether or not it will build an ethane cracker plant in Monaca (Beaver County), PA. An executive vice president with Shell Chemicals, speaking off-script at an event in Germany, said the company expects to make a decision “soon.” After that an official Shell spokesman, speaking on-script, came along to clean up the EVP’s poopy mess and said there is no timeline on a decision. Another positive sign, according to the EVP, is that the front-end engineering and design study on the project has been completed. But according to the spokesman, even though the study is done, there are “still hurdles” before making such a large investment decision. So it’s a tit for tat, back and forth. Our take: even though we’re suffering from cracker fatigue, we continue to be hopeful that Shell will be the first of those to announce a possible cracker to actually pull the trigger and build it…
Read More “More Signs Shell is Close to Decision on PA Ethane Cracker Plant”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

Reaction from Both Sides to NY Release of No-Frack Regulations
May 15, 2015May 15, 2015

The New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has just published their Final Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (FSGEIS), the rules and regulations document that would govern fracking in the Empire State, should it ever be allowed by the Democratic dictatorship of Andrew Cuomo and his underling DEC Commissioner Joe Martens. As we pointed out yesterday, the final act will come in a few weeks (or months) when Martens issues a “Findings statement” that will essentially say fracking is just too risky to attempt for now (see NY Releases Final Fracking Rules – Don’t Get Your Hopes Up). We have reaction to the release the FSGEIS from two representative groups–the Joint Landowners Coalition of New York (JLCNY), which fights for landowners and their Constitutional property rights–and Earthjustice, an anti-fossil fuel group that fights against freedom and property rights and for the tyranny of big government…
Read More “Reaction from Both Sides to NY Release of No-Frack Regulations”
Industrywide Issues | New York | Pipelines | Statewide NY | Supply Chain

CA Co Gets Compressor Turbine Orders for Shale Gas in NY
May 15, 2015May 15, 2015

California company Capstone Turbine Corporation, on the left coast, recently received a new order for two new compressor stations from the right coast–from the Marcellus and Utica Shale to be exact. In a delicious case of irony, a “shale customer” is “using Capstone to provide two new compressor station facilities in the state of New York.” Even though NY just released regulations that won’t allow fracking. Obviously it’s for pipelines that will flow Marcellus Shale gas from PA through the state. Here’s the announcement from Capstone…
Read More “CA Co Gets Compressor Turbine Orders for Shale Gas in NY”
Energy Services | Seventy Seven Energy

Seventy Seven Energy Secures $100M Loan to Keep on Drillin’
May 15, 2015May 15, 2015

As we told you last week, Seventy Seven Energy–an oilfield services company with major operations in the northeast, the old Chesapeake Oilfield Operating division of Chesapeake–spun off into its own company on July 1, 2014–continues to operate in the red (see Seventy Seven Energy 1Q15: Red Ink Continues to Flow Heavy). The company has just secured a $100 million loan which, according to CEO Jerry Winchester, “strengthens our liquidity” and “provides us a greater ability to take advantage of opportunities that may arise to enhance shareholder value.” In other words, it allows them to keep the doors open…
Read More “Seventy Seven Energy Secures $100M Loan to Keep on Drillin’”
CNG/LNG | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | UGI Energy Services | Wyoming County (PA)

UGI Building LNG Plant in NEPA, Local Marcellus Gas to Feed It
May 15, 2015May 15, 2015

We think this is very cool, and forward looking. UGI Energy Services, a subsidiary of northeast PA utility giant UGI Corporation, announced yesterday they will spend $60 million to build a new LNG production plant in Wyoming County, PA (northeast part of the state). The facility will liquefy locally produced Marcellus Shale gas–with a capacity of up to 120,000 gallons of LNG per day. There will also be a storage facility on site. UGI says the market for LNG is rapidly growing. Not only do trucking fleets, like UPS, use it, but drillers use it to power rigs and industrial plants use it in locations where there are no natural gas pipelines. UGI sees a rosy future for LNG in northeast PA…
Read More “UGI Building LNG Plant in NEPA, Local Marcellus Gas to Feed It”
Upper Devonian Shale

Upper Devonian Shale: Utica/Marcellus’ “Little Brother”
May 15, 2015May 15, 2015

The third shale play in the northeast–or more accurate the Appalachian region–is often referred to as the Upper Devonian layer. An article in Ohio Gas & Oil Magazine calls it “the little brother to Utica & Marcellus.” An apt description. The article is full of interesting facts. Fact #1: the more accurate name is the Burket/Geneseo Shale. Fact #2: 85 horizontal shale wells have now been drilled in the Burket/Geneseo. Fact #3: Early indicators are that Burket/Geneseo wells are not nearly as productive as Utica and Marcellus wells, but since the layer is stacked over top of the other two, why not drill it too? Here’s a few more interesting pickings about the Utica/Marcellus’ little brother…
Read More “Upper Devonian Shale: Utica/Marcellus’ “Little Brother””
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

StateImpact Targets Philly Mayoral Candidate for “Ties” to Marcellus
May 15, 2015May 15, 2015

The anti-drilling StateImpact Pennsylvania, an initiative of taxpayer-funded PBS, recently published an “expose” on the race for Philadelphia mayor and how fossil fuel companies–namely the Marcellus Shale industry–are corrupting the race with huge donations to candidates. We mean, it’s just so unbelievable that, well, we don’t believe it! Huge. Money corrupts. Bags and bags of money from those evil, nasty frackers meant to buy off the mayor’s race in the liberal bastion of Philly. It’s absolutely sinister. Oh. How much money is being donated by frackers? Because he’s a state senator, only one of the dozen or so running is required to file financial statements–State Senator Anthony Hardy Williams. So we have the best data on Tony. By the way, Tony’s wife Shari (a fine lady whom we are privileged to have as an acquaintance) works for the enemy–the Marcellus Shale Coalition. StateImpact hates the MSC and by extension, anyone associated with them. So StateImpact poured over the recent financial filing by Williams and this is the huge smoking gun they found…
Read More “StateImpact Targets Philly Mayoral Candidate for “Ties” to Marcellus”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Regulation

Environmentalists & Government Collude in “Sue and Settle” Cases
May 15, 2015May 15, 2015

There is a practice called “sue and settle” being used by our federal government–financed by us, by taxpayers–that will make your blood boil. It’s not new. It’s been going on for years and is now refined into an art form. MDN first heard about this practice at the Oil & Gas Awards in Oklahoma City last fall when Oklahoma’s excellent Attorney General Scott Pruitt gave the assembled crowd a rundown of how the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is attempting to screw the oil and gas industry by using this tactic. Here’s how it works: a far-left radical environmental group like Earthjustice sues a government agency, like the EPA or USFWS to force the agency enact a new rule or regulation supposedly to comply with an existing law. The government agency actually WANTS the lawsuit (colluding with the extremist group to invite it), so they can get a court order “forcing” them to take a certain action. Earthjustice and the government agency, behind closed doors, work out what the action will be. At the conclusion of the lawsuit, the court awards the “winning” party compensation from the “losing” party to cover legal fees. Using that strategy, from 1995 to 2010, Earthjustice received $4,655,425 of taxpayer money. Question: Why hasn’t Earthjustice been exposed as frauds and shut down?…
Read More “Environmentalists & Government Collude in “Sue and Settle” Cases”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, May 15, 2015
May 15, 2015May 15, 2015

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: Fri, May 15, 2015”