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OGA 1: Keynote Address – Gary Evans, Magnum Hunter Resources

Keynote Address: Magnum Hunter and the Unconventional Shale Plays

  • Discussing the changing balance between production and import of crude in the United States
  • Highlighting the importance of growing crude production to reduce the US trade deficit
  • Detailing the impact of shale gas on the US energy & chemical markets
  • Focusing on the Marcellus Shale region current and predicted production in 2014

Gary C. Evans, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Magnum Hunter Resources Corporation
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OGA 2: Panel Discussion – Marcellus/Utica Midstream Update

Panel I: Marcellus/Utica Midstream Update – 2014 and Beyond

  • Discussing how much infrastructure is actually needed in the Marcellus/Utica region and the current balance between supply and demand?
  • Targeting methods for managing pricing variation, overcoming takeaway chokepoints in areas with depressed prices
  • Detailing NGL takeaway issues and the cost/benefit analysis for pipeline expansion
  • Addressing the impact of ethane crackers on the Marcellus/Utica midstream
  • Assessing midstream investment in the northeast, looking ahead to the major projects for 2014
  • Offering insight to the challenge of sourcing skilled labor with understanding of the midstream sector, highlighting the impact of the midstream sector on the Northeast labor market
  • Comparing the differences/unique requirements between wet gas & dry gas gathering infrastructure

Moderator: Michael L. Krancer, Energy, Petrochemical and Natural Resources Practice Group Leader, Blank Rome LLP
Speakers: Brent Breon, Vice President Business Development, Blue Racer Midstream
Tony Blando, Vice President Marketing, NiSource Midstream Services, Columbia Pipeline Group
Aubrey Harper, Vice President Business Development, IPS Engineering / EPC
Brett Nixon, Director of Business Development, PVR Partners
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OGA 3: Market Update – Greg Lorson, TEEMCO

Market Update: An Overview Of The Environmental Regulations Affecting Air, Water and Rail

  • Looking forward to challenges and opportunities for the Oil & Gas industry
  • Assessing the impact of environmental regulations
  • Achieving environmental compliance in the face of continued production expansion

Greg Lorson, Chief Executive Officer, TEEMCO
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OGA 4: Panel Discussion – Drilling & Completions

Panel II: Drilling and Completions

  • Lowering the cost to drill: How to make money when gas sells for $1.50 Mcf
  • Analyzing the potential of self-sufficient power: The change from diesel to natural gas-powered drilling rigs
  • Increasing production with fewer rigs: how shale drilling has changed the rules of the game
  • Addressing the challenge of sourcing water: Are new pipelines a financially and environmentally viable alternative to transport by truck?
  • Evaluating the role of wastewater: Recycling, injection wells and barging
  • Assessing the impact of monster wells: a look at some of the most productive wells on earth, located in the Marcellus & Utica Shale region
  • Comparing wet and dry gas drilling – what are their comparative strengths and weaknesses?
  • Illustrating the current landscape of acreage positions by E&Ps for both the Marcellus & Utica

Moderator: Jim Willis, Editor, Marcellus Drilling News
Speakers: Eric Luckey, Completions Engineer, Noble Energy
Dennis Degner, Director of Operations, Range Resources
Brett Schellenberg, Marketing Executive, Orion Drilling
Bryan Dickson, North East Division Engineering, FTS International
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OGA 5: Keynote Address – Chad Zamarin, NiSource Midstream

Keynote Address: The Midstream Factor—The Critical Link to Success in Emerging Shale Plays

  • Developing sufficient midstream infrastructure to support the natural gas industry in the Marcellus and Utica shale plays.
  • Showcasing how midstream operations are paving the way for success that will benefit natural gas producers, consumers and the Appalachian Basin as a whole

Chad Zamarin, Chief Operating Officer, NiSource Midstream Services
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OGA 6: Panel Discussion – Health & Safety

Panel III: Health and Safety Issues You Can’t Ignore

  • Showcasing job site safety: best practices, the role of training
  • Educating as to the safe handling of frac sand
  • Achieving frac fluid chemical transparency using FracFocus
  • Implementing effective safety plans for drilling sites
  • Coordinating/establishing a relationship with local first responders
  • Assessing the impact of OSHA regulations
  • Detailing the impact of the DOT trucking rule “clarification” – how can your company ensure compliance?
  • Ensuring security in the face of protests, trespassing and other crimes

Moderator: Jim Willis, Editor, Marcellus Drilling News
Speakers: Stefan Hirniak, HSE Recruitment Consultant, Progressive GE
Rob L. Gough, EHS Manager, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation
David Renz, Sr. EHS Coordinator, Noble Energy
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OGA 7: Panel Discussion – Environmental Protection

Panel IV: Environmental Protection, Regulation and Compliance

  • Specifying the bodies responsible for drilling & pipeline regulation in the Marcellus and Utica
  • Evaluating efforts to overcome negative views of shale development by groups such as the Center for Sustainable Shale Development (CSSD)
  • Preparing for the new EPA air pollution rules for drillers in 2015 – what do companies need to do to achieve compliance
  • Tips for better soil erosion control with well pad and pipeline construction
  • Assessing the industry impact on local wildlife: how can companies avoid permanently harming species and their habitats?
  • Presenting results from the PA DEP air pollution study
  • Evaluating the impact of radiation in shale cuttings and best practice for their management and disposal
  • Does radon level in Marcellus Shale pose a health risk for consumers who burn gas?
  • Debating the role the federal government should play in regulating shale drilling
  • Discussing the potential impact of the proposed changes to the Chapter 78 regulations
  • Detailing the requirements in the Rocky Mountains for sourcing, recycling and disposing of water

Moderator: Michael L. Krancer, Energy, Petrochemical and Natural Resources Practise Group Leader, Blank Rome LLP
Speakers: Nathan S. Bennett, Regulatory Manager, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation
Greg Lorson, Chief Executive Officer, TEEMCO
Scott Perry, Deputy Secretary, Office of Oil and Gas Management, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
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OGA 9: Panel Discussion – Community Engagement

Panel V: Community Engagement: Are we losing the Public’s confidence?

  • Winning the public perception battle: What is the current perception and how can positive change
  • Connecting with local communities – employing local workers, donating to local charities, finance community projects
  • Employing effective transparency to manage adverse events
  • Judging the importance of social media in connecting with the community and stakeholders
  • Forced pooling/unitization – how to make the case
  • First impressions count: are your landmen helping or hurting your company’s reputation?
  • Connecting with your leased landowners – keeping the lines of communication open and operating
  • Maintaining good relations with surface rights owners who don’t own mineral rights
  • Dealing with anti-drilling groups and protesters in a professional and positive way

Moderator: Alex Grant, Conference Producer, Oil & Gas Awards
Speakers: Brittany Thomas, Coordinator External Affairs, Cabot Oil & Gas
Sarah Barczyk, Manager, Community Relations & Stakeholder Outreach, NiSource Midstream Services
Dan Weaver, Public Relations, PIOGA
Stacey Brodak, Manager Community and Media Relations, Noble Energy
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MDN Quoted/Referenced/Reviled

We don’t toot our own horn much, mostly because that’s not in our nature. However, increasingly we spot Marcellus Drilling News or editor Jim Willis being quoted or referenced in various places. Jim has given information and interviews to reporters from half a dozen different publications over the past few months, including Bloomberg, the Washington Post and the Fayetteville (NC) Observer. When we spot media references, we’ll pass them along, for your reading enjoyment (and our tooting edification).

Today’s list includes Jim’s recent appearance on the David Madiera Show, broadcast on 94.3 FM “The Talker” in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area, an article on the Media Matters for America website, and a reference on the Digital Journal. The interview was a “friendly”–Dave Madiera is pro-drilling. The other two are anti-drilling publications. MDN is regularly trashed by the other side–a badge of honor…
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Where Does YOUR Business Fit in the Marcellus/Utica Supply Chain? [FREE]

puzzle piecesA little more than a year ago MDN editor Jim Willis developed a Supply Chain tutorial that was included in Vol. 3 of the 2012 Marcellus and Utica Shale Databook. The tutorial is Jim’s attempt at graphically charting how the upstream and midstream shale drilling business works, and more importantly, where various vendors/businesses plug in during that process. That is, where can your business sell its services to the industry. The shale drilling process is like an orchestra. The energy company (whom we call “the driller”) is the conductor, and all of the instruments in the orchestra that must play together at the right time, hitting the right notes, are typically businesses not owned by the driller. There is a lot of opportunity for local businesses to sell their products and services to the Marcellus and Utica Shale drilling industry. But many don’t know where to begin. That’s what the tutorial aims to address.

Jim is today releasing the MDN Supply Chain tutorial as a stand alone report. See it and download it below, for free. It’s Jim’s way of giving the industry, and faithful MDN readers, a boost.

NOTE: Jim is seriously considering a new series of workshops, either in person or online, to assist businesses with learning how to locate opportunities and sell to the Marcellus and Utica Shale industry. If such a concept sounds interesting you to, drop Jim an email at: [email protected] and let him know “I’m interested” and he’ll add you to an announcement list when/if he releases such a service. In the meantime, please download and enjoy Jim’s Supply Chain tutorial…
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ShaleNavigator Service Adds Frack Waste Facilities Layer to Maps

As many MDN readers know, MDN editor Jim Willis partners with Ed Camp from ShaleNavigator, using ShaleNavigator’s top-notch mapping software to create the marvelous maps found in the Marcellus and Utica Shale Databook series. Ed maps the most recent round of permits issued (over the previous four months) on county maps, showing driller name and location for each volume of the Databook. But the maps show a lot more than just permit locations–like major natural gas pipelines, the locations of compressor stations and over a dozen other “layers” available to users of the ShaleNavigator service.

You can now add one more layer to the service: the location of waste facilities used by Marcellus and Utica Shale drillers. You may also recall that the most recent volume of the Databook, Volume 3, contains that very information: a complete list (with addresses and phone numbers) for waste facilities. Ed has used the location data for those waste facilities and added a new layer for users of his excellent service. The press release is below. Be sure to give ShaleNavigator a try by signing up for a free 7-day trial account
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Join MDN in Pittsburgh on March 20 at Conference for Excellence [Free]

You're InvitedPlease join me (MDN editor Jim Willis) at the Northeast Conference for Excellence on March 20, 2014 in Pittsburgh at the Westin Convention Center. The Conference for Excellence is hosted by the Oil & Gas Awards organization. I’m proud to say that I helped create this year’s conference program and I will be moderating two of the sessions–one on drilling and completions, and another on environmental health and safety. I would LOVE to see you at this event.

This is an “industry” event–by and for those who work in the oil and gas industry, particularly in the Marcellus and Utica Shale, from upstream to midstream to downstream. Your cost to attend? Zero. But, there is a catch…
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Databook Vol. 3: Marcellus Well Decline Rates, Waste Facilities & More

2013 Databook Vol 3MDN is extremely proud to announce the release of the Marcellus and Utica Shale Databook 2013, Volume 3, covering permits and happenings in northeast shale drilling from September to December 2013. Make no mistake, we are blowing the trumpet and blowing it loud. In this volume is something totally unique and extremely important: a new section on Marcellus shale well decline rates. That is, we tackle the topic of quickly, and how much, does production for the average Marcellus shale well taper off. Just as important, how much will the average well produce over it’s lifetime, and how long is that lifetime? Based on data from more than 3,700 Marcellus wells, two experts have written and contributed this new section for the Databook–and you need it if you need reliable, accurate information on what to expect in the way of production (and royalties) for a Marcellus well.

In addition, we have compiled a directory of the 150+ shale waste processing facilities–for both wastewater and drill cuttings–most used by Marcellus and Utica Shale drillers. We give you the list sorted two ways: by geography and by facility type (centralized recycling center, injection well, landfill). As always, the heart of the Databook is a series of maps–one for each county in the northeast with active shale drilling–showing where permits were issued for the last four months of 2013. These maps are your guide to where drilling either has already begun–or soon will. Here’s the press release MDN and partner ShaleNavigator issued this morning about the newly release Databook:
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On a personal note…

travel dayToday (Friday) is a travel day for MDN editor Jim Willis, so there will be no regularly scheduled news updates today. Don’t worry! I will catch you up on the all of the latest news that matters for the Marcellus and Utica on Monday.

In lieu of today’s news, I would like to give you a brief update on the state of MDN and where things will go in 2014. It is a rare “personal note” where I pull back the curtain and discuss with you what happens backstage…
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MDN’s Top 10 Most Important Stories of 2013 – Our View

Top 10Yes it’s trite and certainly overdone, but hey, it’s the last day of 2013 and a slow news day. So MDN editor Jim Willis thought he would put together a list of what he considered to be the top 10 Marcellus and Utica Shale stories from 2013. It’s a look into what we believe, based on your input and feedback, to be the most relevant and important stories from this year. Enjoy!…
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