Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G)

Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Education | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Lackawanna County | Pennsylvania

Lackawanna College NatGas Program to Get Boost from Obama Visit
August 22, 2013August 22, 2013

MDN attended and reported on the grand opening of a new CNG fueling station in Susquehanna County, PA last week (see Cabot Launches CNG Fueling Station in NE PA). One of the presenters at that event was Mark Volk, president of Lackawanna College. Dr. Volk was there to sing the praises of Cabot Oil & Gas and their key support for Lackawanna’s new-but-rapidly-growing Petroleum & Natural Gas Technology program. Cabot has not only contributed money but also equipment and expertise to the program, one of only four or five programs like it in the country.

Lackawanna College–a 1,600-student, private 2-year school near Scranton, PA–is about to emerge on the national stage in a big way, and by extension, Cabot as well. President Obama will visit the school tomorrow (Friday, August 23) and deliver a speech “to the nation and world” from Lackawanna, no doubt touting the role of Lackawanna in preparing students through programs like the Petroleum & Natural Gas Technology program. In honor of President Obama’s visit and to celebrate Obama’s recognition of the importance of an educated workforce for the northeast and particularly for the vitally important oil and gas industry, Cabot’s own George Stark has penned the following exclusive “guest post” for MDN readers…
Read More “Lackawanna College NatGas Program to Get Boost from Obama Visit”
Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | NG Vehicles | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

Cabot Launches CNG Fueling Station in NE PA
August 16, 2013August 16, 2013

MDN editor Jim Willis (that’s me) had the pleasure of a late summer/early autumn drive from Binghamton to Dimock, PA yesterday. I attended the official opening of Cabot’s compressed natural gas (CNG) facility near Dimock. On hand for the ceremony were not only officials from Cabot, but also local politicians, a rep from the state DEP, local colleges and others.

George Stark, Cabot’s chief spokesman and director of external affairs, kicked off the event by calling the Marcellus Shale in Susquehanna County (the only place in PA they drill), a “generational” shale play. He said “production here is just prolific” and that what Cabot and others are doing in Susquehanna County is “changing the world.” His comments may seem like hyperbole, but indeed they are not…
Read More “Cabot Launches CNG Fueling Station in NE PA”
Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

Dimock: Tell a Lie Long Enough… 2 Residents Want Case Reopened
August 13, 2013August 13, 2013

The Dimock, PA story simply won’t go away–because the mainstream media won’t let it. Tell a lie long enough… Two Susquehanna County residents (one of them from Dimock, the other from 20 miles away from Dimock) who have sued Cabot Oil & Gas claiming nearby drilling and fracking polluted their water wells, are on their way to Washington, DC in yet another publicity stunt to request the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) re-open its investigation of Dimock. Apparently the “revelation” that someone inside the EPA may have created a PowerPoint slide favorable to their plight has given them renew hope. So off they go–even though the EPA has already conducted a months-long, detailed scientific study of 64 water wells all around Dimock Township and found very few problems–almost all of which have been or could be corrected (see EPA Closes the Door on Dimock Investigation – Water is Clean).
Read More “Dimock: Tell a Lie Long Enough… 2 Residents Want Case Reopened”
Commodity Price | Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Research | Susquehanna County

At What Mmcf Price Do Shale Drillers Make Money?
August 8, 2013August 8, 2013

Ken Medlock, senior director of Rice University’s Baker Institute Center for Energy Studies and a team of Rice researchers recently performed a study of shale drilling economics. One of the questions they looked at: At what price per million cubic feet (or Mmcf) must a driller sell the gas in order to at least break even and not lose money? They have some interesting findings…
Read More “At What Mmcf Price Do Shale Drillers Make Money?”
Accidents | Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Research | Susquehanna County

EPA’s Dimock PowerPoint Revealed – But, is it Real?
August 6, 2013August 6, 2013

Apparently the Los Angeles Times has a friend in the radically left DeSmogBlog and so has shared the famed, single EPA PowerPoint presentation that supposedly blames drilling and fracking by Cabot Oil & Gas for methane in nearby water wells. DeSmogBlog has an “exclusive” copy of said PowerPoint, so we assume they got it from the LA Times. We grabbed a copy from the DeSmogBlog website and embedded it below so you can read it and evaluate it for yourself.

The most recent hubbub about Dimock arose when the LA Times trumpeted they have in their possession a never-before-seen secret/internal “report” from the EPA–which turns out to be a PowerPoint presentation–blaming Cabot’s fracking for water problems in Dimock, PA (see LA Times Attempts New Hatchet Job on Fracking in Dimock). Is this finally the smoking gun? Is the Obama EPA now covering up evidence against evil “big oil & gas”?…
Read More “EPA’s Dimock PowerPoint Revealed – But, is it Real?”
Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

LA Times Attempts New Hatchet Job on Fracking in Dimock
July 30, 2013July 30, 2013

It appears that the Los Angeles Times needs to bump up their circulation numbers, so this past Sunday they trotted out the “Dimock” story once again (perhaps inspired by watching Gasland 2 on HBO). The Times claims to have a leaked “internal report” from the EPA, which we learn is (laughably) a PowerPoint presentation, not a real report. The article’s fictional thesis is that “big oil” has gotten to the Obama EPA and that at least some brave souls inside the EPA still believe, contrary to their own scientist’s research, that shale drilling in Dimock, PA was responsible for “contaminating” nearby water wells with methane and nefarious chemicals like arsenic–even though arsenic is naturally occurring throughout the region. (Pay no attention to those naturally-occurring chemicals behind the curtain, Toto!)

MDN would like to make a bold assertion: The LA Times emperor has no clothes. We’ve searched high and low and the so-called PowerPoint “EPA report” they claim to have possession of is nowhere to be found. We think it probably exists. Maybe. Perhaps. However, what we have is the LA Times making a wild claim–their own interpretation–of what is on the PowerPoint slides, without sharing the source document with anyone else. Given the Times and its reporters are liberal and anti-drilling in the extreme, excuse us if we say that until they share the so-called EPA internal report, we assume they’re lying about what’s in it. The motives and veracity of reporting by the Times is to be questioned and is, for us, the real story here…
Read More “LA Times Attempts New Hatchet Job on Fracking in Dimock”
Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

Cabot’s Marcellus Marketing Plan / Slidedeck
July 26, 2013July 26, 2013

As MDN pointed out yesterday, Cabot Oil & Gas continues to shine in Susquehanna County, PA’s Marcellus Shale, with production up 52% from 2012 for the second quarter (see Cabot Continues to Shine in Susquehanna County Marcellus). As part of their reporting this week, Cabot released a slide deck called “Marcellus Marketing Supplementary Materials.” We’ve embedded it below. There’s a very interesting pipeline map and several charts discussing the region’s capacity to move gas to market–well worth a glance if you have an interest in the Marcellus in northeastern PA.

A hat-tip to MDN reader and contributor Chris Acker for alerting us to these slides. Here they are:
Read More “Cabot’s Marcellus Marketing Plan / Slidedeck”
Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

Cabot Continues to Shine in Susquehanna County Marcellus
July 25, 2013July 25, 2013

Cabot Oil & Gas continues to be a star performer in the northeast PA Marcellus Shale. Releasing their second quarter update yesterday, Cabot reports their natural gas production is up 52% from 2Q12. Meanwhile, they’ve now added a sixth drilling rig in Susquehanna County, PA. If memory serves, it was only a little over a year ago that Cabot was running just three rigs in Susquehanna County.

According to MDN sources, some farmers in Susquehanna County, PA are getting $10,000 per day in royalties. In addition to spreading manure, they’re now spreading an incredible amount of wealth around the county! Here’s select portions of the latest press releases from Cabot:
Read More “Cabot Continues to Shine in Susquehanna County Marcellus”
Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Research | Susquehanna County

Study Proves Fracking Didn’t Cause Methane in Dimock Water Wells
July 23, 2013July 23, 2013

A research study appears in the May-June 2013 issue of Groundwater, a peer-reviewed scientific journal, that completely debunks the notion that fracking was the cause of methane contamination in local water wells in Dimock, PA (as famously claimed by Josh Fox and Gasland). The article, titled “Evaluation of Methane Sources in Groundwater in Northeastern Pennsylvania” (full copy embedded below), has flown completely under the radar and has received, so far as we can tell, no coverage in the mainstream media. It likely hasn’t been been covered because (a) the findings don’t fit the media narrative that fracking contaminates water, and (b) the study’s lead author is the head geologist for Cabot Oil & Gas, the company accused of contaminating some Dimock water wells with methane from nearby drilling activity.

The study looks at test results for 1,701 water wells around Susquehanna County, PA (where Dimock is located), both close to and far from shale drilling. What does the cold, hard data show? Methane is everywhere in Susquehanna County groundwater–and it has been for hundreds of years. No wonder Susquehanna County is such a productive gas field for Cabot! The study finds that methane in water is more prevalent in certain locations like valleys. Perhaps most importantly–the study finds no correlation between shale drilling and the level of methane in water wells. There’s no more methane in water wells close to drilling than there is in wells far from it. Science is science, and this study cannot be discounted simply because the wizards at Cabot wrote the report…
Read More “Study Proves Fracking Didn’t Cause Methane in Dimock Water Wells”
Anadarko | Atlas Energy | Chesapeake Energy | Chevron | Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | EQT Corp | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Shell | Statewide PA | Talisman Energy

PA’s Top 10 Marcellus Drillers Based on Number of Permits
July 22, 2013July 22, 2013

Who doesn’t love a Top 10 list? David Letterman has built a career on them. There are a lot of different ways to measure who the biggest drillers are in Pennsylvania–the Top 10 drillers. Recently, the Pittsburgh Business Times took a fresh stab at it. They counted how many shale gas wells have been permitted for drilling companies. It doesn’t mean the wells have been drilled yet, but you don’t spend big bucks on a permit to not drill. We can safely assume if it’s permitted, it either has been or soon will be drilled.

So who are the Top 10? The names of the drillers in the list may not surprise you, but we bet the number of permitted wells they have and their order in the list may surprise you…
Read More “PA’s Top 10 Marcellus Drillers Based on Number of Permits”
Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

Cabot Susquehanna County Picnic 2013: A Great Time for All!
July 22, 2013July 23, 2013

Saturday in New York’s Southern Tier and Pennsylvania’s Northern Tier (the border between Broome County, NY and Susquehanna County, PA) was OK weather-wise. It was a bit overcast and threatened rain, ~~which is likely what kept the crowds a bit lower~~ at this year’s Cabot Oil & Gas annual picnic in Susquehanna County, PA. (UPDATE: They actually broke the record! See update below.) Still, from what MDN editor Jim Willis saw, it was a packed house with long lines for free hamburgers and hot dogs, free games with prizes, and lots of equipment to see and touch (see pictures below).

Equal parts county fair, picnic, carnival and trade show, each year Cabot sponsors a “community picnic” in Susquehanna County–the only county in Pennsylvania where Cabot drills for Marcellus Shale gas…
Read More “Cabot Susquehanna County Picnic 2013: A Great Time for All!”
Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

Cabot to Plug Unviable Gas Well in Dimock, PA
July 15, 2013July 15, 2013

Cabot Oil & Gas announced last week that they will plug one of the first Marcellus wells they drilled in Dimock Township (Susquehanna County), PA as soon as the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) concludes an investigation into the gas well and two nearby water wells that may have been contaminated with methane from the Cabot well. The well is “unviable.” Cabot (and the DEP) stress that the investigation into whether or not the well is creating methane migration is not done and in the meantime Cabot is supplying water to one of the two affected homes…
Read More “Cabot to Plug Unviable Gas Well in Dimock, PA”
Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Education | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Lackawanna County | Pennsylvania

PA Teachers: Free Climate Change/Energy Course Courtesy Cabot O&G
July 8, 2013July 8, 2013

Cabot Oil & Gas is serious about helping the local Pennsylvania communities in which they operate. A case in point previously highlighted on MDN: Cabot’s key fundraising role that got a 20 year-old stalled project of building a new hospital in rural Montrose, PA off the ground (see Cabot Effort Raises $4.4 Million for PA Physicians Clinic).

And now, yet another example: Because of Cabot’s generous donation, the normal $300 fee to attend Keystone College’s “summer camp” for 7-12 grade teachers (July 22-26) to study climate change and energy is now free! Continuing education credits available. Here’s the low-down on the program and how teachers (and other interested members of the community) may attend:
Read More “PA Teachers: Free Climate Change/Energy Course Courtesy Cabot O&G”
Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | New York | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide NY | Statewide PA | Williams

It’s Official: Williams Files Constitution Pipeline App with FERC
June 17, 2013June 17, 2013

It’s official. Since last year we’ve known about and have reported on plans by Williams and Cabot Oil & Gas to build a new Marcellus Shale pipeline from Susquehanna County, PA to Schoharie County, NY–called the Constitution Pipeline (see New Marcellus Constitution Pipeline Announces “Final” Route). On Friday, Williams filed the official application for the new pipeline with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Original plans called for the FERC filing to happen in “spring” of this year, with construction set to begin in April 2014 and the pipeline coming online in March 2015. According to the latest press release, the in-service date is still on track.

In addition to three original investors, the Constitution Pipeline picked up a fourth investor just a few weeks ago (see New Partner Invests in Marcellus Shale Constitution Pipeline). Perhaps that’s why a “spring” filing became an “early summer” filing? The announcement from Williams last Friday:
Read More “It’s Official: Williams Files Constitution Pipeline App with FERC”
Anadarko | ConocoPhillips | Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Talisman Energy

Will Investor Pressure Force Some Drillers to Split Company?
June 13, 2013June 13, 2013

Are we about to see large oil and gas companies begin to split U.S. and foreign operations? An interesting theory is put forth in an article on the Investors Business Daily website that a plan by Occidental Petroleum to split its U.S. and foreign businesses may lead to other oil companies doing the same. Why? Investors want to drive up the per-share price of the companies, and by shedding more risky, less profitable international operations, they may be able to do it.

What caught MDN’s eye about the article is that the author uses Cabot Oil & Gas as an example of how a small domestic David-type company’s stock price can run rings around a much larger Goliath-type. MDN pointed this out in early March when we noted that Cabot’s market capitalization soared past Chesapeake Energy, a company at least 10 times the size of Cabot (see Guest Post: Corporate Hubris Humbles Chesapeake – Cabot Soars Sure & Steady). Also of interest is that the article names several large multi-nationals with drilling operations in the Marcellus/Utica (ConocoPhillips, Anadarko Petroleum and Talisman Energy) as being pressured to consider splitting their companies…
Read More “Will Investor Pressure Force Some Drillers to Split Company?”
Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | New York | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Schoharie County | Statewide NY | Statewide PA | Susquehanna County | WGL Holdings | Williams

New Partner Invests in Marcellus Shale Constitution Pipeline
May 31, 2013May 31, 2013

The Constitution Pipeline is a planned natural gas pipeline that will run from the heavily-producing Marcellus Shale gas fields of Susquehanna County, PA all the way up to Schoharie County, NY, where it will connect with two large interstate pipelines: the Iroquois and the Tennessee (see New Marcellus Constitution Pipeline Announces “Final” Route). The pipeline is a joint venture between Williams Partners, Cabot Oil & Gas and Piedmont Natural Gas. Add to those three partners a new fourth one:

WGL Holdings announced yesterday they will invest $68 million in the project. They’ll get a 10% ownership stake in the project in return…
Read More “New Partner Invests in Marcellus Shale Constitution Pipeline”