Energy Companies

American Energy Partners | Ascent Resources | Belmont County | Energy Companies | Gulfport Energy | Jefferson County (OH) | Monroe County | Ohio | Utica Shale

Big McClendon News: Sells 35K Utica Acres, Creates New Company
June 10, 2015June 10, 2015

We have major news coming from Aubrey McClendon’s American Energy Partners (AEP). A lot of news. So buckle in. First we’ll tell you the news, then we’ll give you our take on that news–what it means. In brief, the news coming from AEP HQ in Oklahoma City is this: (1) AEP’s Marcellus/Utica AEP subsidiary, American Energy Appalachia Holdings, has been spun out into a 100% standalone company and has changed its name to Ascent Resources; (2) the CEO of Ascent is the same guy who was the CEO of American Energy Appalachia Holdings–trusted McClendon lieutenant Jeffrey A. Fisher; (3) Ascent has cut a deal with Gulfport Energy to sell 35,000 prime Utica Shale acres for $407 million; and (4) Ascent has just sold shares in the company and taken out new loans for $977 million, giving them $700 million in cash after they pay off certain other loans. Whew! Here’s the details, along with a little news of our own about AEP…
Read More “Big McClendon News: Sells 35K Utica Acres, Creates New Company”
American Energy Partners | Ascent Resources | Belmont County | Energy Companies | Gulfport Energy | Jefferson County (OH) | Monroe County | Ohio | Utica Shale

Details on Gulfport’s Purchase of 35K AEP Utica Acres + New Stock
June 10, 2015June 10, 2015

As we report in our lead story today, Aubrey McClendon’s American Energy Partners has decided to spin out it’s Marcellus/Utica operation into a brand new, 100% independent company. That new company, formerly called American Energy Appalachia Holdings, is now called Ascent Resources. Ascent has turned around and immediately sold 35,325 net acres in prime Utica Shale country–Monroe, Belmont and Jefferson counties in Ohio–to one of AEP’s chief competitors in the Utica, Gulfport Energy. In addition, Gulfport has just announced they are floating another 10 million shares of stock. If the new shares sell for anything close to today’s current share price, that will net the company another $440+ million. Below we have the details (from Gulfport) on the deal with AEP to purchase prime Utica acreage complete with four drilled wells and a pipeline gathering system, along with Gulfport’s announcement about the new stock offering…
Read More “Details on Gulfport’s Purchase of 35K AEP Utica Acres + New Stock”
Centre County | Chevron | Energy Companies | Pennsylvania

Chevron Lists Another 6,630 Marcellus Acres for Sale in Central PA
June 10, 2015June 10, 2015

Chevron continues a slow bleed of selling Pennsylvania Marcellus Shale assets in 2015. In February the company put up for sale 12 tracks of Marcellus acreage in Bedford, Blair and Cambria counties in PA–just over 17,000 acres total (see Chevron Selling 17K Marcellus Shale Acres, More Sales Coming). In May, Chevron posted another 11,700 acres for sale in Clearfield and northern Cambria counties (see Chevron Shops Another 11,700 Marcellus Acres in Central PA). In June the company has just listed another 6,630 acres along with four drilled wells–all of it in Centre County…
Read More “Chevron Lists Another 6,630 Marcellus Acres for Sale in Central PA”
Carrizo Oil & Gas | Energy Companies

Carrizo CEO Chip Johnson Sells Another 6K Shares of Stock
June 10, 2015June 10, 2015

Last week MDN told you that four of Carrizo Oil & Gas’ top managers had sold a cumulative 49,689 shares of company stock valued at $2,476,038 (see 4 Top Carrizo O&G Officers, Incl CEO, Sell 50K Shares of Company Stock). Carrizo’s CEO Chip Johnson sold 24,661 of those shares–about half of the total. This week Johnson just sold another 6,000 shares, netting himself another $308,760 to add to the $1,228,858 he got last week. Also selling 1,000 shares of Carrizo stock this week is a member of the board of directors, Roger Ramsey. Makes us wonder what’s going on–why the top brass in the company is selling some of their stock. Of course, it may be no big deal since Chip Johnson after selling 30,661 shares of stock still owns 631,843 shares worth $32.5 million. We suppose his stock sales thus far amount to little more than a rounding error!…
Read More “Carrizo CEO Chip Johnson Sells Another 6K Shares of Stock”
BP | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Research

BP’s Annual Energy Report: Smallest Demand Increase since 1990s
June 10, 2015June 10, 2015

BP (what used to be known as British Petroleum) is, and has been for years, North America’s top natural gas marketer. Although first quarter 2015 marketer rankings aren’t out just yet, if you look at fourth quarter 2014, BP sold (i.e. marketed) twice as much natural gas on a daily basis as the next nearest company, which happens to be Shell (see NGI’s 4Q14 NatGas Marketer Rankings). Like other oil “majors,” BP issues a yearly outlook on worldwide energy consumption and trends. BP calls their version of this report the BP Statistical Review of World Energy. The company released the 64th edition of that review today (full copy below). BP themselves say this edition, “highlights the continuing importance of the US shale revolution, with the US overtaking Saudi Arabia as the world’s biggest oil producer and surpassing Russia as the world’s largest producer of oil and gas.” Readers of MDN already know those two facts: that the US years ago dethroned Russia as the #1 natural gas producer, and that more recently we’ve dethroned Saudi Arabia as the world’s #1 oil producer. What else do we learn from this year’s report?…
Read More “BP’s Annual Energy Report: Smallest Demand Increase since 1990s”
Energy Companies | Hess

Newsweek Names Hess #1 “Green” Big Oil Company
June 9, 2015June 9, 2015

Perhaps this is anti-“green” day on MDN (see our story on the G7 today). We have nothing against people and companies who pretend to be better than the rest of us by saving the planet (“go green”), or saving the whales/polar bears/snail darters/whatever. Knock yourself out if supporting some “cause” makes you feel better/worthy/superior. What we do take exception to are people who want to force the rest of us to participate in your cause. We don’t see anti-fossil fuelers ever showing us how it’s done–how to stop using fossil fuels in their day to day lives. Their come back is that we all have to engage in this lunacy together for it to work. We say–you go first. You show us how it’s done. You show us the “superior” way to save the planet. When it comes to using the “green” banner, what’s really funny to us is when fossil fuel energy companies pretend to be “green” and “sustainable”. We think that’s laugh out loud funny. Here’s the latest example, courtesy of Hess, one of the planet’s biggest fossil fuel companies (and a driller in the Ohio Utica Shale), proud of being ranked #1 among energy companies for being “green” in a ranking by a magazine nobody reads anymore–Newsweek…
Read More “Newsweek Names Hess #1 “Green” Big Oil Company”
Carrizo Oil & Gas | Energy Companies

4 Top Carrizo O&G Officers, Incl CEO, Sell 50K Shares of Company Stock
June 4, 2015June 4, 2015

It’s always a bit dangerous to shoot off your mouth when you don’t have the proper context and background to understand something–and we have to confess we don’t know much about this case. We spotted something that tickled our fancy and we wanted to pass it on. Four top officers in Carrizo Oil & Gas, a producer that previously did some drilling in the Marcellus but lately is drilling in the Ohio Utica, recently (on Monday, June 1st) sold some of their shares in the company. Cumulatively it was 49,689 shares valued at $2,476,038. The people doing the selling were the Chief Financial Officer, the Chief Accounting Officer, the Chief Operating Officer and the Chief Executive Officer. Is this no big deal and just a few employees selling when the stock is on the upswing? Probably. Still, it just struck us as a bit odd that all four sold their stock on the same day…
Read More “4 Top Carrizo O&G Officers, Incl CEO, Sell 50K Shares of Company Stock”
Beaver County | Economic Impact | Energy Companies | Ethane | Industrialization | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Processing Plants | Shell

Shell Sets Expectations for What Happens if PA Cracker is Built
June 4, 2015June 4, 2015

In yet another signal that Shell is very serious about building a $3 billion ethane cracker plant northwest of Pittsburgh, the company recently held public meetings in Beaver County, PA, where the plant would be built, to tell members of the local community what they can expect to hear, see, and smell during and after construction–if the plant gets built. Shell wants to be right up front about what happens when an industrial plant like the one they’re building comes into existence. We find that a “good neighbor” kind of thing to do. Look, there will be some inconveniences for a time when this thing gets built. Construction activity at the site will happen 24/7 for a number of years (yes, years) until it is completed. Let’s talk about it right up front so no one is surprised. Although Shell stresses at these meetings that a “final decision has not yet been made,” increasingly it looks (to us) like it has…
Read More “Shell Sets Expectations for What Happens if PA Cracker is Built”
Accidents | Antero Resources | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Regulation | Tyler County | West Virginia

Contractor Fined $13,550 for WV Well Pad Violations/Death in 2014
June 3, 2015June 2, 2015

We don’t normally miss news like an accident at a well pad in the Marcellus that kills someone–but we did this time. At the end of November 2014, Ryan Dunn, a contract worker employed by Precision Drilling, was working at an Antero Resources well pad in Tyler County, WV when he was struck and run over by a front-end loader used to move pipe at the site. Dunn was pronounced dead at the scene. A true tragedy. The federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) investigated and found a number of problems at the site. OSHA has completed their investigation and is assessing a total of $13,550 in penalties against Precision Drilling. We’ve not spotted anything about lawsuits or about fines by the WV Dept. of Environmental Protection. Here’s what we’re able to locate on the accident and resulting fine by OSHA…
Read More “Contractor Fined $13,550 for WV Well Pad Violations/Death in 2014”
Eclipse Resources | Energy Companies | Monroe County | Ohio | Utica Shale

Eclipse Resources Update: Squeezing More Wells in Smaller Space
June 3, 2015June 2, 2015

Eclipse Resources, a Marcellus/Utica driller headquartered in State College PA, but drilling mainly in the Ohio Utica Shale, issued an operational update yesterday. The company says by the end of the second quarter they expect to be producing around 180 million cubic feet of natural gas per day–the high end of the previous estimated range. The company is spending less money than it expected, which keeps the investors happy. Eclipse recently completed drilling a 3-well pad in Monroe County, OH with the well spacing just 730 feet apart–the first time they’ve tried spacing wells below 1,000 feet apart. All eyes are on the outcome of that experiment. (If successful, it means they can drill more wells in the same amount of space–by their estimates, 20% more wells.) Eclipse had wanted to put those 3 wells into sales in December of this year–which now looks like it will slip into January of next year. Here’s the update with details about their Utica drilling program…
Read More “Eclipse Resources Update: Squeezing More Wells in Smaller Space”
Accidents | Chevron | Energy Companies | Greene County (PA) | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation

Chevron Fined $939K for PA Well Fire/Death in Greene County, PA
June 2, 2015June 2, 2015

Last week MDN brought you word that Chevron had settled a wrongful death lawsuit stemming from an explosion at a Greene County, PA well in 2014 (see Chevron Settles PA Marcellus Wrongful Death Lawsuit for $5M). The other shoe has now dropped. In addition to that $5 million, add another $939,000 in fines from the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP). The DEP yesterday announced Chevron has entered into a Consent Assessment of Civil Penalty (CACP) and has agreed to pay the fines levied by the DEP as a result of the explosion and fire at the Lanco well pad. The details from the DEP…
Read More “Chevron Fined $939K for PA Well Fire/Death in Greene County, PA”
Butler County | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Rex Energy

Rex Energy Hires Stonehenge to Build Gathering Pipeline in PA
June 1, 2015June 1, 2015

Rex Energy has contracted with Stonehenge Energy Resources to build a pipeline gathering system for Rex in Butler County, PA. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed, but the system–to be built this year–will provide an additional 400 million cubic feet per day of natural gas pipeline capacity, expandable in the future. The Stonehenge gathering system will deliver gas to MarkWest Energy’s Bluestone processing plant. The details…
Read More “Rex Energy Hires Stonehenge to Build Gathering Pipeline in PA”
BG Group | BP | Energy Companies | Equinor/Statoil | Industrywide Issues | Shell | Taxation | Total

Big European Oil Companies Want UN to Slap Carbon Tax on U.S.
June 1, 2015June 1, 2015

The Europeans are sometimes, well, stupid. How else can you explain six large oil companies–BG Group, BP, Eni, Royal Dutch Shell, Statoil and Total–buying into the tax scheme called carbon credits? The six sent a letter (copy below) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) begging the UN to introduce carbon pricing systems and “create clear, stable, ambitious policy frameworks that could eventually connect national systems” that would “reduce uncertainty and encourage the most cost effective ways of reducing carbon emissions widely.” This is madness. Create laws that supersede each country’s sovereignty and impose a worldwide tax on carbon–the stuff you breathe out with every breath–as some sort of solution for the imaginary problem of man-made global warming? If the UN does such a thing, it will spell the end of the companies sending the letter! What do you call a company trying to commit economic suicide? Do the investors of these six companies know the heads of those companies are trying to destroy the company and their investments along with it? No wonder Europe is in decline…
Read More “Big European Oil Companies Want UN to Slap Carbon Tax on U.S.”
Accidents | Chevron | Energy Companies | Greene County (PA) | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania

Chevron Settles PA Marcellus Wrongful Death Lawsuit for $5M
May 29, 2015May 29, 2015

In February 2014 there was an explosion and fire at a Chevron well pad that eventually spread from one Marcellus well to a second well on the same well pad in Greene County, PA (see Explosion & Fire at Chevron Well in SWPA – 1 Person Missing). Ian McKee, 27, a Cameron International contractor working at the site was tragically killed in the blast (see Remains of Chevron Contractor Found at Greene County Well Site). The final report of the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) investigating the accident concluded there was plenty of blame for Chevron, primarily from using overworked and inexperienced well site managers (see DEP Issues Final Report – What Caused Chevron Well Fire?). Ian’s girlfriend/partner was pregnant at the time of his death. Ian’s parents sued Chevron for wrongful death (see Parents of Worker Killed in Chevron Greene Co Fire Sue). That lawsuit has just been settled for $5 million, broken down as follows…
Read More “Chevron Settles PA Marcellus Wrongful Death Lawsuit for $5M”
Butler County | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Rex Energy

Rex Energy to Restart Drilling Near Mars School Following Vote
May 29, 2015May 29, 2015

Let the drilling begin! The three members of the Middlesex Zoning Hearing Board (Butler County, PA, where the Mars School District is located) voted unanimously on Wednesday to reject challenges by anti-drillers to changes in zoning laws that allow Rex Energy to drill a series of wells on a pad about 3/4 of a mile from the Mars School. Four Martian parents have worked themselves up into a frenzy, convincing themselves that faraway drilling will harm their precious, innocent lil’ chil’ren. The Martians have enlisted the help of anti-drilling groups from the opposite side of the state–the Philadelphia area–tapping into their deep pockets to fund endless lawsuits and appeals that are costing Middlesex taxpayers big bucks to defend (see Dela. RiverKeeper, Clean Air Council Cost Middlesex Residents $35K+). (By the way, when is the IRS going to investigate THE Delaware Riverkeeper for clear violations of their 501(c)(3) tax exempt status? Riverkeeper continues to operate, politically, far outside of the Delaware River Basin. Their tax exempt status should be revoked.) The zoning board vote was good news for Rex who says they won’t waste any time in returning to the drill site to begin work. By the time the Martians are done suing, the wells will already be drilled…
Read More “Rex Energy to Restart Drilling Near Mars School Following Vote”
Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Regulation | Washington County

Range Capitulates, Closing 4 Freshwater Ponds in Mt. Pleasant, PA
May 29, 2015May 29, 2015

More than two years of acrimony and lawsuits are now over for Range Resources in Mt. Pleasant (Washington County), PA. Mt. Pleasant is one of the original seven selfish towns that sued PA to overturn portions of the Act 13 oil and gas law. The town was giving Range a hard time over four freshwater ponds (called “impoundments,” not to be confused with wastewater impoundments) the company was using to drill wells in nearby non-Mt. Pleasant locations. The town served the company with notices of violation in July 2013 and then held a public hearing in August 2013 where things got heated between the town and Range (see Range Resources Argues with Mt Pleasant over Water Impoundment). Mt. Pleasant kept after them (see Mt. Pleasant Zoning Bd Says Range Water Impoundments in Violation), and after them (see Mt Pleasant Twp Shenanigans re Range Request for Water Ponds), and after them (see Mt. Pleasant, PA Continues to Ride Range Over Water Ponds). Sooner or later a company can take a hint that a township is anti-business. Range is throwing in the towel, closing down all four freshwater ponds, and leaving town…
Read More “Range Capitulates, Closing 4 Freshwater Ponds in Mt. Pleasant, PA”