Energy Companies

Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Washington County

Strong Support for Range Drilling in N Strabane Township, PA
June 25, 2014June 25, 2014

Some more good news for Range Resources in Washington County, PA. North Strabane Township, population 13,408 (borders Canonsburg) voted last night to approve Range’s plan to drill five Marcellus Shale wells on a 140-acre property owned by A&S Landscaping along Rout 19. Site prep will begin in the next few weeks and if the schedule holds, the first well will be drilled starting in January…
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Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Protege Energy | Seismic Testing | Washington County (OH)

Seismic Testing Coming in July to Washington County, OH Town
June 25, 2014June 25, 2014

Seismic testing is coming to Fearing Township (Washington County), OH starting in July. Seismic testing usually precedes drilling–so that means drilling is most likely on the way. The testing will allow drillers to “see” the best locations to place wells. So how will Protege Energy III, the company that’s hiring the testing done, go about doing the testing? No big thumper trucks along roadways for Protege. Instead, they favor drilling small holes and putting small explosive charges in the holes and recording the sound waves that bounce from the explosive charges. Protege held a community meeting earlier this month in Fearing to discuss the process and answer questions…
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Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Washington County

2 Range Resources Execs Sell Half Their Stock – Ulterior Motive?
June 24, 2014June 24, 2014

Anti-drilling advocate and Marcellus smearmeister Amanda Gillooly, from southwestern Pennsylvania, is dedicated to trashing Range Resources every chance she gets. (She also appears to be in league with Rep. Jesse “fake ID” White, supporting his anti-drilling tirades against Range on numerous occasions over the past few years.) The latest “trash Range” attempt is her blog post trumpeting that two top Range Resources executives recently sold “more than half their stock,” asking the ominous question, “Why?”…
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BP | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Research

BP Annual World Energy Report Shows Natgas Growth in US
June 24, 2014June 24, 2014

Last week BP released their 63rd annual BP Statistical Review of World Energy report (full copy embedded below). Many of the “majors” like BP and Exxon publish an annual look at world energy supplies. What do the wizards at BP find when peering into their crystal ball? Last year worldwide energy usage rose 2.3%, which is up from 2012. However, it’s still below the historical average increase of 2.5%. Translation: the world economy still sucks with fewer jobs and economic activity happening. Natural gas consumption grew by 1.4% last year, well below the historical average of 2.6%. But there was one place in the world where gas consumption rose–yep, right here at home in the U.S. consumption rose by 2.4%. China and the U.S. together accounted for 81% of the growth in natgas consumption last year. What else did the report find?…
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Blue Ridge Mtn Res/Magnum Hunter | EdgeMarc Energy | Energy Companies | Ohio | Utica Shale | Washington County (OH)

Magnum Hunter JV Deal with EdgeMarc to Drill 1,080 Acres in OH
June 23, 2014June 23, 2014

This morning Magnum Hunter Resources announced a new, small joint venture with EdgeMarc (EM Energy Ohio) to drill on and under 1,080 acres of Marcellus/Utica property in Washington County, OH. This is the third such smallish jv between Magnum Hunter and other companies to drill in either the Marcellus or Utica Shale…
Read More “Magnum Hunter JV Deal with EdgeMarc to Drill 1,080 Acres in OH”
Carrizo Oil & Gas | Energy Companies | Guernsey County | Ohio | Utica Shale

Carrizo Begins Drilling 2nd Utica Well – in Guernsey County, OH
June 23, 2014June 23, 2014

Last week the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environment Protection slapped Carrizo Oil & Gas with a $192K fine (see PA DEP Fines Carrizo $192K for 2 Incidents in Wyoming County). Totally unrelated, but perhaps timed to soften that blow, Carrizo (the day before) released an update to say their spudder rig has arrived on site in Guernsey County, OH where the company will begin drilling its second Utica Shale well “shortly”…
Read More “Carrizo Begins Drilling 2nd Utica Well – in Guernsey County, OH”
Accidents | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Morgan County | Ohio | PDC Energy | Utica Shale

Bubblin’ Oil at Site of PDC Well Blowout in Morgan County, OH?
June 23, 2014June 23, 2014

An update to a story we’ve tracked since early May. PDC Energy had begun drilling several Utica wells in Morgan County, OH when one of the wells had an accident and spilled drilling mud on the drill pad, overflowing off the pad (see PDC Accident: Drilling Mud Spills into Creek in Morgan County, OH). A quick investigation determined that the blowout preventer failed (see Blowout Preventer Failed at Morgan County, OH Utica Well Site). We have an update on that well and two other wells located on the same pad…
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Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Lease & Royalty Payments | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA Royalty Bill 1684 Off the Agenda, Likely for Rest of 2014
June 20, 2014June 20, 2014

Pennsylvania landowners can and should be angry with the Republican-controlled PA House of Representatives. Word has just come that an important royalty bill–HB 1684–is now on the “back burner” until fall. Fall is the height of the election season and you know darned well nothing will get done on the bill at that point–so for all intents the bill is dead for this year. Which is a shame. What is HB 1684? Our shorthand name for the bill is the “stop Chesapeake Energy from screwing landowners out of their royalties” bill…
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East Resources | Energy Companies | Erie County (NY) | New York

Will Marcellus Blood Money Buy the Buffalo Bills?
June 20, 2014June 20, 2014

If you’re an anti-driller in Western New York and a Buffalo Bills fan, you’re in a serious quandary. The Bills NFL franchise is for sale, for the first time ever, and it may be your single best hope for keeping the Bills in Buffalo is if Terry Pegula buys the team. As MDN previously reported, Pegula is the owner of the Buffalo Sabres NHL team. He’s also the founder and CEO of East Resources, an evil oil and gas company. Could it be that the Marcellus Shale–and money derived from it–will save the Buffalo Bills? Can anti-drillers ever live with themselves if that happens? Will anti-drilling Bills fans switch allegiance to their arch rivals the New York Giants or the hated Pittsburgh Steelers if Pegula buys the Bills with his Marcellus “blood money”? All burning questions for inquiring minds…
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Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Ohio | Statewide OH | Utica Shale

Chesapeake CEO Lawler Calls Himself “Anti-Core”
June 20, 2014June 20, 2014

Speaking at a conference this week, Chesapeake Energy CEO Doug Lawler says he doesn’t believe in nonsense like “core of the core” in given shale plays–like the Utica. Lawler says he’s “anti-core” and instead of trying to zero in on the best-producing locations in a play he would rather not limit himself or technology. Which is all kind of funny since Chessy missed the core in the Utica Shale. Lawler’s comments are a tacit admission that they blew it in the Utica, so now they’ll make some lemonade with the lemons in their hand and simply ignore reality…
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American Energy Partners | Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Processing Plants

Aubrey McClendon Gets Back into the Midstream Business
June 19, 2014June 19, 2014

Is Aubrey McClendon getting the band back together again? That is, is he re-creating Chesapeake Energy under the name of American Energy Partners? Perhaps! Yesterday McClendon’s AEP announced that AEP and their major backer Energy & Minerals Group (EMG) are forming a midstream subsidiary called American Energy – Midstream which will invest in pipelines and processing plants in those regions where AEP has active drilling operations–namely the Utica and Marcellus Shale…
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Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Processing Plants | Shell | Shell Midstream Partners

Shell Files IPO to Spin Off Midstream/Pipelines into MLP
June 19, 2014June 19, 2014

While Aubrey McClendon and his financial partner EMG are getting back into the midstream/pipeline business (see today’s story about getting the band back together), Royal Dutch Shell is getting out of the midstream business. Well, not exactly getting out–but Shell announced yesterday that the company has filed paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission to create a pipeline subsidiary called Shell Midstream Partners. The new company would have a master limited partnership (MLP) structure, which floats something akin to, but different from, shares of stock. They’re called units and the reason for spinning it out as a separate company under the MLP banner is tax-related. According to the paperwork Shell has filed, they anticipate raising up to $750 million in unit sales. Will Shell, via this new subsidiary, own any pipelines in the Marcellus/Utica?…
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Belmont County | Eclipse Resources | Energy Companies | Guernsey County | Harrison County | Monroe County | Noble County | Ohio | Utica Shale

Marcellus/Utica Driller Eclipse Resources IPO Seeks $864M+
June 19, 2014June 19, 2014

Just over a month ago MDN brought you the news that PA-based Marcellus/Utica driller Eclipse Resources would soon float an initial public offering (IPO) hoping to raise $100 million (see Utica Driller Eclipse Resources Files IPO – Wants to Raise $100M). It now appears the information in that story was off–way off. Earlier this month Eclipse launched their IPO by announcing they want to sell 30.3 million shares of common stock for $27-$30 per share. If you calculate they get $28.50, that would raise $864 million!…
Read More “Marcellus/Utica Driller Eclipse Resources IPO Seeks $864M+”
Accidents | Carrizo Oil & Gas | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Wyoming County (PA)

PA DEP Fines Carrizo $192K for 2 Incidents in Wyoming County
June 19, 2014June 19, 2014

In Mach 2013 Carrizo Oil & Gas was fracking a Marcellus Shale well in Wyoming County, PA when they lost control of the well and wastewater and brine started coming out of the well faster than they could handle it–about 800 gallons a minute. Eventually about 200,000 gallons of wastewater and brine overflowed at the site (see Carrizo Problem Fracking NE PA Well, Evacuates 3 Nearby Families). About a month later, after investigating the damage, the state Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) allowed Carrizo to resume their fracking and drilling operations in that area (see Carrizo Resumes Fracking at Site of Spill in Wyoming County, PA). It’s now more than a year later and the DEP has just handed Carrizo a $192,044 fine for failing to keep control of the well, which resulted “in environmental degradation and the evacuation of citizens from their homes.” The fine also covers a second, much smaller incident that happened in April 2013…
Read More “PA DEP Fines Carrizo $192K for 2 Incidents in Wyoming County”
Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Regulation | Washington County

Court Says Range Resources Must Disclose Chemicals in SW PA
June 19, 2014June 19, 2014

Three families who live near a former drill site and frack wastewater impoundment at the Yeager Marcellus Shale site in Washington County, PA sued Range Resources in May 2012 claiming the air they breathe and the water they drink had been contaminated by Range’s operation at the site (see EPA Investigating Range Drill Site in Western PA). Litigation ensued, and years passed. In November of last year, County Judge Debbie O’Dell Seneca gave Range and its contractors 30 days to cough up a list of all the chemicals ever used at the site, right down to the kind of oil used in the engines of vehicles visiting the site (see PA Judge Forces Range, Contractors to Provide Chemical List). That didn’t happen because Range appealed. Last week Range lost the appeal…
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Energy Companies | PDC Energy

Changing Chairs at PDC Energy: New President/CEO
June 19, 2014June 19, 2014

PDC Energy is a driller in both the Utica and Marcellus Shale plays, as well as other plays in the U.S. Yesterday the company announced effective immediately they are promoting their COO and executive VP Barton Brookman to be president and CEO. Stepping down as head of the company is James Trimble, a position he’s held for the past three years. Trimble will remain on the board of directors. In reflecting on his tenture at the helm of PDC, Trimble says one of his proudest achievements is “initiating successful exploration in the Utica shale.” Here’s yesterday’s announcement of changing chairs at PDC…
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