Energy Companies

Energy Companies | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | MarkWest Energy | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Range Resources Corp | Regulation | Washington County

MarkWest, Range Resources File Legal Appeal Over Denial of Permit for Gas Compressor Station in Cecil, PA
May 24, 2011May 24, 2011

MarkWest wants to build a Marcellus Shale gas compressor station in Cecil Township (Washington County), PA. They filed an application for a “special exception” to allow them to build the plant but were denied by the zoning board. On April 21, MarkWest filed an appeal in Washington County civil court to have the decision overturned. MarkWest said at the time it hopes to settle the matter “amiably” but was filing to “preserve its rights.” Part of the appeal states:

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Brooke County | Energy Companies | Hancock County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Mercuria Energy | West Virginia

Mercuria Energy Interested in Sewage Wastewater from Weirton, WV for Use in Fracking
May 24, 2011

Swiss-based energy company Mercuria is interested in the effluent (sewage wastewater) that comes from the treatment plant in Weirton, West Virginia to use as a source of water for hydraulic fracturing operations.

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Chesapeake Energy | Columbiana County | Energy Companies | Ohio | Utica Shale

Chesapeake Files Application to Drill First Well in Columbiana County (Ohio) Targeting the Utica Shale
May 23, 2011May 23, 2011

The first application for a drilling permit has been received in Columbiana County, Ohio, and it’s an application to drill in the Utica Shale with the hope of someday striking oil. This is likely the first of many applications to come, according to Ohio officials.

Read More “Chesapeake Files Application to Drill First Well in Columbiana County (Ohio) Targeting the Utica Shale”
Chevron | Energy Companies | Greene County (PA) | Hydraulic Fracturing | Indiana County | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Samson Investment Co | Somerset County

Marcellus Shale Drilling May Provide a Solution to Coal Mine Water Runoff Problem
May 23, 2011May 23, 2011

Pennsylvania has a decades old problem with abandoned coal mines. The mines fill with rain water. The water becomes highly acidic and contains dissolved metals such as iron, aluminum and manganese. The water then runs off into waterways and is responsible for thousands of miles of streams that are uninhabitable for wildlife and not suitable for human use. Marcellus Shale gas drilling may provide at least a partial solution to the problem.

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Accidents | Bradford County | Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Washington County

Chesapeake Energy Fined $1.1 Million for Methane Migration and Tank Fire in PA
May 20, 2011May 20, 2011

Chesapeake Energy has been slapped with the largest fine given to date by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for methane migration and for a fire at a well.

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Economic Impact | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Range Resources Corp

The Economics of Converting Vehicles to Natural Gas
May 16, 2011May 16, 2011

At a small meeting last week at Washington & Jefferson College (in Washington, PA, near Pittsburgh), representatives from Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania, Range Resources and Pittsburgh Regional Clean Cities presented to several area fleet operators. They were making the case for the economics of switching their cars and trucks to compressed natural gas, or CNG. Widespread use of natural gas to power vehicles will likely start with “fleets” of vehicles—taxis, trucks, buses—and the early adopters will likely be schools, government and larger companies.

We get the following figures on conversion costs from Dan Cotherman, business development manager for driller Range Resources:

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Carrizo Oil & Gas | Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Sullivan County | Susquehanna County | Wyoming County (PA)

Carrizo to Drill 30 Marcellus Shale Wells in Wyoming County, PA – Laser Pipeline will Handle all of Carrizo’s Gas in the Region
May 13, 2011May 13, 2011

Richard Smith, vice president of land for Carrizo Oil & Gas, spoke to the Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce at a luncheon yesterday outlining Carrizo’s plans for drilling in the Pennsylvania Marcellus Shale. He said that Carrizo will have five well pads “fully developed” in Wyoming County by September 2012. He also said Carrizo would begin drilling in Sullivan County by the end of this year.

Smith offered these facts and figures about Carrizo’s Marcellus drilling operations:

Read More “Carrizo to Drill 30 Marcellus Shale Wells in Wyoming County, PA – Laser Pipeline will Handle all of Carrizo’s Gas in the Region”
Columbiana County | DPS Penn | Energy Companies | Lease & Royalty Payments | Ohio

Ohio School Signs Marcellus Drilling Lease for School Property – $2K per Acre, 15 Percent Royalties
May 13, 2011May 13, 2011

United Local Schools in Hanoverton (Columbiana County), Ohio approved a Marcellus Shale gas drilling lease with DPS Penn yesterday:

Read More “Ohio School Signs Marcellus Drilling Lease for School Property – $2K per Acre, 15 Percent Royalties”
Brooke County | Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Regulation | West Virginia

WV City Votes to Ban Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling, Court Challenge Coming from Chesapeake Energy
May 12, 2011May 12, 2011

City council members from Wellsburg, West Virginia, located in the panhandle area of the state (in Brooke County), on Tuesday voted to ban natural gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing both inside the city limits and outside city limits within a mile.

Read More “WV City Votes to Ban Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling, Court Challenge Coming from Chesapeake Energy”
Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Tioga County (PA) | Ultra Petroleum

Ultra Petroleum Continues Rapid Growth in Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling – Tioga PA Well Output 2x Initial Estimates
May 12, 2011May 12, 2011

Ultra Petroleum’s growth continues to be double-digit, largely because of it’s Marcellus Shale gas drilling operations. From Ultra’s recent press release on first quarter activity we get the following Marcellus operational update:

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Energy Companies | EQT Corp

EQT Corp Sells Kentucky Gas Pipeline to Invest in More Marcellus Shale Drilling – On Track to Drill 100 Marcellus Wells This Year
May 12, 2011May 12, 2011

EQT Corporation has just sold a gas pipeline in Kentucky for $390 million to Spectra Energy Partners so it can invest the money in Marcellus (and Huron) shale gas drilling. From EQT’s press announcement about the sale we also learn EQT is on track to drill 100 Marcellus gas wells this year. EQT has revised their projected shale gas output upward from 180 billion cubic feet equivalent (Bcfe) to 185-190 Bcfe for 2011, and expects output to grow to 250 Bcfe in 2012.

Read More “EQT Corp Sells Kentucky Gas Pipeline to Invest in More Marcellus Shale Drilling – On Track to Drill 100 Marcellus Wells This Year”
Chesapeake Energy | Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Energy Services | Exxon Mobil | New York | Schlumberger | Shell | Southwestern Energy | Statewide NY

Surprise! New York State’s Pension Fund Invests $1 Billion in Shale Gas Drilling Companies
May 9, 2011May 9, 2011

In an interesting (some would say hypocritical) twist on New York State’s moratorium against drilling in the Marcellus Shale because of environmental concerns, it seems the state’s comptroller has no problem investing some of the state’s huge $140 billion pension fund in shale gas drilling operations, to the tune of $1 billion:

Read More “Surprise! New York State’s Pension Fund Invests $1 Billion in Shale Gas Drilling Companies”
Energy Companies | Monongalia County | Northeast Natural Energy | West Virginia

Two New Marcellus Shale Gas Wells to be Drilled Close to Morgantown, WV
May 6, 2011May 6, 2011

Northeast Natural Energy is set to drill two new Marcellus Shale gas wells just across the river from Morgantown, WV:

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Atlas Energy | Chevron | Chief Oil & Gas | Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Chevron Continues Aggressive Expansion into Marcellus Shale in PA – Buys Leases for Additional 228K Acres from Chief Oil & Gas
May 5, 2011May 5, 2011

In February of this year, Chevron completed a $3.58 billion purchase of Atlas Energy Inc. (headquartered in Moon Township, PA) with gas leases for 622,000 acres in the Marcellus Shale. Chevron is on the move again announcing yesterday it is acquiring an additional 228,000 acres of Marcellus Shale gas leases from Chief Oil & Gas, primarily in southwestern PA. Although Chief is selling off its southwestern PA gas leases, it plans to remain active with its remaining 125,000 acres of gas leases in northeastern PA.

Read More “Chevron Continues Aggressive Expansion into Marcellus Shale in PA – Buys Leases for Additional 228K Acres from Chief Oil & Gas”
Broome County | Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Equinor/Statoil | Industrywide Issues | Lease & Royalty Payments | Litigation | New York | Tioga County (NY)

NY Landowners Sue Chesapeake & Statoilhydro Over Force Majeure Lease Extension
May 4, 2011May 4, 2011

A number of landowners in New York’s Southern Tier region (Broome and Tioga Counties) signed leases with gas companies in 2000 for peanuts, $3 per acre, long before shale gas drilling was discovered and used. The technologies of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling have been around for decades, but it wasn’t until 2006 that the two were combined to tap shale gas.

Read More “NY Landowners Sue Chesapeake & Statoilhydro Over Force Majeure Lease Extension”
Accidents | Bradford County | Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Pennsylvania | Statewide MD

Maryland AG Sues Chesapeake Energy Over Spill in Pennsylvania
May 3, 2011May 3, 2011

Maryland’s Attorney General, Douglas F. Gansler, has filed an “intent to sue” on Chesapeake Energy because of the accidental spill of fracking fluid in April in Leroy Township, PA (read MDN’s story about the spill here). Mr. Gansler’s rationale for his litigiousness is that the fluid reached a small stream that feeds the Towanda Creek, and the Towanda Creek in turn empties into the Susquehanna River, and the Susquehanna River empties into the Chesapeake Bay. Therefore, according to Gansler, several federal statutes have been violated, including the Clean Water Act. Also, the City of Baltimore uses the Susquehanna as a backup source of water “in times of drought.”

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