XTO

Accidents | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania | Wastewater | XTO

PA AG Abuses Her Authority, Files Criminal Charges Against XTO
September 11, 2013September 11, 2013

In November 2012, the day after the general election, MDN asked the question if Pennsylvania’s newly elected anti-drilling attorney general, Kathleen Kane, would target the Marcellus Shale drilling industry (see Will New PA AG Go After the Marcellus Drilling Industry?). We now know the answer. Yesterday Kane’s office announced it had filed criminal charges against XTO Energy related to the spill of fracking wastewater at a site in Lycoming County, PA that happened more than three years ago–before she took office.

XTO has already responded that the area where the spill occurred suffered no long-term adverse environmental effects and that Kane has far exceeded the bounds of her authority (in fact is abusing her authority) in seeking criminal charges. We agree with XTO…
Read More “PA AG Abuses Her Authority, Files Criminal Charges Against XTO”
Accidents | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania | XTO

XTO Pays Dearly for 2010 Wastewater Spill in Lycoming County, PA
July 19, 2013July 19, 2013

Yesterday, the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Justice announced a deal with XTO Energy to resolve what they say was a violation of the Clean Water Act in 2010 when XTO experienced a spill of fracking wastewater from a storage tank in Lycoming County, PA.

That spill is going to cost XTO dearly: a $100,000 fine, and another $20 million to craft a “comprehensive plan to improve wastewater management”…
Read More “XTO Pays Dearly for 2010 Wastewater Spill in Lycoming County, PA”
Allegheny County | Armstrong County | Butler County | Columbia Pipeline Group | Energy Companies | Energy Services | Indiana County | Industrywide Issues | NiSource | PennEnergy Resources | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Westmoreland County | XTO

NiSource Big Pine Gathering Pipeline Goes Online in SW PA
June 19, 2013June 19, 2013

NiSource and Columbia Pipeline Group announced yesterday their new Big Pine Gathering System is now online and running in PA’s Marcellus Shale. Big Pine is a 57-mile pipeline gathering system serving southwestern PA: Allegheny, Butler, Armstrong, Indiana and Westmoreland counties. NiSource has a long-term contract with XTO Energy to deliver XTO’s natural gas to three different pipeline transmission systems. In addition to XTO, NiSource recently signed PennEnergy Resources as another customer for the new pipeline.

Details from the NiSource press release:
Read More “NiSource Big Pine Gathering Pipeline Goes Online in SW PA”
Butler County | Energy Companies | Exxon Mobil | Industrywide Issues | NGLs | Pennsylvania | Processing Plants | XTO

XTO’s New NGL Recovery Plant in Butler County, PA Now Online
June 18, 2013June 18, 2013

Flying under the radar for more than year, XTO Energy (the Marcellus/Utica Shale subsidiary of Exxon Mobil) announced yesterday their natural gas liquids (NGL) recovery plant in Butler County, PA is now up and running. The plant will process wet gas coming from the the southwestern portion of PA, separating NGLs from methane. Although not referenced in the XTO announcement (see below), the recovered NGLs will be fractionated (further separated) and marketed by MarkWest (see MarkWest Signs Deal with XTO to Process NGLs in PA).

The announcement from XTO that their new NGL recovery plant is now up and running:
Read More “XTO’s New NGL Recovery Plant in Butler County, PA Now Online”
Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Marion County | West Virginia | XTO

Judge Rescinds Request for WV Supremes to Rule on Surface Rights
May 29, 2013May 29, 2013

In early April, MDN told you about a case referred to the West Virginia Supreme Court by a federal district court judge. Judge Irene Keeley requested the WV Supreme Court rule in a case over whether or not a driller can build a drill pad on a surface owner’s land for the purpose of getting the gas underneath a neighbor’s property (for background, see District Court Judge Asks WV Supremes to Rule in Surface Rights Case).

We have a new development in the case. Judge Keeley has changed her mind and told the supremes to forget about it–at least for now. She wants the lawyers for both sides in the case to submit more “facts” before she decides on whether she’ll rule or resubmit it to the high court…
Read More “Judge Rescinds Request for WV Supremes to Rule on Surface Rights”
Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Marion County | West Virginia | XTO

District Court Judge Asks WV Supremes to Rule in Surface Rights Case
April 4, 2013April 4, 2013

Waaaay back in July 2011 MDN told you about an interesting legal case in West Virginia in which a surface rights landowner was suing XTO because XTO is (in the opinion of the landowner) abusing the right to set up a well pad on his surface in order to get gas not only under the surface of his property, but also from his neighbors’ property (see WV Marcellus Legal Battle over Well Pads: Surface Rights Owners v. Mineral Rights Owners). The surface landowner, Richard Cain, acknowledges law and precedent allows XTO to set up a well on his land in order to get the gas under his land—but Cain maintains XTO isn’t really all that interested in getting it from under his land, but simply wants to use his convenient location to reach other nearby properties. Cain gets all of the headaches and none of the royalty money. Kind of a raw deal, from his perspective. Can’t blame him.

There is a new development in the case. The judge presiding over the case, U.S. District Judge Irene Keeley, has formally asked the WV Supreme Court to rule on the key question in the case since it will set a precedent (and has far-reaching consequences) for the entire state…

Read More “District Court Judge Asks WV Supremes to Rule in Surface Rights Case”
Beck Energy | Belmont County | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Lease & Royalty Payments | Litigation | Monroe County | Ohio | XTO

XTO, Beck Energy Appeal OH Case Allowing Lease Termination
March 15, 2013March 15, 2013

Earlier this week MDN told you about 600-700 landowners in Ohio who won a lawsuit allowing them to terminate leases held with Beck Energy and XTO Energy (see OH Lawsuit Victory: 600-700 Landowners Can Terminate Beck, XTO Leases).

Beck and XTO are none too happy with the decision and have appealed it to the Ohio Court of Appeals:

Read More “XTO, Beck Energy Appeal OH Case Allowing Lease Termination”
Beck Energy | Belmont County | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Lease & Royalty Payments | Litigation | Monroe County | Ohio | XTO

OH Lawsuit Victory: 600-700 Landowners Can Terminate Beck, XTO Leases
March 11, 2013March 11, 2013

A court case recently-decided could have big implications for landowners in Ohio. The case means that some 600-700 landowners with signed leases with Beck Energy Corp. and XTO Energy in Monroe and Belmont counties may be able to join a class action to have their leases terminated, allowing them to re-sign with a different company.

The details, as provided by law firm Jackson Kelly:

Read More “OH Lawsuit Victory: 600-700 Landowners Can Terminate Beck, XTO Leases”
Antero Resources | Chesapeake Energy | CNX Resources | Energy Companies | Gulfport Energy | Hilcorp Energy | Ohio | Statewide OH | Utica Shale | XTO

New Utica Permits for Hilcorp, Chesapeake, Others
December 21, 2012December 21, 2012

The latest permits issued last week by the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) for Utica Shale drilling include permits for Hilcorp, Chesapeake, Gulfport, XTO, CNX Gas and Antero.

Here’s the details on which counties and for how many wells:

Read More “New Utica Permits for Hilcorp, Chesapeake, Others”
Energy Companies | Exxon Mobil | XTO

Will Exxon’s Lack of Marcellus Drilling Lead to Expired Leases?
August 24, 2012August 24, 2012

An energy industry consultant and investment analyst writes an interesting article on Seeking Alpha about Exxon Mobil’s commitment to dry shale shale (“methane only”). Richard Zeits characterizes Exxon’s shift away from dry to wet gas (oil and natural gas liquids) as “radical,” citing Exxon’s onshore rig count decline from 71 to 50 rigs (a 30% drop) since the beginning of this year as evidence of the change. He estimates they use less than 10 of the remaining 50 rigs for drilling in dry gas areas.

Zeits says that Exxon may not be able to hold a sizable amount of leased acreage they hold in dry gas areas of the Marcellus and Fayetteville Shale basins because of the reduced rig count. That is, they won’t be able to drill on the leased acreage by the time the leases expire—especially in the Marcellus where they’re only operating four rigs on 660,000 acres of holdings.

Read More “Will Exxon’s Lack of Marcellus Drilling Lead to Expired Leases?”
Butler County | Energy Companies | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | MarkWest Energy | NGLs | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Processing Plants | XTO

MarkWest Signs Deal with XTO to Process NGLs in PA
August 1, 2012August 1, 2012

MarkWest has just signed a deal with XTO Energy (XTO is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Exxon Mobil) to extend MarkWest’s natural gas liquids (NGLs) gathering pipeline in Butler County, PA to XTO’s processing plant. Previously MarkWest announced plans to extend the same pipeline from its Houston, PA complex to the Bluestone complex in Butler County. With this announcement, MarkWest will further extend the pipeline from Bluestone to XTO’s plant.

This deal will grant MarkWest the right to fractionate and market NGLs from XTO. Adding this new pipeline to other recently announced pipelines by MarkWest, when everything is built and running, MarkWest will have 3 billion cubic feet of gas processing capacity and 270,000 barrels per day of fractionation capacity throughout the Marcellus and Utica Shale.

Read More “MarkWest Signs Deal with XTO to Process NGLs in PA”
Belmont County | Energy Companies | Exxon Mobil | Ohio | Utica Shale | XTO

Exxon to Drill First Ohio Utica Shale Well in Belmont County
February 7, 2012February 7, 2012

According to press reports, XTO Energy—a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil—will drill its first Ohio Utica Shale well in Belmont County.

Read More “Exxon to Drill First Ohio Utica Shale Well in Belmont County”
Energy Companies | Exxon Mobil | Lease & Royalty Payments | Monroe County | Ohio | XTO

Correction: Exxon Buys 25K Acres of Utica Shale Leases in OH
January 11, 2012January 11, 2012

Two days ago MDN reported, based on copies of paperwork filed with Monroe County, Ohio, that Exxon Mobil via its subsidiary XTO Energy had acquired 13,200 acres of Utica Shale gas leases from Beck Energy (see this MDN story). It turns out there’s more to the story.

MDN received a copy of an additional purchase agreement between Beck and Exxon for another 7,627 acres, for a total deal between the two companies of 20,827 acres of leases in Monroe County. The new/second agreement appears to be property held by Beck with delayed rental payments—that is, property where there is currently no active drilling.

Read More “Correction: Exxon Buys 25K Acres of Utica Shale Leases in OH”
Energy Companies | Exxon Mobil | Lease & Royalty Payments | Monroe County | Ohio | Utica Shale | XTO

Exxon Buys 13,200 Acres of Utica Shale Leases in Ohio
January 9, 2012January 9, 2012

Exxon Mobil, through it’s subsidiary XTO Energy, recently acquired just over 13,200 acres of Utica Shale leases from Beck Energy Corp. in Monroe County, Ohio. A copy of the Bill of Sale, dated Dec. 20, 2011, is embedded below, containing a list of all the parcels in the transaction. Terms of the purchase are not disclosed in the document. Neither Exxon Mobil nor Beck Energy have disclosed the price and terms of the deal.

Read More “Exxon Buys 13,200 Acres of Utica Shale Leases in Ohio”
Belmont County | Energy Companies | Exxon Mobil | Ohio | XTO

Exxon Pays for After Hours Access to OH Property Records
November 21, 2011November 21, 2011

Interest from drilling companies in Eastern Ohio continues to be red hot with respect to the Marcellus and Utica Shales, as proven by how local county offices are overrun with researchers wanting access to property deed records. One such place is the Belmont County Recorder’s office in Belmont, Ohio. One company, Permian Oil (acting as an agent for XTO Energy, a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil) has gone so far as to pay for after hours access.

Read More “Exxon Pays for After Hours Access to OH Property Records”
Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | EXCO Resources | Hess | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Williams Production | XTO

65 Marcellus Well Casing Violations in PA So Far in 2011
September 19, 2011March 24, 2012

Recently released data on drilling violations from the PA Department of Environmental Protection show that problems continue with the cemented steel casings that are designed to protect groundwater from methane and the fluids used to frack wells. The violations do not mean methane or fluids escaped into local groundwater aquifers—but the potential exists when a well is not cased properly. So far in 2011, 65 wells have been cited for faulty casing and cementing. Out of the many thousands of wells drilled and fracked each year in Pennsylvania, that’s not a bad ratio, but it’s certainly nowhere near acceptable. As DEP Secretary Michael Krancer has said, “One case of methane migration or well contamination is one case too many.” The industry needs to do better.

Read More “65 Marcellus Well Casing Violations in PA So Far in 2011”