Williams | Marcellus Drilling News

Farmer Does Jail Time After Confrontation with Pipeline Co

December 18, 2012December 18, 2012

A western PA cattle farmer claims workers from Williams/Laurel Mountain Midstream pumped acid mine drainage onto his farm and damaged his fences while drilling a ditch for a pipeline across his property. The farmer was ordered to stay away from the workers last month after confronting them about damage done to his fences. He violated a court order and confronted them a second time when he saw what he thought was acid mine drainage being pumped onto his land from the ditches being dug. This time he got four days in the local clink.

Here’s what we know of the story:

Chesapeake, Access & Williams in Complex 3-Way Midstream Deal

December 12, 2012December 12, 2012

bouncing ball Chesapeake Energy has sold off its remaining midstream operations (pipelines, compressors and processing plants) to Access Midstream Partners for $2.16 billion. The sale includes Chesapeake’s midstream assets in the Marcellus and Utica Shale region, along with assets in the Eagle Ford, Haynesville and Niobrara shale plays.

At the same time (keep your eye on the bouncing ball here), midstream giant Williams paid $2.4 billion to buy a 50% stake in Access Midstream. That is, the two deals are connected—Chesapeake to Access, Access to Williams. On paper, Chesapeake sold its midstream properties to Access, but it practice it seems the sale was actually to Williams via Access Midstream. In addition, Williams announced that Chesapeake is “supporting” their effort to build a natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline from the Marcellus/Utica area to the Gulf Coast.

Southern Gas Utility Invests in NE Constitution Pipeline

November 13, 2012November 13, 2012

Piedmont Natural Gas, a natural gas utility with more than one million customers in North and South Carolina and Tennessee, has decided they want a piece of the Marcellus Shale gas action. Piedmont is investing $180 million in the yet-to-be-built Constitution Pipeline that will run from Susquehanna County, PA to Schoharie County, NY. Williams, the company building the new pipeline, and Piedmont collaborate on other projects too. Piedmont is also a customer of Williams’ Transco natural gas pipeline.

Here’s the announcement from Piedmont on why they’ve decided to invest in the Constitution Pipeline project:

NY Company Plans to Tap Constitution Pipeline, Sell Locally

November 5, 2012November 5, 2012

An important, and apart from MDN friend Andy Leahy, unreported development on the Constitution Pipeline, a new Marcellus Shale gas pipeline proposed by Williams and Cabot Oil & Gas that will run from Susquehanna County, PA to upstate New York (Schoharie County) where it will connect with two large interstate natural gas pipelines.

The important “new news” is that the Constitution will be an “open gas pipeline” and already one company—the Leatherstocking Gas Company of New York—plans to build an interconnect along the Constitution to buy and resell locally produced natural gas locally. Hey, there’s a concept! Leatherstocking plans to set up a low-cost natural gas distribution network in Broome, Chenango, Delaware and Madison counties in New York’s Southern Tier area.

Energy Services | Williams

Williams Partners 3Q12 Update: Net Income Down 31%

November 1, 2012November 1, 2012

Williams Partners, the pipeline and processing subsidiary of energy giant Williams, released their third quarter financial update yesterday. Like many of the other energy companies with operations in the Marcellus and Utica Shale, Williams Partners did not have a good 3Q12 from a financial perspective. Net income for 3Q12 was $237 million, down from $342 in 3Q11 (31%). Why was 3Q12 tough for Williams and other energy companies? Low commodity prices for natural gas and natural gas liquids.

Relevant sections from the Williams announcement yesterday:

Who is Behind StopThePipeline.org?

October 12, 2012October 12, 2012

A so-called “grassroots coalition” has formed to oppose the proposed 120-mile Constitution Pipeline. The Constitution will be built by Williams and Cabot Oil & Gas, stretching from the Marcellus Shale gas fields of Susquehanna County in northeaster Pennsylvania through New York State to Schoharie County (see this MDN story for background).

A “group” opposing the new pipeline has sprung up with an impressive web presence at the URL StopThePipeline.org. But who’s behind this group? And what are their true aims? MDN has done a bit of nosing around.

Federal Agency Opposes Marcellus Constitution Pipeline

October 9, 2012October 9, 2012

MDN has previously reported on the proposed new Constitution Pipeline being planned by Williams and Cabot Oil & Gas (see this MDN story). The Constitution would run from Susquehanna County, PA into Central New York—Schoharie County—where it would link to both the Tennessee and Iroquois interstate natural gas pipelines.

A potentially powerful detractor of the proposed new pipeline has come forward: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). A field supervisor for FWS sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)—the federal agency charged with permitting pipelines—asking FERC to consider other possibilities before approving the Constitution Pipeline.

Williams Official Gives WV Huge Compliment, Disses PA

October 5, 2012October 5, 2012

At a Chamber of Commerce dinner in Marshall County, WV held last night, Darrell Bull, the general manager of Williams Ohio Valley Midstream (a division of midstream giant Williams) paid a huge compliment to West Virginia and dissed Pennsylvania.

Williams to Invest Additional $1.34B, Create 100 Jobs in WV

August 31, 2012August 31, 2012

At a ceremony yesterday in Marshall County, WV, Williams Partners announced they will spend an additional $1.34 billion between now and 2014 and add an additional 100 long-term jobs to expand processing capacity of a recently acquired natural gas liquids plant. Added with their previous investments, Williams will have spent $3.84 billion on infrastructure projects in the northern panhandle of West Virginia.

From yesterday’s announcement:

Williams Plans Marcellus Expansion of Transco Leidy Pipeline

August 2, 2012August 2, 2012

As the pace of drilling continues (but slows) in the Marcellus, the next major phase of work begins: completing wells and getting all that shale gas to market. That’s why pipelines, compressor stations and processing plants are important. Williams Partners, one of the largest pipeline operators in the country, announced yesterday they plan to expand their existing Transco Leidy Line in northern PA to accommodate new demands for shipping Marcellus Shale gas.

They expect to make a pre-filing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in early 2013, and hope to have the expansion complete by late 2015.

Williams Holds Public Sessions for New Constitution Pipeline

July 23, 2012July 23, 2012

MDN editor Jim Willis attended a “meet and greet” session by Williams about their proposed new Constitution Pipeline. This is a first-hand account of that meeting.

Gas production from northeastern Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale is so plentiful, new pipelines are necessary to move it to market. That was the message from Williams Corporation last Wednesday night at the West Windsor Fire Hall located just miles outside of Binghamton, NY.

Williams was on hand to discuss the proposed Constitution Pipeline, a joint venture between Williams and Cabot Oil & Gas to build a 121-mile pipeline from the Marcellus-rich area of Susquehanna County, PA north to Schoharie County, NY.

Williams Does Second Midstream Deal with Caiman Energy

July 11, 2012December 19, 2012

Midstream giant Williams Partners continues an aggressive push into the Marcellus and Utica Shale and continues to cozy up with Caiman Energy as well. Yesterday Williams announced it will contribute $380 million toward a new $800 million joint venture with Caiman and several other partners to develop pipelines and processing facilities for natural gas, natural gas liquids and oil in the Utica Shale region of northeast Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania.

Earlier this year Williams spent $2.5 billion to purchase Caiman subsidiary Caiman Eastern Midstream, giving Williams a major midstream presence in the Marcellus/Utica region in northern West Virginia, southwestern Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio (see this MDN story). The recurring theme for Williams’ latest jv and acquisitions seems to be, “Get thee to the wet gas.”

NY Constitution Pipeline Route Change?

July 11, 2012December 19, 2012

Cabot Oil & Gas and Williams are partnering to build a new $750 million, 120-mile “Constitution Pipeline” to bring Marcellus Shale gas all the way from Susquehanna County, PA to Schoharie County, NY where it would connect to the Iroquois Gas Transmission pipeline and the Tennessee Gas pipeline (see this MDN story).

But the route the new pipeline takes through New York (see the map below) is being opposed by some area residents and by two Republican state legislators: Assemblyman Pete Lopez and Sen. James Seward. They want the pipeline to “hug” the Interstate 88 corridor instead.

Exterran Wins Contract to Build 3 WV NatGas Processing Plants

July 2, 2012July 2, 2012

A big “get” for Exterran Holdings. They’ve won the contract to build three natural gas processing plants being built by Williams Partners in West Virginia.

From the Exterran press release:

The Next Battleground for Shale Drilling: Compressor Plants

June 18, 2012June 18, 2012

As the number of Marcellus gas wells increase in Pennsylvania, so too do the number of pipelines to move the gas and the number of natural gas compressor stations. Compressor stations push the gas along the pipeline until the pipeline connects to a larger pipeline. Compressor stations are the next battleground for anti-drillers who want to plant the seeds of doubt.

For example, 29 permits have been or are being considered for compressor stations in northeastern PA, and of those, nearly two dozen of them are within a 15-mile radius of Dimock, PA. Since 2005, 383 permits have been issued statewide, but not all of them have been or will be built. The issue of contention is air pollution. Each station emits some volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). How much they emit, and their combined effect in a region, is what is in dispute.

Williams & Cabot Partner on New 120-Mile PA to NY Pipeline

May 3, 2012May 3, 2012

Williams Partners and Cabot Oil & Gas are working on a new 120-mile natural gas pipeline, dubbed the Constitution Pipeline, that will stretch from Susquehanna County, PA through Broome County, NY, and on through Chenango County, Delaware County, and terminate in Schoharie County, connecting to the Iroquois Gas Transmission pipeline and the Tennessee Gas pipeline (see the map embedded below).