Economic Impact

Crude Oil | Economic Impact | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Research

IHS Study: Worldwide Shale Oil Deposits are Huge
September 18, 2013September 18, 2013

Global research company IHS released a new study yesterday about the huge supply of oil (yes, oil) that now exists worldwide because of shale. Oil retrieved from shale deposits is referred to as “tight oil” and according to IHS, the world apart from North America has nearly 300 billion (with a “b”) barrels of tight oil available–if they have the will to get it. In order to get it, they’ll have to frack for it. For perspective, the U.S., the biggest oil consumer in the world, consumed 6.7 billion barrels of oil for all of 2012 (according to EIA statistics).

The new IHS study is titled Going Global: Predicting the Next Tight Oil Revolution. Unfortunately we could not get our hands on a copy to review. However, we were able to find a chart reportedly from the study which shows how big the deposits of tight oil are by region (see our Pinterest images on the right side of any MDN web page). The surprise for us: The biggest potential non-U.S. source of tight oil is Africa…
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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | West Virginia | Wood County

Marcellus Drilling Comes to Wood County, WV
September 16, 2013September 16, 2013

According to Cam Huffman, president and CEO of the local economic development agency Area Roundtable in Parkersburg, WV, Wood County is now starting to see Marcellus drilling activity. Between potential drilling in Wood and other activities, like a regional ethane cracker plant, Huffman says Wood County is seeing an economic resurgence because of the shale drilling industry…
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Economic Impact | Erie County (NY) | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | New York | Pipelines | Statewide NY | Supply Chain

A New Marcellus Pipe Manufacturing Plant Comes to…New York???
September 13, 2013September 13, 2013

Maddening? Yes. Startling? True. Teeth-gritting? You bet. Ironic and mystifying? Supremely so.

A Middle Eastern company has just announced they will invest $102 million to build a factory in South Buffalo, NY that will employ 170 people making steel pipes for the…wait for it…shale drilling industry. And who should plant his mug right in the middle of this announcement to take credit for the investment and jobs it will bring to the state? Gov. Andy Cuomo–the man who can’t decide whether or not he’ll approve fracking in New York. You can see why we’re having such a conflicted and mixed(-up) reaction…
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Economic Impact | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Research

IHS Research: Every US Household Saves Avg $1,200/Year from Shale
September 4, 2013September 4, 2013

In October 2011, global research company IHS released the first (of three) volumes in a new study titled America’s New Energy Future: The Unconventional Oil and Gas Revolution and the US Economy (see Shale Drilling will Create 3.5M Jobs, $5.1T in Investment). In December 2012, they released the second volume (see New Report: Fracking Creates Jobs in States with No Drilling). Today, September 4, 2013, IHS releases the third and final volume, which deals with the manufacturing renaissance currently under way because of shale gas and oil (see it below).

The surprise finding in this latest research study: Because shale oil and gas have lowered the cost of energy by so much in America, lower costs are passed along to consumers not only in lower utility bills, but also in lower costs for manufactured goods because the cost of manufacturing has decreased (from lower energy bills). All told, the average household in America saved $1,200 per year in 2012–a number that will grow to $2,000 per year by 2015 and $3,500 by 2025. Bottom line: Every single citizen in this country is benefiting–right now–from the shale revolution. This is not “just a few farmers and drillers get rich” phenomenon. We all realize a significant monetary benefit from shale…
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Alternative Energy | Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues

How Fairhaven, MA Residents Got Fleeced by Wind Power
September 3, 2013September 3, 2013

A Fairhaven, MA resident writes that Marcellus and Utica Shale have made natural gas so cheap that a wind energy project funded by Fairhaven town taxpayers has not, nor ever will, produce revenue anywhere near what was promised by the project’s developers–developers, we might add, that continue to get a guaranteed 2.3% increase in revenue each year even though the town is not getting the minimum profits they were told they would get.

Now the residents of Fairhaven are left holding the bag of diminishing revenue and escalating costs–and the Fairhaven residents who are unfortunate enough to live near the project have to endure the never-ending wumpf, wumpf, wumpf noise that comes from the turbines…
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Allegheny County | CONSOL Energy | Economic Impact | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania

NIMBY Town to Provide Water for Fracking at Pittsburgh Airport
August 30, 2013August 30, 2013

Two towns located near the Pittsburgh Airport are set to make big money from the drilling that will happen at the airport–even though the drilling is not within their own boundaries. How? They’re going to sell water to CONSOL Energy to be used for fracking 47 wells at the airport–up to 300 million gallons of water.

One of the towns selling water, Findlay, recently approved three new shale wells in the town–the first three to be drilled there (see Findlay Twp, PA Approves First 3 Marcellus Wells, Range to Drill). Findlay’s approval of Marcellus wells indicates they are favorable to shale drilling. The second town that will sell water for fracking at the airport, Moon Township, is not so favorable toward fracking. Last December the Moon Board of Supervisors voted to ban drilling in 75% of the their town (see Moon Twp, PA Votes to Ban Fracking in 75% of the Town). We find it interesting that a town that leans against drilling is willing to sell water for drilling–as long as the drilling is not in their backyard…

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Economic Impact | Ethane | Industrywide Issues | Processing Plants | West Virginia | Wood County

Wood County, WV “Still in the Running” for a Cracker Plant
August 30, 2013August 30, 2013

West Virginia continues to make noise about an ethane cracker plant for the state, even though Shell is looking to build one in Pennsylvania. Earlier this week WV Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin was once again talking up a cracker for WV (see WV Gov. Tomblin Beats the Ethane Cracker Drum Once Again).

Now, another WV voice has joined the cracker chorus. Wood County, WV says they have a site under serious consideration by an unnamed company as a possible location for a $3 billion ethane cracker plant. According to a Wood official, they’re “definitely still in the running”…
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Economic Impact | Ethane | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Processing Plants | Statewide WV | West Virginia

WV Gov. Tomblin Beats the Ethane Cracker Drum Once Again
August 29, 2013August 29, 2013

At a business summit yesterday at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin once again voiced his opinion that WV will have an ethane cracker plant of its own in the near future and that such a plant is needed to keep jobs in WV. He went a bit further than we’ve heard before and said WV has the right to expect a partnership between drillers and manufacturers to process WV ethane and other natural gas liquids (NGLs) in WV. According to Tomblin, his administration is burning the midnight oil to make a WV ethane cracker a reality…
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Beaver County | Economic Impact | Energy Companies | Ethane | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Processing Plants | Shell

Shell Announces “Open Season” for Potential PA Ethane Cracker
August 28, 2013August 28, 2013

Time for Shell to get serious about whether or not they plan to build a $2 billion ethane cracker plant in Monaca, PA. Shell announced yesterday they will have something akin to a pipeline open season, a period of time when drillers can bid on capacity to send the plant (should it be built) their locally-produced ethane supplies. The bidding period will run from August 27 through October 4 and will give Shell a good idea of just how much ethane will be available for them to “crack” at the plant.

Shell reports they already have commitments from CONSOL Energy, Noble Energy, Seneca Resources and Hilcorp Energy should they decide to build the cracker. Shell is still about a year away from a final final final final decision (see our June 2012 story – Shell: Final Decision on Cracker Plant Still 18-24 Mo. Away). The next few months are likely to be crucial to that decision…
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Allegheny County | CONSOL Energy | Economic Impact | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania

CONSOL Energy Reveals Drilling Plan for Pittsburgh Airport
August 28, 2013August 28, 2013

CONSOL Energy and Pittsburgh Airport officials held a joint press conference yesterday to share more of the details for CONSOL’s plan to drill on airport-owned property. You may recall the airport authority signed a deal with CONSOL in February of this year, netting the airport a nifty check for $50 million as the signing bonus (see $50M Check in the Mail: Pittsburgh Airport Lease a Done Deal). However, the signing bonus is just an hors d’oeuvre. All done and told–after receiving royalties for years to come–the airport expects the project to bring in a staggering $1 billion or more.

The proposed drilling plan (see the map below) calls for 6 well pads, 47 Marcellus Shale wells on those pads (with the possibility of drilling Upper Devonian wells later on), three fresh water ponds (“impoundments”) and 17 miles of gathering pipelines. CONSOL said that seismic testing in and around the airport property will begin in late October of this year, however, the first test wells will not be drilled until third quarter of 2014…
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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio | Statewide OH | Utica Shale

OH Utica Shale – More Jobs to Come, Sale Tax Revenue Soars
August 22, 2013August 22, 2013

Although the “received wisdom” is that the Utica Shale has not, so far, created a bonanza of jobs for in-state residents, it’s early days yet and most energy industry analysts and watchers predict jobs for Ohioans in much greater numbers are on the way. In the meantime, the Utica’s positive impact on local economies is not in dispute. The latest evidence: the 15 counties in eastern OH with the best Utica Shale deposits (and the most drilling) have seen their sale tax revenues soar by an average 20% in 2012 vs 2011. That is a huge number and indicates a lot of money from drilling stays in OH and ripples throughout local economies…
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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Pipelines | Statewide OH | Taxation

Pipelines Lower Taxes in Some Ohio School Districts
August 19, 2013August 19, 2013

New York is perhaps the most taxed state in the Union. When MDN editor Jim Willis tells people that his school and property taxes went down–because of a single shale pipeline and compressor plant recently built in the township where he lives–they look at him like he’s gone mad. Who ever heard of taxes going down anywhere in New York State? But it’s true!

School districts (and taxpayers) in Ohio are now learning about the benefits of pipelines. Because of revenue generated from taxes on pipelines, school taxes are heading down in some Ohio school districts. And that’s even without Gov. John Kasich’s “spread the wealth around” higher severance tax…
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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Statewide WV | West Virginia

Astonishing: Marcellus Gas Production Up Estimated 50% Over 2012
August 15, 2013August 15, 2013

According to Bentek Energy, Marcellus Shale gas production is up 50% compared with the same time last year–much more than energy experts had predicted. And apparently there’s no end in sight.

Bentek also says Marcellus production is so prolific it’s “actually starting to displace” natural gas production from the Gulf of Mexico…
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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Lease & Royalty Payments | Ohio | Statewide OH | Utica Shale

Muskingum Watershed District: $77M in Utica Lease Revenue, So Far
August 12, 2013August 12, 2013

There’s no doubt a change has happened at the board of the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD). Last year they self-imposed a moratorium on selling water to Ohio Utica Shale drillers (Muskingum Watershed Reverses Decision to Sell Water to Drillers). This year, they can’t wait to lease MWCD land to Utica Shale drillers and sell them the water to frack it (MWCD to Sell 138M Gallons of Seneca Lake Water for Utica Drilling). Why the change?

An MWCD official talked about the change in thinking for the MWCD board at a meeting last week of the Guernsey (County) Energy Coalition…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Broome County | Chemung County | Economic Impact | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY | Steuben County | Tioga County (NY)

Cuomo & DiNapoli: Asleep at Sales Tax Switch in NY Southern Tier
August 12, 2013August 12, 2013

MDN has long chronicled the sad situation for landowners in New York State with a moratorium that is, as of today, 5 years and 20 days old. It has had catastrophic economic consequences for New York, especially for those who live in the Southern Tier of the state–that area along the mid-state “southern” border with Pennsylvania (Broome, Tioga, Chemung, Steuben counties). Gov. Andrew Cuomo is spineless on the fracking issue–that much is clear. He won’t stand up to the shrill and unreasonable voices in his own party. No one will take him seriously on the national stage. Cuomo’s rising star has become a shooting star–straight down.

Thomas DiNapoli, NY State Comptroller, is clearly an avowed anti-driller. We’ve brought you a number of stories that illustrate his disdain for drilling (see MDN stories about DiNapoli here). We find it particularly offensive and hypocritical (although not surprising) that DiNapoli has just issued a report that shows sales tax revenue is up in most of the state’s counties, but down in Southern Tier counties–down a lot. DiNapoli bemoans the fact that the Southern Tier continues to take it in the neck–yet he makes no mention of how shale drilling could instantly reverse the economic misery of Southern Tier residents. Typical politician–identify the problem but offer no solutions…
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Economic Impact | EMG | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Kinder Morgan | MarkWest Energy | Ohio | Pipelines | Processing Plants | Statewide OH | Tuscarawas County

2 New OH Projects: Cryo Processing Plant & NGL Pipeline to Gulf
August 8, 2013August 8, 2013

Looks like the Williams/Boardwalk Bluegrass NGL pipeline is about to get some competition. Yesterday, Kinder Morgan, MarkWest and The Energy and Minerals Group (EMG) announced a new joint venture on two projects aimed at the Marcellus/Utica Shale region. The first project is a 400 Mmcf/d cryogenic processing plant in Tuscarawas County, OH to separate raw natural gas into methane and natural gas liquids (NGLs). The second project is a new NGL pipeline that will, like the Bluegrass, run from Ohio all the way to the Gulf Coast. There’s no mention of how much the partners will invest in the two projects, but we believe it could easily approach $1 billion of new investment in the northeast.

This announcement is great economic news for Ohio (Tuscarawas County in particular), and great economic news for Marcellus/Utica drillers who need extra takeaway capacity for the NGLs they’re currently producing. The press release from Kinder Morgan with details about the two new projects:
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