Hydraulic Fracturing

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Washington County

PA DEP Sec. Krancer Calls Rep. White a Liar re Water Testing
November 7, 2012November 7, 2012

Last week MDN brought you the news that western PA House Rep. Jesse White and an attorney in a lawsuit against Range Resources accused the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) of intentionally withholding well water test results that would show a link between shale gas drilling and contamination of well water (see this MDN story). The allegation was made after two DEP officials were deposed in the lawsuit. Their comments seemed to confirm that the DEP does not, in some cases, test or report certain results available to them. Such a request to “suppress” or not test uses a special code (SAC 942).

Yesterday, DEP Sec. Michael Krancer minced no words in responding to Rep. White (see his letter below). Sec. Krancer essentially said White is ignorant of the facts and a liar. Krancer couched his words it in politically correct language—but the sentiment is definitely there.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Onondaga County | Regulation

Town of Onondaga, NY Votes to Extend Fracking Ban 1 Month
November 6, 2012November 6, 2012

The Town of Onondaga, a bedroom community for Syracuse, NY, voted on Monday night to extend the fracking moratorium they previously enacted. The vote continues the moratorium for another month until board members meet again Dec. 3 and will presumably vote at that meeting to either further extend the moratorium or let it die.

From the Syracuse Post-Standard:

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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Washington County

MSC Responds to Allegations PA DEP Skews Drilling Water Tests
November 5, 2012November 5, 2012

Late Friday MDN told you about an allegation made by PA State Rep. Jesse White (from western PA) and an attorney for a plaintiff in a lawsuit in Washington County, PA alleging well water was contaminated by nearby shale gas drilling. White and the attorney claim the state Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) knowingly suppressed water test results to the plaintiff and others that would have proven a link between drilling and water contamination (see this MDN story).

The DEP immediately responded, refuting the claim that they skew water tests. The Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC), an organization representing large and small drillers in Pennsylvania and throughout the Marcellus Shale, has also responded. Here’s what they said on Friday about Rep. White’s claims of fraud at the DEP:

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Economic Impact | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Statewide OH | Utica Shale

The Latest Permit/Drilling Numbers for OH Utica Shale
November 5, 2012November 5, 2012

A quick update on numbers for the Utica Shale, including how many permits have been issued to date in the Utica, how many wells have been drilled, how many rigs are operating and how many permits have been issued county by county, courtesy MDN friend Bob Downing of the Akron Beacon Journal:

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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Broome County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York

NYRAD Endorsements for NY Elections – Solid Democrat
November 5, 2012November 5, 2012

Last week MDN brought you the Joint Landowners Coalition of New York voting guide (see this MDN story). Today, we bring you the New York Residents Against Drilling (NYRAD) voting guide. Why? So you know whom, precisely, to not vote for. Those in the NYRAD list (below) are people against shale gas drilling—people you do not want in public office at any level. No mystery here that every single one of them is a Democrat.

The list is mostly for races in Broome County, NY, with a few races in surrounding counties. Here’s the NYRAD list, received by MDN in an email over the weekend:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide NY | Statewide OH | Statewide PA | Statewide WV | Supply Chain | West Virginia

ShaleNavigator Cloud-Based Mapping Service Continues Expansion [Free]
November 5, 2012November 5, 2012

MDN friend and “partner in crime” Ed Camp (from ShaleNavigator) released a press release on Friday to call attention to some of the latest and greatest features he’s added to the ShaleNavigator service—the web’s premier cloud-based shale mapping system. Ed’s ShaleNavigator maps are the basis for the MDN Marcellus and Utica Shale Databook series (see here for more info on the Databook).

We’re happy to bring you Ed’s latest press release, along with his offer of a free 7-day trial:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA DEP Adopts New Rules for Timely Review of Drilling Permits
November 5, 2012November 5, 2012

In July of this year, PA Gov. Tom Corbett issued an executive order to the Dept. of Environmental Protection to streamline and cut down on the red tape involved in reviewing permits of various kinds, including permits for Marcellus Shale drilling. The AP and other lefty news organizations promptly jumped on the directive and attempted to smear Corbett by saying he’s trying to remove safeguards and as a result will put public health at risk (see this MDN story).

About a month later, the DEP issued a draft for a new permit review process (see this MDN story). Don’t tell the AP, but the DEP just officially published those draft rules and they are now the law in Pennsylvania. And not even a whisper from the mighty AP about it. Must be the shiny new object isn’t so shiny anymore—not even worth a mention by the AP. Do you now see why the mainstream media’s reporting is often referred to as “drive-by” reporting?

Read More “PA DEP Adopts New Rules for Timely Review of Drilling Permits”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Washington County

PA DEP Accused of Skewing Water Tests from Wells Near Drilling
November 2, 2012November 2, 2012

Pennsylvania House of Representatives member Jesse White (D-Allegheny, Beaver, and Washington counties) is outraged with the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) and says someone needs to go to jail. The DEP is outraged with Mr. White and lawyer Kendra Smith. What’s all the outrage over?

Two DEP officials have gone on record in a court case in Washington County, PA with testimony that seems to indicate when the DEP tests residential water wells suspected of being contaminated by natural gas drilling, the reports they issue suppress (or simply don’t look for) certain drilling-related chemicals. Mr. White says it’s evidence of a systematic cover-up—a crime. He’s basing his allegation on a letter by Kendra White, attorney in a case against Range Resources (a copy of the letter is embedded below). The DEP says Mr. White and Ms. Smith are both wrong.

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Economic Impact | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Research

New Study: U.S. Shale Drilling = 1.6M Jobs, $245B in 10 Yrs
November 2, 2012November 2, 2012

The American Clean Skies Foundation has just released a major new study (copy embedded below) based on analysis by ICF International which finds that shale oil and gas drilling in the U.S., from 2007 to 2017 (10 years) will lead to the creation of upward of 1.6 million new jobs and increase the country’s domestic gross product (GDP) by as much as $245 billion. These are seriously huge numbers.

The 123-page study takes a detailed look at where the jobs are being created (state by state), and the types of jobs created. It is without a doubt the best kind of economic stimulus—it doesn’t come from the government! Here’s the press release announcing and summarizing the findings of the study:

Read More “New Study: U.S. Shale Drilling = 1.6M Jobs, $245B in 10 Yrs”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Regulation | Statewide MD

MD Del. Heather Mizeur Continues to Spin Fracking Whoopers
November 2, 2012November 3, 2012

Maryland State Delegate Heather Mizeur (D-Montgomery County, a Washington, D.C. suburb) continues to spread lies in her state about the miracle of hydraulic fracturing in an attempt to whip up support to ban fracking. Here’s the latest whopper from Ms. Mizeur:

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Erie County (NY) | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Research

UB CLEAR: Burn the Fracking Witches and Their Castle
November 1, 2012November 1, 2012

What happens when those who commit the academic “crime” of supporting the miracle of hydraulic fracturing won’t apologize or back down from their views, and the academic institution “harboring” them bravely defends their right to have a contrary-to-orthodoxy opinion? Those in the witch hunt sharpen their pitchforks and become even more shrill, banging at the gates, demanding the witches be burned and the department (castle) they work for be obliterated. That’s the situation at University at Buffalo (UB).

Yesterday a group of faculty members, led by an English professor, along with some of their impressionable young students (whom they’ve convinced that fracking is a sin against the renewable energy orthodoxy), sent a letter and “report” (full copy embedded below) to the SUNY Board of Trustees demanding the UB Shale Resources and Society Institute be shut down because they won’t admit to their crime of being pro-fracking. Yeah, real science and academic freedom rule at UB.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Statewide NY

JLCNY Endorsements for NY Elections – Solid Republican
November 1, 2012November 1, 2012

The Joint Landowners Coalition of New York (JLCNY) has provided New Yorkers with a handy list of endorsements from their organization for the upcoming election in a 14-county region (see the full list below). The offices they cover are either county, state or federal elections—mostly for New York State Senate and Assembly, with a few congressional and other offices on the list. The JLCNY has not endorsed candidates at the local town board level, instead referring voters to their local landowner coalition for guidance.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | New York | Statewide NY

53 NY Towns Ask to Join Fracking Ban Court Case
October 31, 2012October 31, 2012

While New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo dithers about whether or not to allow fracking in the state, two court cases that will have a profound effect on where fracking can happen (should he finally make up his mind) continue to work their way through the court system. Those cases address of the issue of whether or not local municipalities should have the right to completely ban fracking within their borders—sometimes referred to as “home rule.”

Not long ago MDN updated you on the status of those cases with word that oral arguments are likely to take place in February with a decision by late spring (see this MDN story). A new development in those cases: 53 municipalities have filed a request with the court to join the cases on the side of pro-ban/anti-fracking:

Read More “53 NY Towns Ask to Join Fracking Ban Court Case”
Economic Impact | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | New York | Statewide NY

NY vs ND Unemployment Rates: Why is One High, the Other Low?
October 31, 2012October 31, 2012

We interrupt this blog post to bring you the following news: New York’s unemployment rate is 8.2% (a full 9% in Chemung County). The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 345 out of 372 metro areas in the country (93%) have lower unemployment rates than the New York State average. The lowest unemployment rate in the country? North Dakota—at 2.2%.

Why is ND’s unemployment rate so low? And why is NY’s so high? Is there a connection?

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Economic Impact | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Statewide OH | Statewide PA | Statewide WV | West Virginia

Sandy’s Affect on Drillers in the Marcellus & Utica Shale
October 31, 2012October 31, 2012

Although Hurricane turned Super Storm Sandy gave New York City, Delaware and New Jersey a big, black eye (and we grieve for their losses), further inland Marcellus and Utica Shale drillers prepared for and appear to have avoided any major impacts from the storm. Some production was and still is shut in to avoid potential problems, but given the storm is now mostly gone from the Marcellus and Utica Shale region, shut in production should quickly come back online.

Here’s a Sandy report from four of the largest drillers in the Marcellus:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

Mother Jones Fingers the Country’s Biggest Frackers
October 30, 2012October 30, 2012

Sometimes anti-drillers, especially those in the media, behave like prepubescent teen boys who have just started to swear and like to show off new words to their friends. Case in point: Mother Jones. The so-called news magazine/website Mother Jones (on the way way wacky left fringe of the political spectrum) regularly bashes the energy industry. Their latest hit piece is called “Meet the Frackers.” My how those editors at MJ are so clever. Wonder who thought that one up?

The post on the MJ website is intended to be a “hall of shame” displaying photos and quotes from CEOs of top energy companies that use the miracle of hydraulic fracturing to provide low-cost, clean-burning natural gas here in the U.S. But what MJ means as a hall of shame MDN considers a “hall of fame.” And so we celebrate the country’s biggest frackers:

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