Hydraulic Fracturing

Economic Impact | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

U.S. will Produce as Much Oil as Saudi Arabia Starting 2013
October 24, 2012October 24, 2012

Not so long ago those of us who support shale gas drilling would proudly say, “The United States has as much natural gas sitting under it as Saudi Arabia has oil,” feeling the satisfaction of knowing that someday, somehow we may get out from under the thumb of counties who are our enemies by shifting our economy from using mostly oil to using mostly natural gas.

Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine saying, “The United States produces as much oil as Saudi Arabia.” Seemed like a fantasy. But starting next year, that statement will be true. Why? You guessed it: Shale.

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Economic Impact | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Regulation

President Obama’s Abysmal Energy Record
October 24, 2012October 24, 2012

Startling news today that the U.S. is set to eclipse Saudi Arabia as the leading producer of oil (yes, oil) in the world by the end of next year (see this MDN story). This year, the U.S. will be the most energy independent we have been since 1990. We’re now on track to produce 4/5 of the energy we consume. Why? The miracle of hydraulic fracturing.

President Obama and his administration try to claim credit for this energy renaissance and make noise about an “all of the above” energy strategy. But a close examination of the record shows Obama’s energy policies have actually worked against our energy independence. Without his policies of restricting drilling on federal lands and offshore, we might actually be energy independent right now.

The numbers don’t lie:

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Air Quality | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Regulation

OSHA Puts Brakes on New Silica Handling Rules for Fracking
October 24, 2012October 24, 2012

In June 2012, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and NIOSH (National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) issued a joint hazard alert for workers who use silica (sand) used in fracking (see this MDN story). OSHA has been working for several years on a revision of its silica dust regulations—long before a new report was issued by NIOSH on silica used in fracking. The NIOSH report, released in May 2012, caused OSHA and NIOSH to issue the joint hazard alert in June.

The hazard alert, while using strong language to encourage stricter rules for handling silica, apparently does not carry the full weight of being a regulation—i.e., it’s not enforceable. The enforceable regulation comes from OSHA and release of a revised regulation on silica handling for fracking and other uses is now on pause. How come?

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Health Impacts | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

More Comments from Martens about NY Fracking Health Review
October 23, 2012October 23, 2012

Here’s a bit more about what New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens said last Friday about the current health review, some comments he made we did not previously see reported:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

Fracking Fluids/Technology Getting Greener Each Year
October 23, 2012October 23, 2012

The TriplePundit blog does a good job of summarizing how fracking technology is getting greener in a post titled, “Is There Really Such A Thing As Green Fracking?” Author RP Siegel runs down the latest alternatives to chemicals being added to water-based fracking, and alternative technologies to water-based fracking.

Here’s a short list of the “green fracking” solutions either commercially available today, or nearly ready:

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Health Impacts | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

NY DEC Com. Martens Gives Update on SGEIS Health Review
October 22, 2012October 22, 2012

We now know a bit more about where things stand with the “health review” taking place of New York’s proposed new drilling regulations (called the SGEIS). When Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens announced he was asking NYS Health Commissioner Nirav Shah to conduct a review of the SGEIS’ handling of potential health impacts of fracking on residents, he said that Shah would assemble a panel of “outside experts” to advise him.

It appears the outside experts have been identified but haven’t agreed (yet) to the money being offered by the DEC and Health Department to do the work. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking on a Nov. 29 deadline. Martens says it’s still possible to make that deadline. Here’s what he said on Friday to reporters:

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Chesapeake Energy | Commodity Price | Economic Impact | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

NYT Now Says There’s Too Much Natural Gas, Drillers to Blame
October 22, 2012October 22, 2012

The New York Times is a bit schizophrenic these days. It’s hard to keep track of which alternate reality they operate in. For the longest time, we’ve heard from the Times how shale drilling is just a Ponzi scheme a la Bernie Madoff—a fraud to get investors to dump billions into energy companies but with only a teeny tiny bit of gas in the ground (“proven reserves”) to get out (see this MDN story). Of course that contention is patently false as proven by the overwhelming production and inventories we now have from shale gas.

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Brooke County | Hancock County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Taxation | West Virginia

Weirton, WV Slaps 6% Tax on Shale Drilling
October 22, 2012October 22, 2012

Somehow this one slipped by the MDN radar a few weeks ago. On Oct. 9, the city of Weirton, WV voted to slap a 6% business and occupation (B&O) tax on natural gas drilling in the city:

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Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Ohio County | West Virginia

Chesapeake Pulls Request to Drill Near Wheeling Park High
October 22, 2012October 22, 2012

In September MDN asked if it’s a good idea for Chesapeake Energy to move forward with a plan to drill 1,300 feet from Wheeling Park High School in Ohio County, WV (see this MDN story). Looks like it’s a moot point now.

Late last week Chesapeake withdrew its permit application and now says they’ll look elsewhere to drill:

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Health Impacts | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Research | Statewide PA

New EARTHWORKS “Study” of Marcellus Health Effects in PA
October 19, 2012October 19, 2012

Oh lookie here. A new “research study” (full copy embedded below) has just been released by the extreme environmental anti-drilling group EARTHWORKS that says residents in Pennsylvania who live near Marcellus Shale drilling have a “pattern of health symptoms associated with oil and gas development.”

Let’s use the same standard they use to judge such studies, shall we? If any of the study’s authors have, at any point in time since birth, ever had anything to do with an anti-drilling organization, the study is instantly discredited. That’s the standard used for studies and research that are favorable to shale gas drilling—if the author of such a study has had any experience in the drilling industry, that study is tainted and must be expunged from the public discourse (see this MDN story about the University at Buffalo study and this MDN story about the University of Texas study).

The three authors of this so-called study either work for, or are related to, the enviro-left. So why wouldn’t we apply the same standard here?

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Accidents | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Regulation | Research

API Says EPA Botched Pavillion, WY Fracking Tests
October 19, 2012October 19, 2012

The American Petroleum Institute (API) issued a press release yesterday taking the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to task over their sloppy work in Pavillion, Wyoming.

You may recall the EPA is on a quest to try and prove fracking has contaminated water supplies in the Pavillion area with fracking chemicals. Never mind that the drilling and fracking done in Pavillion is shallow at around 1,200 feet down (not the one mile or more that’s common in shale plays). Never mind that the water table in Pavillion is deep at 800 feet (not the 300 feet as is typical in the northeast). Never mind that drilling and fracking was done in porous sandstone in Pavillion (not tightly-packed shale deposits). And never mind the EPA drilled just two test wells, one of which didn’t produce enough water for a valid sample. (See this MDN story for more background on Pavillion.)

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Allegheny County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

South Fayette, PA Thumbs Nose at PUC over Zoning Review
October 19, 2012October 19, 2012

Although parts of the zoning provisions in Pennsylvania’s new Act 13 Marcellus drilling law have been challenged in court and oral arguments were heard in PA Supreme Court earlier this week, there are other parts of the Act 13 law—zoning parts—that were not overturned and are not up for discussion. According to the PA Public Utility Commission (PUC), the agency charged with interpreting whether or not a town is in violation of those remaining sections, the town of South Fayette in Allegheny County is in violation and unless they revise their zoning laws, they won’t get impact fee revenue this year.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

Where Do Obama & Romney Stand on Fracking Issue?
October 19, 2012October 19, 2012

What do President Obama and Mitt Romney really think about fracking? MLive Media, representing some of Michigan’s largest newspapers, asked the two campaigns this question: Should Michigan should ban fracking? Here’s what the candidates said…

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Anschutz Exploration | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | New York | Norse Energy | Otsego County | Regulation | Statewide NY | Tompkins County

Important Developments in NY Fracking Ban Court Cases
October 18, 2012October 18, 2012

There’s been an important development in two cases on appeal in New York State courts that challenge municipal bans of fracking. The two cases challenge municipal fracking bans in the Town of Dryden, NY (see this MDN story for background) and the Town of Middlefield, NY (see this MDN story for background).

According to lead attorney Tom West, all the necessary paperwork for both cases has been filed (called “perfecting” the case). West believes both cases will make it onto the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court docket for an early February hearing of oral arguments. The Appellate Division typically issues an opinion 6-8 weeks following oral arguments, so we should have a decision by late spring. In addition and of keen interest, the plaintiff in one of the cases has changed.

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

New Website Debuts Listing Research, Articles on Marcellus
October 18, 2012October 18, 2012

Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh and the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs have collaborated to create an important new website aimed at providing links to research and articles on the web for public officials and the public in general on the topic of the Marcellus and Utica Shale. The website, called “A Research Guide to the Marcellus and Utica Shales” (www.andrew.cmu.edu/org/marcellus-biblio), links to over 1,200 research studies, articles and other resources. The information is categorized making it easier to locate related articles.

If you happen to click the category for “In the News” (their list of resources that regularly write about the Marcellus/Utica) you’ll find MDN in their select and very short list of 19 news resources. Obviously someone working on the project has good taste. 😉 Here’s the background for how the project and website came to be:

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

PA Supreme Court Hears Testimony on Act 13 Zoning
October 18, 2012October 18, 2012

Yesterday MDN told you about what we consider the most important oil and gas drilling case to go before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in many years (see this MDN story). The PA Supremes heard arguments (yesterday) in what MDN considers the second most important O&G case to be heard in years—whether or not the zoning provisions in the Act 13 law are constitutional. Were there any indications from the questioning which way the judges might rule?

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