Hydraulic Fracturing 141 - Marcellus Drilling News

Siena College Poll – New Yorkers Remain Split on Fracking

May 16, 2012May 16, 2012

Siena College Research Institute runs regular polls of New Yorkers to gage their opinion on a variety of topics. One of the long-running topics they poll on is whether or not New York should allow hydraulic fracturing to move forward. The latest Siena poll was just released today. The full breakout is embedded below. Here’s how Siena interpreted the results in their press announcement:

MDN Analysis of Rig Counts in Marcellus/Utica

May 15, 2012May 15, 2012

Drilling rig counts are closely watched as an indicator of where, and how much, drilling is happening in a given geography. Last Friday, Baker Hughes reported that rig counts for Pennsylvania continue to decline from a year ago, while the numbers for West Virginia are going up. But that doesn’t quite tell the whole story.

Marcellus & Utica Shale Drilling – Coming to Erie, PA

May 15, 2012May 15, 2012

At a seminar in Erie, PA for manufacturers and other companies interested in becoming suppliers to the shale gas industry, Marcellus Shale Coalition president Kathryn Klaber told attendees that it’s just a matter of time before Marcellus and Utica Shale drilling comes to their area.

EPA’s Final Batch of Testing for Dimock Water Wells Released

May 14, 2012May 14, 2012

clean drinking water On Friday the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its results of testing for the fourth and final batch of water wells in Dimock, PA. The results are the same as the first three batches: There is and has been no contamination of the area’s water supply by chemicals from nearby hydraulic fracturing of Marcellus Shale gas wells.

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

Another New York Town Considers Fracking Ban

May 11, 2012May 11, 2012

Yet another New York town, this one squarely in the Marcellus Shale “hot zone” of the Southern Tier area (Chemung County), is considering a ban on fracking if the state moves forward with allowing it.

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

Study of Fracking Released by Irish EPA

May 11, 2012May 11, 2012

The Irish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released a report, a “preliminary study” that seeks to gather up what is known, and not known, about hydraulic fracturing. The 26-page study (full copy embedded below) was authored by Dr. David Healy from the University of Aberdeen’s School of Geosciences. Titled “Hydraulic Fracturing or ‘Fracking’: A Short Summary of Current Knowledge and Potential Environmental Impacts,” the study provides a good general backgrounder on what hydraulic fracturing is, how it works, and the main issues and objections to its use.

The main findings of the study are set out under three headings: (1) potential environmental impacts, (2) regulatory approaches used in other countries and (3) establishing best practice. Ireland has not seen fracking of any kind, but expects it may happen in Ireland within the next few years, hence this report and another that is planned.

A summary of the report’s findings:

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

NRDC Releases Report Critical of PA Fracking Wastewater

May 11, 2012May 11, 2012

Advocating for stricter government controls, the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) earlier this week released a “comprehensive review” of how fracking wastewater is handled in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale with recommendations for how it can be handled better. The NRDC says that the current methods of wastewater disposal are not adequate to protect drinking water supplies, and present a risk to the health of both humans and animals. A copy of the report is embedded below.

From the NRDC press release:

Altoona Scores a New Pump Plant for the Marcellus

May 11, 2012May 11, 2012

Gardner Denver, a 150 year-old global manufacturer of industrial compressors, blowers, pumps, loading arms and fuel systems has a new manufacturing facility to add to the 40 it already owns around the world. The new 70,000 foot facility is located at Tipton, near Altoona, PA. The new plant will manufacture and repair pumps used in hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus Shale. Gardner Denver expects to employ 100 people at the new plant within a year.

But why locate the plant in Altoona, where there’s very little nearby drilling?

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Property Value | Washington County

Homeowner Refused Mortgage Because of Nearby Gas Drilling

May 9, 2012May 9, 2012

One of the arguments used against natural gas drilling is that it can drive down property values of nearby homes. While MDN has not seen studies to prove or disprove that argument, we did spot this story about a homeowner in western PA who has been refused refinancing of their mortgage by three different national lenders because there’s active natural gas drilling across the street from their home:

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Regulation

Vermont will Become First State to Ban Fracking

May 9, 2012May 9, 2012

Not that it matters beyond PR value, but Vermont will become the first state to ban the practice of hydraulic fracturing, either later this week or next:

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

Pittsburgh Newspapers Sue to Unseal Drilling Court Case

May 9, 2012May 9, 2012

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Observer-Reporter of Washington, PA have sued to open sealed court documents in a case involving a Pennsylvania couple who previously were outspoken critics of the natural gas drilling industry and who made claims that drilling had contaminated their water supply. Last week, anti-drillers joined their cause and filed a brief in state Superior Court.

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

SRBC “Insists” Drillers Use Acid Mine Water if Possible

May 8, 2012May 7, 2012

An idea that’s been floating “out there” for some time, at least in Pennsylvania, is for gas drillers to use acid mine water that flows from abandoned coal mines. It’s estimated there is some 300 million gallons per day of acid mine water—more than enough to frack every well drilled in PA each year. Last year, Gov. Tom Corbett’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission recommended that the state Department of Environmental Protection set up an approval process to make it happen—something now in the works.

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Regulation | Statewide OH

OH Legislators Vote to Approve New Drilling Rules

May 8, 2012May 7, 2012

The Ohio Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review, a committee made up of five Ohio State Representatives and five Ohio State Senators, has approved new rules for constructing oil and gas wells in the state. They also approved new guidelines for Utica and Marcellus Shale drilling permits.

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Regulation

BLM Issues Proposed New Rule for Fracking Federal Lands

May 7, 2012May 7, 2012

On Friday, the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released the long anticipated new rule for hydraulic fracturing on federally-owned and Indian-owned land (see a copy of the proposed new rule embedded below). The question for MDN readers is, does this have any impact on drilling in the Marcellus and Utica Shale? The answer to that question is…

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

NY Town Votes NOT to Ban Drilling (!)

May 7, 2012May 7, 2012

In a somewhat unique turnabout, some townships in New York State are voting to not adopt a gas drilling ban, preferring to let the state complete it’s now four-year-long review process before making any decisions about drilling. One of those towns is Colesville:

Unproductive PA Wells Still Liable for Partial Impact Fee

May 7, 2012May 7, 2012

The price for drilling a Marcellus Shale gas well in Pennsylvania that “misses” and is not economically viable may have just gotten a lot steeper. It looks like the state Public Utility Commission (PUC), charged with collecting and distributing the new impact fee under Act 13, is going to levy the fee on exploratory wells that end up not being productive and plugged.