Hydraulic Fracturing

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Error Found in Penn State Fracking & Water Well Study
November 29, 2011November 29, 2011

MDN recently highlighted a new study of several hundred water wells by Penn State researchers which found no evidence of chemical or methane contamination related to nearby Marcellus gas drilling (see this MDN story). The study did announce one oddity in the data: increased levels of bromide in seven wells. That oddity has now been explained—it was a lab error. Oops. Bottom line conclusion from the study? Shale gas drilling does not lead to either methane or chemical contamination of nearby water wells.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

PSU Prof Engelder Named One of Top 100 Global Thinkers
November 29, 2011November 29, 2011

Penn State University professor Terry Engelder, a tireless supporter and promoter of shale gas drilling—particularly in the Marcellus Shale—has just been named one of Foreign Policy Magazine’s “Top 100 Global Thinkers” for 2011 for his research into recovering natural gas from shale using hydraulic fracturing.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Jobs

The Non-Green Jobs Boom – from Hydraulic Fracturing
November 29, 2011November 29, 2011

An excellent article in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal on the non-green jobs boom coming from the energy sector—specifically due to horizontal drilling and the use of hydraulic fracturing—starts out this way:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Regulation | Statewide MD | Taxation

Maryland Politicians on Gas Drilling – Dumb & Dumber
November 28, 2011November 28, 2011

It’s really kind of funny to watch lawmakers and “leaders” in the state of Maryland talk about drilling in the Marcellus Shale, which, if it were to happen in the state, would happen in two western counties: Garrett and Allegany. Earlier this year Gov. Martin O’Malley appointed a 14-member commission to study the drilling issue, with a final report not due until 2014.

It’s a really big “if” that shale drilling will even be allowed in the state, but just in case it were to be allowed, politicians from Washington, D.C. suburbs (like Montgomery County, Maryland) want to tax the living daylights out of it:

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

PA Legislature Struggles with Gas Well Setback Provision
November 28, 2011November 28, 2011

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett is hopeful that the Republican-controlled Senate and House will pass new Marcellus Shale drilling legislation that reaches him by year’s end. But one of the political footballs is working out the issue of setbacks, or how far away a gas well can be drilled from a body of water like a creek, a private water well or a spring. Put the gas well too close and critics argue you increase the chance that an accident can damage the water supply. But make setbacks too far and it makes it practically impossible to drill any wells because the state has so many small waterways. That is, it becomes a back door way to prevent all drilling.

Here is the current state of play between the two differing versions of legislation that have passed in the Senate and House which now need to be reconciled before reaching Gov. Corbett:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Medina County | Ohio | Regulation

Eastern OH Town Bans Fracking on Town-Owned Property
November 23, 2011November 23, 2011

On Monday, Hinckley, Ohio trustees voted to ban the use of hydraulic fracturing on township-owned property.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Meetings | Regulation

Picture of Hypocritical Anti-Driller at Recent NY DEC Hearing
November 22, 2011November 29, 2011

At the recent Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) hearings on proposed new gas drilling regulations held in Binghamton, NY on Nov. 17, one of the attendees snapped the picture below of a protesting anti-driller.

MDN believes its readers are sharp enough to spot the obvious hypocrisy.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

PA DEP Allows Acid Mine Water to be Used in Fracking
November 22, 2011November 22, 2011

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is attempting to “kill two birds with stone” by allowing Marcellus Shale gas drillers to use acid mine drainage from abandoned coal mines as water for hydraulic fracturing of shale gas wells. Yet another example of how gas drilling can be good for the environment.

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Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Jadela Oil

New Waterless Fracking Technology Tested in TX
November 21, 2011November 21, 2011

From time to time MDN has covered alternative fracking technologies. As a few MDN readers have repeatedly noted in the comments, a new technology which uses natural gas itself (instead of water) in the fracking process is being used in Canada and now, it is being tried in Texas. Jadela Oil is conducting what they call a “science experiment” in Maverick County, Texas, in the Eagle Ford Shale, to see if this new waterless fracking technology will work as well in our shale deposits as it does in Canada.

Jadela recently completed fracking their first well in September using propane/butane and they are waiting for full data on how the well is producing before making the results known.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Regulation

DRBC Postpones Vote to Finally Allow Safe Gas Drilling
November 20, 2011November 20, 2011

The five voting members of the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) have decided to postpone a vote scheduled for Monday to finally, after a years-long delay, allow some (a teeny, tiny bit) of gas drilling to proceed in the DRBC’s jurisdictional area. It seems environmental groups have convinced both Delaware and New York to vote against the new drilling regulations—regulations that have been vetted repeatedly in public forums, with public comments, reworking, refining and with multiple delays. And because two of the four states who belong to the DRBC are voting no, at least one other state (NJ) wants to wait.

Obviously anti-drilling forces want no drilling. They are not interested in safe drilling—a total and permanent ban on drilling is their goal, and the DRBC is the place they want to start with it. A permanent ban in the DRBC is the antis’ “stake in the ground.”

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

Binghamton DEC Hearing Draws Big & Loud Crowd
November 20, 2011November 20, 2011

Unfortunately MDN editor Jim Willis was not in Binghamton for the Nov. 17 DEC hearing on the newest revisions to the draft drilling regulations that would finally allow shale gas drilling in the state. However, there was plenty of media coverage of the event, which drew more than 1,000 people to the Forum Theatre in downtown Binghamton.

The Nov. 17 hearing was the second of four scheduled public hearings on the new regulations. The final two will be at the end of November, one in Loch Sheldrake (Sullivan County) and one in New York City.

Reporting on the Binghamton hearing from the hometown Press & Sun-Bulletin:

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Allegheny County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation

Pittsburgh Councilman Introduces “Toxic Trespass” Legislation
November 15, 2011November 15, 2011

Pittsburgh City Councilman Doug Shields has been a tireless anti-drilling crusader (see previous MDN stories here). Fortunately, he leaves office at the end of December—he didn’t run for re-election. But before he goes, he wants to take one parting shot at the drilling industry.

Yesterday, Mr. Shields introduced “toxic trespass” legislation, which is designed to try and stop drilling in other locations by inferring they may release chemicals into the environment that will find their way to Pittsburgh via rivers and streams and therefore Pittsburgh will sue them out of existence if they get even a whiff of something they don’t like. Nice way to go out Doug…

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Broome County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Meetings | New York | Public Opinion | Regulation

Binghamton DEC Hearing will be Ground Zero This Week
November 14, 2011November 14, 2011

This week will be important for the effort to get shale gas drilling moving in New York State. The state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is conducting a series of four public hearings nominally to accept comments on the most recent changes to the draft drilling regulations, also known as the SGEIS (Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement). MDN says “nominally” because each of the four events will be used by both those for and against drilling to try and show their side has the most support.

One of the four hearings, in Binghamton on Thursday of this week, is likely to be the largest hearing outside of the New York City hearing later this month. MDN has received several email notices from landowner groups in favor of drilling, and from one group opposed. Both say similar things: These hearings are vitally important.

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

Will NY be Too Expensive to Drill in the Marcellus?
November 14, 2011November 14, 2011

Yesterday’s Buffalo News has an excellent analysis for the prospects of shale gas drilling in New York, given New York’s extreme delays and proposed restrictive drilling regulations. MDN is a supporter of drilling in New York and has nothing but best wishes for landowners in our home state. But the stark reality, as we’ve been pointing out, is that “if you build it, they will come” makes for a nice movie, but doesn’t necessarily translate into reality for drilling in NY.

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

OH Congressman Says Let State Governments Regulate Fracking
November 14, 2011November 14, 2011

Politics in shale gas drilling is an unfortunate fact because the environment has been politicized. But that’s the reality. Anyone who thinks the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is not a political animal has their head in the sand. From its beginning, MDN has pointed out that the EPA is making a power grab—attempting to regulate oil and gas drilling via the back door by using legislation like the Clean Water Act.

Some on Capitol Hill, like Congressman Bob Latta (R-Ohio) who serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, agree. Rep. Latta posted an editorial on the Politico website last night that says, in part:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Regulation

DOE Releases Final Subcommittee Report on Shale Gas Regulation
November 11, 2011November 3, 2012

The Shale Gas Subcommittee of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB) is a panel of seven experts appointed by Secretary of Energy Steven Chu earlier this year with the task of creating a list of industry “best practices” for shale gas drillers. The SEAB produced an initial 90-day report in August with a list of 20 recommendations (see this MDN story on the report). The SEAB’s second and final 90-day report, in draft form, has just been released and will be voted on next week (a copy is available for download below).

The first report focused on crafting recommendations that would lessen the environmental impact of shale gas drilling so that, according to the SEAB, shale gas drilling can flourish with public support (MDN’s interpretation). But in order to do that, certain best practices and standards must be adopted by federal, state, local and industry participants. This second report focuses on how and when to implement those 20 recommendations.

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