Hydraulic Fracturing

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Regulation

Equitable Origin: Another Organization Wants to Regulate Fracking
March 31, 2015March 31, 2015

It seems everybody and his brother (and sister) want to regulate shale drilling in the U.S. The latest group attempting to set itself up as some sort of standard is Equitable Origin (EO), which originated in South America and has offices in both New York City and Bogata, Columbia. EO has been around since 2009 trying to horn in on regulating conventional oil and gas drilling in this country by arrogantly setting up a so-called standard that they hope everybody will just adopt, called the EO100 Standard. Two weeks ago EO introduced an update to that standard called EO100.1 for Shale Oil and Gas Operators (full copy below). It will, of course, go nowhere. The interesting thing to MDN is the increasing number of organizations who want to regulate what is Constitutionally a state’s right to regulate…
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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Regulation

Dem Congress Members Collude with White House to Target Fracking
March 31, 2015March 31, 2015

It was easy to predict–so easy, in fact we did predict it back in 2012. The “it” is the federal effort to regulate all of fracking and oil and gas drilling in the U.S. (see Feds ‘Hope’ States will Use BLM Rules for ALL Fracking). The Obama White House and EPA have desired to control fracking for years. Since Republicans controlled the House, Obama couldn’t push through a complete takeover of fracking (although increasingly he ignores the law and does what he wants anyway, petulant man-child that he is). Obama’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has just released their final rules for fracking on federal lands (see BLM Introduces “Final” Fracking Rules for Fed Lands – 3 Yrs Late). In a well-timed move (collusion), five Congressional Democrats introduced legislation that would put the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in control of fracking–usurping the states and their Constitutional rights to do so. One of the five is, shamefully, Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey…
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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Research | Statewide PA

Syracuse U Study: Fracking Doesn’t Cause Methane in PA Water Wells
March 30, 2015March 30, 2015

You can’t tell us there isn’t political bias in the world of so-called hard science and whether or not important research gets reported. In 2011 Duke University published a shoddy “study” that attempted to show a link between the presence of 68 shale wells and high levels of methane in nearby groundwater supplies (see MDN In-depth: Duke University Study Links Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling with Methane Contamination of Water Wells). That study got all sorts of coverage in the media. After their sloppy work was exposed by a number of scientists, the same group doubled down to try and salvage what little credibility they had left by publishing a second study in 2013 concluding the same thing (see Duke Study #2: Drilling Causes Methane Migration in Water Wells?). More media fanfare of “See, it really is true!” There were several fatal flaws in Duke’s research: they cherry picked the wells they used, they used a small data set (68 water wells in the first study, 141 in the second), and they had no baseline measurements–no “before and after” measurements to know if the methane was already present (as it so often is in northeastern PA). So what if some real researchers were to come along and use a data set hundreds of times larger (data on 11,000+ northeast PA water wells) and what if that data has baseline information–the before picture. Seems like that would settle it, right? That would address the weaknesses and shortfalls of the previous, shoddy research. Such a study was just published in the peer reviewed journal Environmental Science & Technology…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Regulation | Statewide MD

Maryland’s Democrat House & Senate Pass Anti-Fracking Bills
March 25, 2015March 25, 2015

On his way out the door of the governor’s mansion in Maryland, then-Gov. Martin O’Malley decided to issue new rules to allow fracking (see Maryland Gets Ready to Frack! Gov O’Malley Files New Regulations). Which at the time we thought was really odd. O’Malley is an anti-drilling Democrat who obstructed fracking for the past four years he was in office. Why the change of heart on his way out the door? Now we know. He wants to run for president–and no one can run for president on a platform of stopping shale drilling. No matter what his motivation–what counts is that Maryland is seeing movement toward using the miracle of fracking. Except now both the Maryland House and Senate have just passed anti-fracking bills, one of which would slap a new moratorium on fracking for yet another three years. The good news is that Maryland’s new governor, Republican Larry Hogan, is pro-fracking and sure to veto any such nonsense…
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CNG/LNG | Energy Services | GASFRAC | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Millennium Stimulation

GASFRAC Bankruptcy Dims LPG Waterless Fracking; LNG Fracking Debuts
March 25, 2015March 25, 2015

In an effort to minimize the impact of shale drilling on the environment, perhaps the biggest prize of all is to figure out a viable alternative to using water in fracking. As MDN has pointed out numerous times–there’s nothing wrong with using water, as long as you recycle it and/or properly dispose of it. Water is used because it’s economical to do so, and it’s one of the best fluids to get the fracking job done. But still, there are locations, like the western part of the country, that are water-constrained. Plus, it would sure be nice to reduce all of those truck trips to the well pad. One technology that seemed to hold promise was liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) fracking, pioneered by Canadian company GASFRAC. The problem is, GASFRAC is close to the end of being sold off in bankruptcy court (see Bankrupt Waterless Fracking Co GASFRAC Sold to “Third Party”). Does the end of GASFRAC also mean the end of waterless fracking? Perhaps not. An intriguing new LNG (liquefied natural gas) fracking technology is now on the horizon…
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Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Statewide PA | Washington County

Range Resource Secret to Drilling More Productive Wells for Less $
March 24, 2015March 24, 2015

Every year drillers get better at what they do. They experiment, they learn, they grow. Here’s an example from Range Resources. Range went back to a well pad they previously drilled with five wells and drilled two more. The two new wells used a different technique. Comparing the first year of production from the new wells with the first year of the original wells, the two new wells produced 53% more natural gas (per well) than the old wells did. Tell us again, peak oil/gas theorists, how the shale boom is just a flash in the pan and will be all gone by the end of this decade. Here’s more details on how Range increased production by 53%–what their “secret” is to drilling more productive wells using LESS money per well…
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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Public Opinion

Gallup Poll on Fracking Shows it to be a Partisan/Political Issue
March 24, 2015March 24, 2015

Gallup is out with a nationwide poll that asks this question: Do you favor or oppose hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” as a means of increasing the production of natural gas and oil in the U.S.? The headline that news organizations are reporting is that across all age groups and party affiliations, it’s a 40/40 split–40% favor fracking and 40% oppose it. If you dig a little deeper, you find this should be the real headline: Republicans favor fracking, Democrats oppose it. If you dig deeper still, you’ll find those who have grown a brain (50+ years old) are in favor of fracking, while inexperienced (and frankly dumber) young people oppose it. That about sums up the poll numbers (see them below). At least, those are the poll numbers shared by Gallup. They don’t bother to share the cross-tabs–the underlying details of the poll. We’d love to see it broken out by region–or by state. Did Gallup weight the poll with people from New England or California and under-represent places like Texas and North Dakota? We don’t know. Therefore we don’t know how truly reflective this poll is of “average” American opinion…
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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Regulation

BLM Introduces “Final” Fracking Rules for Fed Lands – 3 Yrs Late
March 23, 2015March 23, 2015

Last Friday the Dept. of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its final version of new fracking rules for drillers who frack on public and trial lands in the U.S. The BLM has been working on the new rules since 2012 (see BLM Issues Proposed New Rule for Fracking Federal Lands). After negative feedback, BLM reworked the rules several times since the original draft in May 2012. Why does this issue matter for MDN readers? For one, there is some federal land in the northeast–not a lot–but some, that may be impacted. The larger reason is that clearly the overreaching activist federal government under Barack H. Obama has its sights set on federal control of fracking–not just on federal land but all private land as well (see Feds ‘Hope’ States will Use BLM Rules for ALL Fracking). Yes it’s a stretch and ambitious, but then, who in their right mind would have thought Democrat Congress members would have sold out their constituents and passed Obamacare? In other words, stranger things have happened. We need to pay attention to what the feds are doing with fracking. So far, both the oil and gas industry and the so-called environmental movement are not happy with the final rules. In fact, the industry immediately filed a lawsuit to stop the new rules from taking effect–and “environmentalists” like the vapid Mark Ruffalo are kicking up a fuss…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

Greenpeace Co-Founder Says Mankind Doesn’t Cause Global Warming
March 23, 2015March 23, 2015

This is really big news. It’s really important news. But don’t look for it on ABC/NBC/CBS/MSNBC/CNN/New York Times/Washington Post/Los Angeles Times/Etcetera ad naseum. They won’t run it because of media bias. Dr. Patrick Moore, a Canadian and ecologist, has been a leader in international environmentalism for more than 40 years. He co-founded Greenpeace and currently serves as chairman of Allow Golden Rice. Greenpeace is one of the biggest anti-drilling organizations on the planet (full of wackos). Yet, Dr. Patrick Moore is a climate skeptic. You read that right. Moore does not believe in man-made global warming. In fact, he calls the whole notion of catastrophic global warming from human activity “preposterous.” Below is a portion of a column written by Dr. Moore explaining his sound, scientific reasons for refuting the idiotic notion that mankind is causing the earth to toast…
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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Regulation | Statewide OH

Hall of Shame: Republicans Cancel Fracking Under OH State Parks
March 19, 2015March 19, 2015

Whew–that’s a relief! Ohio state parks are “safe” from that filthy, evil villain “fracking.” It would just be beyond the pale to allow fracking under (not on) state parks which could bring millions of dollars into the coffers of Ohio for RINO Gov. John Kasich to redistribute–say in property tax reductions (like he wants to do with revenue from a super-high severance tax). No no. That goes just too far. We can’t have the state making money from a safe activity like fracking under state parks. And so, once again, Republicans in Ohio have caved. They’ve backed down from a plan that would allow safe drilling under state parks–drilling that towns and cities and numerous municipalities in eastern Ohio allow–because…because they’re spineless? Well, yes! Newly elected House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger, R-Clarksville is one of the spineless wonders. House Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Al Landis, R-Dover, is another. RINO in chief Gov. Kasich was also opposed to safe drilling under state parks, that is, he was for it before he was against it…
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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | North Carolina | Regulation

Triassic Park: North Carolina Becomes 34th State to Frack Shale
March 18, 2015March 18, 2015

Yesterday some 120 new rules that govern oil and gas drilling in North Carolina–including a rule that lifts the moratorium on fracking shale deposits–went into effect. In just a couple of years NC was able to do what so far New York hasn’t been able to do in nearly seven years–it became the 34th state to allow shale drilling. While all shale layers are now open for business, the initial flurry of interest seems to be centered in the center of the state in Lee, Moore and Chatham counties. Popularly its called the Triassic Basin, although technically it’s part of a broader area called the Deep River Basin. Within the Triassic is a sub-basin called the Sanford, and it’s there that two companies are already “aggressively” leasing in the area…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Commodity Price | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

OPEC Says American Shale Boom Over by End of 2015
March 18, 2015March 18, 2015

It seems that our enemies–countries that belong to OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) are gloating they believe their strategy of allowing the price of oil to collapse is “working” and that they are driving shale drillers in the U.S. out of business. OPEC is predicting the shale boom will be “over by the end of 2015,” after previously predicting the same thing by the end of 2018. Excuse us while we pick ourselves up off the floor after laughing so hard! Will these people never stop underestimating American ingenuity and resilience? Will they always misunderstand and pooh-pooh American exceptionalism–that we are the exception to the rule, virtually the only country in history where liberty and acknowledgment of God-given rights for individuals allows those individuals freedom to pursue their dreams, creating a country free of government tyranny and unleashing creativity and passion so intense it results in achievements in this country that surpass those of all other countries combined? Fortunately for us, it seems the members of OPEC are obtuse and fail to grasp the true nature of the shale boom–how it got started, and why it will continue long after we’re all dead and gone…
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Energy Companies | EQT Corp | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Kentucky | Regulation

Kentucky Fracking One Step Closer: Commission Considers 1st Permit
March 16, 2015March 16, 2015

In January, MDN told you that shale drilling/fracking may soon come to Kentucky (see Fracking on the Way in the Bluegrass State? Quite Possibly). Several weeks ago the Kentucky Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, a group that “rarely meets” (last meeting was in 2006) held a meeting to consider granting Kentucky’s very first deep horizontal natural gas drilling permit. The company applying for the permit is Horizontal Technology Energy Company, a subsidiary of Pittsburgh-based EQT. Horizontal Technology wants to drill a well in the Rogersville Shale in the eastern part of the state. No word yet on the result of that meeting…
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Broome County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Statewide NY

Radio Program to Discuss the Junk Science Behind NY’s Frack Ban
March 13, 2015March 13, 2015

A shout-out to those who live in the Greater Binghamton area–and even those beyond our area–to listen in this Sunday evening from 7-8 pm to radio station WNBF AM-1290 in Binghamton to another edition of Table Talk with the Joint Landowners Coalition of New York (JLCNY). This week’s guest is Dr. Gilbert Ross, Medical Director of the American Council on Science and Health. Dr. Ross will discuss high volume hydraulic fracturing and the illegal and unscientific ban which stole away the mineral rights of upstate New York landowners. If you’re not in the Binghamton area, you can tune in live online at //wnbf.com (click the big orange LISTEN LIVE button). More on this weekend’s program…
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Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Energy Services | GASFRAC | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Tuscarawas County | Utica Shale

Chesapeake Tries Waterless Fracking at OH Utica Shale Well
March 12, 2015March 12, 2015

Something we consider pretty big news: Chesapeake Energy is running an experiment with waterless fracking. They’ve contracted with Canadian waterless fracking company GASFRAC to attempt what is the second (that we’re aware of) waterless frack job on a Utica Shale well–in Tuscarawas County, OH. The first waterless frack job done by GASFRAC was for EV Energy Partners on a Utica well also in Tuscarawas County (see Details on GASFRAC’s Waterless Frack Test in OH Utica). We consider it a good sign that Chessy thinks its worth a few million bucks to try it out for themselves. Chessy stresses this is still very preliminary…
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Broome County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

NY Town Hopes to Attract Drillers Using Low Volume Fracking
March 6, 2015March 6, 2015

A story about fracking in New York first caught our eye because it’s one of the only (perhaps the only) mainstream media story to admit that fracking has been and still is happening in New York State. If you’ve read MDN for any length of time you know we’ve been pointing that out until we’re blue in the face. Let us say it again: Fracking using low volumes of water (under 75,000 gallons) has been and continues to be used in New York State. Mainstream media outlets apparently have a news blackout on that score–which leads anti-drillers to believe there is no fracking in NY and that Cuomo’s recent decision will keep it that way. Sorry Charlie (and Bill, and Sandra, and Chip)…that’s just not the truth. Once we read more, it was apparent that the bigger story (the story within the story) is what’s happening in the Town of Windsor, NY–where MDN HQ is located, where the temperature this morning was 0! Windsor is actively looking at the possibility of attracting drillers who may want to use low-volume fracking, or even no fracking, to drill gas wells in the town…
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