Hydraulic Fracturing

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    CBO Report: Enormous Positive Impacts of US Shale

    While Andrew Cuomo and his buddies were busy banning fracking in New York, the Congressional Budget Office (certainly no bastion of conservatism) issued a report on fracking. The new report, titled “The Economic and Budgetary Effects of Producing Oil and Natural Gas From Shale” (full copy embedded below) says we now get 30% of our oil and 40% of our natural gas from home-grown American shale. The report says without safe, clean, fracked American shale, our natural gas prices would be 70% higher than they are. Do you like those low gasoline prices we’ve seen lately? That’s because of American-produced oil from shale deposits. The enormous amount of supply from right here at home is flooding the market and causing prices to drop like a rock. If Cuomo & co had their way, all fracking across the country would stop tomorrow. Dangerously stupid is about the only thing we can think of to say to the strange attitude being exhibited by New York’s so-called leaders. Here’s a high level overview of the CBO study, followed by a full copy of the study…
    Read More “CBO Report: Enormous Positive Impacts of US Shale”

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    NY Gov. Cuomo Kills Prospects for Fracking

    Breaking NewsThis is a very sad day for all New Yorkers. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has decided to not proceed with high volume hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in the state. MDN editor Jim Willis has just finished listening to a live announcement in which the State Dept. of Health Commissioner Howard Zucker embarrassed himself by admitting he relied on shoddy rumors and flawed studies–and even lack of studies–to draw the conclusion that fracking should not be allowed. Zucker repeatedly said “there’s not enough research” to convince him that fracking is safe for NY’s human population.

    NY’s anti-drilling Commissioner of the Dept. of Environmental Conservation, Joe Martens, then said, essentially, “yep, good enough for me, no fracking” and that was that. Cuomo, acting like the buffoon that he is, then said he has no further role to play in the debate and it’s case closed. How sad and how tragic. The only recourse left is to vote Cuomo out of office, which won’t happen now for another four years. We who live in New York have just been royally screwed by our governor. No wonder this state is dead last in jobs, economy, and every other important measure. No wonder people are leaving the state in droves. We predict it’s a trend that will only accelerate with this decision.

    More on NY’s decision tomorrow. This is just a quick note to alert you.

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    NY Anti-Drillers Ramp Up the Rhetoric, Demand Cuomo Delay Again

    As New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo nears a decision to allow fracking (what other decision can there be?), anti-drillers are once again becoming more shrill. Especially anti-drillers who also hold public office–they’re the worst of the lot–total nutjobs who want to deny property rights to the citizens they supposedly represent. Even though we now have over 200,000 horizontally fracked shale wells, many of which are right across the border in Pennsylvania, and a multitude of scientific studies, the call goes forth again (from NY anti-drillers) that Cuomo should delay a decision. In other words–no drilling is acceptable to the unreasonable anti-driller. Not now, not ever. So the antis are ramping up the rhetoric ahead of a decision they fear will go against them…
    Read More “NY Anti-Drillers Ramp Up the Rhetoric, Demand Cuomo Delay Again”

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    Maryland Gets Ready to Frack! Gov O’Malley Files New Regulations

    You’ll be hard pressed to find a reference to some of the most important news over the past four years when it comes to Maryland and fracking–but it happened last Friday when Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley filed a copy of draft regulations to be printed in the next edition of the Maryland Register. What does it mean? It means once the rule is published, after a certain period of time it goes into effect and the moratorium on shale drilling in the state will be lifted. This is truly momentous news and the only source talking about it (so far) is the odious Food & Water Watch…
    Read More “Maryland Gets Ready to Frack! Gov O’Malley Files New Regulations”

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    NY Gov Cuomo Teases (Again) Health Report Ready “This Year”

    Don't Tease MeOnce again New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is being a tease with regard to the fracking issue. Question is, do we believe him this time? Or is this yet another empty promise? During this fall’s single/only gubernatorial debate, Cuomo was asked about the fracking issue and he said a report from the state Dept. of Health on the fracking issue is due by the end of this year (now two weeks away). At the time, his harried campaign staff ran around after that off-the-cuff remark to “explain” what he really meant by it (see Cuomo Staff Explains “End of Year” Deadline for Frack Report). It’s all about managing expectations, and if you’re a Democrat, managing stupid voters (witness comments by Jonathan Gruber and how he and others hookwinked stupid voters to sell passage of Obamacare). Yesterday in a radio interview, Cuomo once again mentioned the fracking health report and said it is “on time” for delivery THIS year. That caught the eye of the Independent Oil & Gas Association of New York…
    Read More “NY Gov Cuomo Teases (Again) Health Report Ready “This Year””

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    New Report: Managing the Risks of Hydraulic Fracturing

    Yes Virginia, there are risks with fracking. No one ever said there aren’t risks. The straw man argument put forward by those who hate fossil fuels is that fracking is too “risky,” hinting that only a level of no risk is the acceptable level. How does one counter that argument? By pointing out there are risks in everything. There are risks when you leave your front door every morning and get in a car, or on a train, and head off to work (at least for Republicans, people who still go to work). All energy sources have risks–upsides and downsides–including natural gas that comes from fracking. A new study has just been released by the Canadian Fraser Institute that takes an open and honest look at the risks in fracking–and how to manage them. The study is called “Managing the Risks of Hydraulic Fracturing” (full copy below). What does it say?…
    Read More “New Report: Managing the Risks of Hydraulic Fracturing”

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    NY Anti-Drillers Launch Yet Another PR Effort: Not One Well

    Well-scripted and organized “environmental” groups, including the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the odious Food & Water Watch, THE Delaware Riverkeeper, Sierra Clubbers and other assorted nutjobs have banded together and, using the deep pockets of the Park Foundation and other financiers of tyranny, have launched the “Not One Well” advertising campaign. The new campaign is designed to browbeat, cajole and otherwise threaten one person, NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo, into not allowing a single shale well to be drilled in NY state. Using the same old scare tactics and completely debunked junk science, they’re turning up the heat as the deadline draws near (Dec. 31st) by which Cuomo hinted that he would make a decision on fracking in the Empire State. Of course he won’t make a decision by then, so we’re not sure why they have their knickers in a twist. But hey, let them blow another million or two on wasted advertising. Who cares?…
    Read More “NY Anti-Drillers Launch Yet Another PR Effort: Not One Well”

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    New Technology Makes Fracking Pumps More Reliable

    California company Energy Recovery Inc. earlier this week announced a new product, called VorTeq, that makes the pumps used in fracking operations more efficient, less likely to fail, and doubles the useful life for pump components most likely to fail. This new innovation makes fracking pumps more reliable, requiring less maintenance. How does it do it?…
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    New Wrinkle in NY: Towns Must Pass Zoning Laws to Allow Fracking

    shouting matchAnti-drilling former “reporter” for the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin, Tom Wilber, is back with an insightful article in the P&SB. Wilbur highlights an issue just now coming to light for residents in New York. Earlier this year the New York Court of Appeals (NY’s highest court) made a disastrous ruling that allows townships to ban fracking (see Shale Drilling in NY is Over – High Court Upholds Town Bans). The continuing sliver of hope for NY landowners is that Gov. Andrew “can’t make up his mind” Cuomo will make up his mind, lo these 6 years later, and allow fracking to take place. The thinking has been that the fight (for anti-drillers) will now focus on attempting to get town boards to enact a ban–something not likely to happen in places most likely to drill. Wilber’s article points out a big, fat problem with that thinking: the high court’s decision in July did a lot more than just allow towns to ban drilling. In light of the July decision, towns with zoning ordinances (almost all towns in NY) must specially allow drilling–or it can’t take place by default…
    Read More “New Wrinkle in NY: Towns Must Pass Zoning Laws to Allow Fracking”

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    DRBC Uses MA Company for Water Testing, Anticipates Fracking

    The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) has prevented, through inaction, any Marcellus Shale drilling in its jurisdictional area (the Delaware River Basin in NY, PA and NJ). In particular, shale drilling would no doubt immediately take off in Wayne and Pike counties in PA should the DRBC allow it. There’s hope that with DRBC’s new director, Steve Tambini, perhaps a change will occur to allow drilling. Even though the DRBC has not allowed drilling, that doesn’t mean they’ve been totally inactive. Over the past three years, the DRBC has used a private Massachusetts company to measure baseline water quality in rivers in anticipation that fracking will one day happen in the Basin. The DRBC wants baseline numbers to compare with post-fracking numbers–to ensure nothing has changed (or if it has changed, as evidence). We think baseline testing is a great idea, and we also think it’s great that the DRBC anticipates allowing fracking–at some point…
    Read More “DRBC Uses MA Company for Water Testing, Anticipates Fracking”

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    NY Radicals Ask Cuomo to Ban Fracking Because of Global Warming

    Not that it’s been hiding anywhere, but the truth comes out (yet again). A group of 75+ individuals masquerading as “groups of people” have signed and sent a letter to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (full copy below) requesting that he ban fracking statewide. Why? Because of their belief that mankind is causing global warming by burning fossil fuels. That is, because they hate fossil fuels. They hate the fossil fuels used to manufacture the computers on which they typed the letter to Cuomo. They hate the fossil fuels they use to travel to work. They hate the fossil fuels that are part of the clothes they wear (petrochemical fibers) and the sneakers on their feet. They hate the fossil fuels they use to heat their homes. Yep, the so-called environmentalists who use fossil fuels every day of their lives–hate them. We call it insanity. Fracking Derangement Syndrome (FDS). Left-wing newspapers like the Albany Times Union dutifully report it like its actually news…
    Read More “NY Radicals Ask Cuomo to Ban Fracking Because of Global Warming”

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    Fracking in Maryland (!) in 2015? Quite Possibly

    I Owe You an ApologyLooks like we owe an apology to Maryland. For years we’ve laughed and poked fun at Maryland and said it is the only state more dysfunctional than New York when it comes to allowing fracking. Yesterday, the special Maryland commission, set up 3 1/2 years ago by the outgoing, leadership-deficient Democrat Gov. Martin O’Malley, released it’s final report with recommendations for how fracking can go forward in the state (full copy below). Incoming Republican Gov. Larry Hogan has promised swift action on the fracking issue. Meanwhile, NY sits on its hands and does nothing. Mind you, the proposed Maryland regulations are so off-the-charts restrictive that even the nutty, far-left Chesapeake Climate Action Network is singing its praises (a big red flag). But hey, the ability to drill half a dozen wells in Maryland is better that what NY has! Let’s start with a summary of the new regulations put forward by the commission…
    Read More “Fracking in Maryland (!) in 2015? Quite Possibly”

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    Details on GASFRAC’s Waterless Frack Test in OH Utica

    Two weeks ago MDN was (we believe) the first to call attention to a very short reference in the quarterly update from Canadian oilfield services company GASFRAC–a line that says GASFRAC had finally begun fracking a Utica Shale well using their waterless technology (see GASFRAC Begins Waterless Fracking Job in OH Utica). At the time we had no details about where the well is located, and who the exploration company is that GASFRAC is doing the work for. We now know those bits, thanks to some ace reporting by Tom Knox at Columbus Business First…
    Read More “Details on GASFRAC’s Waterless Frack Test in OH Utica”

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    EPA Issues New Rules for O&G Industry on GHG Emissions Reporting

    The Federal Environmental Protection continues to regulate things it has not business regulating–not that it makes a hill of beans worth of difference that we point it out. Nobody will challenge them on their out-of-control behavior, so we all just pretend it’s OK and go along. The latest aggressive action taken by the EPA is to publish a rule change that will go into effect in 60 days. This new rule change is in how so-called greenhouse gas emissions are reported by the oil and gas industry. Both midstreamers and upstreamers are affected, so pay attention or prepare to be fined by the EPA…
    Read More “EPA Issues New Rules for O&G Industry on GHG Emissions Reporting”

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    Shocker: U.S. Forest Service to Allow Shale Drilling in GW Forest

    Virginia’s Democrat Gov. Terry McAuliffe may end up eating his own words. He once famously said that as long as he’s governor there will be no fracking in the George Washington National Forest, most of which is located in his state (see VA Gov. McAuliffe Vows No Drilling in Washington Natl Forest). Whoops. Careful what you promise, Terry. The U.S. Forest Service, in a shock reversal of their previous position, released a plan today that allows oil and gas drilling on 167,000 acres of the 1.1 million-acre GW National Forest…
    Read More “Shocker: U.S. Forest Service to Allow Shale Drilling in GW Forest”

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    Fracking Chemicals No More Toxic than Common Household Substances

    If MDN or someone from the oil & gas industry said, “Fracking chemicals are no more toxic than common household substances,” it would be dismissed by anti-drillers as just another industry lie. MDN has, in fact, been making that very assertion for years. That exact statement was made (once again) last week–but this time it was made by researchers at the liberal University of Colorado Boulder. Researchers recently published a new study in the peer-reviewed journal Analytical Chemistry titled “Analysis of Hydraulic Fracturing Flowback and Produced Waters Using Accurate Mass: Identification of Ethoxylated Surfactants.” The study concludes that yes, the oft-maligned “toxic chemicals” used in fracking that “big oil” supposedly hides from you are essentially the same chemicals found in cleaning products underneath your kitchen sink and in your bathroom medicine cabinet. Chemicals found in stuff like laundry detergent and toothpaste…
    Read More “Fracking Chemicals No More Toxic than Common Household Substances”