Hydraulic Fracturing

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Public Opinion | Research

Makovsky Survey: 57% in U.S. Think Fracking a Top 3 Enviro Issue
August 6, 2014August 6, 2014

Makovsky, a public relations firm with offices in New York City and Washington, DC, on Monday released the results of a new survey they conducted nationwide on public attitudes about the issue of fracking (full copy of the survey results embedded below). We’ll analyze the survey itself and how it was conducted in a moment. However, the bombshell finding of the survey is that 57% of U.S. consumers believe that the issue of fracking is “one of the three most important environmental issues of today.” Another bombshell: in the U.S., “71% of people say they hear about fracking every week.” Some 41% hear about fracking through Internet news (MDN anyone?). And 38% hear about fracking via social media like Twitter and Facebook…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Mahoning County | Ohio | Regulation

Fourth Time the Charm for Youngstown Frack Ban Measure?
August 5, 2014August 5, 2014

You’ve got to hand it to those anti-drillers in Youngstown. When anti-fracking insanity takes hold–it goes deep. Anti-drillers have successfully gotten enough signatures to put a ballot measure before voters three times now. The measure would enact a ban on fracking in Youngstown. Not that anyone actually wants to drill in the City of Youngstown. However, passing such a ban would a) force some employers to relocate out of town (not an empty threat, they’ve said it many times), and b) send a signal loud and clear that Youngstown wants to drop out of the flourishing Utica Shale bonanza taking place in the state. Makes no difference to the fracking insane that they will royally screw the city with such a ban–they’ve just collected enough signatures to put the measure on the ballot a fourth time…
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Blue Ridge Mtn Res/Magnum Hunter | Energy Companies | Energy Services | GreenHunter Resources | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Monroe County | Ohio | Sand/Proppant | Trucking | Wastewater

New Ormet Aluminum Plant Owner Shops Barge Facility to Shalers
August 4, 2014August 4, 2014

Three weeks ago MDN highlighted news from NGI’s Shale Daily that Magnum Hunter Resources had purchased the mineral rights for two former Ormet properties in Ohio and West Virginia (see Magnum Hunter Buys Ormet Property in OH/WV, More Wells Coming?). Ormet, you may recall, had a big aluminum plant in Hannibal (Monroe County), OH that sits on the Ohio River (complete with a big barge facility) that was bankrupted because they couldn’t get Ohio to lower the electricity bills long enough for them to convert their own coal-burning electric generation plant into using natural gas mined from under the property (see Final Chapter of Ormet Plant Closing – Utica Could have Saved It). It was a big fail on the part of Gov. John “foreigner hunter” Kasich’s administration and the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO). Magnum now owns the mineral rights, and Niagara Worldwide LLC now owns the real estate and plant itself in OH. Niagara issued a press release today advertising that they’re looking to re-open the Hannibal site for business. The announcement has a big tie-in with the shale drilling industry…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Regulation | Statewide MD

Maryland Gov. O’Malley Spins Delay on Shale Drilling as Positive
August 4, 2014August 5, 2014

Outgoing Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (Democrat), perhaps the worst governor vis–à–vis leadership that Maryland has had in the past two generations, attended a 6-Dem governor “discussion” at the liberal Aspen Institute in Colorado on Saturday (no doubt on Maryland taxpayers’ dime). The discussion was nominally to yak about education, a topic Dems think they own (unfortunately our kids are getting dumber year after year). Because one of the Dem governors present was John Hickenlooper, governor of Colorado (someone who supports shale drilling), the conversation inevitably turned to the topic of fracking. O’Malley made this hilarious statement:
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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Public Opinion | Statewide NY

Siena Poll of Upstate NYers on Fracking Fatally Flawed
August 1, 2014August 1, 2014

Sure looks to MDN like the so-called unbiased, independent pollsters at Siena College have pulled a fast one. They’ve either unintentionally, or perhaps intentionally, cherry-picked polling results in order to report in their latest poll that “51 percent of voters int the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes oppose hydrofracking, compared to 39 percent in support.” Here’s why the poll, and therefore it’s results, are fatally flawed and meaningless…
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Anadarko | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Southwestern Energy | Statewide PA

Loyalsock Drilling Update: Public Will Have 15 Days to Comment
August 1, 2014August 1, 2014

Last Friday MDN told you about the latest spin job being run by the reliably anti-drilling PBS StateImpact Pennsylvania against the PA Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) over their constitutional requirement to allow drilling in the Loyalsock State Forest (see Save the Loyalsock Coalition Attempts a New Spin Job Against DCNR). PA does not own the mineral rights for 25,000 acres of the forest. Anadarko Petroleum and Southwestern Energy are the owners of those mineral rights and have, for years, been attempting to work out a plan to drill there. DCNR is working with both companies to get a plan in place, which has anti-drillers in a dither. Today we bring you the news that DCNR has issued an announcement about where they stand in the process–to let the public know that when a plan to drill has been worked out, the public (meaning anti-drillers) will have 15 days to gripe and moan before the microphones and via email and letters…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

Towns that Ban Fracking Could be Bankrupted by Takings Lawsuits
July 31, 2014July 31, 2014

New York townships that recently won the right to outright ban shale drilling with a 3-2 majority vote by a town board may want to rethink their ill-advised votes. Due to a tip from a sharp MDN reader, we bring you a press release from the National Association of Royalty Owners (NARO) about recent court decisions in Colorado. Similar to the New York case, some municipalities in CO have attempted outright bans of fracking–and those cases, contrary to what happened in NY–are being lost. (Certainly not the first time NY has been out of step on important issues.) One study mentioned in the NARO announcement says that bans and moratoria in Boulder County, CO could result in more than one billion dollars of “takings” lawsuits by landowners. In other words, the lawsuits will bankrupt the towns and villages stupid enough to enact a ban. Are you listening Dryden and Middlefield? You won round one in NY–but the battle is far from over and taxpayers in your towns may one day rue your decision to act foolishly to ban fracking…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Butler County | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Rex Energy

Martians Still Trying to Invade Neighbors to Prevent Drilling
July 30, 2014July 30, 2014

Nasty, and frankly loony, anti-drillers in Mars, PA want to exceed their constitutional authority. They want a 2 mile exclusion zone around the school to deny landowners the right to allow Marcellus Shale drilling on or under their land. State law already prohibits drilling within 500 feet of a school. As we frequently point out, the Elk Lake School District in Susquehanna County, PA has a couple of wells right on school property (see Rural NE PA School Nets $1.7M in Royalties from 2 Marcellus Wells). The Elk Lake wells totally debunk any arguments from Mars parents that their little Martian crumb-crunchers would be damaged by drilling…
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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

JLCNY Appeals Article 78 Case to Higher NY Court
July 29, 2014July 29, 2014

Yesterday the 70,000-member Joint Landowners Coalition of New York (JLCNY) along with several individual landowners filed an appeal in their Article 78 lawsuit that was dismissed by a lower court in Albany County, NY earlier this month. You may recall that the JLCNY sued NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Dept. of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens, and state Health Dept. Commissioner Nirav Shah over their refusal to deliver fracking regulations (see D-Day: JLCNY Files Lawsuit Today Against Cuomo, Martens, Shah). Albany County Supreme Court, a lower level court in New York, said the JLCNY and others who filed the lawsuit had no “standing” to bring the suit (see (see NY Pro-Drillers Lose 2nd Important Shale Drilling Court Case). Not true, according to JLCNY president Dan Fitzsimmons…
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eCORP Stimulation Technologies | Energy Services | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Research

ecorpStim Says New Manufacturing Process Lowers Non-Water Frack Cost
July 28, 2014July 28, 2014

Every now and again eCORP Stimulation Technologies, or “ecorpStim” as they are known, pokes its head up to say, “Hey, we’re still here and we still have a great non-water-based fracking solution!” To which we always say, “Great!” However, non-water-based solutions have a common problem: they’re really expensive. ecorpStim’s technology uses non-flammable liquefied propane as the fluid for fracking. It has the benefit of turning back into a gas and coming back out of the hole–captured and sold at a profit (or captured and re-used). ecorpStim poked their head up again today with their latest press release to say they’ve figured out how to lower the cost of their technology…
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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Regulation

Fracking Policy Monitor – 2nd Issue
July 28, 2014July 28, 2014

A few weeks ago the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) released their second quarterly issue of what they call the Fracking Policy Monitor. IPAA in partnership with PIRA Energy Group author this quarterly pub that provides analysis and information on the latest legislative, regulatory and litigation developments on hydraulic fracturing. According to the IPAA, it showcases some of the battles being fought by the industry (and why and how your dollars go to good use in supporting the IPAA). Here’s the latest rundown on what’s happening, including an excellent summary for both Pennsylvania and New York…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Cuyahoga County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Regulation

OH City Ban on Drilling Heads to Court – Implications for Utica?
July 25, 2014July 25, 2014

Last week two Ohio drillers filed a lawsuit against Broadview Heights, OH, a suburb of Cleveland, for the city’s recently passed ban on drilling oil and gas wells. According to the lawsuit, only the state (via the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources) has the sole legal right to allow or deny a given oil/gas well from being drilled. That is, this is yet another so-called “home rule” court case. This particular case is interesting on a lot of levels. Number one, contrary to the understanding of those commenting on a story about the case in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the oil and gas wells that have been drilled and those that may be drilled in the future in Broadview Heights–are not fracked shale wells. They are conventional shallow wells. Even so, the case could have implications for Utica (unconventional fracked) drilling…
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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

Where Do Things Stand with NY Fracking? ProPublica “Explainer”
July 24, 2014July 24, 2014

The ProPublica website bills itself as “Journalism in the Public Interest.” Although the editors and writers on ProPublica tilt to the left of the political spectrum, we’ve found over the past year or two that most of the time their articles on fracking are pretty balanced–a surprising (and welcomed) aberration in the world of mainstream media. Such is the case with their latest article, a roundup on where things stand in the state of New York with respect to fracking. The writer (an intern!) does a good job of informing casual readers who may not follow the issue closely of just where things stand at this point. We liked the article and thought you might too…
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Accidents | Energy Companies | Energy Services | Equinor/Statoil | Halliburton | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Monroe County (NY) | New York | Regulation

OH Rep Hagan Doesn’t Let A Good Frack Accident Go to Waste
July 24, 2014July 24, 2014

Anti-drilling Ohio State Rep. Robert Hagan (Democrat, Youngstown) sent out a press release yesterday that says, essentially, “Na na na na na, told ya so, told ya so.” In just about that childish tone. Hagan has seized on a report that MDN and others highlighted yesterday from the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that alleges Halliburton, following the well pad fire in Monroe County on June 28, took five days to provide a list of chemicals at the site to the EPA (see EPA Reports on Enviro Damage from Statoil Well Fire in OH). What Hagan conveniently leaves out of his childish screed is that Halliburton promptly provided that list to the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources and local firefighters, the two agencies stipulated under Ohio law. The EPA is not stipulated to get a fast copy of the chemicals list–they’re not first responders to the accident. The EPA is there to watch, observe, assess and level hefty fines…
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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

Good Move: PA Budget Cuts DRBC Contribution in Half
July 21, 2014July 21, 2014

In February MDN told you about PA Gov. Tom Corbett’s plan to trim Pennsylvania’s contribution to the Delaware River Basin Commission’s budget (see PA Dems, DRBC Squeal over Proposed Cut to DRBC Budget). The DRBC has been unfairly benefiting from PA residents for years. The other states that are part of the DRBC have cut back on their contributions leaving PA holding the bag. No more. As part of the recently passed state budget, PA has cut DRBC funding–in half…
Read More “Good Move: PA Budget Cuts DRBC Contribution in Half”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA Court Says 7 Towns Can Keep Marcellus Money & Ban Drilling Too
July 18, 2014July 18, 2014

The seven Pennsylvania townships that sued and ultimately won the right to gut the Act 13 law over zoning regulations (Robinson, Nockamixon, South Fayette, Peters, Cecil, Mount Pleasant, and the Borough of Yardley) don’t want drilling in their townships, but they sure love the money that comes from drilling. In addition to gutting the zoning provisions in the Act 13 law, the towns bridled when the Public Utility Commission (PUC), acting in accordance with the Act 13 law, withheld money from four of the seven towns for their anti-drilling ordinances that violate state oil and gas drilling law. Yesterday the court said the PUC couldn’t do that anymore–further gutting Act 13. However, three other outstanding issues about Act 13 were decided in favor of the drilling industry, including the so-called doctor “gag rule”…
Read More “PA Court Says 7 Towns Can Keep Marcellus Money & Ban Drilling Too”