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Energy Services | Harrison County | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | MarkWest Energy | Ohio | Processing Plants

MarkWest Energy Accused of Using Non-Union, Non-Ohio Workers
February 24, 2015February 24, 2015

Calling OH Gov. John “foreigner hunter” Kasich. We have an infraction! Quick! You’re needed, stat. Word has leaked out that MarkWest Energy has not only reduced the number of union members they’re using on jobs in Harrison County, OH, they’re using non-union (gasp) out-of-state workers–from exotic places like Texas and Louisiana and Oklahoma. Those places have been defined by John Kasich as “foreign” locations (i.e. non-Ohio). Periodically the jingoist-in-chief gets on his high horse and goes riding after those darned foreigners (see OH Gov. Kasich Continues Trash Talk Out-of-State Workers and OH Gov. Kasich Goes After Out-of-State Engineers/Surveyors and OH Gov. Kasich Goes Foreigner-Hunting in Strasburg and OH Gov. Kasich Dedicates Hickory Bend Plant, No Foreigners Found). Well, we’ve found the site of another infraction…
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Baker Hughes | Energy Services | Halliburton | Industrywide Issues | Jobs

Halliburton Laying Off Up to 6,400, Says Baker Hughes Not a Factor
February 13, 2015February 13, 2015

Halliburton, the county’s second largest oilfield services company, announced earlier this week they’re laying off some 6.5% to 8% of their 80,000 employees, which translates to 5,000 to 6,500 jobs. The company Halliburton is buying, Baker Hughes, announced in January they are laying off 11% of their workforce (see Baker Hughes Announces 7,000 Layoffs Due to Low Oil Price). Also in January, the country’s (and world’s) largest oilfield services company, Schlumberger, laid of 9,000 workers (see Schlumberger Firing 9,000 to Reduce Head Count, “Low Oil Prices”). To which we say, it’s getting ugly out there…
Read More “Halliburton Laying Off Up to 6,400, Says Baker Hughes Not a Factor”
Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Growing Jobs: Marcellus/Utica PR Agency Opens Branch Office in TX
February 12, 2015February 12, 2015

Used to be that companies working in and for the oil and gas industry–located in states like Texas and Oklahoma–would set up branch operations in states like Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia to take advantage of the Marcellus and Utica Shale. These days, however, the trend is sometimes reversed. Bravo Group is a public relations firm based in Harrisburg, PA with a long list of clients in the oil and gas industry. Yesterday Bravo announced they’re opening a branch office in Texas. We love it when northeast shale drilling starts to export jobs to “foreign” places (as OH Gov. John Kasich calls them) like Texas…
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Crawford County | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania | Supply Chain | Universal Well

Universal Well Services Closes PA Facility, Lays Off Some Workers
February 11, 2015February 11, 2015

It wasn’t so long ago that MDN told you about the “feel good” story of Universal Well Services, a Meadville (Crawford County), PA company specializing in pressure-pumping wells, cementing well pads and other well services (see Marcellus Supply Chain Success Story: Universal Well Services). Universal is a subsidiary of Patterson-UGI Energy, Inc.–a large oilfield services company. The company had grown from 200 to more than 1,000 employees in 10 years. But that was before the price of oil and gas went into the basement. Now they’re laying off employees…
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Belmont County | Energy Companies | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Monroe County | Ohio | Pipelines | Rice Energy | Rice Midstream

Rice Midstream Building New “Zeus” Pipeline in Belmont/Monroe OH
February 10, 2015February 10, 2015

MDN picked up on a bit of news we had not previously heard about. Rice Midstream, the newly formed subsidiary of Rice Energy launched in December (see Rice Midstream IPO Falls Short of Goal by Approx. $134M), is busy at work. They are building eight miles of 30-inch pipeline through portions of Belmont and Monroe counties (in Ohio) as part of their “Zeus” project. This is the first time we’d heard of Zeus (the pipeline). The project will last four months and employ 350 temporary union workers–welders and construction workers…
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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Mahoning County | Ohio | Supply Chain | Vallourec

Vallourec Star Pipeline Plant in OH Shutting Down for 3 Weeks
February 10, 2015February 10, 2015

Vallourec Star, a steel pipe manufacturer in Youngstown, OH, has had more business than it knows what to do with since it opened in 2012. That is, until recently. With the plunging price of oil and gas comes scaled back budgets for drilling in 2015. Vallourec Star has been experiencing a slow down. In anticipation of even more slowing down, they’ve announced a three week shut down of the plant, meaning hundreds of families will have a big hole in their family budgets. For those that can do without a paycheck for a while, the company is also offering a 6-month voluntary layoff, which signals they think the “slow down” may be with us for while…
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Economic Impact | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Research | Statewide PA | Sunoco Logistics

New Study: Mariner East 1 & 2 Pipelines Mean $4.2B Windfall in PA
February 6, 2015February 6, 2015

Sunoco Logistics has an important new tool in its fight to build the Mariner East 1 and Mariner East 2 pipeline projects in Pennsylvania. Mariner East 1 is already partially up and running but needs the final leg completed that will connect it to the Marcus Hook refinery near Philadelphia (see Range Cuts 2015 Drilling Budget 33%; Mariner East Up & Running!). Mariner East 2 is still on the drawing board. It will be a new 350-mile pipeline, most of it laid next to Mariner East 1 (see Sunoco Logistics Will Build $2.5B Mariner East 2 Pipeline). The new tool? Sunoco hired Econsult Solutions Inc. to do a proper, independent, rigorous and accurate study of the potential economic impact from the two projects on the PA economy. The study, titled “The Economic Impact of Sunoco Logistics’ Mariner East Projects in Pennsylvania” (full copy embedded below), says the two projects will add $4.2 billion to Pennsylvania’s economy, support more than 30,000 jobs during the construction period, and create 300-400 permanent jobs…
Read More “New Study: Mariner East 1 & 2 Pipelines Mean $4.2B Windfall in PA”
Dauphin County | Dominion Energy | Economic Impact | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide PA | Supply Chain

Dominion Selects PA Company to Manufacture 540 Miles of Pipe
February 5, 2015February 5, 2015

Keepin’ it in the family. Love it. Dominion plans to build the Atlantic Coast Pipeline–a 550-mile, $5 billion natural gas pipeline that will flow, cheap, abundant, clean-burning Marcellus Shale gas from West Virginia into Virginia and North Carolina (see Dominion Commits to Major New Marcellus/Utica Pipeline Project). Provided the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approves it, construction will begin in 2016. Yesterday, Dominion announced that a Pennsylvania company near Harrisburg–Dura-Bond–has been selected to manufacture 540 of the 550 miles of the pipe needed for the project. It is, according to Dura-Bond, the largest order in the company’s history. The announcement doesn’t disclose the terms of the deal, but we do know it will generate 150 new jobs at Dura-Bond and inject a huge amount of money into the Harrisburg-area economy starting later this year. American/Pennsylvanian jobs, American/Pennsylvanian company. All in the heart of the Marcellus…
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Allegheny County | Chevron | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania

Chevron Laying Off 23% of their Marcellus Workforce in Pittsburgh
January 23, 2015January 23, 2015

Well, don’t say we didn’t warn you. In November MDN brought you the news that Chevron announced the are “restructuring” their northeast business until to “become more efficient” and for “long-term growth.” We pointed out at the time that kind of language doesn’t inspire confidence (see Chevron Scaling Back in the Marcellus/Utica? Maybe). We also said it was a good sign that no WARN Act notices of impending large layoffs had been issued. Oops. That’s now changed. In an emailed statement yesterday, Chevron said it plans to lay off 162 Pennsylvania workers as part of their “restructuring”–nearly a quarter of their Marcellus workforce. Ouch. It wasn’t so long ago Chevron was planning to build a massive, new 350,000 square foot regional headquarters near Pittsburgh (see Chevron Puts Moon Twp, PA Office Building Project on Hold). It seems that project is now dead–no signs of life. Here’s the disappointing info on Chevron’s coming round of layoffs…
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Industrywide Issues | Jobs

Not Every NE Driller is Laying Off Workers – Some Buck the Trend
January 23, 2015January 23, 2015

Lately it seems the news has been bad when it comes to layoffs and cutbacks in the northeast shale drilling industry. We recently had the bombshell that Schlumberger is cutting 9,000 jobs because of low oil prices (see Schlumberger Firing 9,000 to Reduce Head Count, “Low Oil Prices”). Then Baker Hughes announced layoffs of 7,000 (see Baker Hughes Announces 7,000 Layoffs Due to Low Oil Price). Both are national layoffs–we don’t know how many of those jobs are in the northeast, but the northeast is the biggest shale region in the U.S. at the moment, so it stands to reason some (many?) will come from our neck of the woods. Today Chevron announced they’re laying off 162 people in the Pittsburgh area (see our lead story today). Almost every major Marcellus/Utica driller has announced major cuts in their capital expenditure budgets for 2015–from Range Resources and Antero Resources to the much smaller firms like Rex Energy and Stone Energy. Less spending on drilling = cutbacks in jobs, at least jobs at oilfield services and other related companies. So when we saw a story that says “wait a minute, we’re not cutting jobs”–and the people saying it are the heads of big Marcellus/Utica drillers, that caught our attention…
Read More “Not Every NE Driller is Laying Off Workers – Some Buck the Trend”
Baker Hughes | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Jobs

Baker Hughes Announces 7,000 Layoffs Due to Low Oil Price
January 21, 2015January 21, 2015

Although Baker Hughes, one of the largest oilfield services companies in the United States, had “record high” revenue in 2014 ($24.6 billion for the year), the company announced yesterday that they will lay off 7,000 employees in the first three months of 2015. This comes on the heals of Sclumberger’s announcement that they will lay off 9,000 (see Schlumberger Firing 9,000 to Reduce Head Count, “Low Oil Prices”). Both companies have a major presence in the Marcellus/Utica and both blame low oil prices for the layoffs. Their customers (exploration and production companies) are scaling back and not drilling as much, and for what drilling they do they are now squeezing oilfield services companies like crazy to lower costs. It certainly makes sense, on paper, for these companies to take drastic actions like this. But that’s not much comfort for the 7,000 families who are losing the jobs. Baker Hughes employs 62,000 people. The 7,000 jobs cut represent 11% of their workforce. Baker Hughes CEO Martin Craighead called the coming layoffs the “crappy part” of his job and the thing he really “hates” about the drilling industry…
Read More “Baker Hughes Announces 7,000 Layoffs Due to Low Oil Price”
Economic Impact | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Regulation

Obama’s Faint Praise of Natgas in State of Union, Inhofe’s Rebuttal
January 21, 2015January 21, 2015

Last night was the second-to-last State of the Union speech to be given by our Dear Leader, Barack Hussein Obama (hallelujah!). While Obama gave credit to the oil and gas industry for generating most of the jobs created during his pathetic presidency, he also said he wants to regulate it more. Typical. He persists in calling carbon, the stuff you breathe out with every breath, “pollution” and he’s hellbent on regulating it–even though at the same time he admits we’re producing less of it! Go figure. Below we have the section of Obama’s speech where he talks about energy, including shale gas, along with the response from Sen. Jim Inhofe, the chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. We love Inhofe–he doesn’t suffer fools well and he minces no words about Obama’s out-of-control regulatory mandates. We like Inhofe’s take: Americans are resilient. Together we can survive the Obama Administration…
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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Schlumberger

Schlumberger Firing 9,000 to Reduce Head Count, “Low Oil Prices”
January 16, 2015January 16, 2015

Wow…is about all we can say. Yesterday Schlumberger (pronounced Shlum-Bur-Zhay), the world’s (and the U.S.’s) largest oilfield services company, issued its fourth quarter 2014 and full-year 2014 operating results. Although revenues in 4Q14 rose 6.2 percent to $12.6 billion, earnings, what they pay investors, decreased by 82%–to $302 million for the quarter, largely because of “one-time charges.” The radical drop in oil prices has deeply affected Schlumberger. However, it wasn’t their financial results but this short mention in yesterday’s update that caught everyone’s attention: “In response to lower commodity pricing and anticipated lower exploration and production spending in 2015, Schlumberger decided to reduce its overall headcount to better align with anticipated activity levels for 2015. Schlumberger recorded a $296 million charge associated with a headcount reduction of approximately 9,000.” Ouch. It makes Doug “the ax” Lawler over at Chesapeake look like a junior achiever by comparison. Schlumberger employs about 120,000 worldwide, so 9,000 represents 7.5% of their workforce. Gone…
Read More “Schlumberger Firing 9,000 to Reduce Head Count, “Low Oil Prices””
Economic Impact | Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio | Trumbull County

Lordstown Gas-Powered Electric Plant Moves Up Construction Timeline
January 15, 2015January 15, 2015

In April 2014, MDN told you about a proposal from Clean Energy Future to build an $800 million electric generation plant in Lordstown (Trumbull County), OH. The plant will be fired by natural gas from the Utica and Marcellus (see Clean Energy Plans NatGas Electric Generation Plant in Lordstown). At that time, the plan was to begin construction in December 2015 and complete the plant by the end of 2018. There was initial opposition to the plant because the site on Salt Springs Road would need to be re-zoned from residential to industrial. That didn’t go down well with the neighbors. Clean Energy Future has changed the plan to a different location. Those who once opposed the plant now embrace it and want it as a jobs-creator for the area. This is a happy story of industry and residents working together for a positive solution. It illustrates what happens when adults behave like adults…
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Allegheny County | Economic Impact | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | New York | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide NY | Statewide OH | Statewide PA | Transco | Williams

Williams Spending $100 million Per Month in the Marcellus/Utica
January 14, 2015January 14, 2015

There’s an excellent regional television program in Pittsburgh called “Our Region’s Business” hosted by veteran reporter Bill Flannigan. On December 7, Jim Scheel, Senior Vice President for Northeast G&P for Williams, appeared in a segment on the program (video embedded below). Scheel shared some eye-popping statistics about the Marcellus/Utica, and about Williams and their commitment to the region. Scheel said, among many things in the short 7-minute segment, that in 2014 Williams spent an astonishing $100 million per month on pipeline projects in the northeast region. They currently employ 750 people in the northeast and over the next year or so expect to add another 160 people to the payroll. What an exciting, dynamic company! Here’s a few more stats Scheel mentioned…
Read More “Williams Spending $100 million Per Month in the Marcellus/Utica”
Antero Resources | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Statewide OH | Statewide PA | Statewide WV | West Virginia

Antero Resources Lays Off 250 Landmen, Blames Low Oil Prices
January 7, 2015January 7, 2015

Antero Resources said on Monday it will lay off more than 250 contract land brokers operating in West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The layoffs will not affect any Antero employees–only contract workers (landmen and others) who work to get leases signed, sealed and delivered for future drilling. Antero blames the low price of oil, which causes the price they get for their Marcellus/Utica natural gas liquids to be low, which means they’ll stick to drilling on the half million plus acres they already have under lease…
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