Industrywide Issues

Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Jobs

Chesapeake’s Lawler Continues to Swing the Ax – More VPs Gone
September 12, 2013September 12, 2013

Chesapeake Energy CEO Doug Lawler, no doubt spurred on by his boss, board member and corporate raider Carl Icahn, continues to swing the ax at Chesapeake. Although Chessy won’t reveal how many jobs have been cut, another round of ax-chopping happened earlier this week at the company with “numerous high level employees – vice presidents” getting notified they’re on the chopping block.

The latest from Oklahoma City’s News 9:
Read More “Chesapeake’s Lawler Continues to Swing the Ax – More VPs Gone”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

Attn Gov Cuomo: CA Gov Brown Set to Sign Law to Allow Fracking
September 12, 2013September 12, 2013

This really does take the cake! NY Gov. Andrew “Ditherer” Cuomo is now considered left of CA Gov. Jerry “Moonbeam” Brown. Who would have ever thought it possible?

In under a year, California legislators have crafted new drilling rules which Gov. Brown is about to sign. Meanwhile, 5+ years later, Andy is attending fundraisers in the Hamptons, avoiding Southern Tier landowners and hiding from New York’s virulent anti-fracking protesters. Strong leadership skills there, don’t you think?…
Read More “Attn Gov Cuomo: CA Gov Brown Set to Sign Law to Allow Fracking”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

TU: Just Eyeball Those Streams, You Know What Shouldn’t Be There
September 12, 2013September 12, 2013

Like a roomful of zombies, about 20 people who belong to the anti-drilling group Trout Unlimited (some of them fisherman) lapped up the lies from TU’s community organizer for eastern PA, Paula Piatt, at a meeting in the Pocono Mountain region last night. She told them, in essence, that they don’t need scientific testing to see if there’s anything bad going on (from fracking) in the streams they like to fish. Instead, just eyeball it: “Your eyes on the stream are priceless, as far as knowing what should be there and what shouldn’t.”

One zombie reports being “totally in awe” of Ms. Piatt and her work…
Read More “TU: Just Eyeball Those Streams, You Know What Shouldn’t Be There”
Accidents | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania | Wastewater | XTO

PA AG Abuses Her Authority, Files Criminal Charges Against XTO
September 11, 2013September 11, 2013

In November 2012, the day after the general election, MDN asked the question if Pennsylvania’s newly elected anti-drilling attorney general, Kathleen Kane, would target the Marcellus Shale drilling industry (see Will New PA AG Go After the Marcellus Drilling Industry?). We now know the answer. Yesterday Kane’s office announced it had filed criminal charges against XTO Energy related to the spill of fracking wastewater at a site in Lycoming County, PA that happened more than three years ago–before she took office.

XTO has already responded that the area where the spill occurred suffered no long-term adverse environmental effects and that Kane has far exceeded the bounds of her authority (in fact is abusing her authority) in seeking criminal charges. We agree with XTO…
Read More “PA AG Abuses Her Authority, Files Criminal Charges Against XTO”
Accidents | Belmont County | Energy Companies | Gulfport Energy | Harrison County | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Statewide OH

Gulfport Pays $250K Fine for Leaky Pad Liners at 7 OH Utica Sites
September 11, 2013September 11, 2013

The Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) investigated Gulfport’s shale drilling sites in eastern Ohio after an inspector found ground contamination at a Harrison County well. ODNR found evidence of brine–naturally occurring underground water that comes to the surface after drilling is done–escaping from (leaking from) the well–which is not supposed to happen. Each well pad has a big rubber pad liner that’s supposed to catch anything that happens to leak. Gulfport’s pad liners did not do the job.

In addition to a $250,000 fine, Gulfport has to rebuild each of the seven drill pads where there are defective liners before they can continue drilling at those locations…
Read More “Gulfport Pays $250K Fine for Leaky Pad Liners at 7 OH Utica Sites”
Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Washington County | Wastewater

Range Water Impoundment Public Hearing Postponed 2nd Time
September 11, 2013September 30, 2013

In August MDN told you about the latest kerfuffle between Range Resources and Mt. Pleasant township in Washington County, PA. Range had built and maintains four water impoundments (think “pond”)–one for frack wastewater and three for fresh water storage. Range uses the impoundments to store and haul water to/from drill sites for use in fracking (see Range Resources Argues with Mt Pleasant over Water Impoundment). Residents object to the impoundments on the grounds that their original use–drilling wells in that immediate area–is long over. Range continues to use them to drill other wells, not only in Washington County but also in Ohio and West Virginia. Residents say Range has overstayed their welcome with the impoundments.

A public hearing was continued from August to September when the public didn’t get a chance to vent at the August meeting. Last night, the hearing was continued yet again–to October–because Range wants a witness to appear at the hearing that couldn’t make it last night…
Read More “Range Water Impoundment Public Hearing Postponed 2nd Time”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Mahoning County | Ohio | Regulation

Niles, OH Considers Vote to Rescind Ill-Advised Frack Ban
September 11, 2013September 11, 2013

When you rush to do a dumb thing, you later regret it. City council members in Niles, OH have learned that hard lesson after voting last month to implement a ban on shale drilling. In their haste to “protect residents” from drilling, they didn’t bother to read the fine print of the bill they passed (no doubt drafted by a helpful anti-driller). In addition to banning shale drilling in the city–something that wouldn’t happen anyway–the bill also bans businesses that operate in the city and the city itself from doing business with the drilling industry. Oops. The city does a lot of business with the drilling industry.

Now city council members are planning a vote to rescind the ban they just passed last month…
Read More “Niles, OH Considers Vote to Rescind Ill-Advised Frack Ban”
Earthquakes | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Statewide WV | West Virginia

Seismologist: Fracking Does NOT Cause Earthquakes
September 10, 2013September 10, 2013

$fracking & earthquakes$ Finally, an AP reporter who listens and accurately reports the news. Wait, has hell frozen over? When AP starts reporting accurately, we become suspicious. But let’s not become distracted at this unusual turn of events…

On the first day of a two-day conference being hosted by West Virginia University on Marcellus Shale drilling in Morgantown, a seismologist from the University of Texas had the guts to set the record straight. He said: (1) Fracking does not cause earthquakes; (2) injection wells that dispose of fracking wastewater sometimes cause earthquakes; and (3) earthquakes triggered by injection wells are rare–extremely rare. And the AP reported it–accurately. Huh…
Read More “Seismologist: Fracking Does NOT Cause Earthquakes”
Broome County | Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Lease & Royalty Payments | Litigation | New York | Tioga County (NY)

Done Deal: Chesapeake Drops Leases on 13K Acres in NY
September 10, 2013September 10, 2013

Last week MDN told you that Chesapeake was set to release 12,000 acres of leases in the Southern Tier of New York, abandoning a legal fight to extend those leases (some of which they paid $2-3 per acre for) by using a legal concept called force majeure (see Chesapeake to Release 12K Acres of NY Leases Next Week). Major media outlets from AP to Reuters are reporting Chesapeake, as of Monday, has officially dropped those leases.

One slight update: it was actually 13,000 acres, not 12,000 acres as originally reported…
Read More “Done Deal: Chesapeake Drops Leases on 13K Acres in NY”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Wastewater

MDN Processes its Own Frack Wastewater Comments
September 10, 2013September 10, 2013

Apparently MDN left a wrong impression with an article we ran yesterday. We told you about a new study just released by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that takes a look at discharges from wastewater plants in Pennsylvania and concludes they don’t do a good job of cleaning up fracking wastewaster (see USGS Study Says Drilling Wastewater Not Fully Treated by Plants). Our criticism of the study left the impression with one reader that we believe municipal sewage treatment plants are capable of processing fracking wastewater. Let us be clear: We do NOT believe that nor do we advocate for it! Just the opposite.

We want to clear up our viewpoint on frack wastewater treatment…
Read More “MDN Processes its Own Frack Wastewater Comments”
Boardwalk Pipeline Partners | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | NGLs | Pipelines | Williams

Thank God the Bluegrass Pipeline will Bypass Marion County Nuns
September 10, 2013September 10, 2013

Thank God the Bluegrass Pipeline will avoid running through property owned by a bunch of liberal Catholic nuns in Marion County, KY. No really, thank the good Lord! (Can I hear an Amen?) Williams and Boardwalk Pipeline Partners–the joint partners building the Bluegrass natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline, a pipeline that carries (gasp!!) “flammable liquids”–say the NGL pipeline will not cross the holy ground of the Sisters of Loretto. But have no fear, the sisters say they’ll oppose it wherever it goes anyway.

Don’t tell the sisters or the AP reporter writing the very slanted article (below), but natural gas running through bazillions of miles of natgas pipelines buried under the ground in every major and minor city across America is just as “flammable” as what will run through the Bluegrass Pipeline when it’s built and operating…
Read More “Thank God the Bluegrass Pipeline will Bypass Marion County Nuns”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Regulation | Statewide VA | Statewide WV | Virginia | West Virginia

Charleston Gazette Editorial: Drill Washington National Forest
September 10, 2013September 10, 2013

The debate continues to rage over whether or not to allow shale drilling in the George Washington National Forest. Later this month, the U.S. Forest Service will decide whether or not to allow it (see WashPo Takes Aim at Fracking in the George Washington Natl Forest). Counter to the claptrap published in the Washington Post a few days ago, the Charleston Gazette provides powerful arguments in favor of drilling in a tiny sliver (12,000 acres out of 2 million) of the Washington Forest in today’s editorial.

One gem from the Gazette: The “pristine” Jefferson National Forest with it’s own “leafy cradles” and “gurgling brooks” sits adjacent to and south of the Washington National Forest–in the very same watershed. The Jefferson Forest has had active conventional (vertical) gas drilling for decades–with absolutely no problems…
Read More “Charleston Gazette Editorial: Drill Washington National Forest”
Industrywide Issues | Marion County | Sand/Proppant | West Virginia

New Frack Sand Terminal Opens in Fairmont, WV
September 10, 2013September 10, 2013

If there’s one thing beside water that frackers need, it’s sand. A very special kind of sand used in fracking. Last week saw the grand opening of a new frack sand terminal in Fairmont (Marion County), West Virginia. The new facility is owned and operated by TRANSFLO, a subsidiary of CSX Corporation…
Read More “New Frack Sand Terminal Opens in Fairmont, WV”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Processing Plants | Supply Chain | Washington County

MN Construction Company Puts Down Roots in PA Marcellus
September 10, 2013September 10, 2013

A Minnesota-based construction management company is expanding in Washington County, PA in order to plug into the Utica and Marcellus Shale drilling supply chain. Fagen, Inc. offers cranes, tools, storage and expertise with projects across the oil and gas field including pipeline gathering systems, storage and even construction of processing plants.

Fagen’s announcement about the new Houston, PA operation:
Read More “MN Construction Company Puts Down Roots in PA Marcellus”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

How Long Before NY High Court Rules on Town Bans? An Answer…
September 9, 2013September 9, 2013

Two weeks ago MDN told you the encouraging news that the New York Court of Appeals (New York’s highest court) will hear the Dryden and Middlefield town ban cases (see Anti-Drillers Attempt a Brave Face with NY Appeals Court Decision). Anti-drillers, like former Gannett and Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin reporter Tom Wilbur, are understandably shaken by this turn of events. They believe they had won (using NY’s courts) where they couldn’t win (in the political arena and the arena of ideas)–so when the high court said “yes” to hearing the case, they took it as a bad omen. They continue to put on a brave face, but make no mistake–they’re scared.

What about the timing for a decision in these twin cases being heard together as a single case? Wilbur does a good job of tracking down just how long the appeal to the high court will take to run its full course…
Read More “How Long Before NY High Court Rules on Town Bans? An Answer…”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Mahoning County | Ohio | Regulation

Economic Suicide Attempt #2: Youngstown to Vote Again on Frack Ban
September 9, 2013September 9, 2013

In May 2013, the citizens of Youngstown, OH wisely chose not to commit economic suicide by voting against a ban on fracking–a ban that not only ban fracking but also outlaw the business activities of some companies that support the drilling industry (see Youngstown, OH Votes Down Fracking Ban Amendment). The people had their say, and they said 57% to 43% “we’ll take fracking and the jobs that go with it, thank you very much.” But you have to hand it to irrational anti-drilling zealots–they don’t give up. They are bound and determined to commit economic suicide, and now, they may have just been handed the equivalent of a loaded gun with permission to do it…
Read More “Economic Suicide Attempt #2: Youngstown to Vote Again on Frack Ban”