Industrywide Issues

Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Onondaga County | Regulation

Irony: Marcellus, NY Votes to Ban Marcellus Shale Drilling
January 15, 2013January 15, 2013

It’s a sad and ironic day: The town for which the Marcellus Shale is named, Marcellus, NY (Onondaga County, near Syracuse), has voted to ban the Marcellus—as in no Marcellus Shale drilling will be allowed in the township.

By a 5-0 vote last night, the town board illegally stripped away the Constitutional property rights of all of its citizens in contravention to New York State law…

Read More “Irony: Marcellus, NY Votes to Ban Marcellus Shale Drilling”
Energy Companies | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Potter County | Tenaska Resources | Tioga County (PA) | UGI Energy Services

UGI & Tenaska Sign Deal to Build New Marcellus Pipeline in PA
January 15, 2013January 15, 2013

Pennsylvania electric & gas utility UGI Corporation announced yesterday they’ve cut a deal with driller Tenaska Resources to jointly develop Marcellus Shale projects in both Potter and Tioga counties in north-central PA. Over the next 10 years UGI will invest $65 million to build a new gathering pipeline system in Potter County, and another $25 million investment in return for a 19% interest in Tenaska’s Tioga County acreage/operations.

From the UGI announcement yesterday:

Read More “UGI & Tenaska Sign Deal to Build New Marcellus Pipeline in PA”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Sullivan County

Middletown 4th Graders Brainwashed by Teachers Against Fracking
January 14, 2013January 14, 2013

What angers MDN editor Jim Willis more than almost any other issue in the fracking debate is when adults contaminate the minds of young people with their own, polluted, distorted opinions—especially on the topic of fracking. Unfortunately it happens down to the youngest grades, including the nine year-old students of fourth grade anti-fracking teachers Mary Hayes and Patricia McGorry in the Maple Hill Elementary School in Middletown (Sullivan County), NY. Shame on them.

Here’s the story and background:

Read More “Middletown 4th Graders Brainwashed by Teachers Against Fracking”
Accidents | Cuyahoga County | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Mountaineer Keystone | Ohio

Methane Migration into Water Well Near Cleveland, OH
January 14, 2013January 14, 2013

It seems possible, and from the reporting, even likely, that shale gas drilling (and fracking) has caused methane migration and “contamination” of a water well for a family that lives outside Cleveland, OH.

Below is the story as reported by the Washington Examiner. The family’s water was tested before drilling was begun by Mountaineer Keystone and there was methane present in the water, but at the safe level of 9 parts per million. Now, after nearby drilling? There’s 22 PPM in their water, and they can (yes) light their faucets on fire, just like in the notoriously inaccurate movie Gasland…

Read More “Methane Migration into Water Well Near Cleveland, OH”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

“Real” Deadline for NY DEC to Decide Fracking Issue: Feb 13
January 14, 2013January 14, 2013

The magic date by which the New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) must release new rules to allow fracking is and has been Feb. 27—which is the end of the 90-day extension period we’re currently in. However, there’s a closer, more important date to watch for those who support fracking and want to see it go forward, and for those who don’t. That date? Feb. 13.

Here’s why is Feb. 13 is a critical date and likely the “real” deadline for the DEC to decide yes or no…

Read More ““Real” Deadline for NY DEC to Decide Fracking Issue: Feb 13”
Industrywide Issues | Jobs

Starting Salary for Petroleum Engineer Nears 6 Figures
January 14, 2013January 14, 2013

In a story that thanks Schulmberger for its generous donations to West Virginia University ($18 million and counting), we learn about the astonishing starting salaries for petroleum engineers coming out of WVU and across the country. How astonishing?

According to PayScale, starting salaries for petroleum engineers fresh out of school: $98,000 a year. That’s 50% higher than the #2 highest paid job: aerospace engineer.

Read More “Starting Salary for Petroleum Engineer Nears 6 Figures”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

What Do Fracking, Coffee & Secret Reports have in Common?
January 14, 2013January 14, 2013

Hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas is an economic, technological miracle—hands down. There are some negatives associated with the practice, but fracking in no way pollutes ground water aquifers as claimed by people who simply hate all fossil fuels (and must justify their hatred with specious arguments like “it pollutes water”).

A recent column in the New York Post does a stellar job of putting the miracle of fracking—and New York’s angst over it—in context by using a little known story of actual events that happened in Sweden during the 1700s—events that had to do with one of MDN’s favorite addictions: coffee. It’s the kind of column we wish we had written…

Read More “What Do Fracking, Coffee & Secret Reports have in Common?”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Statewide NY

NY Anti-Frackers Take Pledge, Vow Civil Disobedience
January 14, 2013January 14, 2013

It’s certainly not the first time this has happened… But we thought you’d want to know that if you’re a New York landowner, if/when the NY Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) moves forward with a plan to allow fracking in the state, some of your fellow New Yorkers (mostly from New York City), will try to deny you your right to allow drilling on and under your land—by use of what they call “nonviolent civil disobedience.”

At last Wednesday’s anti-fracking rally in Albany, NY during Gov. Cuomo’s State of the State address, the 800-1,000 anti-frackers in attendance “with fists in the air” took the following Pledge to Resist Fracking in New York:

Read More “NY Anti-Frackers Take Pledge, Vow Civil Disobedience”
Centre County | Industrywide Issues | NG Vehicles | Pennsylvania

More CNG Vehicles on the Way in Centre County, PA
January 14, 2013January 14, 2013

More evidence that compressed natural gas vehicles (CNG) are taking off comes from Centre County, PA where local elected officials are applying for a grant to help purchase CNG vehicles for the county and local towns.

Aside from the cost to convert vehicles to CNG (which state and federal grants help with), the only thing that really holds back local municipalities from adopting CNG technology are fueling stations:

Read More “More CNG Vehicles on the Way in Centre County, PA”
Industrywide Issues | Jefferson County (OH) | Ohio | Roads | Trucking

OH Congressman “Tickled” by Road Improvements from Shale Drillers
January 14, 2013January 14, 2013

Ohio Congressman Bill Johnson (Republican, 6th District) visited Jefferson County, OH last Thursday to get an update on the impacts on area roadways from truck traffic related to Utica Shale drilling. Thousands of truck trips over rural roads take their toll.

So what did Congressman Johnson find? The roads are now in better shape than they were before drilling began:

Read More “OH Congressman “Tickled” by Road Improvements from Shale Drillers”
Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio | Statewide OH | Utica Shale

Why More Ohioans Don’t Work in Utica Shale Industry? Drugs
January 11, 2013January 11, 2013

Er, um, we’re not exactly sure how to broach this delicate topic without offending a great many residents of Ohio, including Ohio Gov. John Kasich who keeps saying he doesn’t want “foreign” workers in Ohio’s oil and gas fields (meaning he wants Ohioans only, not workers from Texas and Oklahoma), but, well, Gov. Kasich? Maybe you don’t have more Ohioans working in those gas fields because 50-60% of the Ohioans applying for those jobs are druggies. Yeah, you read that right. Half or more are strung out on drugs—both illegal and/or prescription.

In a recent interview, the head of the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program, Rhonda Reda, said that 50-60% of those applying for jobs in eastern Ohio’s shale industry are rejected because of the presence of illegal drugs or the “wrong” kind of prescription drugs (like Vicodin) found in the pee test. Note: we did not say half of all Ohioans use drugs! It’s half of all Ohioans applying for these jobs.

Read More “Why More Ohioans Don’t Work in Utica Shale Industry? Drugs”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Crude Oil | Industrywide Issues

Al Gore’s Price to Sell Out the Environment? $500 Million
January 11, 2013January 11, 2013

Perhaps no one on the planet is more identified with the cause of “going green” and dumping fossil fuels than former Vice President (under Bill Clinton), and later presidential candidate, Al Gore. He even wrote a book in 1992 called “Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit” in which he said, among other outrageous and silly things, that one of the greatest threats to humanity is the invention of the internal combustion engine. He also tried to gin up support for selling “carbon credits,” a scam to tax the global energy industry. We already know the man is crackers. Now we know he’s a hypocrite too…

Read More “Al Gore’s Price to Sell Out the Environment? $500 Million”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

Who Did & Didn’t Attend NYS Assembly Hearing on Fracking
January 11, 2013January 11, 2013

Today, Friday, Jan. 11, 2013, is the final day of a new 30-day comment period from the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) required under law so the DEC would not have to restart the entire process of approving new drilling regulations, including regulations for hydraulic fracturing (fracking). Anti-drilling groups are trying to derail the inevitable approval of the new rules by a) dumping 200,000 new comments on the DEC, which we’re sure the DEC really appreciates, and b) by holding a joint hearing in the NYS Assembly yesterday.

The Assembly joint hearing, spearheaded by three anti-drilling Assembly Democrats (see NY Assemblyman Try to Stop the Clock on Fracking Comment Period), was supposed to hear from more than 50 people who signed up in advance to address the hearing. Almost all of the speakers signed up were anti-drilling, no surprise given who was hosting the hearing. But not all got to speak because one brave pro-drilling soul went on the hot seat for nearly two hours…

Read More “Who Did & Didn’t Attend NYS Assembly Hearing on Fracking”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

NY Energy Lawyer Tom West Says Latest DEC Revisions Go Too Far
January 11, 2013January 11, 2013

One item of note in the news generated around today’s deadline to provide comments to the New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) about their latest revisions to proposed fracking regulations…

MDN picked up on the published comments from energy industry lawyer Tom West who said he was filing comments on behalf of landowners and drillers. His comments about this latest round of changes by the DEC of their proposed fracking rules were decidedly pessimistic:

Read More “NY Energy Lawyer Tom West Says Latest DEC Revisions Go Too Far”
Accidents | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

EPA Keeps Investigating Fracking/Water Contamination in WY
January 11, 2013January 11, 2013

In a desperate attempt to save face and prove there’s at least one lone, solitary instance where fracking can be “proven” to have contaminated a groundwater aquifer (out of the hundreds of thousands of times it’s been done), the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has, for the third time, moved the goal posts in Pavillion, Wyoming. Yesterday the EPA announced they were extending a public comment period a third time, extending it to Sept. 30, 2013.

For a quick backgrounder on the non-controversy in Pavillion, see 3 Things to Know about Pavillion, Fracking & Water Contamination and API Says EPA Botched Pavillion, WY Fracking Tests. Here’s the latest:

Read More “EPA Keeps Investigating Fracking/Water Contamination in WY”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA | Taxation

Did PA DEP Undercount Act 13 Wells & Forfeit $303M in Revenue?
January 10, 2013January 24, 2013

Note: MDN’s headline originally stated “$100M” in revenue was forfeited. The study’s lead author, Joel Gehman, contacted MDN to correct that number. We misunderstood. They believe the DEP has forfeited two to three times that amount: $205-$303 million.

In an attempt to shame the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) into action to improve their data reporting for unconventional shale wells, researchers at the University of Alberta and McGill University (both in Canada) have published a paper in the journal Environmental Practice claiming the DEP undercounted the number of natural gas wells used for assessing the new Act 13 impact fee, thereby denying the state an extra ~~$100~~ $205-$303 million they could have received in tax revenue (see article below).

The article/study is titled “An Analysis of Unconventional Gas Well Reporting Under Pennsylvania’s Act 13 of 2012” and is peer reviewed, which supposedly blesses it as being accurate. However, the PA DEP strongly objected to the methodology used by the researchers and has said, point blank, they misunderstand the Act 13 requirements for what constitutes an unconventional well under the Act 13 law. DEP says there is no missing tax revenue due to an undercount. The researchers glibly reply the purpose of the article is to needle the DEP into “fixing” their data problem.

Read More “Did PA DEP Undercount Act 13 Wells & Forfeit $303M in Revenue?”