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New Compressed Natural Gas Filling Station Opens in Pittsburgh – How Does $1.85 per Gallon (Gas Equivalent) Sound?

Giant Eagle, a grocery and convenience store chain with 222 stores in western PA, Ohio and West Virginia, has just opened the first of three compressed natural gas (CNG) filling stations in the Pittsburgh area. The company is planning to replace its entire truck fleet (over 200 trucks) with CNG trucks in the coming years. The best part: How does paying $1.85 a gasoline-equivalent gallon grab you? Yes, CNG vehicles cost more (and right now only Honda in the U.S. makes one), but as the infrastructure is built, more auto manufacturers are likely to start making CNG vehicles.

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New Siena College Poll Shows New Yorkers Evenly Divided on the DEC’s New Hydraulic Fracturing Rules

A new poll just released by Siena College’s Siena Research Institute finds New York residents are pretty evenly split (for and against) the Department of Environmental Conservation’s draft regulations that will allow hydraulic fracturing and drilling in the Marcellus Shale.

Read More “New Siena College Poll Shows New Yorkers Evenly Divided on the DEC’s New Hydraulic Fracturing Rules”

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NY Gov. Cuomo’s So-Called Friends Target His Girlfriend Sandra Lee in Fracking Fight

Some of Andy Cuomo’s “friends” have decided they want to politically rough him up a bit because of his support for lifting the ban on hydraulic fracturing. The ever-loving, open-minded and ultra-tolerant left (sarcasm intended) is bringing out the long knives and going after Gov. Cuomo’s live-in girlfriend and Food Network starlet Sandra Lee, in an attempt to pressure Cuomo to re-think lifting the fracking moratorium.

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NY DEC Commissioner Says No Double Standard in Putting Some Watersheds Off Limits to Gas Drilling and Not Others

The new draft regulations that will finally allow Marcellus Shale drilling in New York State were published less than one week ago, but already Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens is coming under fire for one of the key compromises in the rules. Politicians in New York City were steadfastly opposed to drilling anywhere in the Upstate watershed areas, which is where New York City gets its drinking water from. Mayor Bloomberg and others claimed the risk was simply too high—that if the city’s drinking water supply were ever compromised, a filtration system would need to be installed costing billions. And so to assuage those fears, the DEC has said no drilling in both the NYC and Syracuse watershed areas.

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Two New Gas Powered Electrical Plants on the Way in PA – $1.6 Billion Investment

Marcellus Shale gas in Pennsylvania is having an effect on electricity generation. Instead of building coal-fired plants to generate electricity, natural gas powered plants are now in the works. Specifically, two new plants will be built in the next few years—one in Lycoming County and another in Bradford County. Not only does it mean a $1.6 billion investment, it also means hundreds of construction jobs, a cleaner way of producing electricity, and ultimately lower electricity costs for 1.4 million PA residents.

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New Shale Gas Pipeline Breaks Ground in Broome County, NY

The new Susquehanna Gathering System natural gas pipeline broke ground on Wednesday in Broome County, NY. The first phase of the pipeline is expected to be done in the next few months and will bring shale gas from northeastern PA to the Millennium Pipeline that cuts across New York State. From the official Laser Northeast press release:

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Cornell Student Publishes “Study” Warning Marcellus Drilling in NY Will Impact Tourism in Finger Lakes

Yet another study from Cornell University about the effects of shale gas drilling. The Appalacian Regional Commission awarded a $7,000 grant to Cornell doctoral student Andrew Rumbach to write a term paper author a study on the potential impact of drilling on the tourism industry in the Southern Tier of New York—specifically in the Finger Lakes region of the state. The “study” predictably warns about heavy truck traffic, scenic destruction and the “industrialization” of our little piece of paradise. One of the the biggest threats? Our tourism “brand” will be tarnished.

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WV Gov. Tomblin Signs Executive Order 4-11 Creating “Temporary” New Marcellus Shale Drilling Rules

Yesterday, West Virginia Acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin signed Executive Order 4-11 directing the state Department of Environmental Protection to immediately draft and implement temporary new regulations controlling Marcellus Shale drilling in the state. Temporary in this case means the rules will be in place for up to 15 months—until the WV legislature can craft a set of permanent laws. Below is the press release issued by Gov. Tomblin’s office, along with a full copy of EO 4-11.

Read More “WV Gov. Tomblin Signs Executive Order 4-11 Creating “Temporary” New Marcellus Shale Drilling Rules”

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Update on Monongahela National Forest Study – an MDN Correction

More details have come to light since MDN first reported on the new study published in the Journal of Environmental Quality about land application of fracking fluids in the Monongahela National Forest (see here). The press release about the published study was issued by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). The release did not mention that the land application was authorized by the WV DEP as part of an ongoing drilling operation and not simply an intentional experiment. MDN does not knowingly distort the facts and is happy to “set the record straight” for any errors we publish. In that spirit, we offer this additional information about the 2008 land application incident and resulting published study:

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WV Gov. Tomblin to Unveil New “Emergency” Fracking Rules Today

West Virginia Acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin will release new “emergency rules” today at 2 pm that direct the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to tighten controls on Marcellus drilling, in particular hydraulic fracturing.

Read More “WV Gov. Tomblin to Unveil New “Emergency” Fracking Rules Today”

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NY DEC Posts Entire Draft of New Marcellus Shale Drilling Regulations – Download it Here

The New York Department  of Environmental Conservation (DEC) posted the full copy of the draft SGEIS (Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement), otherwise known as the new drilling regulations for Marcellus and other shale gas drilling, last Friday. MDN has not yet had a chance to fully digest the new rules. When we do, we’ll post more about them. In the meantime, you can read the entire 1075 pages for yourself by downloading the file below.

Read More “NY DEC Posts Entire Draft of New Marcellus Shale Drilling Regulations – Download it Here”

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Methane Migration in Gas Drilling More Common in Northeast PA

According to a recent article in the Elmira Star-Gazette, drilling for shale gas in northeastern PA is more challenging than other areas of the state because of the geology in the area—a geology that lends itself to methane migration. The methane that migrates does not necessarily come from the Marcellus Shale layer itself, but is often trapped above the Marcellus in limestone and other rock layers.

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MDN In-depth: New Peer Reviewed Study Supposedly Shows Dangers of Fracking Fluid to National Forests

A new “peer reviewed” article in the Journal of Environmental Quality is sure to set the anti-drillers afire with new “ammunition” that hydraulic fracturing may well mean the end of civilization. Invoking images of moonscapes, here is a press release from Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) announcing the publication of an article from one of their members:

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PA DEP Determines Gas Drilling Not the Cause of Barium in Crystal Stroud’s Water Well

Crystal Stroud of Granville Summit (Bradford County), PA has been the darling of the anti-fracking movement for the past few months. MDN reported on her appearance at an anti-fracking rally in Harrisburg in early June (see here). Crystal and her 4-year old son were found to have high levels of barium in their bodies, leading to a number of symptoms like heart palpitations, slurred speech, etc. Crystal blames Chief Oil & Gas and a nearby gas well they had drilled about 1,200 feet from her home. She said that her well water has been contaminated from Chief’s drilling operation. Was this finally the smoking gun that gas drilling pollutes ground water?

Read More “PA DEP Determines Gas Drilling Not the Cause of Barium in Crystal Stroud’s Water Well”

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Drilling Company Sues Morgantown, WV for $42 Million in Lost Investment & Lost Future Revenue

Another chapter in the ongoing saga of Morgantown, WV. For those who have not followed the story, Morgantown city council members took it upon themselves to ban hydraulic fracturing outside of the city limits—up to one mile—which they say is allowable under a West Virginia law that grants cities the right to exceed their boundaries in certain circumstances. The council members are concerned that two Marcellus gas wells that will be hydraulically fractured are too close to the city’s water supply and the risks are too great.

The drilling company, Northeast Energy, says the state DEP issued permits for those two wells and that Northeast has worked with the city every step of the way to ensure there will be no problems, and that the city at the last minute changed their tune. Northeast has sued to overturn Morgantown’s ban, and if that doesn’t work, they want compensation not only for their lost investment, but also for potential lost revenue.

Read More “Drilling Company Sues Morgantown, WV for $42 Million in Lost Investment & Lost Future Revenue”