Industrywide Issues

Erie County | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation

Western PA Township Votes to Require Conditional-Use Permits
October 12, 2011March 24, 2012

Greene Township (Erie County, PA) supervisors have just passed an amendment to the township zoning ordinance requiring all new gas drilling to obtain a conditional-use permit before drilling a new well. A conditional-use permit means drillers not only have to file for a permit from the state Department of Environmental Protection, they also have to file for a permit with the township as well, appearing before the board of supervisors and explaining, in detail, their plans—before a permit will be issued.

Under Pennsylvania law conditional-use permits by local municipalities are allowed, although in some areas where it’s been implemented drillers have left the area in protest, preferring to work in areas that are more drilling-friendly.

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Clearfield County | Greene County (PA) | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines

First Reserve Invests in Two PA Marcellus Gas Pipelines
October 12, 2011

More pipeline news. First Reserve, an investment company that invests primarily in the energy industry, has just pumped $100 million into a joint venture that will give it 50% ownership in two new pipeline gathering systems in Greene and Clearfield counties in Pennsylvania. Both pipelines service the Marcellus Shale drilling industry in those areas.

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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Susquehanna County | UGI Energy Services

Local Pipeline in NE PA Now Sending Marcellus Gas Interstate
October 12, 2011October 12, 2011

Marcellus shale gas is now flowing through the UGI Energy Services Auburn pipeline to the Tennessee Gas Pipeline in Susquehanna County, PA with volumes expected to reach 120,000 dekatherms per day “in the next several months.” What does it mean? It’s one more access point for Marcellus Shale gas to reach the larger interstate market.

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Centre County | Industrywide Issues | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania | Public Opinion | Statewide PA | Susquehanna County | Wyoming County (PA)

Energy Companies Big Help with Flood Relief in PA
October 7, 2011October 7, 2011

Central and northwest Pennsylvania saw record-breaking amounts of rainfall from Tropical Storm Lee, and massive flooding along with it. It brought devastation to a wide area of Pennsylvania. Although some accuse the Marcellus drilling industry of only being in it for the buck, a number of drillers stepped up to the plate to help with flood relief.

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Blair County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

PA Marcellus Drillers Extracting More Gas Faster
October 7, 2011October 7, 2011

The PA Department of Environmental Protection reports Marcellus Shale drilling companies are extracting more gas faster—60 percent more gas in the first six months of this year, compared to the last six months of 2010. More wells are coming online in PA, and drillers are becoming more efficient and using less chemicals, water and sand as they learn how best to use the ingenious technology of hydraulic fracturing.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Public Opinion | Statewide NY

List of Health Care Pros Who Oppose Gas Drilling in NY
October 6, 2011May 6, 2016

A list of 250+ physicians and other health care professionals, along with the usual group of opposition groups, sent a letter to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo yesterday requesting more study of shale gas drilling’s affects on health before approving new regulations and issuing permits to drill. A copy of their letter is embedded below.

A copy of the list of “health care professionals” which includes doctors, nurses, psychologists, veterinarians, dentists, professors, students and others is listed below in case those who support drilling might want to re-think whether or not they continue using the services of these people given their activist stance against drilling.

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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Magnum Hunter | MarkWest Energy | Pipelines | Processing Plants | Statewide WV | West Virginia

Magnum Hunter & MarkWest Do Deal to Process WV Shale Gas
October 6, 2011October 6, 2011

Pipeline company Magnum Hunter Resources has signed a deal with natural gas processor MarkWest Liberty to deliver and process “liquids-rich” Marcellus Shale gas from northwest West Virginia. As part of the deal, a Magnum Hunter subsidiary (Eureka Hunter) is selling an under-construction gas processing plant to MarkWest. What it all means is that Magnum Hunter and MarkWest are joining forces to handle a large capacity of shale gas that needs processing in northwest WV.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Statewide WV | West Virginia

New WVU Study Looks at Methane in Water Supplies
October 6, 2011October 6, 2011

A new research study is on the way in West Virginia that tackles the question of “Is there methane in the water supply? And if so, how did it get there?” One of the charges often leveled at shale gas drilling is that it causes a migration of methane (natural gas) into water supplies. Perhaps the most famous case in recent years is that of Dimock, Pennsylvania (see MDN stories about Dimock).

A researcher from West Virginia University is conducting a new study by sampling and analyzing water samples in the Monongahela River watershed to determine if there’s methane in local water supplies, with an eye to determining how it got there if it is there.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

Gov. Corbett’s List of New Rule Changes for Shale Drilling
October 4, 2011October 4, 2011

Yesterday, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett unveiled his plans to implement many of the 96 recommendations made by his Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission (see this MDN story for the original list of recommendations). The list is impressive, tightening many loopholes and hiking fees and fines. The governor’s press release outlining all of his proposed plans is embedded below.

All eyes were on a potential “impact fee” to help local municipalities cover costs of road repairs, increased costs for emergency services and other costs that come with an increase in population. Corbett announced he is in favor of an impact fee assessed by the county where the well is drilled. Each well will be subject to a fee of up to $40,000 in the first year, $30,000 in the second year, $20,000 in the third year and $10,000 in the fourth through tenth years, adding up to a potential total of $160,000 per well. The way that revenue is split is lengthy and complicated, but essentially 3/4 of the money stays at the local level.

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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Public Opinion

Prize-Winning Author Says Fossil Fuels Not Going Away Soon
October 4, 2011October 4, 2011

Comments from a recent interview with Daniel Yergin, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and member of President Obama’s energy subcommittee examining shale gas (see MDN’s previous article about Yergin).

Mr. Yergin was interviewed by the Philadelphia Inquirer and had these observations:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Washington County

Western PA Township Wins Right to Put Ban on Nov. Ballot
October 4, 2011October 4, 2011

Those opposed to drilling will get a measure to ban shale gas drilling put on the ballot in Peters Township (Washington County, PA) this fall. A judge has just ruled in favor of the Peters Township Marcellus Shale Awareness Group to have the measure put on the election ballot for Nov 8. See this MDN story about the group, their motivation (calling sustainable energy a “right”) and the wording of the ballot measure.

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Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

Who’s the Biggest Fracker in the World?
October 3, 2011October 3, 2011

If you’ve been around the shale gas drilling debate for long, you know that most of the opposition to drilling focuses on a little-understood, decades-old technology called hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking” for short. If you’re a science fiction fan, you may also recognize the word fracking from the Battlestar Galactica television series. The word is used as a curse word substitute for another “f” word to avoid being censored.

Fracking’s closeness in spelling, and sound, to the other “f” word has not gone unnoticed by those who oppose drilling. They’ve used the word fracking in all sorts of double entendres with signs like like “Don’t Frack Me” and hundreds of other variations. Just attend a protest meeting and you’ll see what we mean.

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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Statewide OH

Ohio Now in the Hunt for an Ethane Cracker
October 3, 2011October 3, 2011

You can add Ohio to both Pennsylvania and West Virginia on the official list of eastern states actively courting the investment of Shell and others who seek to build an multi-billion dollar ethane cracker plant.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA Gov. Corbett Set to Announce New Shale Drilling Rules
October 3, 2011October 3, 2011

Gov. Tom Corbett is a man in motion. He’s only been in office for nine months, but he’s already fixed a huge budget deficit, a nice gift left to him by the departing Ed Rendell, and he appointed a special commission that has already met and provided him with 96 recommendations for changes that should be made to the Marcellus drilling industry in the state. It seems today may be the day when Gov. Corbett announces which of those recommendations he plans to adopt.

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Butler County | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania | Washington County

Marcellus Drilling Keeps Pumping Out Jobs in PA
October 3, 2011October 3, 2011

Yet more proof that Marcellus gas drilling is a jobs-creating machine in Pennsylvania, this time in western PA’s Butler and Washington counties:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Monongalia County | Regulation | West Virginia

Morgantown Misses Appeal Deadline – Fracking Ban Now Over
September 29, 2011September 29, 2011

In the ongoing saga of the Morgantown, WV ban on hydraulic fracturing, a ban both within and up to one mile outside of city borders (see here for a list of MDN articles on the topic), the leaders of Morgantown missed the deadline to file an appeal to the West Virginia State Supreme Court. So there will be no appeals and the fracking ban is officially overturned and done.

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