Industrywide Issues 1354 - Marcellus Drilling News

West Virginia Gov. Tomblin Says He Will Regulate Marcellus Shale Drilling on His Own

March 15, 2011March 15, 2011

As MDN noted yesterday, the West Virginia legislature ended its regular session without passing any new regulations governing drilling in the Marcellus Shale, even though most agree there are important issues that need to be addressed in the state as the young but rapidly developing Marcellus drilling industry continues to expand. Now there is word that acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin (appointed to fill the position of now-Senator Joe Manchin), will go ahead and regulate the industry on his own, without the legislature’s help.

Industrywide Issues | Regulation | Statewide WV | West Virginia

West Virginia Passes Tax Breaks for Marcellus Drilling, But No New Regulations

March 14, 2011March 14, 2011

It looks like there will be no new regulations for Marcellus Shale drilling in West Virginia—at least not this year. The WV legislature just ended its regular session without passing a slate of proposed new regulations, with plenty of finger pointing between the Senate and the House:

Allegheny County | Greene County (PA) | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Wastewater

Anti-Drilling Groups Planning Federal Lawsuit to Try and Stop Drilling in Western PA

March 11, 2011March 11, 2011

Those who oppose drilling in Pennsylvania are changing tactics and are now turning to the court system to try and stop drilling:

Education | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Venango County

Colleges in Pennsylvania and West Virginia Launch New Programs to Train Workers for Marcellus Shale Jobs

March 11, 2011March 11, 2011

Another Pennsylvania University is now offering training for those who want a job working in the Marcellus Shale, this time in Western PA.

Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Taxation

Anti-Drilling Protestors Get Nasty at Shale Coalition Building in Harrisburg, PA

March 10, 2011March 10, 2011

bullhorn Those in Pennsylvania who oppose drilling in the Marcellus Shale have gotten a bit desperate. They’re unhappy with new Gov. Tom Corbett, especially since the budget he introduced earlier this week contains budget cuts to education and calls for a layoff of state workers in order to plug a massive multi-billion dollar shortfall, without also including a severance tax on Marcellus Shale drilling in the state. Pennsylvania, like New York, California, Wisconsin, Ohio and a number of other states is essentially bankrupt from years of overspending and one-time gimmicks and budget patches. The chickens have finally come home to roost and now state governments have to make some hard decisions. It is in that context that anti-drilling protestors got nasty and thug-like yesterday:

Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Washington County

New $6.6M Pipe Fabrication Plant in Southwestern PA Being Built for Marcellus Shale Projects

March 10, 2011March 10, 2011

Another example of how drilling in the Marcellus Shale brings more money into communities, in the form of taxes and jobs, this time in Washington County, PA.

Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA Gov. Corbett Creates Commission to Study and Recommend New Marcellus Shale Drilling Rules

March 9, 2011March 9, 2011

In yesterday’s budget address, new Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett announced the formation of a 30-member Marcellus Shale Commission. The members of the commission (listed below) come from a cross-section of government officials, representatives from the drilling industry, and representatives from environmental organizations. The new commission, which will be headed up by Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley, is a balanced cross section representing all interests in the drilling debate. The commission is charged with taking a close look at the issue of Marcellus Shale drilling and producing a report with recommendations for development and regulation of the industry in PA. The report is due on the Governor’s desk on or before July 22.

Industrywide Issues | Noise | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Westmoreland County

Western PA Township Makes a Run at Banning Marcellus Shale Drilling Using Noise Ordinance

March 9, 2011March 9, 2011

Administrators of North Huntingdon Township, PA (Westmoreland County), are attempting to control drilling in the Marcellus Shale within their borders. They acknowledge that Pennsylvania state courts have already ruled local municipalities cannot outright ban drilling, so the North Huntingdon planning commission is attempting to place restrictions that would greatly curtail drilling in the Township. The current draft regulations—yet to be voted on—focus on noise:

Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Wastewater

New York Times Proven Wrong – Marcellus Shale Wastewater Has Not Increased Radioactivity Levels in PA Waterways

March 8, 2011March 9, 2011

It seems that The New York Times’ contention that Pennsylvania is poisoning waterways with radioactivity from Marcellus Shale wastewater was fiction and not science, as is now proven by test results from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The DEP conducted tests over the past four months at key locations where wastewater is treated and released into area waterways. Here’s what they found with respect to radioactivity:
Read More “New York Times Proven Wrong – Marcellus Shale Wastewater Has Not Increased Radioactivity Levels in PA Waterways”

Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Wastewater

U.S. EPA Tries to Tell PA DEP How to Do It’s Job – PA Pushes Back

March 8, 2011March 8, 2011

Even though extensive testing done by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has proven Marcellus Shale wastewater does not increase levels of radioactivity in its waterways (see here), that doesn’t stop the over-reaching federal Environmental Protection Agency from interfering in PA’s business:

Sizable Crowd Gathers in Binghamton to Hear Hear Expert Panel Discuss Marcellus Drilling’s Potential Impact on New York

March 7, 2011March 8, 2011

MDN, along with about 200 other people, attended a meeting titled “Marcellus Shale in Our Community: What’s in it for All of Us” on Friday evening March 4th at the West Middle School auditorium in Binghamton, NY. The audience was, for the most part, composed of landowners and those generally in favor of drilling in the Marcellus Shale in New York. The meeting was sponsored by the Joint Landowners Coalition of New York (JLCNY).

Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues

The Impact of Shale Gas Tax Revenue for Local Municipalities

March 7, 2011March 7, 2011

Late last year, the City Council of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania rejected drilling for natural gas inside the city limits. But another city of similar size, Arlington, Texas, allows it within city limits. In an article talking about the pros and cons of “urban drilling” we get this information about the Arlington experiment:

Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Wastewater

Was the Pennsylvania DEP Bribed to Avoid Better Tracking of Marcellus Drilling Wastewater?

March 4, 2011March 4, 2011

bribery The latest fallout from The New York Times story is about how wastewater from Marcellus Shale drilling operations in Pennsylvania is tracked as it is disposed. Supposedly the Times has found that there is a conspiracy:

Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Wastewater

Former PA Gov. Tom Ridge Says NYT Spreading Disinformation

March 4, 2011March 4, 2011

Former PA Governor Tom Ridge has a new role as spokesman for the Marcellus Shale Coalition. In that role, he met yesterday with local political officials and reporters in Canonsburg, PA, near Pittsburgh. He had some common sense words for those in the audience:

“You cannot eliminate the risk from anything you do,” said Ridge, who was casually dressed in jeans, a blue turtleneck and a blue button-down shirt. “Airplanes crash because pilots make bad judgments, but we don’t stop flying.”(1)

Cause of Fire at MarkWest Compressor Station in Western PA was Faulty Water Heater

March 4, 2011March 4, 2011

There was a fire earlier this week at a MarkWest Liberty Midstream natural gas compressor station in Mount Pleasant (Washington County), PA. No one was injured and the fire was quickly extinguished. It is now known that a faulty water heater caused the fire.

Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Wastewater

New PA DEP Secretary Krancer Sets the Record Straight, Corrects NYT Errors

March 3, 2011March 3, 2011

It looks like new PA Gov. Tom Corbett’s pick to head the Department of Environmental Protection will soon be confirmed by the State Senate. Michael L. Krancer, 53, of Bryn Mawr in Montgomery County, answered Senators’ questions at his confirmation hearing yesterday. In particular he responded to questions about the recent stories in The New York Times alleging PA has been lax in testing drinking water supplies that The Times claims are now contaminated with high levels of radioactivity from drilling wastewater.

Krancer took the opportunity to set the record straight on a few facts The Times got wrong: