Pipelines

Accidents | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Laser Northeast Gathering | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Susquehanna County

Three Mud Spills in PA Creek from Laser Pipeline Construction
August 10, 2011August 10, 2011

Laser Northeast Gathering recently broke ground is quickly working to complete a new 30-mile shale gas pipeline, called the Susquehanna Gathering System, that spans much of Susquehanna County in northeastern Pennsylvania and crosses the southeast corner of Broome County in New York State where the pipeline will connect to the larger Millennium interstate pipeline (see this MDN story).

But Laser is having troubles with drilling underneath Laurel Lake Creek, a waterway considered to have “exceptional value” by the PA Department of Environmental Protection. In the span of just a few weeks, drilling under the creek resulted in three separate incidents of non-toxic drilling mud being spilled into the creek, the latest incident occurring on Monday.

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Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Regulation | Statewide PA

New Pipeline Permit Rules Delay Landowner Royalties in PA
August 9, 2011August 9, 2011

A new set of rules governing pipeline construction permits issued by the U.S. Army Corps or Engineers is causing extreme delays in getting gas from wells to market according to Chesapeake Energy. The new rules have turned what was an average 45-day process to file paperwork into a 300-day process.

The bottom line is that wells that are drilled and completed sit idle because gathering pipelines aren’t being built to them, and consequently landowners are not receiving royalty checks.

Read More “New Pipeline Permit Rules Delay Landowner Royalties in PA”
Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines

How Much Should Landowners be Paid for Marcellus Pipelines on Their Property?
July 28, 2011July 28, 2011

With an increase in the number of Marcellus gas wells drilled, comes an increase in the need for pipelines to get that gas to market. Local pipelines that gather the gas and take it to a compressor station where it’s then sent to a larger pipeline, and pipelines that bring water to drilling sites, can be from as small as 4 inches in diameter to as large as 36 inches in diameter. In Marcellus Shale states like West Virginia and Ohio, the mineral rights to drill for gas beneath the ground are often owned by someone different than the landowner who owns the surface rights. A pipeline contract is known as a right-of-way easement with the surface owner.

Since surface owners will not see any royalties from the gas, they understandably want to get as high a price as they can for allowing pipelines to traverse their property, pipelines that once installed, will be there for many years—often longer than the producing gas well. But what’s a fair price?

Read More “How Much Should Landowners be Paid for Marcellus Pipelines on Their Property?”
Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Laser Northeast Gathering | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide PA

PA Utility Commission Reconsiders Decision to Grant Public Utility Status to Pipeline Company
July 18, 2011July 18, 2011

The Pennsylvania Utility Commission (PUC) is reconsidering its decision to grant pipeline company Laser Northeast Gathering status as a public utility with the power of eminent domain (see MDN’s previous coverage of that decision here).

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Bradford County | Industrywide Issues | Inergy | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Sullivan County

EPA Opposes MARC 1 Shale Gas Pipeline in Northeastern PA
July 15, 2011July 15, 2011

The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is throwing its considerable weight against building a new shale gas pipeline that would cross three counties in northeastern Pennsylvania.

Read More “EPA Opposes MARC 1 Shale Gas Pipeline in Northeastern PA”
Broome County | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Laser Northeast Gathering | New York | Pipelines

New Shale Gas Pipeline Breaks Ground in Broome County, NY
July 14, 2011July 14, 2011

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:

Read More “New Shale Gas Pipeline Breaks Ground in Broome County, NY”
Commodity Price | Energy Services | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | Kinder Morgan | Pipelines

Marcellus Shale Gas May Soon be Exported – To California
July 7, 2011July 7, 2011

In an astonishing reversal, the operator of a natural gas pipeline that spans the United States is proposing to change the direction the gas flows through the pipeline in order to sell shale gas from the Eastern U.S., particularly the Marcellus, to the Midwest and Western U.S.

Read More “Marcellus Shale Gas May Soon be Exported – To California”
Broome County | Industrywide Issues | New York | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Susquehanna County

Michigan Energy Company to Build $250 Million Pipeline Spanning Northeast PA & Southern Tier of NY
July 6, 2011July 6, 2011

Michigan-based DTE Energy yesterday announced they will spend $250 million to build a new 37 mile long shale gas pipeline in Northeast PA and the Southern Tier of NY. Construction is expected to be complete by the middle of 2012.

Read More “Michigan Energy Company to Build $250 Million Pipeline Spanning Northeast PA & Southern Tier of NY”
Industrywide Issues | Pipelines

Shale Gas Pipeline Costs Have Tripled in Past Seven Years, Marcellus Pipelines Cost the Most
July 1, 2011July 1, 2011

Shale gas pipelines have skyrocketed in price in recent years, according to a new report by Ziff Energy.

Read More “Shale Gas Pipeline Costs Have Tripled in Past Seven Years, Marcellus Pipelines Cost the Most”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Regulation

SRBC Approves 31 Water Resources Projects at June Meeting – Most Related to Marcellus Drilling
June 28, 2011June 28, 2011

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) had a busy quarterly meeting on June 23, held in North East, Maryland. Among the things they did, SRBC commissioners approved 31 water resources projects, the vast majority of which are related to drilling in the Marcellus Shale. The list of new projects approved, previous projects modified and into-basin diversions is detailed below.

Read More “SRBC Approves 31 Water Resources Projects at June Meeting – Most Related to Marcellus Drilling”
Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide PA

PA Residents: Gas Drilling? Yes. Gas Exporting? No.
June 13, 2011June 13, 2011

Many Pennsylvania residents are in favor of shale gas drilling, but exporting the gas makes them mad.

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Energy Companies | Erie County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Lake Erie Energy Partners | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Regulation

Lake Erie Energy Partners Walks Away from North East Township – Refuses to Drill Any More Wells
June 2, 2011June 2, 2011

Gas drilling opponents in North East Township (Erie County), PA have won a small victory in forcing one driller to leave the area. Lake Erie Energy Partners completed just one of 11 planned wells in the Township, but they will walk away and not complete the other 10 because of a proposed ban on hydraulic fracturing and because Township officials have reneged on a promise to the company.

Read More “Lake Erie Energy Partners Walks Away from North East Township – Refuses to Drill Any More Wells”
Energy Companies | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | MarkWest Energy | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Range Resources Corp | Regulation | Washington County

MarkWest, Range Resources File Legal Appeal Over Denial of Permit for Gas Compressor Station in Cecil, PA
May 24, 2011May 24, 2011

MarkWest wants to build a Marcellus Shale gas compressor station in Cecil Township (Washington County), PA. They filed an application for a “special exception” to allow them to build the plant but were denied by the zoning board. On April 21, MarkWest filed an appeal in Washington County civil court to have the decision overturned. MarkWest said at the time it hopes to settle the matter “amiably” but was filing to “preserve its rights.” Part of the appeal states:

Read More “MarkWest, Range Resources File Legal Appeal Over Denial of Permit for Gas Compressor Station in Cecil, PA”
Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Laser Northeast Gathering | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide PA

PA Public Utility Commission Grants Utility Status to Pipeline Company Giving it Eminent Domain Powers
May 20, 2011May 20, 2011

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) has voted to grant Laser Northeast Gathering, a natural gas pipeline company, status as a public utility. The decision will grant Laser the power to condemn private property by eminent domain. That is, Laser will have the power to run pipelines under people’s property even if they don’t want it.

Read More “PA Public Utility Commission Grants Utility Status to Pipeline Company Giving it Eminent Domain Powers”
Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Pipelines | Statewide OH

Ohio Manufacturer Investing More Than a Half Billion Dollars on New Plant to Produce Marcellus Shale Pipelines
May 6, 2011May 6, 2011

One of the issues facing energy companies who want to drill in the Marcellus Shale is how to get gas from the well to a processing facility, and from there to an interstate gas pipeline so it can make its way to market. Getting the gas from here to there requires pipelines. Without pipeline infrastructure, nothing happens.

One of the companies manufacturing pipelines for the Marcellus is V&M Star, based in Youngstown, Ohio. V&M Star, a subsidiary of France-based Vallourec & Mannesmann Tubes, is in the midst of a major expansion, building a new plant which will allow it to manufacture more pipelines for the Marcellus Shale.

Read More “Ohio Manufacturer Investing More Than a Half Billion Dollars on New Plant to Produce Marcellus Shale Pipelines”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide PA

Proposed Law Will Grant PA Public Utility Commission Power to Inspect Natural Gas Pipelines
April 5, 2011April 5, 2011

Regulation and oversight of pipelines, including natural gas pipelines, comes under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Transportation/Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. However, states are empowered to regulate and oversee public utilities, including pipelines that are deemed a public utility. But most natural gas gathering pipelines are not public utilities. Such is the case in Pennsylvania where pipelines are currently inspected by the U.S. DOT. That may be about to change.

A bill has just passed the PA House which establishes Pennsylvanian oversight of all natural gas pipelines in the state:

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