Using Tracers in Fracking Fluid – Ready for Prime Time?
What’s this: An anti-drilling idea MDN can endorse? Say it ain’t so! But it is…
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Columbia Pipeline Group | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Regulation | Statewide PA
Columbia Gas Seeks Approval for 2 PA Marcellus Pipeline Projects
Columbia Gas Transmission submitted applications to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission last Friday to get approval for two pipeline upgrade projects to take advantage of the huge production coming from the Marcellus. In the case of one of the projects (Smithfield III Expansion), Columbia wants to reverse the flow of the pipeline and start sending gas from north to south. That includes replacing certain fittings and building a new compressor station in Washington County, PA. The other proposed new project (Line 1570) includes replacing 18.5 miles of pipeline in southwest PA and upgrading an existing compressor station.
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Cincinnati City Council Wants to Ban OH Wastewater Injection Wells
Agitated for by the odious anti-drilling group Food & Water Watch and supported by elected Democrats, the Cincinnati City Council yesterday passed a resolution calling for a statewide ban on disposing shale wastewater and brine via injection wells. City Council disingenuously says the substances being disposed of (injected in the wells) is hazardous to human health, which is true enough in high concentrations, but they fail to also call for the banning of all such injection wells throughout the state.
Other injection wells in Ohio dispose of far more toxic substances than fracking wastewater. Injection wells are made to hold such substances–yet, no resolution to ban these far more “dangerous” injection wells. How come Cincy? Sauce for the goose…
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New EPA Rule Regulates Fracking via Back Door of Chemical Reporting
It appears that once again the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making a play at regulating oil and gas drilling, an activity specifically left to Read More “New EPA Rule Regulates Fracking via Back Door of Chemical Reporting”
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Onondaga County | Regulation
Landowner Rights in DeWitt, NY Die with Frack Ban Vote
With the raising of three hands, DeWitt, NY (near Syracuse) stripped away the Constitutional rights of their landowning citizens on Monday night. Freedom in yet Read More “Landowner Rights in DeWitt, NY Die with Frack Ban Vote”
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Senate Democrats (Pout and) Try Second Vote on McCarthy for EPA
U.S. Senate Democrats are making another run tomorrow (Thursday) on a vote to approve the nomination of Gina McCarthy to run the Environmental Protection Agency. Read More “Senate Democrats (Pout and) Try Second Vote on McCarthy for EPA”
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY
NY Anti-Driller Admits Strategy is to Delay, then Ban
A member of the Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy, a staunchly anti-drilling organization, makes what may be to some a startling admission in a recent editorial: Read More “NY Anti-Driller Admits Strategy is to Delay, then Ban”
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A Flaw in CSSD’s Strategy to Force Drillers to Adopt 15 Standards
What impact has the self-appointed, self-regulated Center for Sustainable Shale Development (CSSD) had so far? You may recall MDN covered the launch of Read More “A Flaw in CSSD’s Strategy to Force Drillers to Adopt 15 Standards”
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New House Bill Puts EPA in Charge of Fracking Under SDWA
Under the category of “here comes more B.S. from Capitol Hill,” a Democrat and a RINO Republican (it’s only a ‘bipartisan’ effort if Republicans cave Read More “New House Bill Puts EPA in Charge of Fracking Under SDWA”
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Broome County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY
Bloomberg Hit Piece on Pro-Fracking NY State Senator
Bloomberg news service has published a yellow journalism hit piece about NY State Senator Tom Libous (Republican from Binghamton) Read More “Bloomberg Hit Piece on Pro-Fracking NY State Senator” -
BLM Rules for Fracking on Federal Land Criticized in DC
We’ve heard for months now that the Dept. of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is really really close to releasing their new “rules for fracking on federal lands” (see New Interior Secretary Jewell Says BLM Fracking Rules Coming Soon). These are the same rules that Barack Obama would like to see used as a model for the states to use on non-public lands too (see Feds ‘Hope’ States will Use BLM Rules for ALL Fracking).
Must be this time the new rule release really is close, because Congress is held a hearing yesterday and the new rules, still unreleased, are receiving fire from both Republicans and Democrats…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Mahoning County | Ohio | Regulation
Youngstown, OH Votes Down Fracking Ban Amendment
Yesterday was D-Day, Decision-Day in the City of Youngstown, Ohio. Would the citizens of the city vote to commit economic suicide by adopting an amendment to the city’s charter that would not only ban fracking in the city, but also ban just about any activity related to shale drilling? A group of anti-fracking zealots, aided and abetted by Democrat city council members, were pushing for just that (see Youngstown, OH to Commit Utica Suicide with Vote to Ban Drilling).Good news: Wiser heads have prevailed in Youngstown. Rational-thinking people voted down the ban by a vote of 57% to 43%. Closer than we’d like to see, but a convincing win nonetheless:
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PA Senator Proposes Panel to Study Health Impacts from Drilling
The main architect of Pennsylvania’s Act 13 legislation that was passed last year was Republican state Senator Joe Scarnati. Act 13 was PA’s most sweeping revision of oil and natural gas drilling in decades, providing for (among other things) the collection of an “impact fee” (or tax) that resulted in $204 million in revenue in 2012.
Scarnati is back with a proposal for more legislation that will impact the Marcellus Shale–this time, he wants to create an advisory panel to investigate public health issues related to Marcellus drilling…
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Economic Impact | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | New York | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide NY | Statewide PA
Manhattan Institute Study: Lifting NY Frack Ban Would Mean Billions
The New York-based Manhattan Institute, a non-profit think tank with a mission “to develop and disseminate new ideas that foster greater economic choice and individual responsibility,” released a new report yesterday titled, “The Economic Effects of Hydrofracturing on Local Economies: A Comparison of New York and Pennsylvania” (full copy embedded below). The report finds that if New York lifted its moratorium on fracking, it would mean billions of dollars in income for upstate New Yorkers and for the state as a whole.MI researchers closely examined counties in Pennsylvania and found a) those counties with shale wells did better economically, b) the more wells, the better they did, c) counties with shale wells experienced double-digit rises in per capita income, and d) perhaps most surprisingly, PA counties with no shale wells or fracking saw per capita incomes rise an average 8%! Across the board, fracking has benefited PA enormously and this report proves it. The authors also say NY is screwing itself (our words) if it continues to ban fracking…
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State & Local Frack Bans: Is the Damage Already Done in NY?
Is the damage already done in New York? Will drillers bother to show up if local municipalities can decide on a whim to ban fracking? At least one prominent industry leader has publicly gone on the record with her concerns that the promise of drilling in NY is slipping away with the ongoing statewide moratorium and the recent court case that went against landowners and drillers (see Breaking: NY Court Upholds Local Town Frack Bans).
Karen Moreau, executive director of the New York State Petroleum Council, a division of the American Petroleum Institute (API), spoke to NGI’s Shale Daily on Monday and made these comments:
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JLCNY Lawyer Holds Press Conference on Court’s Ban Decision
On Friday, MDN reported to you the disappointing decision from the NY Supreme Court Appellate Division that upholds the right of local towns in New York to ban gas drilling and fracking within their boundaries (see Breaking: NY Court Upholds Local Town Frack Bans). Scott Kurkoski, the attorney for the Joint Landowners Coalition of New York and the attorney of record who argued one of the two cases before the court (the Middlefield case), held a press conference on Friday to discuss the decision and to answer the question, “Where do we go from here?” MDN editor Jim Willis went along to the presser. As important as this decision was, you would think a press conference held by one of the lead attorneys in the case would attract a lot of attention. There was exactly one other reporter there–from YNN (Time Warner Cable’s Your News Now). That’s it. Two of us showed up.
Still, talking with Scott is a pleasure and we always come away with new information. Friday was no different. Here’s the insight he gave the two of us about the recent decision and what the future holds:
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