Research

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    PA DEP Admits No Radiation in Ten Mile Creek, Closes Investigation

    rest of the storyHere’s a story most of the Democrat anti-drilling media won’t tell you–but we will. In 2014 Pennsylvania anti-drillers from a local chapter of the Izaak Walton League, a so-called conservation organization, attempted a smear job on the Marcellus Shale industry. They alleged that shale drillers were illegally dumping frack wastewater in an abandoned coal mine, the Clyde Mine, which sits near the Ten Mile Creek where the creek joins the Monongahela River. According to the smearmeisters, the illegally dumped wastewater was leaking out of the mine and into Ten Mile Creek (see Is Shale Wastewater Causing Radiation Spike in Ten Mile Creek?). They claimed testing they had done showed high levels of radioactivity that could not come from just acid mine drainage, that it is radioactivity typically seen in shale wastewater. Of course the allegations got a lot of media attention. The Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) investigated and echoed their concerns with initial tests also showing high radioactivity. Except the testing done by the DEP, and the testing done by the Izaak Walton League, WAS THE WRONG TYPE OF TEST. They blew it. Researchers from West Virginia University came in and tested using the appropriate type of test and found no elevated radioactivity (see PA DEP Screws Up Water Test at Ten Mile Creek – Egg on Face). The DEP has just concluded six months of their own tests–the right type of tests–and guess what? They’ve also found there IS NO elevated radioactivity in Ten Mile Creek nor anywhere else in the area…
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    NatGas Production in Lower 48 Slips in November by Less than 1%

    Earlier this week Platts’ Bentek service issued their prediction for natural gas production in the lower 48 states for November. Platts says that total gas production averaged 71.3 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in November, which is down less than 1% from production levels in October. The slightly lower production seemed to have surprised Bentek analysts who blame lack of pipeline takeaway capacity in the northeast for the down number. In fact, Bentek says that it is the northeast that is the star performer when it comes to production and whether production goes up or down, it will be because of the northeast. Here’s more of their expert analysis…
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    Will EPA Whore Itself to Antis and Change Fracking Water Study?

    The one great, huge, towering problem that anti-drillers have is that there is no scientific evidence that supports their wild claims that fracking contaminates water–which is their favorite lie to spread. When the Environmental Protection Agency arrived at the same conclusion–fracking doesn’t pollute water–after four years of studying it, that really took the wind out of the sails of rabid fossil fuel haters (see EPA Draft Report Says Fracking Doesn’t Pollute Groundwater Supplies). The EPA reviewed research from over 950 studies and even conducted nine of their own primary studies. Conclusion: fracking doesn’t pollute water supplies. What’s a good fossil fuel hater to do? Pressure the EPA to change the outcome of their study. True science means nothing to liberals–science is not objective for them, it’s political, a tool to be used. The Independent Petroleum Association of America recognizes that and apparently has some intel that the EPA may bow to pressure and reverse its previous finding to state that fracking does cause harm to water supplies, contra to their four-year-long review and all of the facts that say otherwise. Will the EPA whore themselves for radical environmentalists and change course?…
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    Dartmouth Study: Fracking Causes Toxic Metal Wastewater

    We call attention to a newly published study from three researchers at Dartmouth College. The new research paper, recently published in the journal Applied Geochemistry, is titled, “Reductive weathering of black shale and release of barium during hydraulic fracturing” (sorry, we don’t have a full copy to share with you). In reading over the Dartmouth press release, it appears the researchers have found evidence that plain water itself, water without extra chemicals added to it, will, under pressure a mile or more down, facilitate or somehow combine with shale and cause barium to leach out of the shale. The research is based on samples from three drill cores from the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania and New York. Our understanding of just what they are saying is far from perfect. It seems to us the importance of what they claim to have found is that produced water, which is water that comes from the borehole long after the initial frack flowback water has returned to the surface, contains a lot of barium (and some mild radioactivity) and that produced water must be disposed of safely. You can’t just cart produced water to the local sewage treatment plant and drop it off. That seems to be what they’re saying with this research. You read the description for yourself and tell us what you think it says…
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    Research: Shale Energy Turning Voters into Republicans

    This one is downright fascinating for political junkies like MDN editor Jim Willis. For years now Jim has been saying that in very broad brush strokes Republicans (i.e. conservatives) typically support shale drilling and Democrats (i.e. liberals) typically oppose it. Yes, that’s very broad and there are certainly notable exceptions. But we’re talking on average, that’s how it sorts out, that has been our observation in closely watching this issue for years. And now we have objective, scientific research to back it up. A new research paper has just been published by three researchers, one from Bocconi University (in Italy), one from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and one from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College. The paper, titled “Voter Preferences and Political Change: Evidence From the Political Economy of Shale Booms” (full copy below) documents where there is shale drilling, voters have shifted their votes away from Democrats and to Republicans, and that the voting behavior of elected officials in shale regions has become more conservative that it was previously. Cool! We always suspected as much–now we have proof…
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    EIA Dec. DPR: NatGas Production Decrease Slows, Utica Still Champ

    On Monday our favorite government agency, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), issued our favorite government report, the Drilling Productivity Report (DPR). The December report predicts what production will show in the month of January for both oil and natural gas from the seven biggest commercial shale plays in the U.S. This new report, while showing most plays will once again produce less natgas in January than they will in December, the amount of drop-off is decreasing. That is, the cuts in production are slowing down–as a whole and in the Marcellus. Once again the Utica will produce MORE natgas in January than it will in December–increasing by 67 addition million cubic feet month over month. The Utica rules! Of course, the Utica only produces about 20% of the production being pumped out by the Marcellus. But still, month after month its creeping up on the Mighty Marcellus…
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    EIA: NatGas Production AND Consumption Hits All-Time High in 2015

    Yesterday the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released their Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) for December. With respect to EIA’s natgas predictions, they say natgas production in 2015 will reach a record-high of 79.58 billion cubic feet per day of production, which will top 2014’s record of 74.89 Bcf/d. The EIA also says U.S. natgas consumption will rise to 76.49 Bcf/d, topping 2014’s record of 73.14 Bcf/d. More interesting facts and predictions from the EIA…
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    Baker Hughes Nov. Rig Count Decline Slows; Marc/Utica Lose Just 2

    The number of active drilling rigs worldwide was down by just 2 rigs according to the November Baker Hughes rig count report. But active rigs in the U.S. fell by 31 month over month in the U.S. There were 791 active drilling rigs operating in the U.S. in October, and 760 rigs operating during the month of November. Ouch. What about active rigs in the Marcellus/Utica? Once again MDN brings you the exclusive chart for Marcellus/Utica rig counts over the past 12 months. This month’s chart is heartening. Although the count declined by another 2 rigs from October, the it appears like we may be hitting bottom with respect to the number of active rigs. Both rigs lost in November were from one state. Which one?…
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    OH Shale Wells Already Smash 2014 Record, 3Q15 Results (Exclusive)

    Ohio’s oil and natural gas horizontal well (i.e. Utica) production for 2015 has, has of the third quarter, already surpassed production for all of 2014 according to the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR). The ODNR issued their latest quarterly production update, for 3Q15, yesterday. During 3Q15 Ohio’s horizontal shale wells produced 5.7 million barrels of oil and 245 billion cubic feet of natural gas. Below we have the ODNR’s high level overview of the numbers, along with our own analysis showing: the top 25 producing gas wells, the top 25 producing oil wells, and then the top 25 gas and oil wells as ranked by average production per day. There is a difference! The longer an oil or gas well is online, the less it produces. Newer wells produce more. So we show you which wells are not just producing the most quantity overall, but which wells are producing at the fastest (most productive) rates–even if they haven’t yet been online a full three months (92 days). We also include a link to the complete list of 1,134 wells that had at least some Utica oil or gas production in 3Q15 in a more usable format than that provided by the ODNR…
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    Top 20 NatGas Pipelines in 2015 – Ranked by Traded Volume

    The amazing thing about this wonderful industry we’re in–the fossil fuel energy industry–is that you learn something new every day. Like there’s a service called the Capacity Center (CapacityCenter.com) that tracks flows of physical natural gas in every interstate pipeline in the U.S. Each year (for the eighth year running) the Capacity Center issues a report detailing the Top 20 Traders (buyers and sellers) of natural gas along those pipelines, and the Top 20 Pipelines by volume of natural gas flowing through the pipeline. We’re intrigued–particularly by the Top 20 pipelines, because a number of them operate in the Marcellus/Utica region. Below is the full Capacity Center Top 20 Capacity Traders & Top 20 Pipelines Report for 2015. If you’re like us, you’ll dig it too…
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    Reuters Says Marcellus “Finally Succumbs” to Production Downturn

    The Reuters news service is, somewhat gleefully, reporting that America’s biggest gas field–the Mighty Marcellus–“finally succumbs to downturn.” The article in which they announce this “fact” breathlessly reports preliminary (i.e. not yet solid, as in draft) figures from DrillingInfo are at odds with projections from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). According to Reuters, the EIA’s numbers are too rosy, showing a year-over-year decrease in Marcellus production won’t happen until 2019. DrillingInfo, according to Reuters, indicates a year-over-year decline will come next year, in 2016. Who’s right?…
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    DUC DUC Goose! The Growing Backlog of Uncompleted Shale Wells

    Ever hear of a DUC? No, we didn’t forget the “K” on the end of DUC. It stands for Drilled but UnCompleted (DUC) wells. Completing a well means taking the final step of fracking the well and hooking it up to production. Lately there’s been a lot of talk about DUCs–a large inventory of wells drilled (holes in the ground) not yet completed. Completing a well takes a lot of sand, water and money. There’s little incentive to complete wells when commodity prices for oil and gas are so low. In some cases drillers will drill the borehole and not complete a well as a way of holding their acreage before a lease expires. In other cases, they’d love to finish the job–but the price they will get is too darned low, so they put completion on hold. Sometimes a driller has contracted for a rig and crew to operate it–instead of canceling and owing that money anyway, they go ahead and drill. How many DUCs are there in general, and in the Marcellus/Utica specifically? The honest answer is, no one knows for sure. But smart analysts can make some pretty good guesses, based on company reports and their own industry knowledge. Below we bring you the latest we can find on DUCs–specifically how many DUCs there are in the Marcellus/Utica…
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    Free Book: Why Scientists Disagree about Global Warming

    All eyes are currently on Paris and the United Nations twenty-first conference of the parties (COP-21). COP-21 is an attempt to force all of the nations of the world to sign on to the myth of man-made global warming–and force them to reduce carbon output, which they believe will lower said global warming. In reality not even the people attending really believe in this nonsense–they use it as a method of controlling the citizens of the world. It’s about power–and the abuse of power. But let’s pretend there are some who do really believe this childish nonsense. What arguments do they use? One of the chief arguments is a lie so often repeated it’s now believed–that there is a “consensus” of scientists that man-made global warming is real. Something like 97% of all scientists believe it. Thing is, that statistic is pulled from an artificially low, select number of scientists. It’s not real. Yesterday, as COP-21 got under way, the Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC) released a new book titled “Why Scientists Disagree about Global Warming: The NIPCC Report on Consensus” (get a free copy below). This important new book lays bare and refutes the claim that there is a “scientific consensus” on the causes and consequences of climate change…
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    Antis Ramp Up to Discredit EPA Study that Found Fracking is Safe

    It was certainly a major blow to radical environmentalists when, after studying fracking for more than four years (reviewing some 950 studies, including conducting several original studies of its own), the federal Environmental Protection Agency announced what everyone already knew: fracking is safe (see EPA Draft Report Says Fracking Doesn’t Pollute Groundwater Supplies). Science is science and facts are facts. The announcement took the wind out of the sails for anti-fossil fuel nutters who thought they could convince everyone to return to the stone ages and eliminate the use of fossil fuels. However, science has been corrupted and politicized–just witness the global warming debate. Radical environmentalists knowing they can never convince the hoi polloi, the great unwashed, the people they consider idiots, to go along with their holier-than-thou energy plans to eliminate fossil fuels, if fracking is perceived as anything but evil–are fighting back. Here’s the plan. Get the EPA to discredit its own study. That process is now underway. In October the usual radical suspects showed up at EPA HQ to demand they turn their backs on their own study (see Anti Groups Try to Convince EPA They Got it Wrong with Water Study). Apparently they got through to at least a few sympathetic “scientists” who are members of the EPA’s own Scientific Advisory Board…
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    List of 36 Oil & Gas Companies that Filed for Bankruptcy in 2015

    Whew. Dodged a bullet–this year. Haynes and Boone, LLP is an international corporate law firm with offices in Texas, New York, California, Colorado, Washington, D.C., Shanghai and Mexico City. Their HQ is in Texas. The firm has a sizable Bankruptcy and Energy practices. Unfortunately those two practices are increasingly becoming one, and the firm says they’re adding lawyers to the Bankruptcy practice. Last week Haynes and Boone issued their very first Oil Patch Bankruptcy Monitor (full copy below), a report that details the rising tide of 2015 exploration and production company Chapter 11 filings. The report lists 36 bankruptcies in 2015 totaling about $13 billion in cumulative secured and unsecured debt. With fear and trepidation we reviewed the list–and found that none of the companies listed have major, nor even minor, operations in the Marcellus/Utica. However, that may not remain the case…
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    Platts Bentek: October NatGas Production Drops 1% from September

    Each month the U.S. Energy Information Administration issues natural gas production figures–but it’s usually two months or more behind. The smart folks at Platts’ Bentek Energy subsidiary provide a much quicker (and accurate) estimate, typically beating the EIA’s estimate by at least a month. For example, Bentek recently issued their estimate of what natgas production for October was in the Lower 48 States. Bentek says October averaged 71.9 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), a decline of more than 0.5 Bcf/d, or 1%, from September’s production numbers. The EIA won’t even issue September’s “official” production numbers until Nov. 30. Here’s a good preview of what October numbers will show by the time EIA gets around to disclosing them…
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