The latest weekly Enverus U.S. rig count shows total rigs regained some recently-lost ground to hit almost a new post-pandemic high. For the week ending September 2, the rig count stood at 623, up 2 rigs from the previous week. The Marcellus stayed even and the Utica lost 1 rig from the previous week. Collectively the M-U currently operates 44 rigs.
Read More “Enverus Rig Count @ 623 (+2); Marcellus @ 32 (+0), Utica @ 12 (-1)”
Our favorite government agency, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), published a post yesterday noting the Marcellus/Utica region set a new record high for natural gas production for the first six months of 2021. That caught our eye. However, it was a chart in that post that stopped us in our tracks. The chart shows pipeline takeaway capacity to other regions outside of the northeast. We always thought most of our gas went to the Southeast. Not so! The bulk of the gas flowing from the M-U goes to the Midwest.
Read More “M-U Production Hits Record High in 1H21 – Most of It Heads Midwest”
EY, formerly known as Ernst & Young Global Limited, is one of the Big Four accounting firms in the world. The company is also a powerhouse consulting firm. EY published a new study yesterday called “EY US oil and gas reserves, production and ESG benchmarking study” (full copy below). In the study EY tells us what we already knew: That 2020, due to the coronavirus, was a waste of a year in the oil and gas sector. It was bad–really bad. The EY study puts some numbers to just how bad, including the shocking number that capital expenditures (capex) totaled $60.3 billion, 60% lower than 2019. Of the 50 companies studied they collectively drilled 41% and 32% fewer development and exploration wells, respectively, compared with 2019.
Read More “E&Y Study: How Bad was 2020 for O&G Drillers? Investment Down 60%”
Researchers at Penn State evaluated eight oil and gas wastewaters (i.e. brines), waste soybean oil, and commercial dust suppressants, comparing them to see how well they controlled particle pollution on simulated patches of road. If you believe the headlines about the study, you would believe wastewater is “not usually the best option” for treating dusty roads in PA. If you read the research study itself, you come to the conclusion the study draws no such conclusion.
Read More “Study Says More Studies Needed re Using Brine to Treat Dusty Roads”
The latest weekly Enverus U.S. rig count shows total rigs in use faltered slightly and lost ground. For the week ending August 26, the rig count stood at 621, down 3 rigs from the previous week. That’s a slight retreat after last week’s new post-pandemic high. The Marcellus and Utica plays stayed even with the previous week–no rigs gained or lost. Collectively the M-U currently operates 45 rigs.
Read More “Enverus Rig Count @ 621 (-3); Marcellus @ 32 (+0), Utica @ 13 (+0)”
Yesterday the Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) released their latest quarterly Natural Gas Production Report for April through June 2021 (full copy below). It’s sort of a mixed bag with some good and some not-so-good. In 2Q21 the number of wells spud (begun to be drilled) was 120 new shale wells, up from the 113 spud in 2Q20, which was the point when the pandemic began to take hold in a big way. Sadly, gas production slipped in 2Q over the previous quarter, but not by much. It was still the second-highest quarterly production in the state for all time.
Read More “IFO: Pennsylvania Natural Gas Production Slips in 2Q21”
Several mainstream media outlets who either didn’t read or intentionally lie about the results revealed in a new study are reporting a link between fracking and impacts on surface waters–particularly in the Marcellus Shale. In fact, the study, published in the journal Science, shows the authors found no such link. They found “a small increase in certain ions associated with hydraulic fracturing across several locations” that likely come from accidental spills of brine. And those slight increases disappear after a few months.
Read More “New Study: No Link Between Fracking and PA Surface Water Impacts”
It’s been hard to miss the recent “the sky is falling” report issued by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). Mainstream media has been in the throes of multiple orgasms over the AR6 Climate Change 2021 report that says, in essence, if we don’t dump the use of fossil fuels and do it now, we’re all dead. The whole planet. And no, we’re not overstating the conclusions of the report. Never mind that the IPCC along with the U.S.’s own NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) have been caught red-handed faking and falsifying climate data. Mainstream media ignores the fraud and pretends the utterances of these scaremeisters is gospel truth. Let’s debunk the latest “report” by the IPCC.
Read More “The Complete Folly of IPCC Report Calling for Fossil Fuel Ban”
The latest weekly Enverus U.S. rig count shows total rigs in use hitting a new post-pandemic high. For the week ending August 19, the rig count stood at 624, up 7 rigs from the previous week. That’s yet another new rig count high since April 2020. The Marcellus play regained a rig it lost from the previous week, while the Utica stayed even for a second week in a row. Collectively the M-U is currently running 45 rigs, up one rig from the previous week.
Read More “Enverus Rig Count @ 624 (+7); Marcellus @ 32 (+1), Utica @ 13 (+0)”
Perhaps we’re finally seeing a reversal of fortune? The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Drilling Productivity Report (DPR) for August (with forecasted numbers for September) predicts natural gas production in the Marcellus/Utica region will increase a modest 20 MMcf/d (million cubic feet per day) next month. The M-U’s primary competitor for drilling new gas wells, the Haynesville, continues to gain ground on the M-U. The Haynesville will see an increase of 124 MMcf/d in September. The Permian (an oil play) will also see an increase in its associated gas production–up by 72 MMcf/d in September.
Read More “EIA DPR: NatGas Production in M-U Rising in September”
A new report (full copy below) commissioned by the American Petroleum Institute (API) and undertaken by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has found the oil and natural gas industries directly or indirectly supported over 188,000 jobs in Pennsylvania in 2019, or 6.1% of the total share of commonwealth employment. Furthermore, the oil and gas industries produced $14.2 billion in labor income, which was 7.9% of the state total share, and had a statewide economic impact of $31.9 billion, for 9.7% of the state total share. The percentages for the impact of oil and gas on the West Virginia economy are similar.
Read More “PwC Report: O&G Impact on PA, WV State Economies Massive”
The latest weekly Enverus U.S. rig count shows total rigs in use hitting a new post-pandemic high. For the week ending August 12, the rig count stood at 617, up 14 rigs from the previous week. That’s the highest rig count since April 2020. The Marcellus play lost another rig from the previous week (second week in a row), while the Utica stayed even. Collectively the M-U is currently running 44 rigs, down one rig from the previous week.
Read More “Enverus Rig Count @ 617 (+14); Marcellus @ 31 (-1), Utica @ 13 (+0)”
The latest weekly Enverus U.S. rig count shows total rigs in use recovering to within one rig of a post-pandemic high. For the week ending August 4, the rig count stood at 603, up 4 rigs from last week. The Marcellus play lost one rig from the previous week, while the Utica picked up one rig. Collectively the M-U is currently running 45 rigs, the same level as the previous two weeks.
Read More “Enverus Rig Count @ 603 (+4); Marcellus @ 32 (-1), Utica @ 13 (+1)”
The CO2 Coalition, a nonprofit established in 2015 for the purpose of educating thought leaders, policymakers, and the general public about the important contribution made by carbon dioxide to our lives and the economy, has just published a detailed analysis of Pennsylvania’s plan to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI (full copy below). In the report, more than 70 top scientists conclude that PA Gov. Tom Wolf’s justifications for the RGGI carbon tax “are invalid and its claims of environmental and economic benefits are fiction.”
Read More “New Study: PA’s RGGI Carbon Tax “Solution in Search of a Problem””
Back in June, MDN brought you insights from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) which noticed the decreasing number of drilled but uncompleted wells, or DUCs (see EIA Notices the Curious Case of Disappearing DUCs in U.S. Shale). Fewer DUCs mean more previously drilled wells are getting completed and brought online to sales. We’ve spotted another article about the decreasing number of DUCs and about a distinction that until now, we were unaware of. Did you know there’s a difference between “live” and “dead” DUCs?
Read More “‘Live’ vs. ‘Dead’ DUCs – Lowest DUC Counts Since 2013”
The latest weekly Enverus U.S. rig count shows total rigs in use retreating just a bit. For the week ending July 28, the rig count stood at 599, down 5 rigs from last week’s post-pandemic high of 604 (see Enverus Rig Count @ 604 (+24); Marcellus @ 32 (-1), Utica @ 13 (+1)). The Marcellus play gained one rig from the previous week, while the Utica lost one rig. Collectively the M-U is currently running 45 rigs, the same level as the previous week.
Read More “Enverus Rig Count @ 599 (-5); Marcellus @ 33 (+1), Utica @ 12 (-1)”