Statewide MD

Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Regulation | Statewide MD

Maryland Delegate Introduces Moratorium, Before Fracking Begins
February 5, 2015February 5, 2015

A member of the Maryland House of Delegates, David Fraser-Hidalgo (Democrat from Montgomery County) will host a news conference today to propose a bill that slaps a moratorium on Marcellus Shale drilling in the state–before such drilling has even begun. This is rich on many levels. First, Marcellus drilling would only happen in 1 1/2 counties at the far western edge of the state. Second, Fraser-Hidalgo sits his rear-end in Montgomery County, a Washington, D.C. suburb–at the opposite end of the state. Third, a commission made up of many his fellow Democrats evaluated fracking for *four* years, and outgoing Democrat Gov. Martin O’Malley recently green lighted fracking–with arguably the strictest rules anywhere (see Maryland Gets Ready to Frack! Gov O’Malley Files New Regulations). All of that is not good enough for Mr. Fraser-Hidalgo. Fortunately Maryland now has a new Republican governor, Larry Hogan, and Fraser-Hidalgo’s bill, if it passes, will be DOA on Hogan’s desk…
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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Regulation | Statewide MD

As Maryland Gets Ready to Frack, Will New Gov Change Regs?
January 26, 2015January 26, 2015

Two members of the Maryland Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission, writing in the Baltimore Sun yesterday, say that with only a few weeks left before new rules to allow Marcellus Shale drilling in western Maryland go into effect, the state’s newly elected Republican governor, Larry Hogan, has “every right to thoroughly review, modify or even pull back the draft regulations.” But the two commission members–Harry Weiss, a partner at the Ballard Spahr law firm, and Jeffrey Kupfer, former deputy secretary at the U.S. Dept. of Energy–say before Hogan goes changing things, he should consider…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | CNG/LNG | Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Maryland | Regulation | Statewide MD

Anti Groups Ask FERC to Stop Construction on Cove Point LNG Plant
December 31, 2014December 31, 2014

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) recently concluded a years-long process of evaluating all of the ins and outs, environmental and otherwise, for the proposed LNG (liquefied natural gas) export facility in Cove Point, Maryland. FERC decided, after years of research, untold thousands of comments and hundreds of hours of testimony, to approve the project (see Dominion Gets Final Fed Approval to Build Cove Point LNG Plant). Dominion has since broken ground and is actively building the new plant. So what do the environmental extremists from the Allegheny Defense Project (ADP) and Wild Virginia, people who hate fossil fuels, do? They tell FERC, “You didn’t do your job right, stop Dominion’s construction until we can file a lawsuit to block the project.” Before ADP and Wild Virginia can file a lawsuit, they must first get a “rehearing” with FERC, something they’ve requested. FERC takes its time with these things, and the groups are afraid Dominion’s construction will get far enough along that the project can’t be stopped. So ADP and Wild Virginia are asking FERC to temporarily stop the Dominion project until the rehearing, the inevitable ruling in favor of Dominion, and then a newly-minted lawsuit can be filed in federal court. In other words, ADP and Wild Virginia want FERC to help them stack the deck against Dominion. FERC isn’t playing along…
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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | New York | Regulation | Statewide MD | Statewide NY

Why Did Maryland Decide to Allow Fracking but New York Didn’t?
December 23, 2014December 23, 2014

How could two liberal, eastern states review the science of fracking and make opposite decisions about whether or not to proceed? That question has been rolling around our heads since last week. MDN even mentioned it in passing–that just a few weeks ago outgoing liberal Democrat Gov. Martin O’Malley (Maryland) has given fracking the green light in his state (see Maryland Gets Ready to Frack! Gov O’Malley Files New Regulations). But last week, liberal Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo (New York) put the brakes on fracking in his state (see After 6+ Years, Andrew Cuomo Bans Fracking in New York). Two different states, same “science” reviewed–why the difference? A (surprisingly) well-written article in the Washington Post tackles and answers that question…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | New York | Regulation | Statewide MD | Statewide NY

Anti-Drillers Seek Domino Effect in More States After NY Frack Ban
December 19, 2014December 19, 2014

On the day New York Gov. Andrew “spineless” Cuomo announced, via his proxies, that the Empire State will ban fracking, MDN warned you that anti-fossil fuelers would use it as a rallying cry to try to force their will on other states (see Antis to Take Frack Ban Campaigns National with NY “Success”). We hate it when we’re right–in this case anyway. Calling New York a “turning point,” a bevy of nutters and agitators are now gushing on every reporter who will listen how they’re now aiming to shut down or prevent fracking other states, including California, Illinois, Maryland, and North Carolina…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | New York | Regulation | Statewide MD | Statewide NY

Antis to Take Frack Ban Campaigns National with NY “Success”
December 18, 2014December 18, 2014

Never ones to let a good disaster go to waste, the odious nutters at Food & Water Watch, a rabidly leftist, anti-drilling organization, are attempting to use the ill-fated decision in New York to ban fracking to try and counter Maryland’s recent decision to allow fracking. You see, Maryland government organizations evaluated fracking just like New York government organizations did–but Maryland’s officials came to a different conclusion. They concluded fracking CAN be done safely. Which doesn’t sit well with the nutters at FWW. So they’ve jumped on the NY decision and are trying to spin it like crazy to pressure Maryland into rethinking its decision to allow fracking…
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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Regulation | Statewide MD

Maryland Gets Ready to Frack! Gov O’Malley Files New Regulations
December 16, 2014December 16, 2014

You’ll be hard pressed to find a reference to some of the most important news over the past four years when it comes to Maryland and fracking–but it happened last Friday when Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley filed a copy of draft regulations to be printed in the next edition of the Maryland Register. What does it mean? It means once the rule is published, after a certain period of time it goes into effect and the moratorium on shale drilling in the state will be lifted. This is truly momentous news and the only source talking about it (so far) is the odious Food & Water Watch…
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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Regulation | Statewide MD

Fracking in Maryland (!) in 2015? Quite Possibly
November 26, 2014November 26, 2014

Looks like we owe an apology to Maryland. For years we’ve laughed and poked fun at Maryland and said it is the only state more dysfunctional than New York when it comes to allowing fracking. Yesterday, the special Maryland commission, set up 3 1/2 years ago by the outgoing, leadership-deficient Democrat Gov. Martin O’Malley, released it’s final report with recommendations for how fracking can go forward in the state (full copy below). Incoming Republican Gov. Larry Hogan has promised swift action on the fracking issue. Meanwhile, NY sits on its hands and does nothing. Mind you, the proposed Maryland regulations are so off-the-charts restrictive that even the nutty, far-left Chesapeake Climate Action Network is singing its praises (a big red flag). But hey, the ability to drill half a dozen wells in Maryland is better that what NY has! Let’s start with a summary of the new regulations put forward by the commission…
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Maryland | Statewide MD

Maryland Elects Republican for Governor, Fracking on the Way?
November 6, 2014November 6, 2014

In our political coverage yesterday, we overlooked one very important race–perhaps the biggest shocker of all: For only the second time in the past 50+ years a Republican won the governorship in Maryland. Which is astounding when you consider Republican Larry Hogan (pictured on the left) is an older businessman who was outspent 4 times by his younger opponent, Anthony Brown (pictured on the right), who was/is the sitting Lt. Governor in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans two to one. It was an utter repudiation of the last eight years of ever-higher taxes and a bungled roll-out of the Obamacare health exchange in Maryland. Oh, and did we mention that new incoming Gov. Hogan is pro-drilling?!…
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CNG/LNG | Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Processing Plants | Statewide MD

Dominion Breaks Ground on Cove Point, MD LNG Export Facility
October 31, 2014October 31, 2014

It was only Wednesday night of this week (Oct. 29) at the Oil & Gas Awards dinner in Oklahoma City, OK that a fellow attendee (from Eagle Rock) asked me at dinner when Dominion would break ground on the Cove Point LNG plant. I told him I had not heard they’ve yet broken ground, but it should be any day now. Little did I know how prophetic those words would be! Yesterday Dominion announced that they have now officially broken ground on the Cove Point LNG export plant, a project that will inject between $3.4 and $3.8 billion in Calvert County, Maryland and pump upward of 1.8 billion cubic feet per day of cheap, abundant Marcellus and Utica Shale gas…
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CNG/LNG | Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Statewide MD

Dominion Midstream IPO Blows by Best Expectations
October 16, 2014October 16, 2014

On Tuesday MDN told you that Dominion was looking to raise $350 million with an initial public offering (IPO) for its new Dominion Midstream subsidiary (see Dominion Midstream IPO Seeks $350M for Cove Point Work). Today we’re happy to report the numbers are in–and Dominion surpassed their goal…
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MDN Research: $58B in NE Infrastructure Projects, List of Top 5
October 14, 2014October 14, 2014

Marcellus Drilling News collaborates with the excellent ShaleNavigator service to publish a series of research reports called the Marcellus and Utica Shale Databook. MDN editor Jim Willis is very excited to announce that Volume 2 for the 2014 Databook series has just been released–and it is, without question, our best-ever. Among the pearls in this newest edition: Jim completely updated a comprehensive list of Marcellus/Utica Shale midstream and infrastructure projects (pipelines and processing plants) that first appeared in Vol. 2 of last year’s series. At that time, in 2013, projects either under construction or planned added up to a staggering $40 billion of investment coming to the northeast. This year? It’s even more mind-blowing. Infrastructure projects planned for the northeast now tally $58 billion–a 45% increase! Read on for the list of the top 5 big-money projects planned for the Marcellus/Utica…
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CNG/LNG | Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | Lease & Royalty Payments | Maryland | Statewide MD

Will Cove Point LNG Plant Goose Royalties for Landowners?
October 13, 2014October 13, 2014

With the final recent approval for Dominion’s Cove Point, Maryland LNG export facility, the plant should go online sometime in 2017 (see Dominion Gets Final Fed Approval to Build Cove Point LNG Plant). Question: Will that one, single plant sop up enough Marcellus (and Utica) methane to raise the price of shale gas in the northeast and correspondingly raise the amount of royalties received by landowners? According to the executive director of the West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association, that answer would be “yes”…
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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Regulation | Research | Statewide MD

Maryland Risk Assessment for Shale Drilling Finds Little Risk
October 6, 2014October 6, 2014

The Maryland Dept. of the Environment and the Dept. of Natural Resources–the two state agencies charged with researching and evaluating whether or not hydraulic fracturing in shale and tight formations in Maryland should be allowed–turned in an important report on Friday. The report is part of a years-long evaluation process that is, hopefully, nearing an end. We always made fun of Maryland as being “more dysfunctional than New York” when it comes to fracking. Guess what? New York is even more dysfunctional than Maryland! It’s now looking like Maryland may actually begin to frack before New York. The 241-page report released Friday is titled “Assessment of risks from unconventional gas well development in the Marcellus Shale of Western Maryland” (full copy below). In it the two departments break down the drilling process from beginning to end and assess risks, to people and the environment, at each stage of the process. The short version, which won’t make anti-drillers happy, is that shale drilling can be done safely–with minimal risks…
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CNG/LNG | Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Regulation | Statewide MD

Dominion Accepts FERC 79 Conditions for Cove Point < 24 Hrs
October 2, 2014October 2, 2014

That didn’t take long. On Sept. 29 the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) granted Dominion final approval to build an LNG export facility in Cove Point, MD (see Dominion Gets Final Fed Approval to Build Cove Point LNG Plant). Part of the approval includes a list of 79 “conditions” that must be met by Dominion in accepting FERC’s approval. Dominion said, on the 29th, that they would need to review FERC’s final order with the 79 conditions. It only took 24 hours. On Sept. 30 Dominion accepted all 79 conditions. As part of the press release announcing their acceptance, we also learn who will build the facility for Dominion…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | CNG/LNG | Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Processing Plants | Statewide MD

FWW Bleats About “Sacrificing” Residents Near Cove Point LNG Plant
October 1, 2014October 1, 2014

The odious and misnamed Food & Water Watch, a virulently anti-drilling group, is none-to-pleased with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s approval of the Cove Point, MD LNG export facility (see Dominion Gets Final Fed Approval to Build Cove Point LNG Plant). The wacko environmentalists at FWW (childlike, really) threw a press release temper tantrum yesterday, declaring FERC has chosen to “sacrifice” the rural residents who live a mile away from the proposed plant in favor of fat corporate profits for Dominion. So predictable…
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