Mahoning County

Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Mahoning County | Ohio | Regulation

Anti-Drillers to Throw a Big Party this Weekend in Youngstown, OH
August 21, 2013August 20, 2013

Calling all fossil-fuel haters–get your “frack” on–it’s time to paaarrrrrttttaaay! Anti-frackers will assemble in Youngstown, OH this weekend for a party in support of a truly stupid ballot measure that will be voted on (for a second time) this November. If passed, the new law would not only ban fracking in Youngstown–but also ban businesses involved with the shale oil and gas industry from operating in Youngstown. Such a measure would be a catastrophe for the economy of the just-starting-to-recover Youngstown, but this bunch will be so high they won’t notice…
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Energy Companies | Energy Services | Hilcorp Energy | Industrywide Issues | Mahoning County | NiSource | Ohio | Roads

NiSource Wins Friends in Mahoning County with Road Repair Project
August 9, 2013August 9, 2013

Pennant Midstream, an entity created by NiSource and Hilcorp Energy, is developing a $300 million natural gas gathering and processing network in northeastern Ohio that extends from Mercer and Lawrence counties in Pennsylvania, through Mahoning County, and into Columbiana County. The project, called Hickory Bend, will gather natural gas produced from Hilcorp wells exploring the Utica shale and transport the gas to a $150 million cryogenic processing plant under construction in Springfield Township. By all accounts the project is on track to be completed by the end of this year (see OH Hickory Bend Pipeline/Plant Makes Excellent Progress).

NiSource is making new friends with their latest initiative. As part of the Hickory Bend project, NiSource (i.e. Pennant Midstream) will spend $1.5 million to rebuild roads in Mahoning County, OH likely to be damaged from heavy trucks working on the project. According to county officials, the amount of roadways that will be rebuilt, and the way NiSource is doing it (not just repaving but rebuilding from base layers) goes “well above and beyond the minimum that was required”…
Read More “NiSource Wins Friends in Mahoning County with Road Repair Project”
Energy Companies | Halcon Resources | Mahoning County | Ohio | Statewide OH | Trumbull County | Utica Shale

Halcón Resources: Will Drill Up to 500 Wells in the Utica
August 2, 2013August 2, 2013

Halcón Resources Corporation, increasingly an important driller in the Utica Shale, released their second quarter update yesterday. Halcón CEO Floyd Wilson also held a conference call for analysts. On that call, Wilson boasted about Halcón’s Utica Shale program–in particular the Kibler 1H well in Trumbull County which has been producing 2,233 barrels of oil equivalent per day–75% of it liquids. Halcón, which concentrates its drilling in “oily” plays like the Bakken and Utica, is currently operating 2 drilling rigs in Ohio/Pennsylvania. They’ve drilled nine Utica wells and are now evaluating the results. Halcón has 142,000 acres leased in the Utica Shale (primarily in Ohio).

Remarks about Halcón’s Utica program from the conference call, and the Utica portion of yesterday’s 2Q13 report:
Read More “Halcón Resources: Will Drill Up to 500 Wells in the Utica”
Energy Companies | Hilcorp Energy | Mahoning County | Ohio | Utica Shale

Hilcorp Sets Sights on More Utica Drilling in Mahoning County, OH
July 26, 2013July 26, 2013

A quick update on Hilcorp’s Utica Shale drilling program and where they’ll next, courtesy the Youngstown Business Journal:
Read More “Hilcorp Sets Sights on More Utica Drilling in Mahoning County, OH”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Companies | Energy Services | Hilcorp Energy | Industrywide Issues | Mahoning County | NGLs | NiSource | Ohio | Pipelines | Processing Plants | Utica Shale

Slight Delay for Hickory Bend Processing Plant, Permit Appealed
July 8, 2013July 8, 2013

A small and frankly inconsequential wrinkle has developed in the building of a new cryogenic gas processing plant–a joint venture planned between Hilcorp and NiSource called Hickory Bend (see Mahoning Utica Pipeline/Processing Plant “Moving Forward”).

Although the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has issued an air pollution permit for the plant, an avowed anti-driller has appealed the permit, which will delay things just a bit while the appeal is considered (and subsequently dismissed)…
Read More “Slight Delay for Hickory Bend Processing Plant, Permit Appealed”
Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Mahoning County | Ohio | Supply Chain | Valerus

Another 30 Jobs in Fracking Supply Chain Coming to Youngstown, OH
June 28, 2013June 28, 2013

Last November, MDN told you about another 30 jobs on the way in Youngstown, OH thanks to fracking and shale drilling in the Utica/Marcellus Shale (see New Gas Equipment Plant Coming to Youngstown, OH). On Wednesday, Valerus and Brilex Industries held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate their joint venture in expanding the Brilex manufacturing facility in Youngstown. Valerus manufactures and sells equipment for the midstream. Brilex is a local Youngstown machine shop/manufacturer.

The partnership invested $1.5 million to expand the Brilex facility to manufacture equipment for Valerus. At the ceremony on Wednesday, Brilex president Brian Benyo said 10 jobs have already been created and another 20 are on the way–in fabrication, pipe fitting, welding and mechanical assembly.
Read More “Another 30 Jobs in Fracking Supply Chain Coming to Youngstown, OH”
Crime | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Mahoning County | Ohio | Wastewater

OH Wastewater Dumper D&L Energy Gets Business Death Sentence
June 26, 2013June 26, 2013

The sad story of D&L Energy, a Youngstown, OH operator of several wastewater injection wells, has come to an ignominious end. It’s owner was (is?) Ben Lupo, who also owns sister company Hardrock Excavating, operating both companies under the D&L Energy Group umbrella. Starting last September, Lupo instructed a Hardrock employee to dump untreated fracking wastewater down a sewer drain that emptied into the Mahoning River. Lupo and the driver were found out earlier this year (see Youngstown Business Dumped >200K Gal of Untreated Wastewater).

The Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) promptly shut down both D&L Energy and Hardrock in February (see OH Company Dumping Frack Wastewater in Drain May Appeal Shut-Down). The shut-down led to a filing for bankruptcy in a desperate attempt to re-open and keep D&L afloat. Lupo appealed the ODNR ruling claiming D&L Energy is separate from Hardrock and just because he behaved badly at Hardrock does not mean D&L should be punished too. The Ohio Oil & Gas Commission (OOGC) has now ruled on that appeal…
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Crime | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Mahoning County | Ohio | Wastewater

Youngstown Democrat Gets “Return to Sender” Over D&L Letters
June 26, 2013June 26, 2013

An interesting story related to the business death sentence handed down to D&L Energy by the Ohio Oil & Gas Commission (see today’s related story). State Rep. Robert Hagan (Democrat from Youngstown) tried to improperly influence the OOGC, technically a court body, by sending letters directly to members ruling on the D&L appeal. He requested that they reject the appeal. The OOGC didn’t fall for it and instead sent the letters on to the OOGC attorney and the attorney for D&L. That is, Hagan got a “return to sender” from the OOGC, along with a rap on the knuckles. He was (eventually) cleared of wrongdoing by the Ohio Ethics Commission.

Oh, this is the same Rep. Robert Hagan who wants to more than double the oil and gas drilling tax in Ohio (see Youngstown Democrat State Rep Wants to Hike Severance Tax to 7.5%). Here’s the D&L/Hagan kerfuffle:
Read More “Youngstown Democrat Gets “Return to Sender” Over D&L Letters”
Industrywide Issues | Mahoning County | Ohio | Statewide OH | Taxation

Youngstown Democrat State Rep Wants to Hike Severance Tax to 7.5%
June 20, 2013June 20, 2013

Here’s a surprise: An Ohio Democrat state representative from Youngstown, Rep. Bob Hagan, wants to raise the severance tax on oil and gas drilling far beyond the rate proposed by Gov. John Kasich–to a nosebleed 7.5%–taking money out of landowners’ pockets and killing the nascent drilling industry in the state…
Read More “Youngstown Democrat State Rep Wants to Hike Severance Tax to 7.5%”
Economic Impact | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Mahoning County | Ohio | Pipelines | Supply Chain | V&M Star Steel | Vallourec

French Company Christens New Pipe Facility/350 Jobs in Youngstown
June 13, 2013June 13, 2013

French pipe manufacturer Vallourec cut the ribbon yesterday on a new facility at their Youngstown, OH location. The former V&M Star facility (now renamed to Vallourec Star) manufacturers pipe for the oil and gas industry–in particular the rapidly expanding Marcellus and Utica Shale drilling industry. The pipe manufactured at the new plant will not only service the northeast but will be shipped around the world.

Vallourec invested $1.5 billion in the new plant where there are now 350 employees, many of them formerly out of work pipe workers from the Mahoning and Shenango Valley area. In addition to 350 employees at the pipe plant, Vallourec employs another 350 at their adjacent steel mill. Coming soon, another 100 jobs at a new threading plant in the same compound…
Read More “French Company Christens New Pipe Facility/350 Jobs in Youngstown”
Ashtabula County | Economic Impact | Geauga County | Industrywide Issues | Mahoning County | Ohio | Pipelines | Portage County | Processing Plants | Statewide OH | Trumbull County | Utica Shale

Ohio Group Promotes NE Counties for New Midstream Projects
June 4, 2013June 4, 2013

A group of business and political leaders from northeastern Ohio have crafted and are now marketing a plan to bring midstream infrastructure to the Mahoning Valley. A new report written and distributed by this committed group, titled “Mahoning Valley Midstream” (full copy embedded below) points out that currently there are no wet natural gas gathering lines in Trumbull, Mahoning, Geauga, Portage, or Ashtabula counties. This enterprising group has an ingenious plan to remedy that situation: repurpose abandoned or partially used rail lines, as well as use a web of strategic, divided (limited access) highways that converge on the closed “rust belt” steel mills.

They even have a site picked out for an ethane cracker plant…
Read More “Ohio Group Promotes NE Counties for New Midstream Projects”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Mahoning County | Ohio | Regulation

Youngstown, OH Votes Down Fracking Ban Amendment
May 8, 2013May 8, 2013

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:

Read More “Youngstown, OH Votes Down Fracking Ban Amendment”
Energy Companies | Energy Services | Hilcorp Energy | Industrywide Issues | Mahoning County | NGLs | NiSource | Ohio | Pipelines | Processing Plants | Utica Shale

Location ID’d for Mahoning County, OH Cryo Processing Plant
May 1, 2013May 1, 2013

In December, MDN told you the name of a newly formed joint venture between drilling company Hilcorp and midstream company NiSource would be Hickory Bend. The new joint venture will build a wet gas (natural gas liquids) pipeline and processing plant somewhere in the Youngstown, OH area (see Mahoning Utica Pipeline/Processing Plant “Moving Forward”). At the time, no plans had been announced about where the pipeline or cryogenic gas processing plant will be located.

Although the jv is still mum on a pipeline route (they’re acquiring lease rights to build it), we do know where the processing plant will be built…
Read More “Location ID’d for Mahoning County, OH Cryo Processing Plant”
Crime | Industrywide Issues | Landfills | Mahoning County | Ohio | Wastewater

Alleged New Case of Illegal Shale Waste Dumping in OH
May 1, 2013May 1, 2013

An Ohio company close to the Pennsylvania border has been accused of illegally accepting and disposing of (burying) drilling wastewater and drill cuttings. Since the landfill where the material is buried sits close to the Mahoning River, there is a concern that some nasty substances may have or are leaking into the river.

An alphabet soup of OH state and federal government agencies served Soil Remediation Inc. in Lowellville (Mahoning County), OH with a search warrant early last week…
Read More “Alleged New Case of Illegal Shale Waste Dumping in OH”
Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Mahoning County | Ohio

Youngstown, OH Airport Looks to Add Regular Houston, TX Flights
April 25, 2013April 25, 2013

Yet another positive sign for the Ohio Utica Shale. The Youngstown-Warren (OH) Regional Airport is looking to add direct flights to and from Houston, TX. They’ll likely begin with a regular, chartered service and after that, add a permanent route…

Read More “Youngstown, OH Airport Looks to Add Regular Houston, TX Flights”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Mahoning County | Ohio | Regulation

Will 2 Billboards Convince Youngstown Residents Ban Fracking?
April 22, 2013April 22, 2013

A handful of Youngstown, OH anti-drillers who are, frankly, quite ignorant of how fracking works (they apparently don’t know it’s heavily regulated), have foolishly spent their money on two billboards in the city to try and convince unsuspecting neighbors to pass a May 7 resolution to ban fracking in Youngstown—a loud and clear signal that Youngstown doesn’t want to participate in the economic miracle Utica Shale drilling is bringing to the state.

A Youngstown attorney says anyone reading the language of this bill (if it does pass) will think the city is populated with idiots. He’s right…

Read More “Will 2 Billboards Convince Youngstown Residents Ban Fracking?”