Ohio

Accidents | American Energy Partners | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Jefferson County (OH) | Ohio

AEP Well “Malfunction” Leads to Evacuation of ~400 Homes in SE OH
October 30, 2014October 30, 2014

A mechanical malfunction at a producing American Energy Partners Utica Shale well in Jefferson County, OH caused the evacuation of about 400 area homes from Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning, according to the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR). The well, near the Mingo Sportsmen’s Club, was successfully shut down by Boots & Coots International Well Control Inc. Although area residents interviewed said they didn’t feel in danger, it’s still disconcerting (and a hardship) when something like this happens. Here’s an ear-witness account…
Read More “AEP Well “Malfunction” Leads to Evacuation of ~400 Homes in SE OH”
Accidents | Blue Racer Midstream | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Monroe County | Ohio | Pipelines

Blue Racer Condensate Pipeline Ruptures/Burns in Monroe County, OH
October 30, 2014October 30, 2014

A Blue Racer Midstream condensate pipeline caught fire early Tuesday morning near Cameron (eastern part of Monroe County, OH). Condensate is lighter than crude oil but heavier than natural gas liquids. Think of it as really light oil. Blue Racer’s condensate pipeline runs from Utica wells in eastern Ohio to Blue Racer’s processing plant in Natrium, WV. According to officials, the rupture in the 8-inch pipeline burned for several hours and burned several acres of surrounding woods before burning itself out. Fortunately it was a remote area where the accident occurred and no one was injured…
Read More “Blue Racer Condensate Pipeline Ruptures/Burns in Monroe County, OH”
Energy Companies | Hess | Ohio | Statewide OH | Utica Shale

Hess 3Q14: Says Almost Nothing About Utica Operations
October 30, 2014October 30, 2014

Not long ago Hess sold off its retail (gas stations) and transportation operations, completing its transformation into an E&P-only company (see Marathon Petroleum Buys the Hess Truck! What Will We Do for Xmas?). One of the operational areas for Hess is the Utica Shale in Ohio. In May of this year, the company said it was in the process of drilling 35 Utica wells this year (see Hess Likes Early OH Utica Results, Drilling 35 Utica Wells in ’14). However, when we look at the latest quarterly update from the company, published yesterday, we find the following very brief references to the Utica…
Read More “Hess 3Q14: Says Almost Nothing About Utica Operations”
Accidents | Eclipse Resources | Energy Companies | Guernsey County | Industrywide Issues | Ohio

Explosion at Eclipse Resources Site in Guernsey Cnty – 1 Injured
October 28, 2014October 28, 2014

There was an explosion at an Eclipse Resources drilling site in Guernsey County, OH late last Friday night. One worker was reportedly hurt and taken by helicopter to the burn unit at the Akron Children’s Hospital. There are virtually no news accounts (so far) about the accident, and Eclipse has not yet posted anything on their website about the accident. Here’s the very brief (and only) account we can find, thus far:
Read More “Explosion at Eclipse Resources Site in Guernsey Cnty – 1 Injured”
CNG/LNG | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Processing Plants | Statewide OH | Statewide PA | Statewide WV | West Virginia

Regional LNG Plant, Filling Stations Coming to Pittsburgh Region
October 28, 2014October 28, 2014

A man with a long history of projects and companies dealing in LNG (liquefied natural gas) and CNG (compressed natural gas), Robert E. Petsinger, has announced he’s putting together financing for a $440 million company that will (a) build a regional LNG production plant along the banks of the Ohio River somewhere near Pittsburgh, and (b) build 50 LNG and LNG-derived compressed natural gas stations within a 500-mile radius of Pittsburgh. The reason for the location? To use cheap, abundant, locally mined Marcellus Shale gas. Given Petsinger’s history, this is no blue flame pipe dream. You can take it to the bank…
Read More “Regional LNG Plant, Filling Stations Coming to Pittsburgh Region”
Boardwalk Pipeline Partners | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Pipelines | Statewide OH

Texas Gas Seeks to Reverse Flow of Pipeline from OH to LA
October 28, 2014October 28, 2014

Texas Gas Transmission owns an extensive natural gas pipeline system with about 6,100 miles of pipelines. Some 690 miles of that system runs from the Gulf Coast in Louisiana all the way to southwest Ohio (see map below). Earlier this month, Texas Gas, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Boardwalk Pipeline Partners, filed a request with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to reverse the flow on their 690-mile segment and begin to carry Marcellus and Utica Shale gas from the northeast to the south. Actually, what they want to do is turn the pipeline into a bi-directional flow–so the gas can go either way. The project is called the Ohio-Louisiana Access Project and no new pipeline is needed–just modifications of yard and station piping at four existing compressor stations along with building one new compressor station (project cost of $115 million). Here’s the details…
Read More “Texas Gas Seeks to Reverse Flow of Pipeline from OH to LA”
Eclipse Resources | Energy Companies | Harrison County | Monroe County | Ohio | Utica Shale

Eclipse Numbers: Dry Gas vs Wet Gas in Utica – Which One Wins?
October 27, 2014October 27, 2014

Some encouraging numbers from a set of well pads in the Ohio Utica Shale from Eclipse Resources. Eclipse’s Shroyer well pad in Eastern Monroe County, OH has two wells producing a combined 42.5 MMcf/d–VERY healthy initial production numbers and something to crow about. They also have a 5-well pad, the Mizer pad in Central Harrison County, OH, that’s producing a combined 10.1 MMcf/d of natural gas and approximately 1,800 Bbl/d of condensate. Not much in the way of methane but a decent amount of condensate production. How do the two sets of wells stack up against each other? Let’s run the economic numbers for Eclipse on the methane only vs condensate wells. Which do you think earns them more money?…
Read More “Eclipse Numbers: Dry Gas vs Wet Gas in Utica – Which One Wins?”
Lease & Royalty Payments | Ohio | Utica Shale | Washington County (OH)

Marietta’s City-Owned Land for Lease Tied Up (Again) by City Council
October 27, 2014October 27, 2014

For (quite) a while now the city of Marietta, OH has tried to get leases of city-owned property for drilling under (not on) to extract Utica Shale gas. The first time around they tried, they delayed and it cost them (see Delay in Leasing City-Owned Land Costs Marietta, OH Big $). They decided to try again, with five different parcels (see Marietta Tries 2nd Time to Lease City Land for Utica Drilling). MNW Energy, a leasing company for Protege Energy, originally offered to lease Gunlock Park and Goose Run Road (two of the five parcels) for $4,750 per acre signing bonus and 17.5% royalties. Looks like that deal is back on the table and the city is reviewing it–hopefully in a more timely manner this time around. The problem is, it appears city council is once again frittering around…
Read More “Marietta’s City-Owned Land for Lease Tied Up (Again) by City Council”
Air Quality | Carroll County | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Research | Utica Shale

UC Hints Air Problems Near Drill Sites in Carroll County Research
October 22, 2014October 22, 2014

In December MDN told you about a new air quality study in Carroll County, OH, being researched by the University of Cincinnati and Oregon State University. The study will measure air quality for pollution potentially caused by local Utica Shale drilling. A good concept and worthy of everyone’s support. The only problem we had/have is that some of the volunteers helping with the project are from a local anti-drilling group (see Carroll County Anti-Drillers Eager to Help with Air Quality Study). The full results are not yet in, but preliminary results (UC won’t release any specifics), according to the AP, say that air pollution near some well sites is “higher than those in downtown Chicago”…
Read More “UC Hints Air Problems Near Drill Sites in Carroll County Research”
Chevron | Education | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Statewide OH | Statewide PA | Statewide WV | West Virginia

Chevron Launches Appalachia Partnership Initiative with $20M
October 22, 2014October 22, 2014

Kudos to Chevron. Yesterday the company announced $20 million in grants for education and workforce development in 27 counties across Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. Called the Appalachia Partnership Initiative, Chevron aims to fund education (for students) and training (for workers) in STEM–Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. A variety of programs and organizations will be the recipients of Chevron’s largess…
Read More “Chevron Launches Appalachia Partnership Initiative with $20M”
Earthquakes | Harrison County | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Research | Utica Shale

Study Says Series of Unfelt Earthquakes in OH from Utica Fracking
October 16, 2014October 16, 2014

Another day, another “study” that says fracking causes earthquakes–this time in Ohio’s Utica Shale. In typical and now predictable fashion, mainstream media does a “drive-by” with the information–like a drive-by shooting–and then continues on its merry way. Here at MDN we’ll break it down and explain it so you have ALL the facts and not anti-drilling “impressions” of what the data says. First off, an admission that we don’t (yet) have a full copy of the newly published study, which has reportedly been published in the journal Seismological Research Letters (but which we can’t find on their website). We’ve requested a full copy of the paper and are awaiting it and hope to share it with you when we get it. The study is titled, “Characterization of an earthquake sequence triggered by hydraulic fracturing in Harrison County Ohio” and looks at a series of “400 earthquakes” that were so tiny as to be unfelt by anyone–but detectable by finely tuned equipment. The earthquakes happened in Harrison County, OH and are thought (but not proven) to be the result of fracking several Utica wells over top of a previously unknown geologic fault. The author of the study himself says the earthquakes couldn’t even be felt by anyone…
Read More “Study Says Series of Unfelt Earthquakes in OH from Utica Fracking”
About MDN | Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | MDN Resources | New York | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Processing Plants | Statewide MD | Statewide NY | Statewide OH | Statewide PA | Statewide VA | Statewide WV | Virginia | West Virginia

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…
Read More “MDN Research: $58B in NE Infrastructure Projects, List of Top 5”
Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Statewide OH | Utica Shale

Updated List of Shale-Related Infrastructure/Econ Projects in OH
October 13, 2014October 13, 2014

The sharp researchers at law firm Bricker & Eckler continue a winning streak with a special report they issue twice a year. “Shale Economic Development Overview (Fall 2014)” is a list of projects details, by county in Ohio, of those projects started or planned because of shale drilling (full copy below). The first edition of this list was published in October 2013 and showed projects worth $12.2 billion. This October? A staggering $21.5 billion. Just one more piece of irrefutable proof of the enormous economic benefits from shale development…
Read More “Updated List of Shale-Related Infrastructure/Econ Projects in OH”
Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Research | Statewide OH | Wastewater

Ohio U Researcher Gets Extra $1.45M to Finalize Wastewater Tech
October 9, 2014October 9, 2014

An ongoing criticism of shale drilling is that the wastewater produced in the process–both the wastewater from fracking and then later, the naturally occurring water from the depths that comes out (called brine or produced water) needs to go someplace. Recycling it increasingly happens–but there’s still a lot that gets disposed of via injection wells. MDN recently told you about an incredible breakthrough technology that turns the nastiest frack wastewater into (yes) drinkable water in about a half hour (see Exclusive: Breakthrough Tech Cleans Frack Wastewater < 30 Minutes). Keystone Pure Water Tech, the company pioneering this new technology, is not the only company to work on cracking the recycle-it-at-the-well-pad technology. A researcher at Ohio University, Dr. Jason Trembly, has been working for two years on the same problem. He got an initial grant/investment of $2 million, and yesterday he got another $1.45 million to complete the project and get his technology released…
Read More “Ohio U Researcher Gets Extra $1.45M to Finalize Wastewater Tech”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Summit County | Wastewater

Anti-Drillers Protest 2 RINO Governors at Fundraiser in OH
October 7, 2014October 7, 2014

So two RINO governors walk into a fundraiser…. It may sound like the setup for a political joke, but there was no joking when Ohio Gov. John Kasich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie both attended the Summit County, OH GOP fundraising dinner on Sept. 29th. Protesters met the RINOs as they walked in–to complain about (yes) shale drilling and using fossil fuels. Agitated and backed by the odious Food & Water Watch, along with the Network for Oil and Gas Accountability and Protection (NEOGAP) and FaCT (Faith Communities Together for fracking awareness), the protesters on that day were specifically complaining about frack wastewater and Class II injection wells…
Read More “Anti-Drillers Protest 2 RINO Governors at Fundraiser in OH”
Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Harrison County | Industrywide Issues | Lease & Royalty Payments | Ohio | Pipelines

Harrison County Landowers Say Dominion Pipeline Offer is Too Low
October 6, 2014October 8, 2014

Dominion wants to widen an existing right-of-way to build a 16.5 mile natural gas pipeline in Harrison County, OH. But according to landowners under whose property the pipeline would sit, Dominion is low-balling them–offering, literally pennies on the dollar. How much is the offer, and what’s the going rate to lease land for a 36″ pipeline in that area of Ohio?…
Read More “Harrison County Landowers Say Dominion Pipeline Offer is Too Low”