Ohio

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Public Opinion | Statewide OH

Poll: 63% of Ohioans Have Heard Little/Nothing on Fracking
August 1, 2012August 1, 2012

A new poll by University of Cincinnati researchers for the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati asked 834 randomly selected Ohioans their opinions about fracking. A copy of the poll results is embedded below.

Perhaps most surprising is that a combined 63% of Ohioans claim they have heard little or nothing about hydraulic fracturing. Asked about whether or not they believe fracking poses a threat to health, respondents were evenly divided.

Read More “Poll: 63% of Ohioans Have Heard Little/Nothing on Fracking”
Belmont County | Carroll County | Guernsey County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Jefferson County (OH) | Mahoning County | Noble County | Ohio | Utica Shale | Wayne County (OH)

The Permits Keep Coming for New OH Utica Shale Wells
July 31, 2012July 31, 2012

According to the Daily Jeffersonian, Ohio’s Utica Shale drilling shows no signs of diminishing based on the number of new permits issued for horizontal wells in June:

Read More “The Permits Keep Coming for New OH Utica Shale Wells”
Encore Energy | Energy Companies | Ohio | Statewide OH | Utica Shale

Encore Energy Shopping 175K Utica Shale Acres in OH
July 31, 2012July 31, 2012

Encore Energy, a drilling company formed just last year and headquartered in Bowling Green, Kentucky, is acting as a leasing agent and shopping 175,000 Utica Shale acres in Ohio to larger drillers, trying to catch their interest in drilling for wet gas and oil.

Encore issued the following press release yesterday:

Read More “Encore Energy Shopping 175K Utica Shale Acres in OH”
Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Forced Pooling | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Portage County | Stark County

Chesapeake Forces Landowners in OH to Allow Fracking
July 30, 2012July 30, 2012

MDN has written a number of times on the issue of “forced pooling,” which is the concept that a property owner can be forced to allow fracking under their land if a majority of their neighbors have signed leases and a driller wants to drill in a “unit” (usually one square mile or 640 acres) where the reticent landowner owns property.

If there’s a single landowner, or a few landowners in the middle of the unit with a small number of acres who doesn’t want drilling, it can scuttle the deal for neighboring landowners. Most states, including Ohio, have a forced pooling provision. In Ohio it’s called “unitization.” No matter what you call it, MDN (in a departure with industry), believes it’s just plain wrong.

Read More “Chesapeake Forces Landowners in OH to Allow Fracking”
Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Lease & Royalty Payments | Mahoning County | Ohio | Trumbull County

Chesapeake Transfers more than 14K Leases in 2 Ohio Counties
July 30, 2012July 30, 2012

An excellent story in today’s Youngstown (OH) Business Journal covers the massive number of lease transfers taking place in Ohio—specifically in Trumbull and Mahoning counties. At the end of June, both counties received an order to transfer more than 7,000 existing oil and gas leases to a single lease for Chesapeake Energy—and that’s in each county!

Read More “Chesapeake Transfers more than 14K Leases in 2 Ohio Counties”
Industrywide Issues | NGLs | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Statewide OH | Statewide PA

The Shift from Dry to Wet Gas Continues
July 30, 2012July 30, 2012

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a story in today’s edition on the recurring theme that dry gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale is slowing down in Pennsylvania and is shifting to wet gas drilling in the Utica Shale in eastern Ohio and southwestern PA.

Read More “The Shift from Dry to Wet Gas Continues”
Industrywide Issues | Lease & Royalty Payments | Ohio | Regulation | Statewide OH

OH Dem Mark Okey Introduces Bait-and-Switch Bill on Leasing
July 27, 2012July 27, 2012

Ohio State Rep. Mark Okey (Democrat) recently introduced a House Bill 493, which he calls the “Truth in Leasing Act.” It supposedly goes after “big oil and gas” and their “predatory” leasing practices. But when you read the bill, a fair amount of it has nothing to do with leases but instead creates new drilling rules (a copy of the bill is embedded below—you read it and see what you think).

In typical Democrat/Marxist fashion, Okey rails against “big oil” in his statement about the new legislation:

Read More “OH Dem Mark Okey Introduces Bait-and-Switch Bill on Leasing”
Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Harrison County | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio | Pipelines

Union Protests Dominion Pipeline Work in Eastern Ohio
July 26, 2012July 26, 2012

The Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) is complaining that Dominion East Ohio is building a pipeline in Harrison County, Ohio using workers from West Virginia (two counties away).

Union members protested on Tuesday at a Dominion pipeline construction site in Stock Township. It wasn’t their first protest against “out of state workers.”

Read More “Union Protests Dominion Pipeline Work in Eastern Ohio”
Carroll County | Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Ohio | Pipelines

OH Landowner Loses in Court, Chesapeake Builds Pipeline
July 25, 2012July 25, 2012

A landowner in Carroll County, OH who had sued to stop Chesapeake Energy from installing a pipeline to a well on his property lost the court battle last Friday. Joseph Coniglio had leased his land for drilling to Anschutz, which later assigned the lease to Chesapeake, but he had not signed an agreement for pipelines to be built connecting to wells drilled on his property. Coniglio says the lease specifically prohibits pipelines without a special agreement. Landowners often will receive extra compensation for any pipelines installed to a well, and Coniglio wanted to do a deal with Chesapeake for the well on his property.

Chesapeake says the original agreement allows them to hook up the well to a pipeline. Coniglio went to court earlier in July and won a restraining order. A judge overturned it on Friday and the pipeline is now almost complete.

Read More “OH Landowner Loses in Court, Chesapeake Builds Pipeline”
Coshocton County | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Seismic Testing

Ultrasonic Trucks Map Underground in Coshocton County, OH
July 25, 2012July 25, 2012

Drilling companies like to know, as much as possible, where they stand the best chance of drilling. Horizontal hydraulic fracturing means every hole drilled is much more likely to produce gas (and oil) than a conventional vertical hole, but it’s still no guarantee. Not every hole produces. So to help eliminate as much guesswork as possible, drillers often purchase seismic test data.

Big trucks roll along roadways with large vibrators that emit ultrasonic waves into the ground (or in some cases “thump” the ground) and then record the echoes to draw a picture of the underground rock structure. Ever wonder what it looks like? Just watch the video below of ultrasonic trucks doing their work in Coshocton County, Ohio.

Read More “Ultrasonic Trucks Map Underground in Coshocton County, OH”
Industrywide Issues | Mahoning County | Ohio | Regulation

‘Home Rule’ Taking Root in NY, PA and now in OH Too
July 24, 2012July 23, 2012

The so-called “home rule” movement grants power to local town boards to ban hydraulic fracturing either by enacting laws or by the use of zoning. Two court cases challenging home rule in New York are winding their way through the system now. Home rule is also a controversy in Pennsylvania with seven townships taking the state to court over the new Act 13 provision that strips away most of their zoning rights when it comes to oil and gas drilling in favor of state zoning rules.

Home rule is now alive in Ohio too—in Beaver Township (Mahoning County). A group of Beaver Township residents are collecting signatures for a November ballot that would make Beaver a “home rule” township. And in so doing, would grant them the power to shut down drilling.

Read More “‘Home Rule’ Taking Root in NY, PA and now in OH Too”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Statewide OH | Statewide PA

US Chamber Launches PR Initiative to Support Shale Drilling
July 20, 2012July 20, 2012

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce this week launched a major new initiative—a public relations campaign—to support shale gas drilling, particularly in the Utica and Marcellus Shale. The Chamber rolled out their “Shale Works for US” campaign on Tuesday in Ohio, and yesterday (Thursday) in Pennsylvania. According to the press release (see below), the campaign’s purpose is to “build support for the vast economic and energy security benefits of natural gas and oil produced from shale.” The chief driver of the new PR effort is the Chamber’s Institute for 21st Century Energy—the energy policy “arm” of the Chamber.

The Chamber is touting the massive number of jobs being created by the shale energy industry—rightfully so. The real shame? That such an effort is even needed. It should be obvious shale jobs are good jobs and the shale drilling industry a good industry. It’s sad but true that organizations like the Chamber have to spend massive amounts of money to counter the constant drumbeat of mainstream media against clean and safe natural gas. Go figure.

Read More “US Chamber Launches PR Initiative to Support Shale Drilling”
Ohio | Richland County | Utica Shale

OPC Says Utica Shale Drilling Coming to Richland County, OH
July 20, 2012July 20, 2012

The director of the Ohio Petroleum Council, Terry Flemming, says shale drilling will come to Richland County, OH sometime in the next several years.

Read More “OPC Says Utica Shale Drilling Coming to Richland County, OH”
Economic Impact | Energy Services | GE Oil & Gas | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio | Stark County

How Many GE Employees will Come to Canton, OH?
July 19, 2012July 19, 2012

Although Chesapeake is leaving town, moving the majority of its 200 employees who work in offices in Canton to a new facility they’re building 7 miles away in Louisville (see this MDN story), it’s not all bad news for Canton.

GE will build a new facility in Canton where some 30 new jobs will be created to manage GE’s area Marcellus and Utica Shale operations. But it’s going to cost Canton up to $84,000 per year for five years to seal the deal.

Read More “How Many GE Employees will Come to Canton, OH?”
Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio | Stark County

How Many Chesapeake Employees will Stay in Canton, OH?
July 19, 2012July 19, 2012

Earlier this week, MDN highlighted the announcement that Chesapeake Energy has chosen Louisville, Ohio to build a new field office (think regional headquarters) on a 291-acre site in the Beck Industrial Commerce Center (see this MDN story).

Chesapeake currently has employees working out of several offices in the City of Canton (which is about 7 miles from Louisville). They also have employees in other offices in the surrounding region—approximately 400 workers total. About half of them (~200) work in offices in Canton. Canton city officials worked hard to get Chesapeake to build their regional HQ there, but in the end, Canton didn’t have a spot large enough for the consolidated operation.

Read More “How Many Chesapeake Employees will Stay in Canton, OH?”
Energy Companies | Hess | Jefferson County (OH) | Ohio | Utica Shale

Hess’ Utica Plans: Operate 3 Rigs, Complete 10 Wells in 2012
July 19, 2012July 19, 2012

Hess will open its Steubenville, Ohio field office next week, a million dollar investment. The grand opening will be a low-key affair with a few area politicians and invited guests. Hess likes to avoid publicity.

Hess Operations Manager Joaquin Martinez, speaking at Tuesday’s Partners in Progress meeting in Steubenville about the grand opening, said that Hess has already spent $1.2 billion on the Utica Shale—$770 million to acquire Marquette Exploration, and $500 million on a joint venture with Consol Energy. He also had this to say about their short-term Utica Shale drilling plans:

Read More “Hess’ Utica Plans: Operate 3 Rigs, Complete 10 Wells in 2012”