In one of the best “round up” articles MDN has seen, journalist Bob Downing from the Akron Beacon Journal gives a rundown of who’s drilling where in Ohio’s Utica Shale. From the introduction of the article:
Read More “Who’s Drilling Where (and How Much) in Ohio’s Utica Shale”
With the rapid expansion of natural gas drilling in Ohio’s Utica Shale comes a need for water used in the hydraulic fracturing process. Each well drilled can use upward of five million gallons of water. Some it comes from recycled wastewater from other fracking operations, but there’s still an ongoing need for water.
Read More “OH Enviro Groups Warn Against Water Withdrawals for Fracking”
Williams announced yesterday that it will buy Caiman Energy subsidiary Caiman Eastern Midstream for $2.5 billion. Caiman Midstream has a major presence in the wet gas area of the Marcellus and Utica Shale play. The acquisition will give Williams a major pipeline gathering network in northern West Virginia, southwestern Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, along with two processing facilities and a fractionator. Williams says by 2020 the Caiman system will be gathering more than 2 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas along with 300,000 barrels per day of natural gas liquids and condensate.
In addition to the acquisition, the Caiman Energy parent company will partner with Williams in a new joint venture to further develop new midstream infrastructure in the Utica Shale. From the Williams press release:
Read More “Williams Buys Caiman Eastern Midstream for $2.5 Billion”
A helpful article in The Marietta Times helps Ohio landowners better understand the complicated issue of old mineral leases signed decades ago that may still be in force. Before landowners can sign a new lease, the old claims must be officially removed.
The article advises landowners to get a lawyer’s assistance. Leases are often reassigned to new companies–some leases have been reassigned more than a dozen times. In order to get a release, you must first track down the current company that holds the lease, and then get them to sign off.
Read More “Tips for Ohio Landowners with Old Mineral Leases”
The Ohio House of Representatives is telling Gov. John Kasich, in essence, “not so fast” with your severance-tax-increase-on-drillers-to-give-everyone-a-tax-cut plan.
Read More “Ohio House Tells Kasich “Not so Fast” with New Severance Tax”
As MDN reported last week, Ohio Gov. John Kasich introduced a shale gas and oil severance tax overhaul yesterday. The leaked details from last week were correct—but we now have the full proposal (embedded below). Gov. Kasich is tying a revamped severance tax to lowering income taxes for all Ohioans—by up to $1 billion over five years.
Read More “Ohio Proposal for Revamped Severance Tax, New Impact Fee”
Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed an executive order on Monday giving the Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of Industrial Compliance the sole authority to oversee construction of shale gas processing plants in the state.
Read More “OH Gov. Kasich Signs Exec Order on Shale Processing Plants”
Details of Gov. John Kasich’s plan to raise taxes on the nascent shale drilling industry in Ohio (see this MDN story) are starting to leak out. Gov. Kasich plans to unveil his plans officially next week, but here’s what we know so far:
Read More “Details on Ohio Gov. Kasich’s New Tax on Shale Drilling”
Ohio State Rep. Jay Goyal introduced legislation yesterday to tighten regulation of injection wells used for disposing Marcellus and Utica Shale wastewater. Key provisions of the bill include:
Read More “OH Bill Tightens Regulation of Wastewater Injection Wells”
The question of whether or not Ohio is ready for a drilling boom in the Utica Shale may be moot, since the boom has already started. But an official from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) says with new laws passed last year, and more laws set to be passed this year, Ohio is more than ready to handle a rapid expansion of Utica and Marcellus Shale drilling in the state.
Read More “Can Ohio Regulations Handle the Coming Shale Gas Boom?”
This one is sure to disappoint landowners. In an Obamaesque move, conservative Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich is set to propose a new tax on Utica and Marcellus shale gas drilling in order to reduce Ohio state income taxes.
Read More “OH Gov. Kasich to Introduce New Tax on Shale Gas Drilling”
Ohio Gov. John Kasich is planning to introduce new energy legislation in the next few weeks that will impact Utica and Marcellus Shale drilling in the state.
Read More “New Shale Gas Drilling Legislation Coming in Ohio”
The Ohio Shale Coalition released a new economic study yesterday prepared researchers from Cleveland State University, Ohio State University and Marietta College. The study projects annual production of oil and gas from the Utica Shale in the state will reach $9.6 billion by 2014 along with an eye-popping 65,000+ jobs. And those jobs will have an average salary of more than $50,000 per year, adding an additional $3.3 billion in labor income in the state. Both a high level overview and a copy of the full 81-page report are embedded below. (MDN is honored to have scored a few mentions in the “News Articles and Web Sources” section of the study.)
MDN particularly likes this graphic from page 39 showing net acreage leaseholds held by drilling companies:
Read More “New Study Predicts 65K Jobs in Ohio by 2014 from Utica Shale”
Dennis Heller is a small business owner—president and CEO of Stephenson Equipment in Harrisburg, PA. Stephenson Equipment employs 120 people selling and renting construction equipment and crane services, parts, and operator training at seven locations in Pennsylvania and New York. Heller recently testified at a U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee Energy & Mineral Resources Subcommittee field hearing in Steubenville, Ohio, on the impact of shale energy development and what it means for small businesses (a copy of his testimony is embedded below).
Read More “Congressional Hearing: Shale Energy a “Game Changer” for Small Biz”
Enterprise Products Partners recently announced a 1,230 mile ethane pipeline from Pennsylvania to the Gulf Coast (see this MDN story). Dubbed the ATEX Express (Appalachia to Texas), the proposed pipeline includes building 353 miles of new pipeline through Ohio. But the Ohio stretch of construction has hit a potential snag.
Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) officials say Enterprise must get their approval before building it, but Enterprise disputes the OPSB has the authority to oversee construction the ATEX Express in the state. The dispute hinges on whether the natural gas liquid ethane that will flow through the pipeline is a liquid or a gas. Ethane under pressure is a liquid, but when it hits the air, it turns into a gas.
Read More “ATEX Express Ethane Pipeline Hits Potential Snag in Ohio”
MDN speculated a few weeks ago that a proposed 240-mile pipeline Kinder Morgan planned to build from West Virginia to Toledo, OH was dead (see this MDN story). Kinder Morgan has now officially said just that:
Read More “Kinder Morgan Officially Cancels OH NGL Pipeline Project”