Statewide OH

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    Wave of New Fracking About to Hit the Marcellus/Utica

    Based on a recent uptick in new permits issued in PA, OH and WV, a writer for the Daily Caller says “a wave of new fracking is about to hit Appalachia.” We agree! Recent trends all point to an increase in drilling–which is good for landowners, jobs, taxes and the environment (more gas lowers CO2 emissions, if you believe in man-made global warming). Here’s a startling statistic: Fracking is estimated to have generated 4.6 million new jobs and $3.5 trillion in new wealth–in just three years (see today’s companion story). Surf’s up! Here’s the evidence that a new “wave” of fracking is on the way in our neighborhood…
    Read More “Wave of New Fracking About to Hit the Marcellus/Utica”

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    Cool Tool Shows Where Working Rigs are Located in M-U

    The GoMarcellusShale Forum where landowners and others interested in shale drilling hang out and swap messages back and forth was recently updated to become ShaleForum.com. It’s an excellent site with lots of great chatter going on for those with an interest in shale-related matters, including a very active Marcellus/Utica discussion. One of those discussions recently caught our eye. A poster on ShaleForum provided a link to an interactive map application hosted by Baker Hughes. We had not previously seen the app and found it to be very useful. The app shows where all of the active rigs currently drilling are located–across the entire country. You can filter the app to show only states or regions you are interested in. We played with it a bit to show you maps for PA, WV and OH where shale rigs are currently located…
    Read More “Cool Tool Shows Where Working Rigs are Located in M-U”

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    OH Wayne National Forest – List of Auction Winners

    As we previously noted, last week the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proceeded with an online auction for BLM-controlled land in Ohio’s Wayne National Forest (see BLM Auction Leases 17 Parcels, 719 Acres in OH Wayne Natl Forest). The BLM plan was to auction 33 parcels totaling 1,600 acres. As it turns out, only 17 parcels totaling 719 acres actually got auctioned. At the last minute the BLM withdrew 881 acres (16 parcels) because there are remaining issues with ownership title of the mineral rights. Who purchased and how much? Just four drillers won the bids, which totaled $1.7 million. Three of the four have active drilling programs in the Utica Shale. Here is who won, and how much they paid (by parcel)…
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    BLM Auction Leases 17 Parcels, 719 Acres in OH Wayne Natl Forest

    As we mentioned in a story yesterday, the Bureau of Land Management proceeded with an online auction for BLM-controlled land in Ohio’s Wayne National Forest (see 10-Yr Wait is Over, BLM Auctions Wayne Natl Forest Leases Today). The BLM plan was to auction 33 parcels totaling 1,600 acres. As it turns out, only 17 parcels totally 719 acres actually got auctioned. At the last minute the BLM withdrew 881 acres (16 parcels) because there are remaining issues with ownership title of the mineral rights. Those other parcels may later be offered via auction, if they get everything squared away. The 719 acres was all leased by noon and brought bids ranging from $2,000 to $5,000 per acre. Let the fracking begin!…
    Read More “BLM Auction Leases 17 Parcels, 719 Acres in OH Wayne Natl Forest”

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    Reversed REX Pipeline Goes from 1.8 Bcf to 2.0 Bcf

    The Rockies Express Pipeline (REX), originally built from Colorado and Wyoming to Monroe County, OH to bring natural gas from west to east, last year reversed the flow for a large and important section of the pipeline. On August 1, 2015 the section of REX from Monroe County, OH to Mexico, MO reversed the flow and began to carry 1.8 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of Utica and Marcellus Shale gas to the Midwest, including to the greater Chicago area. REX has been hard at work on plans to expand capacity even more by beefing up compressor stations along portions of the pipeline. REX filed a plan with FERC to add another 800 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of capacity along the same portion of the reversed pipeline. In late November, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) gave REX the go-ahead to start additional compressors added at three locations along the route (see REX Pipe Begins Flowing Extra 800 MMcf/d Marcellus/Utica Gas West). NGI is reporting that the first 200 MMcf of the additional 800 MMcf is now flowing along the pipeline…
    Read More “Reversed REX Pipeline Goes from 1.8 Bcf to 2.0 Bcf”

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    Ohio Wants to “Clawback” $300K Grant to TX-based Exterran Energy

    Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Exterran Corporation (with 5,400 employees) specializes in natural gas compression production equipment and processing facilities. They design, build and operate compressor stations and natural gas processing plants. In 2012 MDN reported on a contract Exterran won to build three natural gas processing plants in West Virginia (see Exterran Wins Contract to Build 3 WV NatGas Processing Plants). The company is also active in other Marcellus/Utica states, including Ohio. In 2013 the company opened a plant to build compressor stations in an industrial park near Youngstown, OH. The state gave the company a $300,000 grant in return for promises to create 103 jobs over a seven year period. Exterran came close for the first couple of years, but then the crash in prices hit and along with it, work dried up. The plant closed in March. Now the state wants “all or part of” the $300,000 grant back (called a “clawback”), because Exterran didn’t fulfill their end of the bargain. Exterran says the plant closure is “temporary,” implying they will be back…
    Read More “Ohio Wants to “Clawback” $300K Grant to TX-based Exterran Energy”

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    10-Yr Wait is Over, BLM Auctions Wayne Natl Forest Leases Today

    As MDN alerted you in October, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced they would auction 33 parcels in Ohio’s Wayne National Forest (WNF) to allow shale fracking (see BLM Launches Auction to Lease Wayne National Forest for Fracking). The parcels add up to just 1,600 acres, but hey, it’s a start. As we said at the time, “WNF is a ‘patchwork’ of public land scattered among private land. Some 60% of the mineral rights below WNF are privately owned. Those mineral rights owners have been denied the use of their property rights for a decade.” An anti-fossil fuel nutter stopped by and left a somewhat profane comment on that post (since deleted) opining that private landowners in WNF could have allowed drilling at any time–that we don’t know we’re talking about. But the obtuse commenter either doesn’t understand, or intentionally overlooks, the fact that without these little parcels of federal land–which have been off limits for the past 10 years–drillers cannot form large enough units on which to drill in WNF. Without the federal land getting leased, private land can’t drill either. Today is the day that the BLM conducts its first WNF auction. Fortunately the auction is online, so we won’t have to endure the typical freak show by anti-fossil fuelers so often associated with these events…
    Read More “10-Yr Wait is Over, BLM Auctions Wayne Natl Forest Leases Today”

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    Rocket Ride Continues for OH Utica NatGas Production in 3Q16

    The Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) has just issued production numbers for the third quarter of 2016. Compared with third quarter 2015, production numbers in 3Q16 continued to be a mixed bag, as was the case in 2Q16 (see Ohio 2Q16 Utica Production – Who Produced O&G Where & How Much). Oil production in 3Q16 dropped by 34% over a year earlier and down 18% from 2Q16–that’s the bad news. But natural gas production from shale continues to be a rocket ship. Natgas production is up 45% year over year. In 2Q16 natgas production was up 51% y/y–so the trend continues. Ascent Resources (formerly Aubrey McClendon’s American Energy) dethroned last quarter’s CNX Gas as 3Q16’s top producing gas well, yielding nearly 1.6 billion cubic feet for the quarter. Also interesting to note, last quarter’s CNX well is located in Monroe County–this quarter’s Ascent winning well is located in Belmont County. Eclipse Resources once again had the #1 producing oil well in Guernsey County, the monster Purple Hayes, which produced an astonishing 74,954 barrels of oil in 3Q16, after producing 71,072 barrels of oil in 2Q16 (#1 well in 2Q16). What a great well! Below we have the ODNR’s high level overview of the numbers, along with MDN’s own exclusive analysis showing: the top 25 producing gas wells, the top 25 producing oil wells, and then the top 25 gas and oil wells as ranked by average production per day. There is a difference!…
    Read More “Rocket Ride Continues for OH Utica NatGas Production in 3Q16”

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    Paid Dakota Protesters Begin Siege of Ohio’s Wayne National Forest

    It’s happened, just as we predicted. Paid, out-of-state protesters have arrived in Ohio, as they did in North Dakota, with the intent to block plans to begin fracking on land in Wayne National Forest. The Bureau of Land Management will conduct an auction tomorrow for 1,600 acres of land in WNF (see BLM Launches Auction to Lease Wayne National Forest for Fracking). The protesters in Ohio come from the same source that backed the criminals who have invaded North Dakota (see Police Remove Pipeline Protesting THUGS from Private Land in ND). They pretend to fly under the banner of Native Americans–but it’s nothing of the sort. These are paid protesters, backed with money from Big Green organizations, attempting to gin up support to block all fossil fuel development across the country. Right now there’s only a handful, according to their own press release. It’s important to stop this cancer now, before it grows in Ohio has it has in North Dakota…
    Read More “Paid Dakota Protesters Begin Siege of Ohio’s Wayne National Forest”

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    80% of PA, OH, VA Voters Support More Pipelines & Power Lines

    The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) recently commissioned a survey of residents in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia–so-called “battleground” states that can swing either Democrat or Republican come election-time. The survey found that an average of 80% of the respondents support energy infrastructure spending, by both government and private companies. Which is remarkable. When was the last time you heard of 80% of the American electorate agreeing on anything? This survey takes the wind out of the sails of the “keep it in the ground” movement of fossil fuel haters, like those opposing pipeline projects like NEXUS, Rover, PennEast, Atlantic Coast, Atlantic Sunrise, Mountain Valley, et cetera et cetera. Here’s the results of the NAM survey…
    Read More “80% of PA, OH, VA Voters Support More Pipelines & Power Lines”

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    Baker Hughes Nov US Rig Count Up by 36; M-U Count Up 4

    The worldwide Baker Hughes rig count was up by 5 in November, from 920 in October to 925 in November. That reverses a brief slide back in October when rigs worldwide slide back by 14. However, the rig count in the U.S. went up for the fifth month in a row. The average U.S. rig count for November was 580, up 36 from the 544 counted in October. That’s a two month increase of 71! The Marcellus/Utica rig count was up for the fourth month running. In November the M/U rig count went up by 4 (second month in a row it’s gone up 4) with 2 additions in PA (now 27 rigs) and 2 in OH (now 16 rigs). WV stayed even running with an average of 10 rigs…
    Read More “Baker Hughes Nov US Rig Count Up by 36; M-U Count Up 4”

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    Gov Kasich Appointment to PUCO Steps Down After Senate Rejection

    howard-petricoff
    Howard Petricoff

    In June of this year, Ohio Gov. John Kasich (a Republican) appointed veteran energy industry lawyer Howard Petricoff (a Democrat) to the Public Utility Commission of Ohio (PUCO). Petricoff was the retired head of the energy practice at Vorys, the largest law firm in Columbus, OH. He is the only Democrat of the 5-member PUCO, a move heralded as “bi-partisan.” However, it didn’t take long for OH Senate Republicans to pitch some stones Petricoff’s way, questioning whether he could truly be effective given “conflicts of interest” in representing certain clients in the past with cases that are before the Commission, and also alleging “past activism.” We’re not sure exactly what kind of activism was alleged, but last Thursday the Republicans on the Senate Public Utilities Committee passed a resolution recommending the full Senate reject Petricoff. Without their support, his permanent appointment is dead. So Petricoff resigned and is now gone…
    Read More “Gov Kasich Appointment to PUCO Steps Down After Senate Rejection”

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    FERC Approves NEXUS Pipeline, Project on Track for 2017

    approvedAs MDN predicted, yesterday the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the NEXUS Pipeline project (see FERC Expected to Approve NEXUS Today; Surveyors have Armed Guards). More precisely, FERC issued a positive Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). These projects are complex and the final Certificate is yet to be granted that allows Spectra Energy to begin digging–but that Certificate is now just a formality. The big nut to crack was the FEIS. With that now granted (executive summary of FEIS below), the final Certificate is on track to be issued in the first quarter of 2017. That is, NEXUS is on track, on time, and WILL get built despite the objections of anti-fossil fuelers. The NEXUS Pipeline is a $2 billion, 255-mile interstate pipeline that will run from Ohio through Michigan and eventually to the Dawn Hub in Ontario, Canada. It is a critically needed pipeline to move Utica and Marcellus Shale gas from an over-saturated market in the northeast to markets in the Midwest and Canada. But FERC’s approval is not only great news for Marcellus and Utica Shale drillers, it’s also great news for Ohioans as there are numerous taps along the proposed route that will deliver plenty of cheap Utica gas to Ohio residents and businesses. And lest you believe the anti lie that FERC is nothing more than a rubber stamp for the pipeline industry, there are some 38 mitigation projects NEXUS will have to make when building the pipeline–projects that will come at great expense. FERC does it job and does it well, balancing the need for more energy with the impacts that infrastructure will have on landowners and the environment. Here’s the great news, along with some of the reaction…
    Read More “FERC Approves NEXUS Pipeline, Project on Track for 2017”

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    Anti-Drillers Lose 2-Yr Case Against Muskingum Watershed District

    Gavel-falling.jpgFor several years MDN has tracked and reported on a lawsuit brought against the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) by an anti-drilling couple in Guernsey County, OH–Leatra Harper and her husband Steven Janstro (backed by the odious Food & Water Watch). At last check in April 2014, the couple had won the right to continue on with the lawsuit (see Anti-Drillers Win Minor Victory Against Muskingum Watershed Dist). Their aim was to prove the MWCD had violated the original deed to the property by allowing drilling–that by allowing shale drilling on MWCD-owned land, it frustrates the original purpose of the land as stated in the deed, which is to use the land for “recreation, conservation, or reservoir-development purposes.” The case made it all the way to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Last week the Sixth Circuit dismissed the case. The anti-drillers have lost…
    Read More “Anti-Drillers Lose 2-Yr Case Against Muskingum Watershed District”

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    OSU’s Helpful Tips for Negotiating a Pipeline Contract

    helpful-tipsPipelines have been, and continue to be, a big deal throughout the Marcellus and Utica region. Landowners who are approached about placing a pipeline through their property should (1) never sign the standard contract presented, and (2) never sign anything without first running it by a lawyer. Beyond that, what else should landowners think about/do when negotiating a pipeline easement? Clif Little from the Ohio State University Extension gives us some helpful tips…
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    FERC Expected to Approve NEXUS Today; Surveyors have Armed Guards

    NEXUS map
    Click for larger version

    Word on the street is that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) will announce a decision today to approve the NEXUS Pipeline–a $2 billion, 255-mile interstate pipeline that will run from Ohio through Michigan and eventually to the Dawn Hub in Ontario, Canada. It is a critically needed pipeline to move Utica and Marcellus Shale gas from an over-saturated market in the northeast to markets in the Midwest and Canada. If the decision doesn’t come today, it will come very soon. As MDN reported yesterday, the small city of Green, OH (population 26,000) has put NEXUS on notice that if its surveyors show up and landowners refuse access, those surveyors will be arrested if they “trespass” on the landowner’s property (see Green, OH Threatens NEXUS Surveyors with Arrest for Trespassing). Other news agencies are reporting that surveyors are about to show up with armed guards. Into this mess may come an approval for the project. If NEXUS gets approved, it will have the right to use federal eminent domain laws to build the pipeline, regardless of landowner desires. Does eminent domain also include surveying? One would think so since surveying is part of the construction process. Green’s bluster may amount to nothing if the project receives a final approval today. Below are several stories about surveying for NEXUS, as well as a look at the FERC commissioners who will make the final decision on NEXUS…
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