Chesapeake Appalachia’s trucks have been banned from four Pennsylvania state routes in Bradford and Sullivan Counties until they fix the roads they’ve damaged.
Read More “Chesapeake Trucks Temporarily Banned on Four State Roads in Northeast PA”
A few weeks ago U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), wrote to U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu to ask him to investigate two house explosions in Bradford Township, PA (see MDN’s story here). Casey said he strongly believed the cause of the explosions was from migrating methane gas (natural gas) from “extensive new deep drilling activities” in the area. That is, those nasty, filthy Marcellus drillers caused it. Don’t look now Mr. Casey, but….oops. You were wrong again. The real cause was abandoned gas wells drilled 100 years ago.
Marcellus drilling company Talisman Energy held an open house yesterday in LeRaysville (Bradford County), PA from 3 to 8 pm at the community hall, and it quickly became a packed house with more than 200 people attending to ask questions about Talisman’s plans for their area.
Read More “Talisman Energy to Drill 40-50 New Wells in Bradford County, PA”
U.S. Senator Bob Casey (Democrat, Pennsylvania), keeps wanting to get the feds involved in gas drilling in his state, and he looks for any excuse to do so. The latest excuse involves two house explosions in Bradford Township, PA, one on Dec. 12, the other on Feb. 28. Casey claims both explosions are due to natural gas drilling in the area, even though the state police fire marshal is still investigating and has not yet come to that conclusion.
In a letter to U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Sen. Casey pins the blame on migrating methane gas from nearby wells.
Read More “Sen. Bob Casey Wants Feds to Investigate PA House Explosions in Bradford Township”
Chesapeake Energy is one of the largest drillers for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale, period. And they are a big driller in Bradford and other counties in Northeastern PA. With so many wells being drilled in the area, roads have been damaged. Many of the roads are what Chesapeake refers to as “pie crust” roads – nothing more than 2 inches of asphalt laid on clay or dirt – the kind of roads that don’t hold up well to any kind of traffic. Chesapeake is not only repairing the damage, but in many cases making the roads better than they originally were:
In a story about how Armstrong County, PA has to keep the County Courthouse open late one night a week so researchers can review property records for potential Marcellus shale gas well development, we get some interesting numbers on recent drilling activity in PA:
One more economic benefit from Marcellus shale drilling in Pennsylvania: Shale cuttings, the bits of rock that are left over after drilling gas wells in the Marcellus Shale, are paying for new equipment and training for first responders in Bradford County, PA.
A critical component in the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) plan to study hydraulic fracturing is where they will conduct case studies. Starting on page 42 of the draft proposal, we find out.
There were 48 proposed locations suggested to the EPA, from which they will select between five and eight locations. We know five likely locations right now, and two of those are in the Marcellus Shale region—the other three are in other shale formations around the country.
Read More “Dimock, PA Among Likely Locations for EPA Study of Hydraulic Fracturing”
A nice series of photographs with commentary from David Murphy (The Oil Drum blog) who recently visited a Marcellus drilling site in Troy, PA: //www.theoildrum.com/node/6488.
Little, rural Bradford County located in northeastern Pennsylvania is seeing a boom in new jobs:
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry and the Center for Workforce Information and Analysis, Bradford County led the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in net job growth from March of 2009 to March 2010.
According to the Northern Tier Regional Planning & Development Commission (NTRPDC), the 2,000 jobs gained represented a 7.2 percent increase while most counties suffered losses in employment. Bradford County saw the unemployment rate drop from 10 percent a year ago to 7.4 percent now.*
And also this:
Tioga County [PA] gained 800 jobs, the third-best improvement of the Commonwealth’s 67 counties.*
How can that be? Simple: Both counties have very active Marcellus Shale drilling.
*Wyalusing Rocket-Courier (May 13) – Bradford County Leads Commonwealth in Job Growth
To it’s credit, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) has established a field office in Northeastern PA specifically to monitor compliance with Marcellus drillers in the Susquehanna River watershed. Too bad the Delaware River Basin Commission is not as industrious and sensitive to landowners’ rights as the SRBC (no drilling allowed in the Delaware River watershed for the foreseeable future).
From the SRBC press release:
HARRISBURG, Pa. – Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) today announced the start-up of its first-ever field office aimed exclusively at enhancing compliance through increased on-site inspections, particularly of natural gas well development projects in the Marcellus and Utica shale regions. The field office is located on 1760 Elmira Street, Sayre, Bradford County, Pennsylvania.
This location strategically places SRBC’s compliance staff in and around the most active drilling areas in the upper basin region. It also allows staff to follow up more quickly on problems and concerns reported by basin citizens in Pennsylvania and New York.
Prior to the Sayre field office, staff drove from SRBC’s headquarters in Harrisburg to inspect natural gas well development sites and to meet with citizens and industry officials.
“Having our compliance staff closer to project areas to conduct inspections and to the citizens affected by the boom in natural gas drilling is intended to enhance our effectiveness and day-today efficiency,” said SRBC Executive Director Paul Swartz.
“For each and every water withdrawal or water use project the Commission approves, there are many subsequent and ongoing compliance requirements we impose on project sponsors such as monitoring and reporting. Because we take very seriously our obligations to verifying compliance, the Commission took the extraordinary and historic step of establishing the Sayre field office.”
The Pennsylvania College of Technology (part of the Penn State University system) continues to innovate by offering training for those interested in jobs and careers in the gas drilling industry. This time, they’re offering courses to high schoolers:
The National Science Foundation has awarded a $294,689 grant to the Pennsylvania College of Technology to educate and train high school and college students for careers in the Marcellus Shale natural gas industry, according to officials from the college and a press release issued this week by U.S. Rep. Chris Carney’s office.
The college will use much of the money to develop and implement college-level courses that will be offered at high schools in Bradford, Sullivan and other counties to provide training that will be useful in jobs in the natural gas extraction industry, said Jenette Carter, Pennsylvania College of Technology’s director of outreach for K-12.
The high school courses will benefit students from 23 school districts in central and northern Pennsylvania…The high school courses for which college credit will be granted are technical or vo-tech courses in areas such as welding, electronics, diesel technology, heavy equipment operation and repair, forestry, and information technology (networking).*
*Towanda Daily Review (May 6) – High school courses that will lead to careers in gas industry being implemented locally
This bit of information about Chesapeake’s Marcellus Shale activities from a recent operational update:
With approximately 1.5 million net acres, Chesapeake is the largest leasehold owner in the Marcellus Shale play that spans from northern West Virginia across much of Pennsylvania into southern New York. On its Marcellus leasehold, Chesapeake estimates it has approximately 26 tcfe of risked unproved resources and 66 tcfe of unrisked unproved resources.
During the 2010 first quarter, Chesapeake’s average daily net production of 65 mmcfe in the Marcellus increased approximately 40% over the 2009 fourth quarter and approximately 815% over the 2009 first quarter. Chesapeake is currently producing approximately 100 mmcfe net per day from the Marcellus. Chesapeake is currently drilling with 24 operated rigs in the Marcellus and anticipates operating an average of approximately 31 rigs in 2010 to drill approximately 170 net wells. During the 2010 first quarter, approximately $90 million of Chesapeake’s drilling costs in the Marcellus were paid for by its joint venture partner Statoil. From April 2010 through 2012, 75% of Chesapeake’s drilling costs in the Marcellus, or approximately $1.9 billion, will be paid for by Statoil.
Three notable recent wells completed by Chesapeake in the Marcellus are as follows:
*Business Wire (May 3) – Chesapeake Energy Corporation Provides Quarterly Operational Update
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is not happy with what it says is lack of progress on the part of Cabot Oil & Gas in the remediation of methane contamination of water supplies in Dimock Township, PA. The DEP blames Cabot for the methane contamination. Cabot claims they really aren’t at fault and are being unfairly blamed for a naturally occurring phenomenon (migrating natural gas).*
Today’s consent order from the DEP stipulates that Cabot must:
In addition:
From the DEP press release:
Chesapeake Energy’s permit to use a PA State Route in Bradford County has been revoked—now a second time—by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT).
From the PennDOT press release:
HARRISBURG, Pa., April 15 — A road use permit issued to Chesapeake Energy Corporation for moving its drilling trucks and other equipment over State Route 1007 in Bradford County was revoked because of the company’s failure to deal with severe damage to the roadway, Transportation Secretary Allen D. Biehler, P.E., announced today.
Chesapeake was granted a permit to put heavy trucks and equipment on the road, known locally as Spring Hill Road in Tuscarora and Stevens townships. The road normally has a 10-ton weight restriction, and Chesapeake’s permit carried the understanding the company would be responsible for repairs.
“Chesapeake may not use this route until it makes the required repairs,” Biehler said. “We understand the importance of Marcellus Shale drilling to the region’s economy, but we will remain vigilant in requiring action to keep the roads safe and properly maintained for public use.”
PennDOT revoked the permit after Chesapeake failed to respond to two notices of unsafe conditions on the roadway. Under the terms of the permit, Chesapeake is to proactively monitor pavement conditions and immediately begin repairs as needed to keep the road safe.
On March 1, PennDOT revoked Chesapeake’s permit for State Route 1001 in Bradford County for the same reasons. The permit was restored after the road was closed for about one week and the company made the required repairs.
*PR Newswire (Apr 15) – PennDOT Revokes Road Use Permit for Chesapeake Energy Corporation on State Route 1007 in Bradford County Until Repairs Are Made
After getting turned down by the supervisors in Athens Township, PA, Somerset Regional Water Resources is now planning to build a Marcellus wastewater treatment plant in nearby Tuscarora Township. Both Athens and Tuscarora are located in Bradford County in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
A search of DEP permit applications confirms that Somerset has applied for a permit to use the former Cornell Manufacturing building (more recently Pendu Manufacturing) just off Route 6 in Tuscarora Township at the intersection of Township Roads 524 and 494. The new name for the facility, as stated in the permit application, is the Tuscarora Township Wastewater Treatment Facility. It is actually in the first phase of the permitting process, having completed the preliminary administrative review and now into what is known as the technical review.*
Supervisors in Tuscarora have not yet been approached by Somerset to officially request permission to proceed, a step that will have to come soon in the process. If the supervisors approve the facility, it will also require approval from the PA State Department of Environmental Protection, which is estimated to take between 12-18 months.
If all goes according to plan, the facility will employ about 40 people. It is projected there will be about 180 truck trips in and out of the facility per day once it’s operational.
*Wyalusing Rocket-Courier (Apr 1) – Gas Well Water Treatment Plant Proposed at Former Cornell Plant in Tuscarora Township