Luzerne County

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Lackawanna County | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA | Taxation

Unproductive PA Wells Still Liable for Partial Impact Fee
May 7, 2012May 7, 2012

The price for drilling a Marcellus Shale gas well in Pennsylvania that “misses” and is not economically viable may have just gotten a lot steeper. It looks like the state Public Utility Commission (PUC), charged with collecting and distributing the new impact fee under Act 13, is going to levy the fee on exploratory wells that end up not being productive and plugged.

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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Lackawanna County | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | UGI Energy Services

Marcellus Shale Gas Coming to Scranton/W-B Customers
May 4, 2012May 4, 2012

UGI Utilities, a regional gas and electric utility provider with offices in Reading and Wilkes-Barre, wants to be the first utility in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area to offer their customers natural gas exclusively from the Marcellus Shale. How? UGI’s subsidiary, UGI Energy Services, announced last fall they would spend $150 million to extend the Auburn Gathering Line into Luzerne County. The Auburn pipeline will bring natural gas from wells in Wyoming and Susquehanna counties to Luzerne where UGI has operations and offices.

As part of the extension project, on April 7 UGI made application with the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to build a compressor station in West Wyoming, a small borough in Luzerne County:

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Bradford County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Luzerne County | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County | Tioga County (PA)

SRBC Lifts PA Water Withdrawal Restrictions, Drilling Resumes
May 1, 2012May 1, 2012

There is no official notice posted on the Susquehanna River Basin Commission’s (SRBC) website, but according to a Reuters news story, the SRBC has lifted its temporary ban on water withdrawals implemented two weeks ago on April 18. Hydraulic fracturing uses a lot of water. Drillers get the water from various sources, most often rivers and streams. If that river or stream happens to be located in the Susquehanna River Basin, withdrawals are overseen by the SRBC, which ensures water levels do not get too low.

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Carrizo Oil & Gas | Columbia County | Encana Energy | EXCO Resources | Lackawanna County | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania | WPX Energy

The Marcellus “Line of Death” in NE PA
April 30, 2012April 30, 2012

Terry Engelder, Penn State geosciences professor and “father of the Marcellus Shale” once coined the term “line of death” for the point where shale stops being productive. He was specifically talking about the coal region in Pennsylvania where once-upon-many-millennia-ago high temperatures that hardened the anthracite coal also “cooked out” methane natural gas from the shale. Geologists and gas companies know the area around the Lackawanna Syncline—a banana-shaped formation that runs through Luzerne and Lackawanna counties—is likely to be devoid of methane, but what they don’t how is how far from the Syncline the line of death will be found.

We now have another plugged well that helps indicate where shale is unproductive—this one in Sugarloaf Township in neighboring Columbia County:

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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania

Two PA Construction Companies Double in Size from Marcellus Work
March 29, 2012March 29, 2012

The Wilkes-Barre newspaper The Citizens’ Voice has an inspirational article in today’s edition about women working in jobs operating heavy equipment—not something you hear about often. As part of the story, we learn about the enormous impact Marcellus Shale drilling has had in the northeast Pennsylvania area on business in general, and on two construction-related businesses in particular:

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Industrywide Issues | Lackawanna County | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County | Taxation | Wayne County | Wyoming County (PA)

How Much Revenue will NE PA Counties Get from Impact Fee?
February 13, 2012February 13, 2012

Pennsylvania’s northeastern counties stand to bring in millions of new revenue this year under the impact fee that Gov. Corbett is soon due to sign. Once the legislation is signed, county governments will have 60 days to decide whether or not to adopt an ordinance adopting the new fee structure, along with the restrictions it imposes on a county’s ability to regulate drilling via zoning (see this MDN story). Each county is allowed to keep 60 percent of the total impact fee collected. The other 40 percent? That goes to the state. The 40 percent is the “spread the wealth around” compromise lawmakers needed to strike in order to pass the legislation.

Here’s a rundown on how much in new revenue northeastern PA counties stand to collect in direct fees, the 60 percent portion:

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Industrywide Issues | Luzerne County | NG Vehicles | Pennsylvania

PA Town Buys NG-Powered Recycling Truck, Will Save $8K/Year
January 23, 2012January 23, 2012

Plains Township, located near Wilkes-Barre in Luzerne County, PA, has just become the first municipality in northeastern PA to purchase a recycling truck powered by Marcellus Shale natural gas. Plains has also installed a new natural gas filling station at the town garage.

Is there a natural gas-powered vehicle in your town’s future? With natural gas at $1.50 per gallon vs. diesel fuel at $4 per gallon, just maybe.

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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Susquehanna County | Williams | Wyoming County (PA)

Williams Springville Gathering Pipeline Goes Operational
January 20, 2012January 20, 2012

The Williams Springville natural gas gathering pipeline in Susquehanna County, PA has just gone operational. From a Williams press release issued yesterday:

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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Lackawanna County | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania

Passenger Increase at WB/Scranton Airport from Gas Drilling
January 20, 2012January 20, 2012

There are many positive economic effects from shale gas drilling on nearby communities. Hotels and motels are some of the first to feel the effects, and restaurants. Grocery stores see an increase, as well as stores that sell clothes and shoes and other supplies. Short-line railroads also see a pickup in business from hauling materials, especially sand.

You can also add airports to the list of those organization that see a positive impact from shale gas drilling. The latest example: the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport has seen an uptick in passengers in the past year, due to Marcellus Shale gas drilling.

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Luzerne County | Pennsylvania

Anti-Drilling Protestors Want SRBC Meeting Do-Over
December 23, 2011December 23, 2011

Anti-drilling protestors, who often behave badly at public meetings by booing and shouting down those who attempt to speak in support of drilling, did just that at a recent meeting of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission held in Wilkes-Barre. Their temper tantrums caused the hearing to be rushed and ended early, and now they want a do-over.

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Industrywide Issues | Luzerne County | NG Vehicles | Pennsylvania

NE PA County Changing Public Transport Vans to CNG
December 5, 2011December 5, 2011

The Luzerne County Transportation Authority in northeastern PA needs to replace some 60 vans they use to provide transportation for the elderly, children and special-needs persons. After researching it, the County has decided that compressed natural gas (CNG) powered vans are the best choice, due in part to low natural gas prices from an abundance of Marcellus Shale gas in PA.

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Centre County | Industrywide Issues | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania | Public Opinion | Statewide PA | Susquehanna County | Wyoming County (PA)

Energy Companies Big Help with Flood Relief in PA
October 7, 2011October 7, 2011

Central and northwest Pennsylvania saw record-breaking amounts of rainfall from Tropical Storm Lee, and massive flooding along with it. It brought devastation to a wide area of Pennsylvania. Although some accuse the Marcellus drilling industry of only being in it for the buck, a number of drillers stepped up to the plate to help with flood relief.

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Chief Gathering | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania

Chief Gathering Counter-Sues 3 Families in Luzerne County, PA
September 23, 2011September 23, 2011

In a country with a proud tradition of free speech and open dissent, there is a line that can be crossed. That line is called libel and slander, and it’s always been a gray area, most often determined by the courts. We have a new case for the courts to decide related to the Marcellus drilling industry in Luzerne County, PA.

But this is not solely a case of slander. The people accused of slandering pipeline company Chief Gathering first filed a lawsuit themselves in an attempt to use the courts to stop the pipeline. So Chief is fighting back with their own lawsuit seeking to a) have the original lawsuit filed against the pipeline overturned, and b) seeking damages for the (according to Chief) slanderous remarks of the people and their attorney. Chief says their reputation in the community has been wrongly damaged.

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Chief Gathering | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania | Pipelines

Dallas Twp, PA Approves Natural Gas Pipeline Near School
September 15, 2011September 15, 2011

On Wednesday, Dallas Township (Luzerne County), PA supervisors voted unanimously to approve an agreement with Chief Gathering to run a natural gas pipeline within a third of a mile of the Dallas district schools and through a local housing development. Some of the residents who attended the meeting strongly objected to the vote, accusing the supervisors of approving an agreement not available for review by residents and accusing Chief and other drilling industry companies of “monster arrogance.”

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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Susquehanna County | Williams | Wyoming County (PA)

Williams’ Pipeline Project in Northeast PA Hits Opposition
August 15, 2011August 15, 2011

Williams is attempting to complete a pipeline that will at one end join to the Transco interstate gas pipeline in Dallas Township, PA, and at the other end join to the Tennesee Gas Pipeline near Springville (in Susquehanna County), PA. But local opposition from Dallas Township residents to the pipeline means Williams’ target completion date of October may be delayed.

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Industrywide Issues | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania | Regulation

Kingston Township, PA Passes New Ordinance Regulating Marcellus Gas Drilling
April 15, 2011April 15, 2011

Supervisors from Kingston Township, PA (in Luzerne County) passed a new ordinance regulating oil and gas development in the Township (see embedded ordinance below). There is no current interest in drilling in the Township, but Supervisors said they wanted to be proactive and that there are some gas-related issues in the area, notably pipelines.

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