Pennsylvania

Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Taxation

PA Budget Passes House & Senate with No Severance Tax
July 1, 2014July 1, 2014

Hats off to the Republican-controlled House and Senate in Pennsylvania. They passed a budget on time, before the midnight deadline last evening, and that budget contains just one new tax. Fortunately, it’s not a Marcellus Shale severance tax. So, kudos! However, the budget was not signed by PA Gov. Tom Corbett, also a Republican. He didn’t sign not because it because it didn’t include certain pension reforms he wants. One thing that the Democrats really wanted and the Republicans were only too happy to grant them: A new $2 per pack tax on cigarettes sold in Philadelphia, which is supposed to raise $80 million for Philly schools. Wait til they figure out everyone is fleeing to the suburbs to buy cheap cigs and the new tax fails!…
Read More “PA Budget Passes House & Senate with No Severance Tax”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Roads | Statewide PA | Supply Chain

Another Supply Chain Success Story: Flagger Force
July 1, 2014July 1, 2014

The ingenuity of small business people never ceases to amaze us–especially that of small businesses finding ways to serve, and profit from, the Marcellus and Utica Shale drilling industry. In business circles it’s called the “supply chain”–those companies who find ways of profiting from drilling. The latest company to do so is Flagger Force–a company based in Lancaster County, PA that sends out flaggers (to control traffic) in many surround states beside Pennsylvania. Flagger Force is also a major vendor for drillers in PA…
Read More “Another Supply Chain Success Story: Flagger Force”
Allegheny County | Exporting | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania

China Visits the Marcellus to Learn Our Secrets
June 30, 2014June 30, 2014

Calling Pittsburgh a “very beautiful city” and the “shale gas center of the United States,” a group from the China Shale Gas Delegation visited southwest PA last week to learn how America unlocks bountiful shale gas in a safe, economical manner. And of course they chose the biggest and best shale play to study: the Marcellus. Essentially the Chinese were here to learn our secrets–and being big-hearted Americans (and relatively stupid), we opened up and shared…
Read More “China Visits the Marcellus to Learn Our Secrets”
Blue Ridge Mtn Res/Magnum Hunter | Energy Companies | Energy Services | GreenHunter Resources | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide OH | Statewide PA | Statewide WV | West Virginia

3 New (Short) Pipelines from GreenHunter in Tri-state Area
June 30, 2014June 30, 2014

GreenHunter Resources, a subsidiary of Magnum Hunter Resources, is making small moves to compete with MarkWest Energy and Williams. Today, GreenHunter announced they are building (in a partnership with Major Pipeline LLC) three new, short pipelines. The three pipelines represent a total of 34 miles of new pipeline, when added together. One pipeline each will be dedicated to brine/wastewater, fresh water, and condensate. Two of the pipelines will originate in southwestern PA and one in WV. All of them will connect with one of GreenHunter’s barge terminals on the Ohio River. Also in the mix is a condensate “splitter”…
Read More “3 New (Short) Pipelines from GreenHunter in Tri-state Area”
Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Washington County

Peters Twp Continues to Plot and Plan to Stop Drilling
June 30, 2014February 3, 2015

Peters Township (in Washington County, PA) is one of the seven selfish townships that sued the state and eventually won to dismantle large and important pieces of the Act 13 Marcellus drilling law (see Lawsuit Filed: PA Towns Sue State over Marcellus Act 13 Law and PA Supreme Court Rules Against State/Drillers in Act 13 Case). Peters continues to meet and plot how they can further undermine drilling in their township, even after winning the Act 13 lawsuit…
Read More “Peters Twp Continues to Plot and Plan to Stop Drilling”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

Another PA Senate Bill Seeks to Help Conventional O&G Drillers
June 30, 2014June 30, 2014

MDN recently reported on legislation making headway in Pennsylvania that would split regulations between conventional and unconventional oil and gas operators in the state (see PA Legislation to Split Conventional/Unconventional Regs Advances). A second PA Senate bill, SB1310, is also making its way through the legislative process. MDN views 1310 as a “helper bill” for SB1378. SB1310 would create a new group called the Pennsylvania Grade Crude Development Advisory Council that would be composed of 17 members (yes, it already sounds bloated) to “assist” the PA Secretary of the Dept. of Environment Protection. Assist the secretary with what?…
Read More “Another PA Senate Bill Seeks to Help Conventional O&G Drillers”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Taxation

Corbett Still Says Marcellus Severance Tax a Possibility, if…
June 27, 2014June 27, 2014

We continue to be concerned about PA Gov. Tom Corbett’s resolve when it comes to slapping a Marcellus-killing severance tax on drillers in the state in order to fund a state budget that’s simply spends too much. Our latest concern is with comments he made to an AP reporter yesterday…
Read More “Corbett Still Says Marcellus Severance Tax a Possibility, if…”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Lebanon County | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Williams

Lebanon PA Anti-Drillers Plot Ordinance Against Williams Pipeline
June 27, 2014June 27, 2014

The hippie anti-drilling pipeline protesters from Lebanon Pipeline Awareness (Lebanon, PA) once again failed to get more than 50 people to turn out for another stop-the-Atlantic-Sunrise-Pipeline meeting, held last night held at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Lebanon. As MDN previously predicted, last night’s meeting was to plot a strategy to launch frivolous lawsuits (see Lawsuits Next Act for Anti-Pipeline Group in Lebanon County, PA?). An ambulance-chasing lawyer from out of town showed up and told the anti-drillers in attendance that their best chance of stopping the pipeline is not, however, frivolous lawsuits–it is instead an illegal zoning ordinance…
Read More “Lebanon PA Anti-Drillers Plot Ordinance Against Williams Pipeline”
Access Midstream Partners | Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Lease & Royalty Payments | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

2nd PA Class Action Lawsuit Against Chesapeake re Royalty Fraud
June 26, 2014June 26, 2014

We’ve only spotted this news in (so far) two legal publications, but last Friday the Suessenbach Family Limited Partnership, using a Wilkes-Barre, PA law firm, launched a “sprawling class action” lawsuit against Chesapeake Energy and Access Midstream accusing the two companies of a $5 billion scheme to defraud landowners out of royalties rightfully due to them. MDN previously covered how this scheme worked (see Chesapeake Shafting Landowners out of Royalties Mess Gets Messier). This is the second such class action against Chesapeake over royalties in PA we’re aware of (see Bad to Worse: PA Royalty Owner Asks Court for Chessy Class Action). There are all sorts of ramifications from this latest lawsuit…
Read More “2nd PA Class Action Lawsuit Against Chesapeake re Royalty Fraud”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA Legislation to Split Conventional/Unconventional Regs Advances
June 26, 2014June 26, 2014

In early May three Pennsylvania Republican legislators said they would introduce new legislation to separate regulations for conventional (vertical only) and unconventional (shale) drilling in the state (see New PA Bill Would Separate Conventional/Unconventional Regulations). The intent is to plug some holes, they say exist, in the relatively new Act 13 law that makes small mom-and-pop drillers who sink only vertical wells adhere to regulations meant for big shale drillers. The bills were introduced and they’re now receiving attention and we’d say even likely to pass…
Read More “PA Legislation to Split Conventional/Unconventional Regs Advances”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA’s PUC Pro-Drilling Chairman Powelson Leads Mid-Atlantic Group
June 26, 2014June 26, 2014

MDN told you a month ago that the anti-drilling StateImpact Pennsylvania (PBS “reporters”) had claimed another scalp in their anti-drilling campaign by forcing PA Public Utilities Commission chairman Rob Powelson to resign from the Greater Philadelphia Energy Action Team–a Chamber of Commerce organization aimed at promoting business and all forms of energy in the state (see StateImpact PA Claims Another Scalp for their Anti-Drilling Wall). We’re happy to report Powelson has come roaring back. He’s strongly pro-Marcellus drilling and he’s just been sworn in as President of the Mid-Atlantic Conference of Regulatory Utilities Commissioners (MACRUC). It’s good to have a pro-driller in charge of MACRUC…
Read More “PA’s PUC Pro-Drilling Chairman Powelson Leads Mid-Atlantic Group”
Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Time to Enter Ben Franklin SGICC 2nd Annual EH&S Contest
June 26, 2014June 26, 2014

The Ben Franklin Shale Gas Innovation & Commercialization Center (SGICC) announces they are accepting applications for their second annual Shale Gas Environmental, Health, & Safety Award through August 1st. The award is aimed at Pennsylvania-based small businesses, entrepreneurs, or university researchers who have a proposed or commercially available new technological advancement in the EH&S area for the shale gas industry. The winner will be notified August 15th and receive a special award at this year’s Shale Insight event in Pittsburgh. You may recall the winner of the first EH&S award last September was HalenHardy and their very cool mobile silica air shower (see HalenHardy Wins Ben Franklin EHS Award for Silica Air Shower). Here’s the details for this year’s contest…
Read More “Time to Enter Ben Franklin SGICC 2nd Annual EH&S Contest”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Taxation

Brave PA House Republicans Propose Budget with No Severance Tax
June 25, 2014June 25, 2014

Why is it Democrats demand that Republicans cave on their principles and move in their direction and if they don’t, they holler and scream “you’re not being bipartisan!”? But when Republicans ask Democrats to be reasonable and move an inch in their direction, the Dems never do and yet the word “bipartisan” and lack of it is never uttered by the Democrat-controlled media? We’re speaking of the heated budget debate in Pennsylvania where Democrats are demanding a single industry–shale drilling–be taxed into oblivion in order to feed the hungry Democrat political machine that needs ever more money to spread around. To their credit, PA’s House Republicans have “laid their cards on the table” in the budget debate. They’ve done the hard work and have trimmed the budget–just a small bit off a $29.1 BILLION budget–and every single Democrat in very partisan fashion voted against the plan. Every-single-one…
Read More “Brave PA House Republicans Propose Budget with No Severance Tax”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Lebanon County | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Transco | Williams

Lawsuits Next Act for Anti-Pipeline Group in Lebanon County, PA?
June 25, 2014June 25, 2014

The hippie protesters of Lebanon Pipeline Awareness are feeling positively rejuvenated. They haven’t had this much fun since the 1960s. The anti-fossil fuel group was formed in Lebanon County, PA to oppose a new 27-mile pipeline Williams plans to build as part of its Atlantic Sunrise Project (see Williams Plans $2.1B Transco Pipeline Expansion, 100% Sold Already). Lebanon Pipeline Awareness can’t get more than 50 people to attend their meetings, and when they do show up, they have to be handed talking points so they know what to say (see Lebanon, PA Group Coaches Blind Followers to Oppose Pipeline). When denied a public forum at a recent Williams open house on the proposed pipeline, the Lebanon protesters sat on the floor and stomped their feet like the babies they are (see Williams’ Smart Open House in Lebanon County Confounds Antis). What to do now? They can’t get any traction with public opinion, so the next act is to hire a lawyer and file frivolous lawsuits…
Read More “Lawsuits Next Act for Anti-Pipeline Group in Lebanon County, PA?”
Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Washington County

Strong Support for Range Drilling in N Strabane Township, PA
June 25, 2014June 25, 2014

Some more good news for Range Resources in Washington County, PA. North Strabane Township, population 13,408 (borders Canonsburg) voted last night to approve Range’s plan to drill five Marcellus Shale wells on a 140-acre property owned by A&S Landscaping along Rout 19. Site prep will begin in the next few weeks and if the schedule holds, the first well will be drilled starting in January…
Read More “Strong Support for Range Drilling in N Strabane Township, PA”
Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Washington County

2 Range Resources Execs Sell Half Their Stock – Ulterior Motive?
June 24, 2014June 24, 2014

Anti-drilling advocate and Marcellus smearmeister Amanda Gillooly, from southwestern Pennsylvania, is dedicated to trashing Range Resources every chance she gets. (She also appears to be in league with Rep. Jesse “fake ID” White, supporting his anti-drilling tirades against Range on numerous occasions over the past few years.) The latest “trash Range” attempt is her blog post trumpeting that two top Range Resources executives recently sold “more than half their stock,” asking the ominous question, “Why?”…
Read More “2 Range Resources Execs Sell Half Their Stock – Ulterior Motive?”