Pennsylvania

Industrywide Issues | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Taxation

Final PA Impact Fee List – Williamsport Gets Extra $300K
November 13, 2012November 13, 2012

Last week the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) released the final breakdown for impact fee revenue and which municipalities get how much. You may recall the original breakdown released in mid-October (see this MDN story). Some municipalities scratched their heads and asked the PUC how they determined the numbers. The PUC went back and reworked the numbers and the list below is the final final list. The biggest change by far was the City of Williamsport, PA which saw an increase just north of $300,000.

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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | New York | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide NY | Susquehanna County | Williams

Southern Gas Utility Invests in NE Constitution Pipeline
November 13, 2012November 13, 2012

Piedmont Natural Gas, a natural gas utility with more than one million customers in North and South Carolina and Tennessee, has decided they want a piece of the Marcellus Shale gas action. Piedmont is investing $180 million in the yet-to-be-built Constitution Pipeline that will run from Susquehanna County, PA to Schoharie County, NY. Williams, the company building the new pipeline, and Piedmont collaborate on other projects too. Piedmont is also a customer of Williams’ Transco natural gas pipeline.

Here’s the announcement from Piedmont on why they’ve decided to invest in the Constitution Pipeline project:

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Energy Companies | Halcon Resources | Mercer County | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Trumbull County | Utica Shale

Halcon Drills First Utica Well in Trumbull County, OH
November 12, 2012November 12, 2012

One month ago Halcon Resources purchased Carrizo Oil & Gas’ northern Utica Shale acreage (15,000 acres) for $43 million (see this MDN story). Halcon is not letting any grass grow under their feet. They are already working on their first Utica Shale well—preparing the site—in Trumbull County, OH. When completed, it will be the first active Utica Shale well in the county:

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Allegheny County | Fayette County | Greene County (PA) | Health Impacts | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Research | Washington County

Duquesne U Anti-Drilling “Study” Based on 14 Interviews
November 12, 2012November 12, 2012

Duquesne University (Pittsburgh) is hosting a conference on the effects of shale gas drilling in a “Boom and Bust” conference being held today and tomorrow at the university. Although the conference flies under the banner of “science” and will share the results of a “scientific study,” it is any but. It’s about the findings of a so-called study that interviewed 14 hand-picked anti-drilling women about their feelings and attitudes toward drilling. They were interviewed twice each.

So much for scientific inquiry at Duquesne.

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Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Wastewater

Marcellus Wastewater Ban Leads to Lower Bromide in PA Rivers
November 9, 2012November 9, 2012

Not long after Michael Krancer was appointed Secretary of the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection, he “requested” (which was more order than request) that municipal sewage treatment plants still accepting and processing Marcellus drilling wastewater stop the practice. At the time there were 15 plants accepting Marcellus wastewater. Under pressure from Krancer, they ended the practice in May of last year (see this MDN story).

The reason Krancer wanted the practice to end was because the plants were discharging wastewater with high concentrations of bromides which, when combined with chlorine, can produce harmful compounds. It looks like Krancer’s directive has worked. Bromide levels in the Monongahela River have come down:

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Clinton County | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Wastewater

Clinton County, PA to Get New Marcellus Wastewater Plant
November 9, 2012November 9, 2012

South Avis, in Clinton County, PA, will get a new Marcellus Shale wastewater treatment facility in about a year if all goes according to plan:

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Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Will New PA AG Go After the Marcellus Drilling Industry?
November 8, 2012November 7, 2012

Will Kathleen Kane, newly elected Pennsylvania Attorney General, take aim at the Marcellus Shale drilling industry once she takes office in January? Depends on whom you ask…

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Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Shale Gas Innovation Contest is Back-This Yr (3) $25K Prizes
November 8, 2012November 7, 2012

In October 2011, the Ben Franklin Shale Gas Innovation & Commercialization Center (SGICC) announced the first Shale Gas Innovation Competition. In May of this year they awarded two organizations from State College, PA as the winners, each receiving a $25,000 prize (see this MDN story).

The SGICC is back for round two and this time they are offering three $25,000 prizes. Here’s the low down:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Washington County

PA DEP Sec. Krancer Calls Rep. White a Liar re Water Testing
November 7, 2012November 7, 2012

Last week MDN brought you the news that western PA House Rep. Jesse White and an attorney in a lawsuit against Range Resources accused the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) of intentionally withholding well water test results that would show a link between shale gas drilling and contamination of well water (see this MDN story). The allegation was made after two DEP officials were deposed in the lawsuit. Their comments seemed to confirm that the DEP does not, in some cases, test or report certain results available to them. Such a request to “suppress” or not test uses a special code (SAC 942).

Yesterday, DEP Sec. Michael Krancer minced no words in responding to Rep. White (see his letter below). Sec. Krancer essentially said White is ignorant of the facts and a liar. Krancer couched his words it in politically correct language—but the sentiment is definitely there.

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Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County | WPX Energy

WPX 3Q12: $64M Net Loss, But Production in Marcellus up 333%
November 6, 2012November 6, 2012

WPX Energy, a company formed in January 2011 by Williams (created by spinning off the Williams exploration and production division) released their third quarter financial and operational update last week. The report losing $64 million in 3Q12. Most of WPX’s operations and focus has been in plays other than the Marcellus, including a big focus on the Bakken Shale, where they drill for oil, and the Piceance Basin in northwestern Colorado where they drill for wet natural gas.

In comparison, the Marcellus (where they drill for dry natural gas) is much smaller. However, the Marcellus was the only natural gas play in which WPX has production where the numbers went up in 3Q12. Production in the Piceance, Powder River Basin and San Juan Basin all went down between 7% and 16%. The Marcellus? Up an astonishing 333% from 3Q11 (although the overall numbers are still pretty small, see below). WPX reports they have drilled and completed 28 wells in the Marcellus so far in 2012—all of them in Susquehanna County, PA. They have two rigs operating in the Marcellus.

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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Statewide OH | Statewide PA | Supply Chain | Washington County

Hotel in Rural Western PA Makes it Big from Marcellus/Utica
November 6, 2012November 6, 2012

Another feel good story about a small hotel that made it big because of the Marcellus and Utica Shale. This story comes from rural Bentleyville, PA, not far from West Virginia and Ohio:

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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Washington County

MSC Responds to Allegations PA DEP Skews Drilling Water Tests
November 5, 2012November 5, 2012

Late Friday MDN told you about an allegation made by PA State Rep. Jesse White (from western PA) and an attorney for a plaintiff in a lawsuit in Washington County, PA alleging well water was contaminated by nearby shale gas drilling. White and the attorney claim the state Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) knowingly suppressed water test results to the plaintiff and others that would have proven a link between drilling and water contamination (see this MDN story).

The DEP immediately responded, refuting the claim that they skew water tests. The Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC), an organization representing large and small drillers in Pennsylvania and throughout the Marcellus Shale, has also responded. Here’s what they said on Friday about Rep. White’s claims of fraud at the DEP:

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Air Quality | Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Research | Wayne County

Anti-Drilling Group Does Air Sampling in Wayne County, PA
November 5, 2012November 5, 2012

Anti-drilling group Damascus Citizens for Sustainability (DCS)—a group supposedly based in Damascus Twp (Wayne County), Pennsylvania but with its actual headquarters in Manhattan, NYC—has hired Massachusetts-based Gas Safety Inc. to perform what they call baseline air testing in and around Damascus Twp. This is not the first time DCS and Gas Safety have teamed up for a hit job (see this MDN story).

The Damascus study supposedly provides baseline numbers for how much naturally occurring methane is in the air, just in case drilling should ever start in the township. Drilling is on hold everywhere in the Delaware Watershed Basin, which includes Damascus Twp, until/unless the Delaware Watershed Basin Commission votes to pass drilling rules that would allow it. What did Gas Safety find in its so-called “scientific” analysis of methane around Damascus? Let’s just say farmers with pooping cows may want to be concerned that DCS will be coming for them next…

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide NY | Statewide OH | Statewide PA | Statewide WV | Supply Chain | West Virginia

ShaleNavigator Cloud-Based Mapping Service Continues Expansion [Free]
November 5, 2012November 5, 2012

MDN friend and “partner in crime” Ed Camp (from ShaleNavigator) released a press release on Friday to call attention to some of the latest and greatest features he’s added to the ShaleNavigator service—the web’s premier cloud-based shale mapping system. Ed’s ShaleNavigator maps are the basis for the MDN Marcellus and Utica Shale Databook series (see here for more info on the Databook).

We’re happy to bring you Ed’s latest press release, along with his offer of a free 7-day trial:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA DEP Adopts New Rules for Timely Review of Drilling Permits
November 5, 2012November 5, 2012

In July of this year, PA Gov. Tom Corbett issued an executive order to the Dept. of Environmental Protection to streamline and cut down on the red tape involved in reviewing permits of various kinds, including permits for Marcellus Shale drilling. The AP and other lefty news organizations promptly jumped on the directive and attempted to smear Corbett by saying he’s trying to remove safeguards and as a result will put public health at risk (see this MDN story).

About a month later, the DEP issued a draft for a new permit review process (see this MDN story). Don’t tell the AP, but the DEP just officially published those draft rules and they are now the law in Pennsylvania. And not even a whisper from the mighty AP about it. Must be the shiny new object isn’t so shiny anymore—not even worth a mention by the AP. Do you now see why the mainstream media’s reporting is often referred to as “drive-by” reporting?

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Aqua America | Economic Impact | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Aqua America Says Shale Gas Will be Big as Coal/Steel for PA
November 5, 2012November 5, 2012

Last week Aqua America CEO Nicholas DeBenedictis addressed Drexel University students at the 2012 Energy/Utility Forum held at Drexel and told them the natural gas industry in Pennsylvania will be the biggest thing to come along, economically, since the “heydays” of coal and steel in the state.

Here’s a summary of what he said to Drexel students:

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