Pennsylvania

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

NE PA Town Welcomes PUC Review of Shale Zoning Ordinances
October 12, 2012October 12, 2012

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) continues its activity of reviewing local town ordinances for compliance with the new Act 13 Marcellus Shale drilling law. If a town’s ordinances are found to be in violation of the law, they either will have to change their zoning ordinances or risk not receiving their cut of the Marcellus Shale impact fee (i.e. tax) being collected by the state. Checks are due out in December.

Some townships, like South Fayette, are thin-skinned and have a persecution complex over a PUC review (see this MDN story). Other towns, however, take it in stride and when told their laws need fixing, they fix them—like Roaring Brook Township in Lackawanna County, PA.

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Ohio | Pennsylvania | Statewide OH | Statewide PA

A Look at the Numbers: OH Drill Permits Dip, PA Permits Grow
October 11, 2012October 11, 2012

The number of permits filed to drill new shale oil and gas wells in Ohio slowed a bit in September, according to recent records. The number of permits to drill new shale wells in Pennsylvania saw an uptick in September.

Read More “A Look at the Numbers: OH Drill Permits Dip, PA Permits Grow”
Chevron | Energy Companies | Mercer County | Pennsylvania

Chevron’s First Utica Drilling Permit for Mercer County, PA
October 11, 2012October 11, 2012

Chevron just received its first permit to drill in the Utica Shale in Mercer County, PA. This is the fourth permit for shale gas drilling in Mercer County.

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Bradford County | Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania

PA DEP Approves 1st New Electric Plant to Use Marcellus Gas
October 11, 2012October 11, 2012

The Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) yesterday issued a permit for the first new electrical power generating plant to be built in the state that uses clean burning Marcellus Shale gas. The new plant will be built in Bradford County over the next 2-3 years. During construction the project will employ up to 500 people.

The details from the DEP:

Read More “PA DEP Approves 1st New Electric Plant to Use Marcellus Gas”
Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Sunoco Logistics | Westmoreland County

Meeting about Western PA NGL Pipeline Turns Contentious
October 11, 2012October 11, 2012

Sunoco Logistics held a meeting with landowners in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania last night to discuss plans for a new 45-mile pipeline they will build to carry natural gas liquids (NGLs). The new pipeline is part of the Mariner East project that will carry NGLs from western PA to southeastern PA—to the Marcus Hook refinery near Philadelphia (see this MDN story).

The meeting with landowners about the new pipeline construction turned contentious when landowners demanded to know whether or not Sunoco would invoke eminent domain and “take” the property, even if they don’t want it running across their land. A few of those present said Sunoco had already broken faith by surveying their land without informing the landowners first.

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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Wyoming County (PA)

PA P&G Plant: 100% Energy Self-Sufficient from Marcellus Gas
October 11, 2012October 11, 2012

By February 2013, the Proctor & Gamble manufacturing plant in Wyoming County, PA will provide 100% of its own energy needs—thanks to the Marcellus Shale beneath plant property. Shale gas under P&G and surrounding properties in Wyoming County is reported to be some of the most prolific in the Marcellus Shale.

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Beaver County | Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania

Landowners Settle with Chesapeake, O&G in Western PA Case
October 11, 2012October 11, 2012

A lawsuit initiated by seven families in Beaver County, PA in March against Chesapeake Energy and O&G Investments of Wooster, Ohio has been settled. The landowners originally signed leases with O&G seven years ago, weren’t paid anything during those seven years, weren’t drilled on, and then O&G sold the leases to Chesapeake who tried to drill in order to hold the leases before they were set to expire. The families were rightly outraged by the treatment they received and sued to dissolve the leases (see this MDN story for background).

Yesterday, the judge in the case issued a closure order after being notified of a settlement:

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Industrywide Issues | NG Vehicles | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | York County

Republic Spends $21M to Convert PA Garbage Trucks to CNG
October 11, 2012October 11, 2012

Republic Services is investing $21 million to convert the majority of its garbage truck fleet from diesel to running on compressed natural gas (CNG) in York, PA. Nationwide, Republic is doubling it’s fleet of CNG-powered vehicles this year to 1,100.

The details on the York, PA project:

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

Another 200 New Jobs in PA – Thanks to the Marcellus Shale
October 11, 2012October 11, 2012

More jobs on the way in greater Pittsburgh area, courtesy of the Marcellus and Utica Shale. The latest example is a concrete company’s expansion, which will contribute another 200 jobs to the area:

Read More “Another 200 New Jobs in PA – Thanks to the Marcellus Shale”
Broome County | DTE Energy | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | New York | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Susquehanna County

Bluestone Gathering Pipeline Gets NY Approval
October 10, 2012October 10, 2012

MDN friend Andy Leahy, intrepid writer of the NY Shale Gas Now blog site, has returned! Yeah! Andy’s first post since being back from a several month hiatus is an important one—one that somehow slipped by the MDN radar. The Bluestone Pipeline, a 37-mile gathering line that runs through Susquehanna County, PA and into Broome County, NY (Town of Sanford) connecting to both the Millennium and the Tennessee interstate pipelines received approval from New York State. (See this MDN story for background on the Bluestone Pipeline.)

Andy reports the developer plans to break ground in New York as early as October 20. For a full analysis and rundown on the project now that it’s moving forward, see Andy’s post by clicking the link below.

*NY Shale Gas Now (Oct 9, 2012) – Bluestone Pipeline Green-Lighted; Local Press Still Asleep at Keyboards
Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

Cabot Responds to Latest Bloomberg Attack over Dimock [Free]
October 10, 2012October 10, 2012

Once again Bloomberg is taking aim at Cabot Oil & Gas over methane in water wells in the Dimock, PA area. Like a dog digging up an stinking, rotting carcass that it previously buried to chew on it some more, Bloomberg just can’t help itself. They’re desperate to prove a connection—any connection—between fracking and “pollution” of water. In this case, methane pollution—something that’s eminently fixable.

The latest hit piece from Bloomberg ran last week and is being endlessly recycled by other media outlets. The piece, titled “Cabot’s Methodology Links Tainted Water Wells to Gas Fracking,” attempts to make a link between data released by an EPA investigation in Dimock and methane from Cabot’s drilling. It cites a Duke University analysis of the data saying in essence that the methane found in two Dimock water wells present a chemical “fingerprint” or signature that matches methane from deep below the surface, not near the surface. The “natural” conclusion is that Cabot must be at fault.

This issue is complex and scientific and the tendency is to try and make it easier than it is. Cabot has taken the time to patiently and accurately respond to this latest attack on their own blog site. MDN is running their post below so you have the full facts.

Read More “Cabot Responds to Latest Bloomberg Attack over Dimock [Free]”
Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Taxation

Manufacturer Assoc Says Key to PA Drilling Success: Low Taxes
October 9, 2012October 9, 2012

A letter to the editor published in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal from the head of the Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association in response to an editorial on fracking in New York succinctly summarizes why Pennsylvania has been so successful in attracting and keeping drilling in their state. It also points out the differences between former Gov. Rendell and current Gov. Corbett in PA on the issue of shale gas drilling:

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

Heinz Funds Cornell Research – Will We See Outcry like UB?
October 8, 2012October 8, 2012

It’s interesting to MDN how a politically correct witch hunt has gone forth at University at Buffalo (UB) after the “revelation” that the authors of a new study at the university’s new shale institute had (gasp) done work for natural gas drilling companies in years gone by. Somehow the fact they have made a living outside of academe and (gasp) “in the industry” taints their ability to reason and research beyond acceptable (to the left) limits (see this MDN story).

Yet when anti-drilling organizations (like the Heniz Endowments) fund research at major universities (like Cornell and Carnegie Mellon) for millions of dollars in an effort to gin up so-called science to discredit natural gas drilling, not a peep from the same self-righteous crusaders. Why is that?

Read More “Heinz Funds Cornell Research – Will We See Outcry like UB?”
Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | New York | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Research | Statewide MD | Statewide NY | Statewide OH | Statewide PA | Statewide VA | Statewide WV | Utica Shale | Virginia | West Virginia

USGS Releases Official Estimate of Oil & Gas in Utica Shale
October 5, 2012October 5, 2012

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has just released their first official assessment (i.e. estimate) of how much recoverable natural gas, oil and gas liquids is located in the Utica Shale throughout Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland and Virginia (a full copy of the USGS assessment is embedded below).

The USGS estimates the Utica is #3 in size behind the Marcellus (#1) and Green River Basin (#2) for volume of recoverable natural gas in the U.S. Here are the numbers from the USGS, along with and a brief introduction to their first-ever assessment of the Utica:

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Industrywide Issues | Lackawanna County | Landfills | Pennsylvania

Scranton Landfill Wants to Double (Again) Shale Cuttings
October 5, 2012October 5, 2012

The Keystone Sanitary Landfill, located on the borders of Dunmore and Throop, PA (Scranton suburbs) applied to the state Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) last December to increase the amount of Marcellus shale cuttings—rock and soil leftover after drilling—from 600 tons to 1,000 tons per day. They also applied to accept “unprocessed” cuttings from drillers (see this MDN story for background).

The permit was granted in early March. Elected officials in Throop fought the increase but eventually dropped their fight from lack of interest and money (see this MDN story). Keystone just filed a new request to double the amount of cuttings again, from 1,000 to 2,000 tons per day. They also want trucks to be allowed to haul it in 24/7.

Read More “Scranton Landfill Wants to Double (Again) Shale Cuttings”
Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Processing Plants | Statewide PA | Statewide WV | West Virginia | Williams

Williams Official Gives WV Huge Compliment, Disses PA
October 5, 2012October 5, 2012

At a Chamber of Commerce dinner in Marshall County, WV held last night, Darrell Bull, the general manager of Williams Ohio Valley Midstream (a division of midstream giant Williams) paid a huge compliment to West Virginia and dissed Pennsylvania.

Read More “Williams Official Gives WV Huge Compliment, Disses PA”