Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

NatGas Utility in Susquehanna County, PA Approved by PUC
September 28, 2012September 28, 2012

The first pubic utility to be licensed in Pennsylvania in decades was just approved by the state’s Public Utility Commission (PUC). Leatherstocking Gas Co., a joint venture of Corning Gas Co. and Mirabito Energy Products (both headquartered in New York State) will spend the next five years installing pipelines to carry natural gas to businesses and residences in throughout rural Susquehanna County, PA.

It’s long been an irony that the county producing some of the largest volumes of natural gas in the state did not have its own natural gas utility to benefit local residents by letting them purchase some of the gas they produce—a situation now resolved.

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Energy Services | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | NGLs | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Processing Plants | Statewide PA | Sunoco Logistics

Mariner East Pipeline to Philly Refinery 100% Committed
September 27, 2012September 27, 2012

Sunoco Logistics Partners announced yesterday the “open season” (the period of time when companies commit to pipeline capacity) for the Mariner East pipeline to deliver natural gas liquids to the Marcus Hook refinery near Philadelphia was a complete success with all existing planned pipeline capacity now spoken for. Mariner East will connect to the currently closed Marcus Hook refinery near Philly which will soon be reopened with a major new investment to convert the plant to refine propane and ethane from the Marcellus Shale in western PA. The processed propane and ethane from Marcus Hook will be sold domestically and exported internationally.

The open season was so successful, Sunoco is considering a second open season (building more pipeline capacity). In a related announcement, Range Resources said they are the anchor shipper for the pipeline (see this MDN story), as well as MarkWest Energy Partners (see this MDN story). From the Sunoco Logistics press release:

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Energy Companies | Energy Services | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | NGLs | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Processing Plants | Range Resources Corp | Statewide PA | Sunoco Logistics

Range Announces They’re Main Shipper for Mariner East Pipeline
September 27, 2012September 27, 2012

In a follow-on announcement to Sunoco Logistics Partners (see this MDN story), Range Resources says it is the anchor shipper for the Mariner East Pipeline that will connect western Pennsylvania to the Marcus Hook refinery near Philadelphia. Range announced they’ve signed a 15-year agreement with Sunoco to ship Marcellus Shale natural gas liquids to the Philly refinery. They also announced they’ve signed a 15-year contract to export and sell ethane to INEOS Europe from the Marcus Hook refinery. Range plans to start selling 10,000 barrels per day beginning in 2015 and eventually double that to 20,000 bpd.

Here is the lengthy press release from Range announcing their deal with Sunoco Logistics and also listing other NGL sales agreements Range has negotiated:

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Energy Services | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | MarkWest Energy | NGLs | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Processing Plants | Statewide PA | Sunoco Logistics

MarkWest Announces Commitment for Mariner East NGL Pipeline
September 27, 2012September 27, 2012

Not only has Range Resources announced they will take capacity on the Mariner East natural gas liquids pipeline (see this MDN story), MarkWest Energy Partners also announced they are another one of the customers for the new pipeline. MarkWest intends to ship ethane and propane from their Houston, PA processing and fractionation plant to the newly revamped Sunoco Marcus Hook refinery near Philadelphia where it will be re-mixed and sold, both domestically and internationally (exported).

From the MarkWest press release:

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Allegheny County | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA | Washington County

PA Towns Complain about PUC Act 13 Zoning Review
September 27, 2012September 27, 2012

The Pennsylvania townships that sued the state over the newly enacted Act 13 shale drilling law are feeling a little picked on at the moment. The lawsuit brought by seven townships earlier this year is about to go before the PA Supreme Court in a few weeks (see this MDN story). The case revolves around the right of local municipalities to pass and enforce their own zoning laws with respect to oil and gas drilling within their borders. The new Act 13 law provides a consistent set of zoning rules for all townships, replacing and superseding local laws. Some towns in western PA didn’t like it and sued.

Under Act 13, the Public Utility Commission (PUC) is empowered to review and decide whether or not towns are living up to the provisions of Act 13. If they are in violation, the towns won’t receive money from the new impact fee collected under Act 13 (part of a $200 million pot for this year). The current bone of contention is that the PUC is moving forward with reviews of zoning law in select towns, including four of the seven towns that brought the lawsuit. And those towns don’t like it—not one little bit.

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Cameron County | Energy Companies | Forest County | Lycoming County | McKean County | Pennsylvania | Seneca Resources

Seneca Resources Reports Recent Marcellus/Utica Well Results
September 27, 2012September 27, 2012

Seneca Resources, the exploration arm of National Fuel Gas Company, issued the following update on the results they’re getting from recent wells drilled in the Marcellus and Utica Shale (all them in Pennsylvania):

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Allegheny County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation

Drilling Inside Pittsburgh City Limits?
September 26, 2012September 26, 2012

Anti-drilling Pittsburgh Councilman Patrick Dowd, one of nine people on City Council that voted to enact a drilling ban in Pittsburgh in 2010, is introducing new legislation that he hopes will make drilling so difficult in the city, drillers won’t bother. But wait, didn’t you just say there’s a ban? Yep. Which means Councilman Dowd is seriously concerned that the ban will be ruled illegal once a case now before PA Supreme Court is ruled on later this year (the “Act 13” case, see this MDN story).

In preparation for a ruling against the Pittsburgh ban, Dowd and City Council want to have Plan B ready to go—restrict any possible drilling to as few locations as possible (not that drillers would want to drill inside city limits anyway). Hence the new legislation from Dowd.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

PA Lawmakers Pass Bill to Allow Shale Drilling at Colleges
September 26, 2012September 26, 2012

Coming soon to a Pennsylvania college campus near you: Marcellus Shale drilling? Yep.

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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Lehigh County | Pennsylvania

Canadian Firm Building NatGas Power Plant Near Allentown, PA
September 26, 2012September 26, 2012

Canadian firm EmberClear Corp. recently announced they will build a new 300 megawatt (MW) electrical generating plant west of Allentown, PA. The new plant will cost $400 million to build and use an abundant, clean-burning supply of shale gas from Pennsylvania to power it. EmberClear has selected SK E&C to build the plant, employing 500 local people for two years to build the plant, and “dozens” to operate it once built. EmberClear expects the surrounding area will see a $1 billion economic impact from the project.

From the EmberClear press release:

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Health Impacts | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

PA Senate Leader Proposes Marcellus Drilling Health Panel
September 26, 2012September 26, 2012

Pennsylvania President Pro Tempore of the State Senate, Joseph Scarnati (a Republican), is drafting a bill to create a nine-member shale drilling health panel to study possible health and safety impacts from Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling. A new health panel was one of the proposals made last year by Gov. Tom Corbett’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission.

According to the Scranton Times Tribune:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | New York | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide NY | Statewide PA | Wayne County

Federal Judge Throws Out NY AG’s Lawsuit Against DRBC
September 25, 2012September 25, 2012

Big news for landowners living in the Delaware River Basin area, especially for those in Wayne County, PA who want to see drilling in the Marcellus go forward: A federal judge has thrown out the lawsuit by New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman that sought to force the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) to conduct a “fuller assessment” of the potential impacts of shale gas drilling on New York City’s water supply before allowing any shale gas drilling in the basin.

Such an assessment would have meant years of additional studies and delays, especially harmful to landowners in Pennsylvania who happen to live in the DRBC’s jurisdiction and have seen no drilling for the past five years while their neighbors all around them have. This is a victory not only for landowners, but the DRBC itself, fighting the lawsuit.

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Bradford County | Economic Impact | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Lease & Royalty Payments | New York | Pennsylvania | Statewide NY

Bradford County, PA Landowners – $160M in Royalties (So Far)
September 25, 2012September 25, 2012

Listen up New York State: Bradford County, which borders Tioga and Chemung counties in New York, has generated $160 million in natural gas royalty payments to landowners—so far. There’s much more to come.

Here’s the low-down on drilling in Bradford County:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Michigan | New York | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide MI | Statewide NY | Statewide OH | Statewide PA

NRDC Launches Lawyers to Oppose Fracking in 5 States
September 25, 2012September 25, 2012

You have to say one thing about the increasingly shrill Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)—they don’t let an issue they can demagogue for money go to waste. For the NRDC, there’s money to be made in opposing fracking. Warning to the drilling industry: The NRDC is well-funded and is gunning for you. Their latest offensive? They’ve created something called the Community Fracking Defense Project whereby they’ll launch lawyers out into any township across New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and North Carolina to assist that town in opposing fracking. (Sorry West Virginia, you aren’t important enough for the NRDC to spend time and money on.)

The fight over fracking is about to go very local, and get very nasty, with the NRDC pumping millions into the effort to make mischief.

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Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Research | Statewide PA

Penn State Researcher: Most PA Drill Pads Prone to Erosion
September 25, 2012September 25, 2012

A new 12-month study by a Penn State researcher says that 50-70% of shale gas pads in Pennsylvania are constructed on slopes prone to erosion and sedimentation problems. The researcher, Dr. Patrick Drohan, is quick to point out such problems don’t necessarily exist for those pads—he’s just pointing out they could exist given the right conditions, and he believes the pads need to monitored closely.

Here’s the Penn State press release talking about the newly released study (unfortunately we could not get a copy of the study itself):

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Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

MSC Launches LearnAboutShale.org to Answer Questions
September 24, 2012September 24, 2012

On Friday, Sept. 21, during the Shale Gas Insight event in Philadelphia, the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) launched a new website called LearnAboutShale.org. The MSC just completed three months of eliciting questions from Pennsylvanians at “listening sessions” about shale drilling. That initiative was called Ask About Shale. They’ve now categorized and answered those questions and invite new questions at the LearnAboutShale.org website.

From the MSC press release:

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Energy Companies | Halcon Resources | Lease & Royalty Payments | Mercer County | Pennsylvania

Halcon Says No Drilling for Half of Mercer County Landowners
September 20, 2012September 20, 2012

About the half the landowners in Mercer County, Pennsylvania who signed leases with Halcon Resources (via CX Energy) to allow shale gas drilling on their property found out Monday night that Halcon is not exercising their lease options. The other half found out Halcon will go forward with drilling on their property.

What happened?

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