Statewide PA

Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Research | Statewide PA

Former DEP Sec. Krancer Skewers Auditor General “Report”
July 24, 2014July 24, 2014

Yesterday MDN brought you the news of Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale’s politically-motivated critical report of the state’s Dept. of Environmental Protection (see Anti-Drilling PA Auditor General Criticizes DEP in “Report”). We pointed out the huge conflict of interest on the part of DePasquale (he supports a renewable energy agenda). Today we have reaction from Michael Krancer, a former Secretary of the DEP during 2012, secretary during one of the four year period covered in DePasquale’s report. In his frank style, Krancer skewers the report, while keeping a smile on his face…
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Health Impacts | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

PA’s Sec of Health Fires Back at Reckless Accusations Against Dept
July 24, 2014July 24, 2014

The latest anti-drilling push in Pennsylvania is to plant seeds of fear and doubt that Marcellus “may be” harming some people’s health. That tactic has worked wonders in liberal New York, so the anti-fossil fuel crowd in PA have also glommed onto. First to appear are stories planted by anti-drilling PBS “reporters” accusing the state’s Dept. of Health of muzzling its own employees (see StateImpact Pennsylvania’s story Former state health employees say they were silenced on drilling). That story about a so-called buzzword list that supposedly would trigger a “don’t talk about it” rule (which is utter nonsense) was picked up and endlessly repeated in the liberal mediasphere–over and over and over and over again. That’s how yellow journalism works. Michael Wolf, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, has had enough and is now pushing back…
Read More “PA’s Sec of Health Fires Back at Reckless Accusations Against Dept”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Research | Statewide PA

Anti-Drilling PA Auditor General Criticizes DEP in “Report”
July 23, 2014July 23, 2014

Pennsylvania’s anti-drilling Democrat Auditor General Eugene DePasquale yesterday released a report (full copy below) criticizing the state’s Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) as being disorganized and ill-equipped to handle the rapid expansion of Marcellus Shale drilling in the state. What DePasquale forgot to mention in his report is his own whopping conflicts of interest. While he was a state legislator he pushed hard for so-called alternative energy programs to be funded by the state and as deputy secretary of the DEP he convinced a big wind farm operation to locate in the state. From his first day on the job, he was gunning for the Marcellus industry (see PA Auditor General Targets State’s Marcellus Drilling Industry)…
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Energy Companies | Gastar Exploration | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Reserves (Proved and Unproved) | Statewide PA | Statewide WV | West Virginia

Gastar Proved Reserves Up 43% – 3/4 of it in the Marcellus
July 22, 2014July 22, 2014

Gastar Exploration, a major driller in the Marcellus/Utica, posted a mid-year update on their proved (and unproved) reserves yesterday. When you lump all hydrocarbons together–natural gas, oil and condensate and natural gas liquids (NGLs)–Gastar’s estimated proved reserves totaled 78.0 million barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) as of June 30th. That’s up an eye-popping 43% over the same time last year. Where is all that gas coming from? Three-fourths of it is in the Marcellus/Utica, and one-fourth is in the Mississippi Lime/Woodford Shale in Oklahoma…
Read More “Gastar Proved Reserves Up 43% – 3/4 of it in the Marcellus”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide PA | Statewide WV | Supply Chain | West Virginia

Primoris Wins Another Round of Pipeline Work in PA/WV Marcellus
July 22, 2014July 22, 2014

A very short and light-on-specifics press release from Primoris Services Corporation says the pipeline building company, based in Dallas, TX, has just secured $80 million worth of contracts to build pipelines for “three major midstream operators” in the PA and WV Marcellus region. You may recall MDN also told you about several Primoris Marcellus Shale projects in June 2013 (see Rockford/Primoris Lands $92M in Marcellus Pipeline Contracts). Here’s the announcement of the latest round of work won by Primoris:
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA Gov Corbett Cuts Deal with Enviro Devil on Forest Drilling
July 21, 2014July 21, 2014

Last week MDN told you that the litigious anti-drilling group Pennsylvania Environmental Defense Foundation (PEDF) waited all of about two hours after PA Gov. Tom Corbett signed the 2014 PA budget before filing a lawsuit to prevent the use of money from leasing more state forestland and parks for drilling under, not on (see Anti-Drilling Group Sues PA over Budget and $ from State Leases). The litigious PEDF sought an immediate injunction against the use of any lease money from new leases flowing to the PA budget–a lawsuit that could have screwed up the entire budget for the Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). With the gun of a lawsuit aimed at his head, PA Gov. Tom Corbett cut a deal with the ~~devil~~ PEDF to not lease any new state forest land until the lawsuit is heard–this fall at the earliest…
Read More “PA Gov Corbett Cuts Deal with Enviro Devil on Forest Drilling”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

Good Move: PA Budget Cuts DRBC Contribution in Half
July 21, 2014July 21, 2014

In February MDN told you about PA Gov. Tom Corbett’s plan to trim Pennsylvania’s contribution to the Delaware River Basin Commission’s budget (see PA Dems, DRBC Squeal over Proposed Cut to DRBC Budget). The DRBC has been unfairly benefiting from PA residents for years. The other states that are part of the DRBC have cut back on their contributions leaving PA holding the bag. No more. As part of the recently passed state budget, PA has cut DRBC funding–in half…
Read More “Good Move: PA Budget Cuts DRBC Contribution in Half”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA Court Says 7 Towns Can Keep Marcellus Money & Ban Drilling Too
July 18, 2014July 18, 2014

The seven Pennsylvania townships that sued and ultimately won the right to gut the Act 13 law over zoning regulations (Robinson, Nockamixon, South Fayette, Peters, Cecil, Mount Pleasant, and the Borough of Yardley) don’t want drilling in their townships, but they sure love the money that comes from drilling. In addition to gutting the zoning provisions in the Act 13 law, the towns bridled when the Public Utility Commission (PUC), acting in accordance with the Act 13 law, withheld money from four of the seven towns for their anti-drilling ordinances that violate state oil and gas drilling law. Yesterday the court said the PUC couldn’t do that anymore–further gutting Act 13. However, three other outstanding issues about Act 13 were decided in favor of the drilling industry, including the so-called doctor “gag rule”…
Read More “PA Court Says 7 Towns Can Keep Marcellus Money & Ban Drilling Too”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Landfills | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Research | Statewide PA | Wastewater

Delaware Riverkeeper Wins Right to Get Half-Baked Radiation Data
July 18, 2014July 18, 2014

In January 2013 the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced they would study the issue of radiation levels in shale oil and gas waste (see PA DEP Announces New Study of Radiation in Shale Drilling). The study would take an estimated 12-14 months. That time has come and gone. The DEP is finished with its data collection–but not quite done with analyzing, verifying and (eventually) publishing the results. Not good enough for the Delaware Riverkeeper (the eccentric Maya van Rossum, see Delaware Riverkeeper Network (DRN) Gets a French Kiss from Phila. Inquirer). The litigious van Rossum via her DRN filed an appeal to get her hands on the preliminary/unsubstantiated/unvetted data collected by the DEP–and she won…
Read More “Delaware Riverkeeper Wins Right to Get Half-Baked Radiation Data”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Research | Statewide PA

SGICC Grant Funds PA Study on Converting Marcellus Gas to Methanol
July 18, 2014July 18, 2014

The Ben Franklin Shale Gas Innovation & Commercialization Center (SGICC) earlier this week announced they have made a grant (amount undisclosed) to “boutique consulting firm” ADI Analytics to study whether or not it’s economically feasible for PA to convert natural gas to methanol using a small or medium size plant. The findings of the study, due later this year, could have a big impact in PA–both by using more of the abundant Marcellus Shale gas supply, and in supplying jobs and economic benefits from a methanol plant. What, you may ask, is methanol used for?…
Read More “SGICC Grant Funds PA Study on Converting Marcellus Gas to Methanol”
Air Quality | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Supply Chain | Washington County

Methane Detection Company – Sensitive Enough to Detect Cow Farts
July 18, 2014July 18, 2014

Yet another example of a company in a far-flung industry that’s finding success by selling a service to the Marcellus drilling industry. Cherokee Helicopter Service in Washington County, PA is working with drillers and midstream companies to detect pipelines and drilling operations that leak methane. The equipment used by Cherokee is so sensitive, it can detect a single cow farting…
Read More “Methane Detection Company – Sensitive Enough to Detect Cow Farts”
Air Quality | Allegheny County | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide PA | Supply Chain

Attack of the Drones: Using UAVs to Make Marcellus Safer?
July 18, 2014July 18, 2014

Drones–model airplanes and model helicopters with cameras (or bombs) strapped onto them are all the rage. Even in shale-land! A small start-up company in Pittsburgh is manufacturing quadcopters (a model helicopter with four rotors) that can be used to fly along pipeline routes, carrying equipment to sniff out potential methane leaks. According the the inventor, it’s a lot less expensive than flying a real helicopter along a pipeline or sending people by foot…
Read More “Attack of the Drones: Using UAVs to Make Marcellus Safer?”
Allegheny County | Housing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

More Housing for Marcellus/Utica on the Way in Pittsburgh Region
July 17, 2014July 17, 2014

A New Jersey-based real estate investment company, UMH Properties, Inc., announced yesterday they’ve purchased four manufactured home communities in the Pittsburgh, PA area for $12.2 million. The reason? To expand in the Marcellus/Utica region. The company plans to build homes for sale and for rent to those who work in the Marcellus and Utica Shale…
Read More “More Housing for Marcellus/Utica on the Way in Pittsburgh Region”
CNG/LNG | Energy Services | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | UIL Holdings

Philly City Council Continues to Diddle Around on PGW Sale
July 17, 2014July 17, 2014

The (lazy) Philadelphia City Council went on summer recess before doing the city’s business of evaluating the $1.86 billion deal to sell the city-owned Philadelphia Gas Works to UIL Holdings Corporation, a Connecticut-based investor-owned gas and electric utility (see Phila. Gas Works Deal in Jeopardy Due to Vacationing City Council). They’re excuse for heading to the Jersey shore before doing their jobs? They need more “studies”. Their lackadaisical handling of the deal means UIL could, as of yesterday, walked away from the deal. Fortunately for Philadelphians, UIL has decided to stick around–for now…
Read More “Philly City Council Continues to Diddle Around on PGW Sale”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA Fish & Boat Commission Wants $1M for Marcellus Investigators
July 16, 2014July 16, 2014

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission wants its own Marcellus Shale pollution police force and its asking PA lawmakers to cough up $1 million to make it happen. For that $1M the Commission would hire seven people, one chief and six Indians–who would be tasked with investigating suspected cases of pollution related to drilling activities…
Read More “PA Fish & Boat Commission Wants $1M for Marcellus Investigators”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

DEP Sec. Abruzzo Says Budget Bill Means Delay in New Drilling Regs
July 16, 2014July 16, 2014

On Monday, MDN asked the question and explored the issue of whether or not the recent language slipped into the PA budget bill (that was passed and signed by Gov. Corbett) to separate conventional and unconventional drilling regulations would require the Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) and their Environmental Quality Board (EQB) to go back to the drawing board with new regulations stipulated by the Act 13 law (see Is PA’s Act 13 Law on Last Legs with Passage of PA Budget?). DEP Secretary Chris Abruzzo tackled that issue head-on yesterday…
Read More “DEP Sec. Abruzzo Says Budget Bill Means Delay in New Drilling Regs”