Statewide PA

Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Public Opinion | Statewide PA | Taxation

New PA Poll Shows Vast Majority Favor Jobs Over Severance Tax
June 12, 2014June 12, 2014

A newly released poll of Pennsylvania voters completely deflates the Democrat call for high taxes on Marcellus Shale drillers–and it has some Democrats, like reporters for the Harrisburg Patriot-News, scrambling to provide propaganda cover lest the truth become known. And what is that truth? Although a majority of voters in PA polled nominally “support” a severance tax (55%), when asked if such a tax were to result in job loss and drillers leaving the state, those same voters say they would NOT support a severance tax (58%). Huh. You don’t hear that being reported by PA’s mainstream media–unless it’s “reporter” Matt Zencey bashing the poll with Democrat talking points…
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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Public Opinion | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA Voters Like Marcellus Fracking – Analyzing the Latest Q-Poll
June 11, 2014June 11, 2014

A poll by Quinnipiac University of Pennsylvania voters released last week has turned up some interesting insights into the prevailing attitudes of PA voters with respect to Republican Gov. Tom Corbett, the issue of Marcellus Shale drilling and the issue of whether or not to allow drilling under (not on) state lands in PA. All of the mainstream media focused on a single number: 57% of those polled oppose Corbett’s executive order to allow a tiny bit more drilling, after former Gov. Ed Rendell had thrown the door wide open during this tenure, under PA’s state lands and parks. That’s the headline, the narrative, and the “it’s all over for Corbett as soon as the fat lady sings” talking points they all work from. MDN has a different take on the numbers and what they mean…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide PA | Transco | Williams

Coordinated Media Attack on Williams Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline
June 11, 2014June 11, 2014

It appears there is a coordinated attack by both national and local media against Williams and their Atlantic Sunrise Expansion project. We’ve located one Associated Press story that’s been endlessly published in local newspapers, and one anti-drilling screed by a Lancaster County, PA newspaper, that says, in essence, Williams paid more fines in PA last year than any other pipeline company; Williams wants to build a new pipeline; ergo, Williams should not be allowed to build it because they’re a bad actor…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA Media in the Anti-Drilling Tank for Tom Wolf/Tom Steyer
June 11, 2014June 11, 2014

PA Democrat nominee for governor Tom Wolf is set to get something like $14.3 million from a big-time anti-driller from California, Tom Steyer (see CA Anti-Driller Tom Steyer Purchasing Tom Wolf PA Governorship). In other words, Steyer will buy the election for Wolf–all Wolf has to do is shut down Marcellus Shale drilling in the state. Such a small price to pay. You might think PA media would be all over such a story–but then, you would be wrong. Because PA’s state-run media is “in the tank” for Wolf and the fossil fuel-hating Steyer. So instead, we get stories from newspapers like the Philadelphia Inquirer that focus on drilling companies chipping in a few thousand here and there to Republican Tom Corbett’s campaign. It’s typical of the sleaze we’ve come to expect from PA’s mainstream media…
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Crime | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Minuteman Environmental Services | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA | Wastewater

Minuteman Enviro Says PA AG Office “Terrorized” Family Members, Filing Lawsuit
June 10, 2014June 10, 2014

Yesterday MDN brought you the news that Pennsylvania’s anti-drilling Attorney General, Kathleen Kane, had spearheaded an “investigation” against Minuteman Environmental Services, a PA company that serves the shale industry with several different businesses (see PA’s Anti-Drilling AG Charges Minuteman with Enviro Crimes). It now appears it was less investigation and more witch hunt. Minuteman sent MDN a press release yesterday in which they make very strong allegations against the AG’s office, stating members of the family-owned business have been “terrorized” and its employees “abused” by the AG and her cadre of witch hunters. Minuteman states they are about to file a lawsuit against the AG and her office for abuses suffered at their hands…
Read More “Minuteman Enviro Says PA AG Office “Terrorized” Family Members, Filing Lawsuit”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Kinder Morgan | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Regulation | Statewide PA | Tennessee Gas Pipeline

Federal Court Slaps FERC Over TGP Northeast Pipeline Approvals
June 10, 2014June 10, 2014

Even though Kinder Morgan’s Tennessee Gas Pipeline is thousands of miles long, and even though upgrades to a 200-mile section in the northeast are now complete, a federal appeals court last Friday faulted the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) oversight of those upgrades. In 2012 FERC approved construction of five pipeline “loop” (or extra lines laid near existing lines) segments in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The projects included upgrades at two PA compressor stations. The total project cost was $500 million and the projects together were/are badly needed to boost pipeline capacity for new quantities of Marcellus Shale gas. But that makes no difference to the ideologues at the petulant Delaware River Keeper, the New Jersey Highlands Coalition and the New Jersey Sierra Club. They sued when FERC wouldn’t re-hear their bleating and blatting. So the enviro groups took it to federal court and judges ruled last week that FERC should not have treated the projects individually when considering an approval…
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Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Taxation

PA Budget & Policy Center Issues Repeated Call for High Drill Tax
June 10, 2014June 10, 2014

The extremely partisan, left-wing Democrat Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center has once again issued ~~more toilet paper~~, er, yet another report saying PA drillers don’t pay enough taxes, even though with the impact fee combined with state corporate taxes (something other states like Texas don’t have) combined represent already high tax rates on PA drillers. You may recall that MDN has covered this group’s self-serving “reports” in the past (see Partisan PA Budget & Policy Center Pushes Extreme Tax on Marcellus). Well, they’re at it again, and every time they issue one of these so-called reports, the PA media laps it up like the pusillanimous libs they are…
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Crime | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Minuteman Environmental Services | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Wastewater

PA’s Anti-Drilling AG Charges Minuteman with Enviro Crimes
June 9, 2014June 9, 2014

It only took PA’s anti-drilling Attorney General, Kathleen Kane, 13 months to investigate Minuteman Environmental Services for alleged crimes against the environment. MDN told you about a raid on Minuteman’s headquarters in May 2013 by the PA Attorney General’s office, along with agents from the PA DEP, FBI and IRS (see Shale Environmental Services Company Raided by PA AG’s Office). At the time Kane would not say why they were raided–what the alleged charges were. Last week she finally charged not only CEO Brain Bolus, but even his father and mother (wow is Kane vicious)…
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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Research | Statewide OH | Statewide PA

OH Schools Save $60M, PA Schools Save $45.5M Last Year from Shale
June 9, 2014June 9, 2014

The American Petroleum Institute released a new study at the end of May titled, “The Unconventional Energy Revolution: Estimated Energy Savings for Public School Districts and State and Local Governments” (full copy embedded below). The study shows school districts and government offices have saved a boatload of money thanks to the ongoing shale revolution. BIG money. To further drive the point home and make it understandable, the API has released a number of press releases breaking down the numbers state by state. For example, the study says schools in Ohio saved $60 million on their utility bills last year thanks to shale, and Pennsylvania schools saved $45.5 million on utility bills last year thanks to shale…
Read More “OH Schools Save $60M, PA Schools Save $45.5M Last Year from Shale”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA | Taxation

Discussion over Geological Layers has Real Consequences in PA
June 9, 2014June 9, 2014

There’s a controversy brewing in Pennsylvania–over how to define what’s conventional and what’s unconventional in oil and gas drilling. It may sound like a boring exercise in obscure geological speak because it involves concepts like the Elk formation. The theological equivalent of “how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?” However, the outcome of this argument/controversy has the power to change the economics of drilling in PA and will impact drillers, landowners, and the state government (i.e. tax revenue). It’s a big deal and the outcome is vitally important…
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Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Taxation

PA Raises Another $225M with Impact Fee – List of Who Gets What
June 5, 2014June 5, 2014

Pennsylvania did it right when it came to taxing the shale drilling industry. PA Republican Gov. Tom Corbett crafted a part tax/part fee called the impact fee, part of the Act 13 law (which is now threatened to be overturned in court by seven selfish PA towns). The impact fee raises money from drillers. Some 60% of what is raised stays in the towns and counties where the drilling happens. The other 40% is a true tax–“walking around money” that greases the hands of Harrisburg politicians so they can dole it out in political patronage. Still, it’s one of the best systems of taxing drilling we’ve seen. On Tuesday, the latest results were released for who will get how much, by county and township (and other entities). We have the list below…
Read More “PA Raises Another $225M with Impact Fee – List of Who Gets What”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Taxation

PPG Op-Ed: Don’t Kill the Marcellus Goose Laying the Golden Eggs
June 4, 2014June 4, 2014

We suppose sooner or later it had to happen–the increasingly anti-drilling Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ran an op-ed that tells the truth about PA Democrat’s plans to slap a severance tax on drilling–on top of an already high impact fee. The result will be, according to energy lawyer Kevin Colosimo, to kill the goose laying the golden eggs. To be sure the editorial writers at the PPG had nothing to do with the editorial–and probably didn’t want to run it. The argument is made by anti-drillers and money-grubbing PA Democrats that “everyone else has a severance tax, even Texas and Oklahoma and all those evil, nasty oil and gas states have a severance tax. We should too.” Just a teeny, tiny problem with that argument…
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Energy Companies | Harrison County | Industrywide Issues | Landfills | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Regulation | Statewide PA | Statewide WV | Washington County | West Virginia

Curious: Everyone’s Happy with WV Ban on Imported Drilling Sludge
May 30, 2014June 16, 2014

Earlier this week MDN told you that a couple of containers with drilling sludge (mud, leftover rock and dirt) from Range Resources containing low levels of radioactivity were sent to a landfill in Bridgeport, WV for disposal (see Range Radioactive Containers Sent to WV for Disposal). The WV Dept. of Environmental Protection caught wind of it and has banned any further out-of-state shipments of drilling sludge from disposal in WV…
Read More “Curious: Everyone’s Happy with WV Ban on Imported Drilling Sludge”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Regulation | Statewide PA | Sunoco Logistics

StateImpact PA Claims Another Scalp for their Anti-Drilling Wall
May 30, 2014May 30, 2014

Earlier this month MDN told you about the anti-drilling advocacy organization pretending to be a news organization, StateImpact Pennsylvania, and their crowing over their efforts to get a law firm to withdraw from representing Sunoco Logsitics and their Mariner East Pipeline project (see PA Reporter Gets Law Firm to Withdraw from Sunoco Pipeline Case). StateImpact is back with a new scalp to add to their collection. They’ve just cowed the chairman of the PA Public Utilities Commission, Rob Powelson, into resigning from the Greater Philadelphia Energy Action Team–a Chamber of Commerce organization aimed at promoting business and all forms of energy in the state…
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Crawford County | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Supply Chain | Universal Well

Marcellus Supply Chain Success Story: Universal Well Services
May 30, 2014May 30, 2014

There is an inescapable fact in business: those who take risks are the ones who get the rewards. A corollary is this: Those who take the biggest risks get the biggest rewards. And so it is for Meadville (Crawford County), PA company Universal Well Services, a company that specializes in pressure-pumping wells, cementing well pads and other well services. Ten years ago Universal’s business was 100% servicing the needs of conventional oil and gas drillers. The company decided to take a leap of faith–they temporarily suspended their work for conventional drillers and instead worked on a single Marcellus Shale (unconventional/shale) project. It was a huge risk for a relatively small company…
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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PEC Slams Bill Separating PA Conventional/Unconventional Regs
May 30, 2014May 30, 2014

Earlier this month MDN told you that three Pennsylvania state senators would soon introduce new legislation to separate regulations for oil and gas drilling between conventional/vertical only and unconventional/shale (see New PA Bill Would Separate Conventional/Unconventional Regulations). The new legislation was introduced, as Senate Bill 1378. At the time we said we believe the bill has good intentions, but we’re kind of skeptical. So MDN found it unusual (and somewhat distressing) that the anti-drilling Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) is on the same side we’re on!…
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