Statewide PA

Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Guest Post | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

What if PA Dems Win the Next Election and Ban Drilling Statewide?
August 8, 2013August 8, 2013

MDN reader, friend and contributor Chris Acker provides the insightful commentary below in response to (and building on) our article of a few days ago, titled: 18 PA House Democrats Dissent from Party’s Vote for Frack Moratorium.

Chris delves into the economic apocalypse that would happen should PA Democrats gain power again in the next election and fulfill their promise of enacting a statewide moratorium/ban on drilling. It is, as Chris points out, a true nightmare scenario:
Read More “What if PA Dems Win the Next Election and Ban Drilling Statewide?”
Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | NG Vehicles | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Statewide PA | Washington County

Range Rolls Out New Fleet of CNG Trucks in SW PA
August 8, 2013August 8, 2013

Range Resources is practicing what it preaches–or rather consuming what it produces. Yesterday at a ceremony at Range’s regional HQ in Southpointe (near Pittsburgh), the company showed off a new fleet of Dodge and Chevy pickup trucks that run on compressed natural gas (CNG). With the new trucks added, Range now operates 100 of them out of their Southpointe operation. With CNG prices running at the gasoline equivalent of around $2 per gallon, Range says the trucks will pay for themselves within two years due to the low price of using CNG.

According to the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection, by the end of this year there will be 100 CNG fueling stations across PA. More and more Pennsylvanians are interested in converting to CNG vehicles…
Read More “Range Rolls Out New Fleet of CNG Trucks in SW PA”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

18 PA House Democrats Dissent from Party’s Vote for Frack Moratorium
August 6, 2013

Well well, what do you know? There are 18 brave Democrats in Pennsylvania after all. MDN was (we think) the first and one of the only sources to tell you of the insanity of the PA Democrat Party who, at their most recent statewide meeting, voted to adopt an official plank in their party platform supporting an immediate and ongoing moratorium–essentially a ban–of all Marcellus Shale drilling in the state (see PA Democrat Party Votes to End Marcellus Shale Drilling Statewide). The state and national media ignored the story, knowing how toxic such a stupid move will be for Democrats at the next election (got to protect the Dem hegemony ya know).

But, we’ve just learned that 18 brave elected Democrats from the PA House of Representatives, including House Minority leader Frank Dermody, wrote a letter on July 15 to the state committee telling them the frack moratorium vote in June is not kosher with them. To which we say, three cheers! Finally, some people with ~~balls~~ intestinal fortitude inside the PA Democrat Party…
Read More “18 PA House Democrats Dissent from Party’s Vote for Frack Moratorium”
Energy Companies | EXCO Resources | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

EXCO Resources 2Q13 Update: 33 Marcellus Wells Now Online
August 6, 2013August 6, 2013

EXCO Resources reported their second quarter results yesterday. EXCO is active in a number of shale plays, among them the Marcellus. EXCO reports during 2Q13 they started to drill two new Marcellus wells and completed three wells, all of them in Pennsylvania. The plan is to complete nine wells by the end of the year.

The Marcellus section of yesterday’s EXCO update:
Read More “EXCO Resources 2Q13 Update: 33 Marcellus Wells Now Online”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA | Statewide WV | West Virginia

Marcellus Hiring Practices “Under a Microscope” by DOL
August 5, 2013August 5, 2013

Are you a driller, oilfield services or other supply chain company whose primary activity revolves around the PA or WV Marcellus Shale? If so, there’s a good chance you’re going to get audited by the U.S. Labor Department (DOL). Best to get your records (and hiring practices) in order now.

The biggest violation found by the DOL’s so-called Marcellus Shale Initiative: improperly classifying workers as independent contractors instead of salaried or hourly employees. Hiring workers as independent contractors is coming back to bite a number of companies, large and small. If the DOL finds a violation, they helpfully pass it on to the IRS, so after the DOL is done fining you, the IRS typically shows up on your doorstep for a second pound of flesh. Sweet…
Read More “Marcellus Hiring Practices “Under a Microscope” by DOL”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Research | Statewide PA

Heinz Endowments Fires Head of Enviro Grants – Change Coming?
August 5, 2013August 5, 2013

Anti-drillers are nervous that one of the big-money spigots for funding their so-called research into the dangers of fracking is about to be shut off. In a developing soap opera, the “longtime head” of environmental grant making for the Heinz Endowments, Caren Glotfelty, has been shown the door. A number of anti-drilling studies have been funded by Glotfelty during her tenure at Heinz. Bobby Vagt, president of Heinz Enowments, will fill in for Glotfelty until a replacement is found. Vagt, you may recall, is involved with the Center for Sustainable Shale Development (see Important: Drillers & Enviros Form New Group, Launch Cert Program). It was also recently disclosed that Vagt sits on the board of natgas pipeline company Kinder Morgan (see Heinz Endowments President Owns $1.2M in Kinder Morgan Stock).

Anti-drillers have broken out the tea leaves, chicken feet and anything else they can to divine whether or not the move to oust Glotfelty is an indication of a change in (funding) priorities for Heinz…
Read More “Heinz Endowments Fires Head of Enviro Grants – Change Coming?”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA Acting Sec of DEP Making his Agency a “Problem-Solver”
August 2, 2013August 2, 2013

We noted our sadness in March when then-PA Sec. of the Dept. of Environmental Protection, Michael Krancer, announced he was resigning (see Developing… PA DEP Sec. Krancer Resigns). Krancer was tough but fair–someone with a sharp wit (and sometimes a sharp tongue). He knew how to dish it back to anti-drillers–and they hated it. At the time of Krancer’s resignation, Gov. Tom Corbett named his deputy chief of staff, E. Christopher Abruzzo, as Acting Secretary for the DEP. Abruzzo’s appointment was panned by Democrat John Hanger, who wants to run against Corbett in the next election, calling the appointment “bizarre and irresponsible” (see Former PA DEP Sec. Hanger Blasts Interim Replacement for Krancer).

We haven’t read much in the media about Abruzzo since his appointment six months ago, however, yesterday Abruzzo addressed the Washington County, PA Chamber of Commerce’s annual energy symposium. Contrary to what political opponents would have you believe, he sounded and acted quite responsible and un-bizzare…
Read More “PA Acting Sec of DEP Making his Agency a “Problem-Solver””
Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Washington County

SW PA Energy Symposium: Still Early Innings for Marcellus Shale
August 2, 2013August 2, 2013

The Washington County, PA fourth annual energy symposium, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, was held yesterday in Southpointe, PA. The event was emceed by state Sen. Tim Solobay (a Democrat, surprisingly). The recurring theme from drillers and others who spoke: When it comes to the Marcellus Shale, we’re just getting started. It’s still early innings…
Read More “SW PA Energy Symposium: Still Early Innings for Marcellus Shale”
Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Talisman Energy

Talisman Makes Noise About Selling Marcellus Midstream Assets
August 2, 2013August 2, 2013

Canadian-based Talisman Energy is a major Marcellus Shale driller in Pennsylvania. They’re also a company in financial trouble–in the midst of attempting to turn the company around in the direction of profitability. A story out of Canada about Talisman’s latest turnaround efforts talks about the company putting certain assets on the auction block, including their considerable assets in Norway. Tucked in the article is this very brief mention that some of Talisman’s Marcellus assets may also go on the auction block:
Read More “Talisman Makes Noise About Selling Marcellus Midstream Assets”
Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Southwestern Energy | Statewide PA

Southwestern Energy 2Q13: 1/2 Bcf/d of Marcellus Gas Flowing
August 2, 2013August 2, 2013

Southwestern Energy has a sizable drilling operation in the Pennsylvania Marcellus Shale. In their second quarter 2013 update, posted yesterday, Southwestern reports they have 129 Marcellus wells now in production and another 99 being drilled. As of June 30, Southwestern’s Marcellus wells were producing an average 503 million cubic feet of natural gas per day–just over the half billion per day mark.

Here’s the Marcellus update taken from yesterday’s 2Q13 report:
Read More “Southwestern Energy 2Q13: 1/2 Bcf/d of Marcellus Gas Flowing”
Allegheny County | Energy Companies | EQT Corp | Forced Pooling | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Bad News: EQT Sues 70 Landowners Using New PA Forced Pooling Law
August 1, 2013

The recently signed Pennsylvania Royalty Bill SB259 provides extra transparency for landowners in how royalties are calculated, but it also introduces forced pooling for some landowners with old, pre-Marcellus leases (see PA Gov Corbett Signs Back-Door Forced Pooling Bill into Law). As MDN and landowner groups like the National Association of Royalty Owners (NARO) feared, this legislation is now being used against landowners. Earlier this week, EQT Corp. used the new law to sue 70 landowners to force them to allow EQT to get on their land to conduct survey work for future drilling on or under the land. Bye bye negotiations. Bye bye fairness. Hello steamroller.

This lawsuit is bad news for PA landowners and bad news for pro-drilling Gov. Tom Corbett who mouthed platitudes that this type of thing would not happen when he signed it into law…
Read More “Bad News: EQT Sues 70 Landowners Using New PA Forced Pooling Law”
Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Processing Plants | Statewide PA | Statewide WV | West Virginia

“Notable Increase” in WV/PA NatGas Production from New Pipelines
July 31, 2013July 31, 2013

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) published a brief article in their online “Today in Energy” publication that points out natural gas production for both dry gas and wet gas has gone up in West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania because of new infrastructure–pipelines and processing plants.

Here is the EIA article, complete with nifty chart showing the rather dramatic increase in daily production:
Read More ““Notable Increase” in WV/PA NatGas Production from New Pipelines”
Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Talisman Energy

Talisman 2Q13: Marcellus Production Down, 20 New Wells Coming
July 31, 2013July 31, 2013

Talisman Energy, a driller with operations both on- and off-shore in the Americas and Asia-Pacific regions, released its second quarter results today. The report/update is long. Talisman doesn’t say much about the Marcellus in the report, but what they do say about their drilling in the Marcellus is interesting, so we’ve extracted out those references and we present them below.

Bottom line: Marcellus production volumes have gradually declined due to no new drilling (because of the low commodity price of natgas), but Talisman plans to reverse that trend…
Read More “Talisman 2Q13: Marcellus Production Down, 20 New Wells Coming”
Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Kathryn Klaber Stepping Down as CEO of Marcellus Shale Coalition
July 29, 2013July 30, 2013

A surprise announcement last Friday: Kathryn (Katie) Klaber is stepping down as CEO of the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC). Klaber has been the driving force behind the MSC since it’s inception in 2009. She helped build the MSC into one of the world’s premier industry organizations representing shale drilling. Her presence will no doubt be missed.

The MSC announcement below does not mention what’s next for Katie, but we have some idle speculation…
Read More “Kathryn Klaber Stepping Down as CEO of Marcellus Shale Coalition”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

AP Attempts to Smear Shale Drillers as Arrogant
July 29, 2013July 29, 2013

Another AP story with anti-drilling overtones is making the rounds. This one, written by AP reporter Kevin Begos, attempts (in our opinion) to unfairly shade comments by both John Hofmeister, the former president of Shell, and Terry Engelder, Penn State geologist and the “father of the Marcellus,” as tacitly admitting that drilling has caused chemical contamination in some water supplies. They never said it, and to imply it is an outrage.

Here’s the AP article now making its way around the mainstream media echo chamber with the pretentious title, “Industry Arrogance Fueling Fracking Anger?”…
Read More “AP Attempts to Smear Shale Drillers as Arrogant”
Cameron County | Elk County | Energy Companies | Forest County | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania | Seneca Resources | Statewide PA

Seneca Resources Production Up 67%, Now 1/3 Bcf/d in Marcellus
July 29, 2013July 29, 2013

Seneca Resources, the Marcellus Shale drilling subsidiary of National Fuel Gas Company, released their fiscal third quarter (everyone else’s second quarter) operating results today. And boy of boy, were they good results! Seneca reports their Marcellus Shale production was up 67% from the same quarter last year, due to newly drilled wells in Lycoming County, PA going online. Seneca’s total Marcellus production was 374 million cubic feet per day average–or one-third of a billion cubic feet per day. Cabot Oil & Gas and now EQT have both hit 1 Bcfe/d of production in the Marcellus (see EQT 2Q13: Welcome to the Marcellus “1 Bcf/d Club”). Seems like Seneca is well on its way to the 1 Bcfe/d milestone too.

Here’s the full report, including details for some of the newest wells they’ve drilled in Elk, Cameron and Forest counties, and details about their use of a drilling technique called reduced cluster spacing (“RCS”) design:
Read More “Seneca Resources Production Up 67%, Now 1/3 Bcf/d in Marcellus”