Statewide PA

Beaver County | Energy Companies | Ethane | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Processing Plants | Shell | Statewide PA

Did PBT “Badger” PA Gov Corbett on Shell Cracker Plant Date?
April 30, 2013April 30, 2013

Yesterday MDN told you about comments from PA Gov. Tom Corbett that seemed to indicate he’s changed his story about when a final final final decision may come from Shell about whether or not they will move forward with building an ethane cracker plant in Monaca, PA (see Corbett Story Changes: Decision on PA Cracker Plant Delayed Again). However, Corbett’s may not be the only story that got changed. According to a spokesman for the governor, the editorial board of the Pittsburgh Business Times “badgered” Corbett into forecasting the 2014 date when a decision may be made, and then shaded their coverage to make it seem as though Corbett has changed his story…

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Beaver County | Economic Impact | Energy Companies | Ethane | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Processing Plants | Shell | Statewide PA

Corbett Story Changes: Decision on PA Cracker Plant Delayed Again
April 29, 2013April 29, 2013

In what looks to be like more backpedaling, PA Gov. Tom Corbett told the Pittsburgh Business Times on Friday he now doesn’t expect a final decision on whether Shell will build a new $2 billion ethane cracker plant in Monaca, PA until 2014. Last December he said Shell needed another six months (until the end of June) for lawyers “dotting I’s and crossing T’s” (see Gov Tom Corbett: Shell Cracker Plant in PA Not “Off the Rails”). Now the story is, “I’ve always thought it would be early next year,” meaning 2014. Hmmm. Then why didn’t he say that last December?

From the Pittsburgh Business Times:

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

John Hanger’s Proposals for PA Shale Drilling: Tax & Regulate
April 26, 2013April 26, 2013

John Hanger is currently a lawyer in private practice in Harrisburg, but previously served as the Secretary of the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection under then Democrat Gov. Ed Rendell, prior to the Republican Tom Corbett administration. Last year, John Hanger was the featured speaker for MDN’s very first webinar (watch it here: Webinar Replay: John Hanger on Gas Drilling and Energy Choices). John is also running for the Democrat nomination for PA governor, to run against Corbett. He’s a serious guy and although the list of Dems running in PA is long, he stands a good chance of being the nominee. When John talks about shale drilling in the state and what he would do if elected governor, you need to pay attention.

John has just released a list of how he would do things differently to restore “public confidence” in the PA drilling industry, should he be elected the Keystone state’s governor this fall. Top of that list? Implement an expensive severance tax. Next in line? Heavy regulation. We’re not quite sure how taxes inspire so-called lost confidence—other than the sleazy aspect of buying off people who didn’t earn it (primarily politicians). As for regulation, air pollution seems to be at the top of his agenda. He also wants to ban drilling in all state parks. Here’s exactly what John says he’ll do if elected:

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Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Statewide PA

Range Resources 1Q13 Update: Marcellus Provides "Impressive Results"
April 26, 2013April 26, 2013

Range Resources, the first driller to sink a Marcellus Shale well in western PA in 2004, issued their first quarter financial and operational update yesterday. According to Range, the liquids-rich Marcellus in southwestern PA “continues to provide impressive results.” Range’s daily production hit new highs in 1Q13. Most of their Marcellus work is concentrated in the “super rich” area of SW PA where they brought 25 new wells online in the first quarter. However, Range also drilled 7 new wells in NE PA, in the “dry gas” zone of the Marcellus.

Here’s part of the Range update, including details on their Marcellus operations:

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Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Susquehanna County

Big News: PA Supreme Court Decides Shale Mineral Rights Case
April 25, 2013April 25, 2013

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has just ruled on a case with huge consequences for the natural gas drilling industry in the state. We won’t keep you in suspense: the ruling is favorable to the drilling industry.

In Butler v Powers, the Supreme Court justices took up the issue of whether or not natural gas rights should be part of the broader concept of “mineral rights” in PA. In most states when a deed or lease agreement is signed for mineral rights it includes natural gas as well, on the theory that the gas comes from a mineral—shale rock. But that has not been the case in PA. Going all the way back to a case in 1882, PA has had “the Dunham rule” which separates natural gas rights from the broader concept of mineral rights (for background on the Dunham rule, see the MDN article PA Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Critical O&G Case).

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

Anti-Drilling Eco-Nuts on Parade in PA for Earth Day
April 23, 2013April 23, 2013

In honor of “worship Mother Earth Day,” small groups of anti-drilling eco-nuts paraded themselves in front six different Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection offices around the state yesterday (see Protesters Rally Outside DEP Offices On Earth Day To Fight Marcellus Shale Fracking). They apparently don’t have jobs and do have lots of extra time on their hands to do such things.

In contrast to the intentional know-nothings who oppose fracking, in honor of Earth Day, the American Thinker (great site by the way) published the account of an air pollution meteorologist who recently visited actively drilled well sites in southwest PA. Here’s what someone with a brain reports about what he witnessed:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Processing Plants | Statewide NY | Statewide OH | Statewide PA | Statewide WV | West Virginia

ShaleNavigator Expands Again: Adds New Areas to Online Mapping App
April 23, 2013April 23, 2013

Although technically not in the purview of MDN’s coverage, we want to alert you that MDN partner ShaleNavigator—the top-notch online mapping service that brings you those marvelous maps in the Marcellus and Utica Shale Databook—is expanding. ShaleNavigator founder Ed Camp has added the Collingwood and Antrim Shale plays in Michigan to his coverage.

Here’s Ed’s press release announcing the expansion of his excellent service:

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Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Higher Marcellus Permit Fees Coming for PA Drillers
April 22, 2013April 22, 2013

The Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) wants to hike permit fees for Marcellus and other horizontal or “unconventional” wells by $1,000 to $1,800 above the current $3,200 (a 56% increase). The DEP says more work is required for each well under new legislation passed in 2012, and new permits have slowed a bit, meaning less revenue for the agency. More work to do but less revenue from new permits—something’s gotta give…

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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Pennsylvania | Statewide NY | Statewide PA | Uncategorized

So-Called "List of the Harmed" Exposed
April 19, 2013April 19, 2013

This is the glorious day and age of the Internet when you can start a group and call it something like, oh, The Pennsylvania Alliance for Clean Water and Air (PACWA), and claim it’s a large group when in fact it’s one person (or a few people), launch a website with a catchy slogan, and pretend to be a grassroots “movement.” Such is the case with PACWA and their so-called “The List of the Harmed”—those who claim to have been harmed by hydraulic fracturing, supposedly in Pennsylvania (although many anti-drilling New Yorkers, where there is no fracking, also appear on the list).

Intrepid MDN reader and occasional contributor Victor Furman called up Jenny Lissac, the keeper of The List, back when it was under 200 people, and gave her an outrageous song and dance about how he had been harmed (here in NY). She bought it hook, line and sinker and was about to publish it on her list when he fessed up that none of what he had told her was true—attempting to illustrate for her that anyone can lie about how they’ve been harmed. Apparently Vic’s lesson was lost on Ms. Lissac as she continues to compile and promote a list that, while it may have a few legitimate cases of negative impacts from fracking, is mostly full of false information.

Vic recently put The List under the microscope for an analysis. This is what he found…

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Crime | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Violence

Disturbing: Remains of Small Bombs Found at 2 NE PA Drill Sites
April 19, 2013April 19, 2013

A very disturbing report from AP about the charred remains of “small explosive devices” found at two inactive Marcellus Shale drilling sites in northeastern PA:

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Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Zeits: Is NW PA the Next "It" Place for Marcellus/Utica Drilling?
April 18, 2013April 18, 2013

An important and extensive new analysis of what may be the “next frontier” in Marcellus and Utica Shale drilling comes from MDN’s favorite Seeking Alpha writer and energy analyst, Richard Zeits. In a post from yesterday, Zeits makes the case that northwest PA offers “promising stacked-play, liquids-rich potential in the Marcellus, Utica, and Upper Devonian shales but still remains a barely touched exploration frontier.”

What has Zeits turned on about NW PA? NGLs—natural gas liquids…

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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Inergy | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide PA | UGI Energy Services | WGL Holdings

PA’s Commonwealth Pipeline Project Suspended – Indefinitely
April 18, 2013June 10, 2013

In December, MDN told you that work on the 120-mile Commonwealth Pipeline, a Marcellus Shale pipeline running from Lycoming County to the Philadelphia area was “on hold” (see Commonwealth Pipeline for Marcellus Region on Hold). You can now change that to work has been “suspended” on the pipeline—indefinitely. Did the anti-drillers win this particular skirmish in the fracking wars?

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Energy Companies | EQT Corp | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

EQT Sheds Divisions/Assets to Focus on Marcellus Shale
April 18, 2013April 18, 2013

In a shareholders meeting held Wednesday at EQT Corp in Pittsburgh, the company laid out a strategy of focusing on drilling for shale gas in southwestern PA. That means they will continue to divest from other businesses, like their Equitable Gas utility company (waiting for regulatory approval to sell it), and the sale of their coalbed methane acreage in Virginia.

EQT plans to focus like a laser on the Marcellus Shale:

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Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA | Taxation

PA Fish & Boat Commission Wants to Charge Drillers for PA Water
April 15, 2013April 15, 2013

The executive director of the PA Fish and Boat Commission, John Arway, is "mad" and says the Marcellus drilling industry is "stealing" PA’s water and not paying for it, and that ticks him off. Solution? Make industry pay. Oh, it will also help close a shortfall in his department’s budget of $9 million too (starting in 2017).

Apparently both Republicans and Democrats are showing interest in the idea and have introduced a measure in the PA Senate to study the idea of slapping a surcharge on PA’s water:

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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA | Washington County | Wastewater

PA Rep Jesse White to Introduce Law Banning Open Frack Ponds
April 15, 2013April 15, 2013

PA State Rep. Jesse White, a Democrat from Cecil with an ongoing grudge match with Range Resources (and someone who claims to be in favor of responsible drilling), will soon introduce a bill into the PA legislature that would ban Marcellus Shale wastewater frack ponds. He’s looking for co-sponsors for the legislation and using the new Center for Sustainable Shale Development (CSSD) as his political cover/excuse to push for it.

White incorrectly states the CSSD’s new standards call for the elimination of open impoundments or frack ponds. Standard #3 says no open ponds for fracking fluid, but Standard #4 says open frack ponds are permissible for "produced" or "flowback" water—the deep layer salt water that comes out after the drilling fluid has been removed (see MDN’s summary of the rules here: Important: Drillers & Enviros Form New Group, Launch Cert Program). Although he uses the CSSD for justification, White’s proposal goes well beyond what they’re stipulating…

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Industrywide Issues | Jobs | NG Vehicles | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA | Taxation

PA Republicans Introduce Marcellus Tax Credits to Create Jobs
April 11, 2013April 11, 2013

Pennsylvania Republicans want the burgeoning Marcellus Shale industry in the state to create even more jobs for Pennsylvanians–so they’ve introduced legislation that will grant tax credits (not assistance, just a break on high taxes) to companies that do things like convert fleets of vehicles from running on gasoline to running on CNG (compressed natural gas). The amounts add up to a few million dollars, a fly speck in the overall budget, but of course it makes the state’s Democrats apoplectic:

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