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EXCO Plans to Increase Rig Count, Complete 49 Wells in the Marcellus Shale in 2011

EXCOThe quarterly reports from public companies continue to roll in, which sometimes makes for interesting reading. EXCO Resources, Inc. has just issued their quarterly report and includes the following operational update on their drilling activities in the Marcellus Shale. Of particular note is EXCO’s statement about IP, or “initial production”. IP for oil and gas wells is that initial burst of activity which is not sustainable through the life of the well. Usually a well produces the most right at the start—according to EXCO IP is a 24-hour period during the first few days a well goes online. But as EXCO points out below, their Marcellus wells sometimes don’t hit peak performance until a month or two after they have come online.

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Former PA Gov. Tom Ridge and Marcellus Shale Coalition Part Ways

Tom RidgeThe leading and most visible organization representing the Marcellus drilling industry in Pennsylvania is the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC). Backed by a who’s who of companies in the energy industry (including Range Resources, Chesapeake Energy, Shell, ExxonMobil, Hess, Chief O&G and many more), the MSC attempts to counter the ever-present misinformation about drilling in general, and hydraulic fracturing in particular. The MSC’s stated goal is to promote responsible development of the Marcellus Shale and generate jobs while doing it.

Kathryn Klaber is the very visible and dynamic president and executive director. Ms. Klaber is the public face of the MSC. But there’s also been a second visible face of the MSC for the past year. Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge (and his two consulting firms) was named as a “strategic advisor” to the MSC in July 2010. The contract was for one year. The MSC has just announced the contract with Ridge will not be renewed. Does that mean there’s a problem? Trouble in gasland? MDN does not know. From all appearances it was a contract for a specified period, the contract was fulfilled, objectives achieved, and life moves on. That’s the nature of consulting work.

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Commonwealth Foundation Identifies Groups, People Who Fund Anti-Drilling Efforts in PA

Last week the Commonwealth Foundation released a policy briefing paper titled “The Great Frack Attack: The War On Natural Gas” (full copy of the paper embedded below). The policy paper names names and outlines the big money behind groups critical of drilling in the Marcellus Shale.

From the introduction:

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WSJ Article Compares PA and NY Approaches to Marcellus Drilling

The Wall Street Journal ran an excellent article in yesterday’s edition comparing Pennsylvania’s approach to drilling in the Marcellus Shale with New York’s approach. It’s a tale of two states: One state embraces economic opportunity, and the other let’s environmental politics strangle development.

The article says this about Pennsylvania:

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Temple University Launches Study to Investigate Possible Link Between Marcellus Drilling and Methane in Water Wells

Yet another study is about to be launched looking for a connection between Marcellus Shale gas drilling and elevated methane (natural gas) levels in nearby water wells—this time from a group of researchers at Temple University.

You may recall that Duke University recently released a study which supposedly showed a connection between drilling and high levels of methane in water wells (see MDN story here). However, the Duke study cherry-picked the locations they used—locations where there was already high levels of methane in the water, methane that is naturally occurring (and has been for decades). Hopefully the Temple researchers will employ a more rigorous methodology in their study.

Read More “Temple University Launches Study to Investigate Possible Link Between Marcellus Drilling and Methane in Water Wells”

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Range Resources: Natural Gas Liquids and Higher Commodity Gas Prices Equal a Very Good Quarter

Range Resources, one of the largest drillers in the Marcellus Shale, had a very good second quarter (revenue-wise) because of increased production of natural gas liquids and because of an uptick in the price of natural gas in the commodity markets:

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PA Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission Final Report with 96 Recommendations

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission filed their final report on Friday, containing some 96 recommendations for Gov. Corbett and the PA legislature to consider that will strengthen regulation of, and further promote, the shale gas industry in the state. The entire report (137 pages, containing a lot of background details) is embedded below. What follows first is a high level summary of the recommendations, to give you the bullet point quick overview.

Read More “PA Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission Final Report with 96 Recommendations”

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New Penn State Study: Marcellus Shale Drilling Created $11.2 Billion in Economic Activity & Supported 140K Jobs in PA in 2010

A new report titled “The Pennsylvania Marcellus Natural Gas Industry: Status, Economic Impact, and Future Potential” was released yesterday by three Penn State University researchers. The report is the third in a series of economic forecasts from the same researchers and outlines the astonishing impact Marcellus Shale drilling has had and continues to have in Pennsylvania—generating $11.2 billion in economic activity in the state in 2010 and supporting nearly 140,000 jobs. The 68-page report was funded by the Marcellus Shale Coalition, an industry group based in PA (a full copy of the report is embedded below).

The report’s authors predict the Marcellus Shale play will become the nation’s leading supplier of natural gas by 2020, providing one quarter of all natural gas used in the U.S. A summary of the key findings in the report includes:

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SRBC Temporarily Suspends Water Withdrawals for Marcellus Drilling at 36 Locations to Protect Stream Levels

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission, which oversees a huge watershed area that runs from Upstate New York all the way to the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, is preemptively and temporarily putting water withdrawals for gas drilling on hold in parts of of the watershed because stream levels are dropping from lack of rain. Below is the full press release with a list of the 36 locations where water withdrawals have been suspended.

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FrackTrack Establishes New Well Water Registry for Homeowners in PA

In March 2011, MDN wrote  a review and recommendation of the then-brand new FrackTrack online mapping service. The service visually shows (on Google Maps) gas well locations throughout Pennsylvania, along with details for each well like the exact name and address of the well, permit information, any known violations, etc. You can read MDN’s original review here.

The same organization is now hard at work on a new project to catalog privately-owned water wells and springs used as water supplies throughout Pennsylvania. FrackTrack uses data available from the state, but has found many holes and gaps in the data, and so they have launched a new project to encourage home owners to register their wells and springs with the service.

Read More “FrackTrack Establishes New Well Water Registry for Homeowners in PA”

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PA Democrat First to Introduce New Legislation for Marcellus Shale Drilling Impact Fees

Although a final copy of the recommendations voted on by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission have not yet reached his desk, eager politicians are already introducing new legislation to assess impact fees on Marcellus Shale drilling.

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PA Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission Make 96 Recommendations Including Impact Fee & Forced Pooling

In March of this year, newly elected Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett appointed a 30-member Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission with the aim of producing “a comprehensive, strategic proposal for the responsible and environmentally sound development of Marcellus Shale.” The panel wrapped up their work last Friday by voting on a list of recommendations, ultimately approving 96 of them. The final list will be issued in a report which goes to Gov. Corbett on July 22 and is not available at this time.

However, two prominent items from the approved list are being reported by media sources present at the meeting: a new impact fee and forced pooling.

Read More “PA Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission Make 96 Recommendations Including Impact Fee & Forced Pooling”

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PA Utility Commission Reconsiders Decision to Grant Public Utility Status to Pipeline Company

The Pennsylvania Utility Commission (PUC) is reconsidering its decision to grant pipeline company Laser Northeast Gathering status as a public utility with the power of eminent domain (see MDN’s previous coverage of that decision here).

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CONSOL Reports Marcellus Shale Gas Production Up 18 Percent, Drilling 85 Wells by End of 2011, One Rig Dedicated to Utica Shale

CONSOL Energy has just released an operational update which includes an update on its shale gas drilling operations in Pennsylvania and West Virginia:

Read More “CONSOL Reports Marcellus Shale Gas Production Up 18 Percent, Drilling 85 Wells by End of 2011, One Rig Dedicated to Utica Shale”

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Methane Migration in Gas Drilling More Common in Northeast PA

According to a recent article in the Elmira Star-Gazette, drilling for shale gas in northeastern PA is more challenging than other areas of the state because of the geology in the area—a geology that lends itself to methane migration. The methane that migrates does not necessarily come from the Marcellus Shale layer itself, but is often trapped above the Marcellus in limestone and other rock layers.

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