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MDN Analysis of Rig Counts in Marcellus/Utica
May 15, 2012May 15, 2012

Drilling rig counts are closely watched as an indicator of where, and how much, drilling is happening in a given geography. Last Friday, Baker Hughes reported that rig counts for Pennsylvania continue to decline from a year ago, while the numbers for West Virginia are going up. But that doesn’t quite tell the whole story.

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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

PA Gov. Corbett Outlines How Shale Gas Benefits Everyone
May 15, 2012May 15, 2012

In a recent radio interview, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett spoke about the Marcellus Shale drilling industry and how it positively impacts all Pennsylvanians, not just just a select few:

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Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA | Taxation

PA PUC Adopts Guidelines for Impact Fee Collection/Disbursement
May 11, 2012May 11, 2012

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) yesterday finalized provisions of Act 13 of 2012 related to the collection and disbursement of the impact fee for unconventional natural gas well drilling. Known as Chapter 23 of Act 13, the PUC voted 5-0 to finalize the procedures they would use to implement, collect and distribute the impact fee. A copy of the “Chapter 23 Final Implementation Order” as adopted is embedded below.

Because of an active lawsuit by seven townships and others against zoning provisions in Act 13 (known as Chapter 33 of Act 13), the PUC delayed action on that section of the new law.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Wastewater

NRDC Releases Report Critical of PA Fracking Wastewater
May 11, 2012May 11, 2012

Advocating for stricter government controls, the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) earlier this week released a “comprehensive review” of how fracking wastewater is handled in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale with recommendations for how it can be handled better. The NRDC says that the current methods of wastewater disposal are not adequate to protect drinking water supplies, and present a risk to the health of both humans and animals. A copy of the report is embedded below.

From the NRDC press release:

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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Penn State Report Shows PA Counties with Drilling Prosper
May 10, 2012May 10, 2012

An economic report released on March 30 by Penn State researchers (copy embedded below) shows that Pennsylvania counties where there is Marcellus Shale drilling do better economically—far better—than other counties.

Marcellus counties bring in more sales tax revenue, a sign that businesses and business owners and the people who have jobs at those businesses are prospering. The more drilling there is in a county, the better the county does economically. And that’s even before Act 13 Marcellus drilling impact fees are collected and distributed.

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Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA Act 13 Zoning Lawsuit Goes to Trial in June
May 10, 2012May 10, 2012

An update on the Act 13 lawsuit filed by seven Pennsylvania municipalities and the Delaware Riverkeeper Network at the end of March (see this MDN story). Act 13 is a set of new drilling rules and regulations adopted by the PA legislature and signed by Gov. Tom Corbett in February of this year. Part of the new regs included a statute that says state rules on zoning for oil and gas drilling supersede or override local zoning laws. The seven towns and Riverkeeper sued to stop that portion of the new law and Commonwealth Court Judge Keith Quigley granted a temporary, 120 day injunction (see this MDN story).

The case will now be heard by the full nine-member Commonwealth Court between June 4-8. That’s big news. But there’s even bigger news:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

SRBC “Insists” Drillers Use Acid Mine Water if Possible
May 8, 2012May 7, 2012

An idea that’s been floating “out there” for some time, at least in Pennsylvania, is for gas drillers to use acid mine water that flows from abandoned coal mines. It’s estimated there is some 300 million gallons per day of acid mine water—more than enough to frack every well drilled in PA each year. Last year, Gov. Tom Corbett’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission recommended that the state Department of Environmental Protection set up an approval process to make it happen—something now in the works.

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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Statewide WV | West Virginia

The AP Calculates 2011 Shale Gas Revenue for PA & WV
May 7, 2012May 7, 2012

The Associated Press (AP) did an analysis of how much natural gas was produced in Pennsylvania and West Virginia during 2011 and have run some basic calculations based on an assumed average price (last year) of $3.50 per thousand BTUs (or mBtus). The results of those calculations should put to bed any claims that shale gas drilling does not have a profound economic impact that touches every resident in a shale gas producing state.

According to the AP analysis:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Lackawanna County | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA | Taxation

Unproductive PA Wells Still Liable for Partial Impact Fee
May 7, 2012May 7, 2012

The price for drilling a Marcellus Shale gas well in Pennsylvania that “misses” and is not economically viable may have just gotten a lot steeper. It looks like the state Public Utility Commission (PUC), charged with collecting and distributing the new impact fee under Act 13, is going to levy the fee on exploratory wells that end up not being productive and plugged.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Public Opinion | Statewide PA

Western PA School Board Member Speaks Out on Anti-Drillers
May 4, 2012May 4, 2012

A school board member from a district in western Pennsylvania that recently voted to allow Marcellus Shale drilling under, but not on top, of school property wrote a must-read article that appears on the American Thinker website today. He shares with readers the process the board went through, the agonizing, researching, questioning, and public hearings on gas drilling. And the board member came to a key conclusion about anti-drillers: at their core, they are unreasonable people. To wit:

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Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

Yet Another PA Township “Supports” Act 13 Lawsuit
April 27, 2012April 27, 2012

Wednesday night, Scott Township, PA commissioners unanimously voted to pass a resolution showing symbolic (but no real) support for the PA townships that have sued the State of Pennsylvania over provisions in the new Act 13 Marcellus drilling law. The lawsuit takes exception to state rules replacing local zoning laws that control oil and gas drilling.

Scott is just the latest municipality, in addition to Pittsburgh, Tullytown, Wilkinson, Luzerne, Buffalo, Hanover and other municipalities who have also expressed support, but refuse to actually join the lawsuit (see this MDN story).

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Industrywide Issues | NG Vehicles | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

CNG Filling Stations Coming to South Central PA
April 26, 2012April 26, 2012

A story about two new compressed natural gas (CNG) filling stations planned for Adams and York counties in Pennsylvania gives us a glimpse at the beginning of something big—a massive conversion away from gasoline and to CNG vehicles.

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

PennFuture Releases “Plain Language Guide” to PA Act 13
April 24, 2012April 24, 2012

Anti-drilling group PennFuture yesterday released their spin on Pennsylvania’s new Marcellus drilling law called Act 13. Calling it a “Plain Language Guide,” PennFuture takes aim at trying to dismantle the new law by first undermining people’s opinion of the law, and second by threatening to use their considerable $2 million per year war chest to throw at litigation against the new law. A summary of the main points in their new guide is embedded below. A full copy is available at their website by filling out a form (clever marketing to get your personal details for future fundraising appeals).

Here’s the PennFuture press release announcing the Plain Language Guide:

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CONSOL Energy | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Shale Drilling Plays Key Role in Presidential Campaign
April 24, 2012April 24, 2012

Thus far MDN has refrained from commenting on the presidential campaign. It will be no surprise to MDN readers that we think Obama has an abysmal record on energy, particularly when it comes to shale gas drilling. It seems the Romney campaign shares that view. The Obama administration’s energy record is a recurring theme of Mitt Romney on the campaign trail, as it was yesterday when he was in Pennsylvania at Consol Energy:

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Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

Judge Tells PA Drillers They Can’t Join Act 13 Lawsuit
April 23, 2012April 23, 2012

At the end of March, seven Pennsylvania municipalities along with the Delaware Riverkeeper Network and a handful of individuals filed a lawsuit against the state of Pennsylvania over a newly enacted Marcellus drilling law called Act 13 (see this MDN story). The lawsuit specifically targets a measure in the new law that supersedes local zoning of oil and gas drilling with state-mandated rules. The Pennsylvania Independent Oil and Gas Association, the Marcellus Shale Coalition and some state lawmakers filed to join the lawsuit on the side of the state, to help defend the new legislation (see this MDN story).

On Friday, the judge in the case denied the application to join the lawsuit:

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Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA Medical Society Admits Act 13 Won’t “Gag” Doctors
April 20, 2012April 20, 2012

Yet another straw man argument from anti-drillers has been knocked down in Pennsylvania. Anti-drillers were trying to fabricate a tale that under Pennsylvania’s new drilling law, Act 13, doctors and health care workers would be “gagged” and prevented from talking about the chemicals used in fracking with their patients should those patients somehow be exposed to said chemicals. It’s been a running headline for over a month.

On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Medical Society said the matter had been cleared up:

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