Susquehanna County

Air Quality | Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

More on “Pro-Drilling” Conversion of Gasland II Star from Dimock
October 10, 2013October 10, 2013

A few days ago we told you that one of Josh Fox’s stars in Gasland II, Victoria Switzer, has changed sides and now wants to work with the drilling industry to ensure the air is clean in Susquehanna County, PA (see Gasland II Starlet Leaves Anti-Drilling Behind, Adopts “Realism”). This is a huge problem for the anti-drilling movement, a movement that is typically shrill and frankly, unthinking. We now have at least a few people who, while they don’t like natural gas drilling going on around them, are willing to have a cogent, what they call “respectful” dialog about it. They also recognize shall drilling is here to stay–they are realists. Finally, some people on the other side of the issue we can talk to!

A bit more about the new tone and the new group which Switzer and other former anti-drillers have formed–a group called Breathe Easy Susquehanna County…
Read More “More on “Pro-Drilling” Conversion of Gasland II Star from Dimock”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA | Susquehanna County

Gasland II Starlet Leaves Anti-Drilling Behind, Adopts “Realism”
October 7, 2013October 7, 2013

What’s this…one of the stars of Gasland II, someone who trash-talked the shale drilling industry in Dimock, PA has changed sides? Yep. Well, sort of. Victoria Switzer has given up what she calls “tunnel vision” and has adopted “realism.” She says, “Realism is good.” She no longer calls for a halt to drilling in PA and instead wants to ensure it’s done safely–by working with industry and regulators. Welcome to logic and sanity! Glad to have you on our side.

Watch out Josh Fox: Switzer is not the only former anti-driller now whistling a different tune…
Read More “Gasland II Starlet Leaves Anti-Drilling Behind, Adopts “Realism””
Commodity Price | Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

The Cabot O&G Marcellus Rocketship – To the Moon!
October 4, 2013October 4, 2013

Cabot Oil & Gas, one of our favorite Marcellus drillers, continues to amaze and astound just about everyone. Last Friday (a week ago) the company issued a new “guidance” or “this is our best, educated guess” as to how much natural gas production the company will end up producing for 2013, and how much they believe it will grow in 2014. Given Cabot is already the number one natural gas producer in PA and the first member of what MDN calls the “billion cubic feet per day” club (see Who’s a Member of the Marcellus “1 Bcf/d” Club?), it’s amazing that in 2014 they predict production will be up another 30-50% over this year. Wow!

Something just as startling and no doubt the envy of all their competitors, Cabot CEO Dan Dinges tips their hand as to what the breakeven price is at which the company starts to make money. It’s a LOT lower than even we thought is was…
Read More “The Cabot O&G Marcellus Rocketship – To the Moon!”
Bradford County | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

435 Acres of Marcellus Land in NE PA Goes to Auction Oct 30
October 4, 2013October 4, 2013

MDN welcomes a new advertiser to our website this week. United Country Real Estate sought out opportunities to make know an upcoming auction of Marcellus acreage and MDN fit the bill–we thank them! (See their ad on the right side of any page.) The auction, which many MDN readers will be interested in, is for 435 acres of land, including mineral rights, in northeast PA. The seven separate tracts of land up for auction are located in prime Marcellus Shale country–in Bradford and Susquehanna counties. This is a court-ordered land sale. The auction will take place on October 30 at the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott in Wysox, PA.

Here are the full details from United Country Real Estate:
Read More “435 Acres of Marcellus Land in NE PA Goes to Auction Oct 30”
Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Lackawanna County | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

Cabot Oil & Gas Sponsors Clay Shoot for NE PA Charity
September 24, 2013September 23, 2013

Cabot Oil & Gas continues to be one of those companies that truly impresses MDN. Last year the company was a key in donating more than $2 million of its own money, and key in spurring on other companies to contribute another $2.4 million so that a stalled project to build a new hospital in Montrose, PA finally got off the ground (see Cabot Effort Raises $4.4 Million for PA Physicians Clinic). Cabot’s actions are more than just a photo op and quick PR gimmick. You don’t pony up $2 million of your own (and investors’) money, and dedicate countless hours of your staff’s time, unless you’re serious about being a good neighbor.

Cabot is “at it again”! This time they’re sponsoring a sporting clay tournament in northeastern PA with all proceeds to benefit what they call “the amazing” St. Joseph’s Center in Scranton, PA. MDN encourages you to consider going to the clay shoot or if you can’t, donating to this very worthy cause…
Read More “Cabot Oil & Gas Sponsors Clay Shoot for NE PA Charity”
Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

Gas Drilling Helps Save a Piece of African American History in PA
September 17, 2013September 17, 2013

Next door to Dimock (in Susquehanna County), PA is the other story about gas drilling you almost never hear about in mainstream media: How gas drilling is helping preserve an historic African America farm that dates back to the early 1800s. The reason you don’t hear much about it is because Denise Dennis, heir and president of the Dennis Farm Charitable Land Trust, changed her view on gas drilling. Three years ago Dennis gave a stirring anti-drilling speech at a Philadelphia City Council meeting saying extracting natural gas was as dirty as coal mining. Last year about this time, she signed a gas lease with Cabot Oil & Gas for $800,000 (see Leading Anti-Driller Does 180, Signs Lease with Cabot in PA). It was an about-face for Dennis…
Read More “Gas Drilling Helps Save a Piece of African American History in PA”
Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

Dimock Family & Lawyers in Legal Hot Water for Secret Assistance
September 16, 2013September 16, 2013

“Dimock” is the issue that won’t die because the media and anti-drillers won’t let it. The latest installment in this soap opera: Landowners Scott and Monica Ely refused Cabot Oil & Gas’ offer to settle in 2012, although virtually all other landowners who say Cabot contaminated their water wells with methane (natural gas) did settle. The Elys were hoping for a bigger payday, so they kept on–against the advice of their lawyers.

The Elys told the court they couldn’t find legal help so they would represent themselves. Then, against legal and ethical standards, a pair of lawyers (one of them from the firm previously representing the Dimock families) secretly helped them anyway. The Elys and their surreptitious lawyers are now in legal hot water…
Read More “Dimock Family & Lawyers in Legal Hot Water for Secret Assistance”
Energy Services | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County | Williams | Wyoming County (PA)

Williams BBQ Hopes to Raise $80K for NE PA United Way
September 13, 2013September 13, 2013

A few days ago MDN told you about several drillers in Ohio–Antero Resources, PDC Energy and CONSOL Energy–who are “giving back” to the communities where they drill, by donating money to local schools (see Eastern OH Shale Drillers Donate to Local Schools). Today, a story about pipeline company Williams and their annual barbecue in northeast Pennsylvania–a “little” event that raised more than $40,000 for United Way campaigns in several counties.

At this year’s event (held yesterday), Williams was hoping to double that amount…
Read More “Williams BBQ Hopes to Raise $80K for NE PA United Way”
Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Susquehanna County

A Few Dimock Families Who Sued Cabot Endorse Hanger for PA Gov
September 10, 2013September 10, 2013

John Hanger was Secretary of the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection from 2008 to 2011 under then Gov. Ed Rendell (both Democrats). In all that time Rendell and Hanger could not get a reasonable tax on drilling passed nor did they modernize PA’s decades-old drilling laws to account for shale drilling and provide new protections for the environment. It took Gov. Tom Corbett and new DEP Sec. Michael Krancer (both Republicans) to accomplish those things.

Today at 11 am at a press conference in Harrisburg, John Hanger, who is running in a primary for the Democrat nomination for Governor, will be endorsed by a few families from Dimock, PA–families who thought they could sue Cabot Oil & Gas for “contaminating” their water supplies and retire in style. Unfortunately for them, it didn’t happen. Those are the “brave” people who will endorse Hanger today. That tells you all you need to know about John Hanger and how he will govern if he wins…
Read More “A Few Dimock Families Who Sued Cabot Endorse Hanger for PA Gov”
Accidents | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Susquehanna County | Williams

Williams Evaluating Pipeline “Incident” in Dimock, PA
September 5, 2013

Residents in Dimock Township, PA near Carter Road–an area made infamous by Josh Fox in his Gasland movies–had a bit of a scare last Thursday when they heard a loud noise, like “a 747 jet plane.” As it turns out, it was noise coming from scheduled maintenance of a natural gas pipeline in the area owned and operated by Williams. A Williams spokeswoman says, “The process did not go as it should have.” Oops.

According to some concerned local pro-drilling residents, this is not the first Williams mishap in the area…
Read More “Williams Evaluating Pipeline “Incident” in Dimock, PA”
Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

Cabot Investor Presentation from August: Cool Maps & More
September 5, 2013September 5, 2013

A few weeks back Cabot Oil & Gas released their latest Investor Presentation, prepared for the EnerCom Oil & Gas Conference held in Denver (August 12, 2013). We always enjoy Cabot’s PowerPoint presentations because they’re so informative. This latest presentation doesn’t disappoint.

We’ve embedded the full presentation below. Our favorite slides: Cabot’s Marcellus Summary map on page 12, which overlays a map of Susquehanna County, PA with township boundaries and flags showing not only where their wells are located (by township), but also which ones are producing the most (by color). Very cool. We also like the Interstate Pipeline map on page 18, showing how Cabot gets all that gas–now over 1 billion cubic feet per day–to market…
Read More “Cabot Investor Presentation from August: Cool Maps & More”
Lease & Royalty Payments | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County | Wyoming County (PA)

NARO-PA Hosting Two Meetings in NE PA in September
September 5, 2013September 5, 2013

MDN strongly supports the great work of NARO–the National Association of Royalty Owners. The Pennsylvania chapter of NARO will host two meetings for landowners in northeastern PA over the next several weeks. The first meeting will be held in Montrose (Susquehanna County) on Sept. 10. The second meeting will be held in Laceyville (Wyoming County) on Sept. 18.

The details:
Read More “NARO-PA Hosting Two Meetings in NE PA in September”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide NY | Susquehanna County

What Did NYC Lawmakers Find when Visiting NE PA Frack Sites?
August 29, 2013August 29, 2013

A small group of anti-drilling New York State lawmakers from Westchester County and New York City came to Susquehanna County, PA yesterday for a “tour” of one of the most drilled (and productive) natural gas counties in PA. We’re guessing local anti-drilling celebrity (and potty mouth) Vera Scroggins led the tour, although we don’t know for sure. Regardless of who led it, the aim was to show the devastation fracking hath wrought to this poor, defenseless county. Unfortunately for Vera and other anti-drillers, reality trumps their hallucinations.

MDN was not along for the so-called tour, but we know what the visiting city folks found because we’ve also toured the county and its drilling sites: They found a pretty, rural county where the people are happy and employed, (some of them newly rich, which disgusts the old rich of NYC), and where there is no industrial wasteland. Sometimes trucks clog the roadways–but nothing like the traffic the visiting downstate lawmakers experience every day of their lives…
Read More “What Did NYC Lawmakers Find when Visiting NE PA Frack Sites?”
Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | NG Vehicles | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

Cabot Launches CNG Fueling Station in NE PA
August 16, 2013August 16, 2013

MDN editor Jim Willis (that’s me) had the pleasure of a late summer/early autumn drive from Binghamton to Dimock, PA yesterday. I attended the official opening of Cabot’s compressed natural gas (CNG) facility near Dimock. On hand for the ceremony were not only officials from Cabot, but also local politicians, a rep from the state DEP, local colleges and others.

George Stark, Cabot’s chief spokesman and director of external affairs, kicked off the event by calling the Marcellus Shale in Susquehanna County (the only place in PA they drill), a “generational” shale play. He said “production here is just prolific” and that what Cabot and others are doing in Susquehanna County is “changing the world.” His comments may seem like hyperbole, but indeed they are not…
Read More “Cabot Launches CNG Fueling Station in NE PA”
Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

Dimock: Tell a Lie Long Enough… 2 Residents Want Case Reopened
August 13, 2013August 13, 2013

The Dimock, PA story simply won’t go away–because the mainstream media won’t let it. Tell a lie long enough… Two Susquehanna County residents (one of them from Dimock, the other from 20 miles away from Dimock) who have sued Cabot Oil & Gas claiming nearby drilling and fracking polluted their water wells, are on their way to Washington, DC in yet another publicity stunt to request the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) re-open its investigation of Dimock. Apparently the “revelation” that someone inside the EPA may have created a PowerPoint slide favorable to their plight has given them renew hope. So off they go–even though the EPA has already conducted a months-long, detailed scientific study of 64 water wells all around Dimock Township and found very few problems–almost all of which have been or could be corrected (see EPA Closes the Door on Dimock Investigation – Water is Clean).
Read More “Dimock: Tell a Lie Long Enough… 2 Residents Want Case Reopened”
Commodity Price | Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Research | Susquehanna County

At What Mmcf Price Do Shale Drillers Make Money?
August 8, 2013August 8, 2013

Ken Medlock, senior director of Rice University’s Baker Institute Center for Energy Studies and a team of Rice researchers recently performed a study of shale drilling economics. One of the questions they looked at: At what price per million cubic feet (or Mmcf) must a driller sell the gas in order to at least break even and not lose money? They have some interesting findings…
Read More “At What Mmcf Price Do Shale Drillers Make Money?”