| | | | | |

CNX’s DeIuliis Explains Why He Did a Deal with the Devil (Shapiro)

On Friday, MDN brought you the news that CNX Resources CEO Nick DeIuliis had signed a voluntary deal with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to expand drilling setbacks and several other regulatory steps not mandated for shale drillers under PA law (see CNX Signs Deal with PA Gov. to Increase Setbacks, Other Changes). DeIuliis spoke to the Pittsburgh Business Times on Friday (a day after signing the deal) to explain his thinking and why he signed the agreement.
Continue reading

| | | | | |

CNX Signs Deal with PA Gov. to Increase Setbacks, Other Changes

We have to confess this news came suddenly out of left field. And we’re still struggling with what to make of it. Yesterday, CNX Resources CEO Nick DeIuliis, author of Precipice: The Left’s Campaign to Destroy America (in which he writes about the “leeches” of the left), stood at a podium in Washington County, PA, with PA’s head leftist leech Gov. Josh Shapiro, to announce a voluntary deal for CNX to expand drilling setbacks and several other regulatory steps not mandated for shale drillers under PA law. Is this a sellout by DeIuliis? Or is it a masterstroke in which DeIuliis has shown us how to outsmart the left and beat them at their own game? That’s the question we’re struggling with.
Continue reading

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

26 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Oct 23 – 29

New shale permits issued for Oct 23 – 29 in the Marcellus/Utica increased again. There were 26 new permits issued last week, versus 22 the week before. Last week’s permit tally included 18 new permits in Pennsylvania, 7 new permits in Ohio, and 1 new permit in West Virginia. Coterra Energy was the top permittee for the week, drawing 7 permits in Susquehanna County, PA. Chesapeake Energy was #2 with 5 permits issued in Sullivan County, PA.
Continue reading

| | | | | | | | | | | | | |

22 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Oct 16 – 22

New shale permits issued for Oct 16 – 22 in the Marcellus/Utica rebounded. There were 22 new permits issued last week, versus 14 the week before. Last week’s permit tally included 17 new permits in Pennsylvania, 5 new permits in Ohio, and no new permits in West Virginia. Chesapeake Energy was the top permittee for the week, drawing 7 permits between two counties in PA: Susquehanna and Wyoming (northeastern part of the state). EQT had 5 permits across two PA counties: Greene and Washington (southwestern part of the state). And Ascent Resources had 5 permits in Ohio in two counties: Guernsey and Harrison.
Continue reading

| | | | | | | |

EHB to Review DEP Finding of No PFAS Contamination by Chevron Well

Last November, MDN told you about a lawsuit filed by a family in Washington County, PA, against Chevron (now EQT) for drilling and fracking done in 2011-2012 near the family’s home (see PA Lawsuit Blames Chevron Fracking for PFAS Chemicals in Water Well). The lawsuit alleges Chevron used PFAS or “forever chemicals” in the fracking solution, and that those chemicals had leaked into the family’s water well. The PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) investigated and found that water contaminated with PFAS from Chevron’s drilling more than a decade ago did NOT pollute the family’s water well (see DEP Finds Chevron Drilling Did Not Contaminate Water Well with PFAS). The family, using a well-known anti-Marcellus lawyer, appealed the DEP finding. The Environmental Hearing Board (EHB), a special court in PA that hears appeals of DEP decisions, said it would review the DEP’s findings.
Continue reading

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

21 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Sep 18 – 24

New shale permits issued for Sep 18 – 24 in the Marcellus/Utica were roughly the same as the prior week. There were 21 new permits issued last week, down 1 from permits issued two weeks ago. Last week’s permit tally included 11 new permits in Pennsylvania, 4 new permits in Ohio, and 6 new permits in West Virginia. Three companies tied for top permittee last week: PennEnergy Resources with 5 permits in Butler County, PA; CNX Resources with 5 permits in Washington County, PA; and Southwestern Energy with 5 permits spread between Wetzel and Ohio counties in WV.
Continue reading

| | |

Washington County, PA, Makes a Play to Attract Carbon Capture

click for larger version

Diana Irey Vaughan has been a Washington County, PA commissioner for almost 30 years. She’s learned a thing or two about anticipating economic trends and understanding what’s likely to happen in the future. Vaughan was an early supporter of the Marcellus industry in her county, the county with THE most Marcellus wells drilled in the state. Something new is appearing on Vaughan’s radar: carbon capture and storage. She thinks now is the time for Washington County (and for Gov. Shapiro and the legislature) to pursue landing new CCS projects for the Keystone State.
Continue reading

| | | | | | | | | | | | | |

14 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Sep 4 – 10

New shale permits issued for Sep 4 – 10 in the Marcellus/Utica continued to be in the crapper. There were 14 new permits issued last week, up 1 from 13 issued two weeks ago, and down from the 16 issued three weeks ago. Not so long ago we routinely saw 30+ issued each week. Last week’s permit tally included 8 new permits in Pennsylvania, no new permits in Ohio, and 6 new permits in West Virginia. The top permittee for the week was Antero Resources, which received six permits in WV.
Continue reading

| | |

Range Resources’ Ongoing Love Affair with Washington County, PA

Quick history lesson. In 2004, Range Resources was the first company to drill and frack the first Marcellus Shale gas well, which happened in Mt. Pleasant Township (Washington County), PA. It was love at first sight. Over the past almost 20 years, Range has added a few other counties to the list of place where it drills, and the company remains headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. However, Range considers Washington County, PA, “our core, our home, the DNA of our company.” The bond of love is still strong all these years later.
Continue reading

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

27 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Aug 14 – 20

New shale permits issued for Aug 14 – 20 in the Marcellus/Utica finally turned around. There were 27 new permits issued last week, way up from the 10 issued the prior week. Last week’s permit tally included 21 new permits in Pennsylvania, 2 new permits in Ohio, and 4 new permits in West Virginia (after no permits in WV for three weeks in a row). The top permittee for the week, for the second week in a row, was Chesapeake Energy, receiving 6 permits–5 in Bradford County and 1 in Susquehanna County.
Continue reading

| | | | | | | | | |

10 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Aug 7 – 13

New shale permits issued for Aug 7 – 13 in the Marcellus/Utica crashed for a second week in a row. There were 10 new permits issued last week, down 14 issued the previous week (half of the 29 issued three weeks ago). Last week’s permit tally included 10 new permits in Pennsylvania, no new permits in Ohio, and no new permits in West Virginia (third week in a row for WV). The top permittee for the week was Chesapeake Energy, receiving 6 permits–4 in Bradford County and 2 in Susquehanna County.
Continue reading

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

39 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jun 26-Jul 2

New shale permits issued for Jun 26 – Jul 2 in the Marcellus/Utica saw a dramatic increase, thanks to a bump in Pennsylvania’s numbers. There were 39 new permits issued last week, way up from 11 issued the previous week. Last week’s permit tally included 30 new permits in Pennsylvania, 8 new permits in Ohio, and just 1 new permit in West Virginia. Coterra Energy scored the most new permits with a whopping 12 issued in Susquehanna County, PA (for two well pads). Range Resources had the second most new permits, with 7 permits issued in Washington County, PA (for one pad).
Continue reading

| | | | | |

MarkWest Mails Spill Cleanup Notice to Wrong Township in SWPA

tempest in a teapot

In late December 2022, piping at the MarkWest Imperial Compressor Station in Robinson Township, Washington County, PA, froze during Winter Storm Elliot. The frozen line burst, spilling roughly 10,000 gallons of condensate on the ground. On May 23, 2023, MarkWest Liberty Midstream & Resources LLC submitted a Notice of Intent (NOI) to the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) to clean up soil and groundwater contaminated by the spill. MarkWest’s consultant Tetra Tech sent a copy of the notice to Robinson Township–except they sent it to the WRONG Robinson Township.
Continue reading

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

25 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV May 29-Jun 4

New shale permits issued for May 29-Jun 4 in the Marcellus/Utica finally went higher again last week. There were 25 new permits issued, up from the dismal 8 new permits issued the previous week. Last week’s permit tally included 13 new permits for Pennsylvania, 6 new permits for Ohio, and 6 new permits in West Virginia. EQT scored the most new permits with 7 issued in Greene County, PA. Close behind in the #2 position was Antero Resources, with 6 new permits issued in Ritchie County, WV.
Continue reading

| | | | | |

Anti-Shale Enviro Groups Demand Update on Pitt Cancer Study

Anti-fossil fuel zealots are demanding an update on a $2.5 million “study” awarded to the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health to “conduct research on the potential health effects of hydraulic fracturing in Pennsylvania” (see Pitt Researchers Get $2.5M for Fake Study to Link Shale & Kid Cancer). The problem is it’s not real research. The study was prompted by an uptick in rare childhood cancers in southwestern PA. Instead of looking for all potential causes of the cancer cluster, only one potential cause was identified–fracking. Ignored is an old uranium dumpsite nearby. The study began (rather, the money was distributed) 2 1/2 years ago. Antis want their ears tickled with half-baked conclusions so they can continue their campaign to smear shale energy. Why doesn’t Pitt help them out?
Continue reading

| | | | | | | | | | |

8 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV May 22-28

New shale permits issued for May 22-28 in the Marcellus/Utica fell again for a second week. There were only 8 new permits issued, down from 12 new permits issued the previous week (and 26 the week before that). This is the latest indicator of a slowdown in gas drilling in our region–the first indicator being a sudden dropoff a few weeks back in the rig count (see U.S. Natural Gas Drilling Rig Count Craters, Down 10% in One Week). Last week’s permit tally included 6 new permits for Pennsylvania, no new permits for Ohio, and 2 new permits in West Virginia.
Continue reading