Washington County 40 - Marcellus Drilling News

Dry Gas Drilling Slowdown Results in Layoffs in PA

March 6, 2012March 6, 2012

Although historically low natural gas prices are great for consumers, it’s not so great for some in the shale gas drilling industry. Because drillers are changing their focus away from drilling in the “dry gas” areas of the Marcellus Shale play and instead focusing on the “wet gas”—or liquids-rich—portion of the play, it causes a slow down for some businesses and leads to layoffs in certain industries, like title searching. Title searches of property deeds are a necessary part of acquiring leases for drilling.

A title search company in western PA has just laid off nearly half of their staff:

Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania | Washington County

Washington County, PA Jobs & Wages Skyrocket from Marcellus

March 1, 2012March 1, 2012

Washington County in southwestern Pennsylvania has been named the third highest county in the country in job growth, due mostly to Marcellus Shale drilling and hydraulic fracturing. Not only that, but residents have seen an average increase of 8.8 percent in their wages.

Chevron Pipe Leak in SW PA Bigger Than First Thought

February 28, 2012February 28, 2012

On Dec. 20, Chevron discovered a pipe leak at a well pad in Robinson (Washington County), PA. At the time it was thought perhaps a few barrels of wet gas condensate had leaked into the ground. It now appears it may be closer to 80 barrels, or 4,000 gallons.

Drilling Liquids Spill at Chevron Gas Well in SW PA

February 20, 2012February 20, 2012

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection reports it is investigating a spill of condensate at a gas well in Washington County, in the southwestern part of the state.

Six PA Counties to Receive $10M+ from New Impact Fee in 2012

February 16, 2012February 16, 2012

Washington County is among six counties in Pennsylvania that stand to receive more than $10 million in impact fee revenue this year from the newly adopted Marcellus drilling legislation signed into law by Gov. Corbett on Monday.

EPA Investigation Launched in Washington County, PA

February 13, 2012February 13, 2012

Washington County is the most active county in southwestern Pennsylvania for Marcellus drilling, including most numbers of wells drilled, pipelines to transport the gas and compressor stations to power the pipelines. Word has just leaked that last September the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began a “multi-media” probe into drilling in Washington County. A multi-media probe means they analyze air, water and land impacts of drilling. Apparently the EPA doesn’t believe the PA Department of Environmental Protection can do its own job and needs an assist.

Energy Companies | Lease & Royalty Payments | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Washington County

Washington County Commissioners to Vote on Modifying Gas Lease

February 2, 2012February 2, 2012

Commissioners for Washington County, PA will vote today on modifying an agreement they have with Range Resources to allow drilling for gas at a county-owned park. The revisions will limit how much time Range has to complete drilling and extracting natural gas, and it also ups the royalty percentage.

MarkWest to Expand/Build NGL Plants on New Agreements

February 1, 2012February 1, 2012

MarkWest Energy Partners, a major midstream player in the Marcellus and Utica Shales, just announced major expansion plans that will add an additional 600 million cubic feet per day (mmcf/d) of natural gas processing capacity which includes natural gas liquids (NGLs). Most of the new capacity will come from expansion of its Majorsville, WV plant. The expansion is made possible by new long-term agreements MarkWest signed with CONSOL Energy, Noble Energy and Range Resources to process NGLs.

MarkWest also announced they will build two new processing plants in Ohio’s Utica Shale—in Harrison and Monroe counties.

Range’s Wet Gas Drilling Location & Dry Gas Drilling Timeline

January 31, 2012January 31, 2012

Interstate 79 The talk coming from the largest drillers in the Marcellus Shale is that they will scale back drilling activities in the dry (methane only) portions of the Marcellus Shale play and instead focus on the wet (liquids-rich) portion.

Ever wonder where, exactly, the liquids-rich area can be found? We now know where it is for Range Resources, one of the largest drillers in Pennsylvania. We also have an estimate of how long drilling in the dry gas portion of the Marcellus may be pushed back for Range due to low prices for natural gas.

Gas Drillers and Townships Working Together Resolve Issues

December 19, 2011December 19, 2011

A recent example from western Pennsylvania illustrates how drilling companies and residents in PA are working together to resolve thorny issues and move forward with gas drilling in a way that everyone can live with:

Energy Companies | Lease & Royalty Payments | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Washington County

Range Resources Reduces Lease Offer to North Strabane Twp

December 14, 2011December 14, 2011

North Strabane Township (Washington County), PA reports that Range Resources has lowered its offer to lease 141 acres of township-owned land.

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Washington County

Ballot Measure to Ban Fracking in Peters Twp PA Fails Big

November 9, 2011November 9, 2011

Looks like it was only a tiny minority of vocal people who wanted a complete ban on gas drilling in Peters Township (Washington County), PA after all. The measure was put on the ballot over the objections of the town council who believe it would have brought a costly lawsuit from drilling companies. The question of whether or not the measure would appear on the November ballot went to court and a judge allowed it to go forward (see this MDN story). The ballot measure includes language that the township has “the right to a sustainable energy future.” Not sure what planet those folks live on!

So the measure was on the ballot yesterday and the results are in:

Range Resources Sues Cecil Township Over New Ordinance

October 13, 2011March 24, 2012

Cecil Township in Washington County, PA—a suburb of Pittsburgh—recently passed an ordinance changing shale gas drilling from a permitted use to a conditional use, meaning each well drilled would have to be approved by the township on a case by case basis. It requires drillers to do twice the work—once in filing a permit application with the state, and a second time with the local municipality. Range Resources, one of the nation’s largest Marcellus Shale drillers (and with operations in Cecil), has just filed a lawsuit requesting the new ordinance be overturned.

Western PA Township Wins Right to Put Ban on Nov. Ballot

October 4, 2011October 4, 2011

Those opposed to drilling will get a measure to ban shale gas drilling put on the ballot in Peters Township (Washington County, PA) this fall. A judge has just ruled in favor of the Peters Township Marcellus Shale Awareness Group to have the measure put on the election ballot for Nov 8. See this MDN story about the group, their motivation (calling sustainable energy a “right”) and the wording of the ballot measure.

Energy Companies | Lease & Royalty Payments | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Washington County

Canon-McMillan School Signs Gas Lease with Range Resources

October 3, 2011October 3, 2011

A school district in Washington County, PA (in western PA) just signed a five-year lease for school district property with Range Resources:

Butler County | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania | Washington County

Marcellus Drilling Keeps Pumping Out Jobs in PA

October 3, 2011October 3, 2011

Yet more proof that Marcellus gas drilling is a jobs-creating machine in Pennsylvania, this time in western PA’s Butler and Washington counties: