| | | | |

Weirton, WV Rejects Southwestern’s Plan for Well Pad in City Limits

Southwestern Energy, which is one of the biggest Marcellus/Utica drillers, previously applied for a conditional use permit from the City of Weirton, WV that would allow them to build a well pad and drill several wells on it all within the city limits of Weirton. The request came before the Weirton Zoning Board of Appeals in August but the board delayed a decision until this month, September. Following almost three hours of comments and testimony yesterday, the Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously voted down Southwestern’s request–a decidedly unfriendly gesture by the normally gas-friendly municipalities in WV.
Read More “Weirton, WV Rejects Southwestern’s Plan for Well Pad in City Limits”

| | | | |

Brooke County, WV Residents Fed Up with Fracking Noise

Brooke County, WV

You know we are 100% pro-fracking here at MDN. But you also know we champion the rights of landowners and the people who live in areas where fracking happens. Drillers *must* be mindful of the impacts they have on the neighbors. Those impacts include truck traffic, lights (at night), and noise. Fracking equipment is loud. Some residents who live miles from fracking locations in Brooke County, WV are complaining to the County Commission that the noise is bothersome.
Read More “Brooke County, WV Residents Fed Up with Fracking Noise”

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

Weekly Shale Drilling Permits for PA, OH, WV: Feb 15-19

All three M-U states received permits to drill new shale wells last week. Pennsylvania received 10 new permits. Ohio received 6 new permits. And West Virginia received 3 new permits.
Read More “Weekly Shale Drilling Permits for PA, OH, WV: Feb 15-19”

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

Weekly Shale Drilling Permits for PA, OH, WV: Jan 18-22

For the second week in a row, two of three M-U drilling states received permits to drill new shale wells. Pennsylvania scored 10 permits to drill new shale wells last week. Ohio received no new permits for Utica wells (second dry week in row). West Virginia received 4 new permits to drill new shale wells last week.
Read More “Weekly Shale Drilling Permits for PA, OH, WV: Jan 18-22”

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

Weekly Shale Drilling Permits for PA, OH, WV: Jan 11-15

Two of three M-U drilling states received permits last week. Pennsylvania scored 14 permits to drill new shale wells. Ohio received no new permits for Utica wells. West Virginia received 5 new permits to drill new shale wells.
Read More “Weekly Shale Drilling Permits for PA, OH, WV: Jan 11-15”

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

Weekly Shale Drilling Permits for PA, OH, WV: Dec 7-11

Last week Pennsylvania issued 21 new shale well drilling permits scattered across both northeast and southwest PA. Ohio issued 5 new shale well permits, all of them to the same company and the same well pad. West Virginia issued 3 new shale well permits, all in different counties.
Read More “Weekly Shale Drilling Permits for PA, OH, WV: Dec 7-11”

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

Weekly Shale Drilling Permits for PA, OH, WV: Nov 30-Dec 4

Last week Pennsylvania issued just 3 new shale well drilling permits–all for Cabot Oil & Gas in Susquehanna County. Ohio issued 5 new permits, with 4 of the 5 issued to Ascent Resources. And West Virginia issued 3 new shale well permits.
Read More “Weekly Shale Drilling Permits for PA, OH, WV: Nov 30-Dec 4”

| | | |

Shale Energy Saving Manufacturing Plants, Jobs in Appalachia

Eagle Manufacturing, located in Wellsburg, WV, was struggling in the early 2000s. The company makes plastic safety products. Foreign competition was hammering the company (tough to compete with children in China who work in factories for a dollar an hour). The company almost offshored production to China, but decided to stick it out a few more years here at home. And then the Marcellus/Utica Shale miracle happened.
Read More “Shale Energy Saving Manufacturing Plants, Jobs in Appalachia”

| | |

ESC Suspends WV Brooke County Power Plant Project

Well that’s disappointing. Earlier this year Energy Solutions Consortium (ESC) asked the State of West Virginia to guarantee a $5.5 million loan for a proposed new shale gas-fired power plant planned for Brooke County which would help them secure even more funding for the project. Several weeks ago the state went one better than the original request and said it would not only guarantee the loan, it would actually make the loan (see WV Brooke County Power Plant Gets $5.5M Direct Loan from State). And now it’s all off…
Read More “ESC Suspends WV Brooke County Power Plant Project”

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

Weekly Shale Drilling Permits for PA, OH, WV: Sep 28 – Oct 2

Somebody lit a fire under drillers in Pennsylvania last week! Or maybe we should say a fire was lit under the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP). PA issued 35 new permits last week spread pretty much across the entire state–in the northeast, central, and southwest portions of the state. Ohio, once again, issued no new Utica permits last week. West Virginia issued a single new permit last week.
Read More “Weekly Shale Drilling Permits for PA, OH, WV: Sep 28 – Oct 2”

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

Weekly Shale Drilling Permits for PA, OH, WV: Sep 21-25

An unusual situation for permits to drill new wells for last week. Pennsylvania only had 5 new permits while West Virginia had 12 new permits. It’s typically the other way around. Could this be the beginning of the effects from PA raising the permit fee from $5,000 to $12,500 per well? Maybe! Ohio had no new Utica permits issued last week. Drilling seems to have slowed in the Buckeye State.
Read More “Weekly Shale Drilling Permits for PA, OH, WV: Sep 21-25”

| | |

WV Brooke County Power Plant Gets $5.5M Direct Loan from State

On Sept. 10, a day after a meeting of the West Virginia Economic Development Authority meeting, we reported (based on media reports) that the Authority had voted to approve a $5.5 million loan guarantee for a proposed new shale gas-fired power plant planned for Brooke County, WV (see WV Approves Loan Guarantee for Brooke County Power Plant). We were wrong. In fact, the Authority did something better than a simple loan guarantee…
Read More “WV Brooke County Power Plant Gets $5.5M Direct Loan from State”

| | | | |

WV Approves Loan Guarantee for Brooke County Power Plant

Justice (with a small “j”) has prevailed in West Virginia. We’ve covered the issue of a proposed new shale gas-fired power plant planned for Brooke County, WV for years. We are down to the wire on some of the final bits needed for this project to advance. One of those bits, the last major hurdle, is a loan guarantee for $5.5 million, covering a tiny part of the financing required to build this nearly $1 billion project. Yesterday the WV Economic Development Authority unanimously approved the loan guarantee.
Read More “WV Approves Loan Guarantee for Brooke County Power Plant”

| | | |

Brooke County Blames Coal Lobby for WV Gas Plant Delay

We should have known that West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice is in league with his fellow coal baron Robert Murray. Officials from Brooke County, WV, where Energy Solutions Consortium is planning to build a $1.25 billion natural gas-fired power plant, are blaming the long fingers of Bob Murray for a last-minute delay of a state loan guarantee that was supposed to be made in August (see WV Gov. “Clarifies” Remarks Bashing Gas-Fired Plant, Doubles Down).
Read More “Brooke County Blames Coal Lobby for WV Gas Plant Delay”

| | |

WV Gov. “Clarifies” Remarks Bashing Gas-Fired Plant, Doubles Down

What is wrong with West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice? Last week we told you about Justice trash-talking a proposed natural gas-fired electric plant planned for Brooke County (see WV Gov. Jim Justice Trash-Talks Brooke County Gas-Fired Power). Justice outright questioned the project’s viability. He made some followup remarks yesterday to “clarify” his remarks from last week. Except Justice didn’t really clarify anything. If anything, he doubled down on his trash-talking of the project.
Read More “WV Gov. “Clarifies” Remarks Bashing Gas-Fired Plant, Doubles Down”

| | |

WV Gov. Jim Justice Trash-Talks Brooke County Gas-Fired Power

WV Gov. Jim Justice

Just when you thought West Virginia Governor Jim Justice could be trusted with oversight of the state’s Marcellus/Utica industry, he goes and spoils it. Justice, who made his fortune in coal, is once again trash-talking shale gas. This time Justice is questioning a proposed shale gas-fired power plant planned for Brooke County.
Read More “WV Gov. Jim Justice Trash-Talks Brooke County Gas-Fired Power”