West Virginia

Economic Impact | Ethane | Industrywide Issues | Processing Plants | Statewide WV | West Virginia

WV Gov Going to Europe to Find Him a Cracker
October 2, 2013October 2, 2013

West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin is nothing if not persistent. For several years, the governor and his trusty Commerce Secretary Keith Burdette have been talking about landing an ethane cracker plant for WV (see WV Gov. Tomblin Beats the Ethane Cracker Drum Once Again). MDN is pulling for them! We have been for a long time. And it seems every few months we see a story along the lines of, “Just hold on, it’s a comin'”. But it never seems to.

So if a cracker investment is not coming to WV, Gov. Tomblin is going out to find it! He’s heading off to Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland and Italy on a European ~~vacation~~ trade mission in October to thank those countries for investing in WV, and to invite them to invest more. In particular, he’d like someone to invest in a cracker plant…
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Energy Companies | Gastar Exploration | Marshall County | Utica Shale | West Virginia | Wetzel County

Gastar CEO Porter Outlines Brighter Future in WV Marcellus/Utica
October 1, 2013October 1, 2013

J. Russell Porter, president and CEO of Gastar Exploration, presented at the Johnson Rice 2013 Energy Conference yesterday in New Orleans. Last year at this time Gastar was facing a major lawsuit and a dark future. Porter points out in his opening remarks that the $120 million lawsuit against them was settled this past year–for $1 million–and the future today is much brighter. Gastar concentrates in two shale plays: the Hunton Limestone Oil play (in Oklahoma and Texas), and the Marcellus (in West Virginia). The company has concentrated their efforts on the Marcellus for the past couple of years.

Below are Porter’s comments concerning the Marcellus/Utica, giving us insight into where Gastar is now, and where they hope to go, along with the PowerPoint presentation he used during his talk. Slides #10-#16 are related to the Marcellus/Utica. What caught our eye: During the second half of next year (2H14) Gastar plans to drill its first Utica well–in WV, not Ohio…
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Doddridge County | Energy Companies | EQT Corp | Industrywide Issues | Lease & Royalty Payments | Litigation | West Virginia

WV Landowner Tries to Stop Shale Drilling with New Water Wells
September 30, 2013September 30, 2013

Here’s a novel approach by a landowner to try and stop drilling on land already leased. A landowner in Doddridge County, WV didn’t like how he was being treated by driller EQT, so he drilled several water wells close to where EQT planned to drill Marcellus Shale gas wells on his property. In WV, you can’t drill within 250 feet of a water well–so the water wells effectively shut down drilling on his property.

Except… EQT is now suing the landowner for bad faith and intentionally trying to obstruct a signed contract. Based on the facts in the case, we expect EQT will prevail. Drilling the water wells was “cheating” to prevent drilling and ultimately to get out of the lease. Creative, perhaps–but misguided…
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Accidents | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | MarkWest Energy | Pipelines | West Virginia | Wetzel County

MarkWest Says NGL Pipeline in Wetzel County Repaired by Mid-Oct
September 30, 2013September 30, 2013

In August, a landslide in Wetzel County, WV hit a MarkWest natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline that connects MarkWest Energy’s Mobley and Majorsville processing plants. The landslide caused the NGL pipeline to rupture, spilling NGLs onto the ground and into a local creek (see MarkWest Continues Cleanup at NGL Pipeline Spill in WV).

Last Friday, MarkWest provided the following update (below) which says they are working diligently to get the pipeline repaired and the Mobley facility operating again (which remains closed until the pipeline is working). Their current estimate for when the pipeline and Mobley will be back online? Mid-October…
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Forced Pooling | Industrywide Issues | Statewide WV | West Virginia

WV Legislators Hear Presentation on Forced Pooling from SORO
September 25, 2013September 25, 2013

Forced pooling is once again being considered by West Virginia legislators. In the past few years forced pooling (which is sometimes called “lease pooling” or “lease integration” or any of several other terms) has been a non-starter in WV. Each time it comes up for consideration it goes nowhere–no votes, no nothing. So when a committee of WV legislators ask for a briefing on the topic–it’s noteworthy. It’s also very likely to come up again in the 2014 general session…
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Accidents | Blue Racer Midstream | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Marshall County | Processing Plants | West Virginia

Explosion/Fire at Blue Racer’s Natrium, WV Processing Plant
September 23, 2013September 23, 2013

An explosion and fire was reported at Blue Racer Midstream’s Natrium, WV natural gas processing plant early Saturday morning. Area residents, some of whom were evacuated for several hours, reported an explosion that rattled homes miles away and the night sky lit up with an orange hue.

Fortunately no one was injured in the blast and the fire, which was “isolated to a small area of the plant” burned itself out. No word yet on what caused the explosion and fire…
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Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Statewide WV | West Virginia

What’s the Average Weekly Salary for WV’s Marcellus Workers?
September 23, 2013September 23, 2013

An article from West Virginia does an excellent job of summarizing the wages of the average gas field worker employed during the drilling/extraction phase. WorkForce West Virginia tracks how many workers are employed full-time in various counties in WV in the gas & oil business. If you average it out, workers (mostly manual laborers) are making anywhere from an average $537 per week (in Roane County) to $1,430 per week (in Doddridge County). Guess which county we’d rather be working in?

Here’s a county by county rundown:
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Marshall County | Ohio County | Wastewater | West Virginia

The Wheeling Water Warriors Live! Rumored Sighting Today…
September 23, 2013September 23, 2013

We’re glad to see that a complete and utter defeat hasn’t dampened the spirits of the anti-drilling Wheeling Water Warriors (cue echo, Water Warriors, Warriors…). You may recall that a half dozen or so people calling themselves that silly name opposed a new GreenHunter Water frack wastewater recycling facility due to be set up along the Ohio River in Wheeling, WV. The facility recently won approval from the Wheeling Planning Commission (see Wheeling, WV Approves GreenHunter Frack Wastewater Facility). You would think the Water Warriors would throw in the towel after a crushing defeat. Alas, you would be wrong…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Research | Statewide WV | West Virginia

WV Group Seeks Volunteers to Sample Rivers/Streams Near Fracking
September 17, 2013September 17, 2013

Increasingly MDN receives a lot of email from both pro- and anti-drilling organizations and groups. We select only those items that we believe would be of interest to you. Below is one such item. A few days ago we received a forwarded email from someone working with the Three Rivers QUEST (3RQ), a water monitoring program managed by the WV Water Research Institute. West Virginia University also has some sort of involvement, according to the 3RQ website.

3RQ is looking for volunteers for their water monitoring program in WV–people to take water samples from rivers and streams “down wind” (or rather downstream) from active shale drilling sites. We fully expect most people who participate in the program are anti-drilling in philosophy. However, good science is good science. MDN believes it would be a good will gesture for pro-drillers to also volunteer…
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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | West Virginia | Wood County

Marcellus Drilling Comes to Wood County, WV
September 16, 2013September 16, 2013

According to Cam Huffman, president and CEO of the local economic development agency Area Roundtable in Parkersburg, WV, Wood County is now starting to see Marcellus drilling activity. Between potential drilling in Wood and other activities, like a regional ethane cracker plant, Huffman says Wood County is seeing an economic resurgence because of the shale drilling industry…
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Accidents | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | MarkWest Energy | NGLs | Pipelines | West Virginia | Wetzel County

MarkWest Continues Cleanup at NGL Pipeline Spill in WV
September 16, 2013September 16, 2013

About a month ago, a natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline that connects MarkWest Energy’s Mobley and Majorsville facilities ruptured after a landslide hit it (Wetzel County, WV). The pipeline spilled onto the ground and into a nearby stream causing a fish kill (see Landslide Causes MarkWest NGL Pipeline in WV to Rupture/Spill). The West Virginia Dept. of Environmental Protection has “cited” MarkWest, meaning there will be a fine at some point once the full extent of the damage is known.

In the meantime, MarkWest is working to clean it up. An update on progress at the spill site…
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Earthquakes | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Statewide WV | West Virginia

Seismologist: Fracking Does NOT Cause Earthquakes
September 10, 2013September 10, 2013

$fracking & earthquakes$ Finally, an AP reporter who listens and accurately reports the news. Wait, has hell frozen over? When AP starts reporting accurately, we become suspicious. But let’s not become distracted at this unusual turn of events…

On the first day of a two-day conference being hosted by West Virginia University on Marcellus Shale drilling in Morgantown, a seismologist from the University of Texas had the guts to set the record straight. He said: (1) Fracking does not cause earthquakes; (2) injection wells that dispose of fracking wastewater sometimes cause earthquakes; and (3) earthquakes triggered by injection wells are rare–extremely rare. And the AP reported it–accurately. Huh…
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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Regulation | Statewide VA | Statewide WV | Virginia | West Virginia

Charleston Gazette Editorial: Drill Washington National Forest
September 10, 2013September 10, 2013

The debate continues to rage over whether or not to allow shale drilling in the George Washington National Forest. Later this month, the U.S. Forest Service will decide whether or not to allow it (see WashPo Takes Aim at Fracking in the George Washington Natl Forest). Counter to the claptrap published in the Washington Post a few days ago, the Charleston Gazette provides powerful arguments in favor of drilling in a tiny sliver (12,000 acres out of 2 million) of the Washington Forest in today’s editorial.

One gem from the Gazette: The “pristine” Jefferson National Forest with it’s own “leafy cradles” and “gurgling brooks” sits adjacent to and south of the Washington National Forest–in the very same watershed. The Jefferson Forest has had active conventional (vertical) gas drilling for decades–with absolutely no problems…
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Industrywide Issues | Marion County | Sand/Proppant | West Virginia

New Frack Sand Terminal Opens in Fairmont, WV
September 10, 2013September 10, 2013

If there’s one thing beside water that frackers need, it’s sand. A very special kind of sand used in fracking. Last week saw the grand opening of a new frack sand terminal in Fairmont (Marion County), West Virginia. The new facility is owned and operated by TRANSFLO, a subsidiary of CSX Corporation…
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Industrywide Issues | Statewide WV | Taxation | West Virginia

WV Lawmaker Trip to ND to Study Drill Tax Cost $25K
September 9, 2013September 9, 2013

A few weeks ago MDN told you about 18 West Virginia legislators who were due to fly to North Dakota for an overnighter to study that states Legacy Fund–money set aside by ND from shale drilling taxes and fees to benefit the state in the future. Some WV legislators want to set up a similar fund, called a Future Fund, and they figured the best way to do so was to conduct a junket to ND for some prominent (and not yet convinced) lawmakers. MDN pointed out it would be a heck of a lot cheaper to fly a couple of ND officials to WV than the other way around (see 18 WV Lawmakers Flying to ND for a $20K Overnighter on Drill Tax).

It seems the Charleston Gazette agrees with MDN. They also say it was 19 legislators (not 18) that went on the trip, they stayed for two nights not one, and they got a $55 per-diem for meals. Total bill estimated to be something like $25K. Sure pays to be a WV legislator…
Read More “WV Lawmaker Trip to ND to Study Drill Tax Cost $25K”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Regulation | Statewide VA | Statewide WV | Virginia | West Virginia

WashPo Takes Aim at Fracking in the George Washington Natl Forest
September 9, 2013September 9, 2013

A “reporter” with the appropriate last name of “Fears” has authored a masterful piece of propaganda for the Washington Post on the “looming” decision about whether or not the U.S. Forest Service should allow shale drilling in a teeny tiny part of the 2 million acre George Washington National Forest that covers parts of Virginia and West Virginia.

All you need to know about the viewpoint of the so-called article (really just more anti-drilling propaganda) can be found in the first two sentences…
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