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    Southwestern, Chesapeake Negotiate Lower Midstream Rates from Williams

    Used to be when a driller signed a contract with a midstream company to gather, process and transport the company’s gas (or oil) to market, the driller was locked in for a minimum of 15-20 years. The rates NEVER change. Midstream companies will build expensive pipeline systems and all of the associated infrastructure only if they’re guaranteed a certain return. Which is why investors love midstream companies–it’s like investing in an annuity, a guaranteed rate of return for 15-20 years to come. And then the bottom fell out of the market. As we wrote about Wednesday, some bankrupt drillers are seeking court action to dissolve those contracts (see Shock: Judge May Allow Drillers to Cancel Gathering Pipeline Deals). We have another new development to tell you about: drillers not in bankruptcy are renegotiating once sacrosanct, set-in-stone contracts, to reduce the amount they pay midstreamers. Southwestern Energy and Chesapeake Energy have both recently negotiated lower rates with Williams. The beginning of a trend?…
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    Dimock Trial Update: Scott & Monica Ely’s Testimony Destroyed

    There was a ton of news coming out of the trial two Dimock families have brought against Cabot Oil & Gas in Scranton, PA yesterday. But you wouldn’t know it if you read the Democrat-controlled (and anti-drilling) Scranton Times-Tribune–the newspaper of “record” in the very place where the trial is being held. They’ve quit writing about the trial because the news is so bad for anti-drillers. Both Scott and Monica Ely testified and under cross examination their testimony was obliterated–their claims exposed as lies. Here’s the latest from FrackNation filmmaker Phelim McAleer who has been following the trial from the beginning, and from Natural Gas Now…
    Read More “Dimock Trial Update: Scott & Monica Ely’s Testimony Destroyed”

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    Lordstown, OH May Get Second Utica Gas-Powered Electric Plant

    An $800 million electric generation plant planned for Lordstown (Trumbull County), OH that will be powered with Utica Shale gas won village approval last summer (see Lordstown $800M Gas-Powered Electric Plant Gets Village Approval). The Lordstown plant then won state approval in the fall (see Lordstown $800M Gas-Powered Electric Plant Gets OH State Approval). Now comes word that the company planning to the build the plant–Massachusetts-based Clean Energy Future–is considering building a second plant at the same location. Here’s an update on the first plant, scheduled to break ground on April 1, and the rumors swirling about a second plant…
    Read More “Lordstown, OH May Get Second Utica Gas-Powered Electric Plant”

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    EPA’s McCarthy Addresses O&G Industry: Arrogant, Clueless, Both?

    Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator was invited and to her credit showed up at IHS’ annual CERAWeek conference earlier this week–a gathering of energy companies (particularly oil and gas companies). She gave the opening plenary speech and following that speech she was interviewed by IHS Vice Chairman Daniel Yergin. In response to a question about EPA regulation of the oil and gas sector, she said the EPA, “doesn’t regulate the oil and gas sector the way we do other sectors.” Does she REALLY believe that? If she does, she’s even more clueless than we thought. The Gas Processors Association isn’t having any of it. They responded with a prime statement…
    Read More “EPA’s McCarthy Addresses O&G Industry: Arrogant, Clueless, Both?”

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    Range Resources 2015: $714M Loss, Sells Non-Operated Marcellus

    Range Resources released their fourth quarter and full year 2015 financial and operational update yesterday. Some interesting items of note. The company lost $714 million for the year, much of that a paper loss of impairments and depreciation. Also of note, the company sold non-operated wells and leases in the Marcellus in Bradford County, PA for $112 million. Range has reduced the 2016 drilling budget by 45% over 2015, down to just $495 million. Hey, it’s better than not spending at all. Below is the 2015 update…
    Read More “Range Resources 2015: $714M Loss, Sells Non-Operated Marcellus”

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    Southwestern Energy 2015: Record Production, Big Paper Loss

    Southwestern Energy, one of the largest drillers in the Marcellus (and Utica) issued their fourth quarter and full year 2015 update yesterday. The company reports hitting a new record in production: 976 billion cubic feet equivalent, up 27% compared to 2014. A lot of that was driven by a huge 42% increase in their northeastern Marcellus production (they purchased new acreage in NEPA from WPX last year). The new acreage they acquired in West Virginia from Chesapeake is also a big factor in the production spike. Southwestern was one of the few companies that counterintuitively increased drilling in 2015. How did it work out financially? Nnnnnot so good. On paper the company lost $4.6 billion in 2015–but like other large drillers, most of that was a paper loss (not out of pocket money loss). Here’s the update from Southwestern, with lots of details on their Marcellus/Utica operations…
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  • Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, Feb 26, 2016

    The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading. In today’s lineup: OH wells cost Chesapeake average $7.2 million to drill; OH State Sen. calls on U of C to release study; EQT gets $430 for new stock offering; WV DEP opposes bill to relax drilling permit standards; CT’s last coal plant converting to natgas; Chesapeake partners want cash up front before cutting deals; Halliburton laying off another 5,000; natgas hits 17-year low price; research proves global warming isn’t happening; Canada’s oil industry threatened by US & Mexico; and more!
    Read More “Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, Feb 26, 2016”

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    Coast Guard Caves to Political Pressure, No Wastewater Barging

    Ohio River bargeWhat a major shame and disappointment. The Obama bullies have gotten to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and convinced the once-proud protector of our waterways to withdraw a proposed policy they previously floated in 2013 to allow frack wastewater to be shipped on barges down rivers, like the Ohio. The USCG has officially withdrawn their previously published draft policy–a policy that never went into effect–and says drillers and barge operators can still potentially barge wastewater–but it will be on a case by case basis (they’ve yet to approve a single case). Lots of red tape and hoops to jump through, making it virtually impossible to get a shipment approved. It was one year ago this month that a controversy erupted when GreenHunter Resources said an existing USCG regulation from 1987 already grants them the right to barge produced water–i.e. brine, or the water that comes out of the hole long after frack wastewater or flowback is done coming out. The USCG disagreed (see GreenHunter/Coast Guard War of Words — MDN Explains It). GreenHunter kept up the pressure and said they would begin brine shipments without authorization from the USCG (see GreenHunter to Coast Guard, We’re Barging While You Fiddle Around). It is unclear to MDN whether or not that ever happened–we don’t believe GreenHunter ever did send a brine shipment via barge. What happens now? Can GreenHunter and others potentially barge brine “case by case”?…
    Read More “Coast Guard Caves to Political Pressure, No Wastewater Barging”

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    Atlas Energy Update – 125 Layoffs Companywide

    On Tuesday, after receiving ongoing tips that layoffs had occurred at Atlas Energy (a company with assets in the Marcellus/Utica), we published a post with an unconfirmed rumor that Atlas had laid off 30 or more people in its Waynesburg, PA location (see Atlas Energy – Rumored Layoff of 30+ People in PA). We later received another tip that indicated the layoffs may have been more “surgical” than “mass” in nature. Since that time, we’ve received a fifth tip–this one from a highly place source that we trust implicitly. This new tipster could not verify the 30 layoffs in Waynesburg, but the tipster does have knowledge that recently the company laid off ~125 people companywide. Atlas has still not responded to our requests for comment. We’ll continue to update when/if we learn more.

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    Chesapeake Loses $14.9B, Suspends New Utica/Marcellus Drilling

    Hats off to Chesapeake Energy CEO (and Carl Ichan lackey) Doug Lawler for pulling a rabbit out of his hat. Everyone has thought for weeks that Chesapeake is headed for bankruptcy, given that it’s stock value has plunged nearly 90% over the past year and it faces a big debt repayment soon. But the latest quarterly (and full year) report, released yesterday, shows the company is holding its own and will live to fight another day. That good news sent CHK stock soaring, to close up 22% (if you call “soaring” going from $2.19 to $2.67 per share, when those same shares traded at ~$20/share a year ago). The big news coming from Chesapeake’s release yesterday of their fourth quarter and full year 2015 update is this: The company experienced a paper loss (not an out of pocket money loss) of $14.9 billion–a staggering number that’s hard to get your head around. The largest loss of any oil and gas company we’ve heard of–ever. But most of that “loss” was Chesapeake devaluing their assets due to low commodity prices. As we said, it wasn’t money out of pocket. The other big news (for MDN) is that Chesapeake is halting their drilling program in both the Ohio Utica and Pennsylvania Marcellus in 2016. Chessy is Ohio’s #1 driller–has been since Aubrey McClendon declared the Utica was the biggest thing to hit Ohio since the plow. Chesapeake is also Pennsylvania’s #1 driller, depending on how you measure it (they produce more natgas in PA than any other driller). Below is Chesapeake’s 4Q15 and full year 2015 update, along with other bits and bobs we found commenting on Chesapeake’s update (including a reference that Chesapeake’s stock rise of 22% yesterday is a “dead cat bounce”)…
    Read More “Chesapeake Loses $14.9B, Suspends New Utica/Marcellus Drilling”

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    Dimock Resident Scott Ely Takes the Stand in Lawsuit Against Cabot

    Yesterday the lead Dimock plantiff in the lawsuit against Cabot Oil & Gas, Scott Ely, was on the witness stand to talk about how Cabot destroyed his water supply. Except when you read even biased news sources like PBS’ StateImpact Pennsylvania, it appears Ely didn’t do a lot of talking about his water but about his own tenure in working for Cabot. Ely attempted to smear Cabot’s reputation by making wild claims about the reckless nature of their operations. Of course Ely’s attorney hopes the jury will infer that if Cabot was reckless in other activities, they were likely reckless when they drilled near Ely’s home and caused his water to become contaminated with methane–a problem that is fixable (although Ely wouldn’t allow Cabot to fix it). In addition to Ely’s testimony, his attorney asked the judge, yet again, to allow 300 new pieces of “evidence” that she tried to slip in at the last minute, an ambush of Cabot’s attorneys. And once again the judge said “no” to her request…
    Read More “Dimock Resident Scott Ely Takes the Stand in Lawsuit Against Cabot”

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    Guest Post: 7 Important Points to Know About Dimock Trial

    By Phelim McAleer

    The Ely and Hubert families of Dimock, Pennsylvania are suing Cabot Oil & Gas for allegedly polluting their water. The case is hugely significant because Dimock has been characterized as “Ground Zero” for water allegedly contaminated by fracking. It was featured in the documentaries Gasland 1 & 2 and has been the subject of national and international news reports. Countless celebrities have also pushed the lie that Dimock’s water was contaminated with fracking fluid. But the case has thrown serious doubts on the narrative being spun by activists. The plaintiffs’ case is looking very shaky, indeed. Here are seven key points that have emerged as the case enters its second day.
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    Guest Post: Dimock Plaintiff Exposed Under Cross Examination

    By Phelim McAleer

    The Ely family in Dimock, Pennsylvania is suing an oil and gas company alleging they contaminated their water well through fracking. Dimock has become a focal point for anti-fracking activists with many calling it “Ground zero” for pollution. Dimock and the Ely’s have been featured in national and international news reports and documentaries. Celebrities such as Mark Ruffalo, Yoko Ono, and Susan Sarandon have visited the tiny community to sympathize. But yesterday in the first day of the trial, facts started to emerge that show the truth is much different from the previously reported stories. Questioned under oath, Scott Ely’s claims look a lot less certain and he looks a lot less credible. Below are five facts that emerged during the first day that expose serious problems with Ely’s claims that his water was contaminated by fracking.
    Read More “Guest Post: Dimock Plaintiff Exposed Under Cross Examination”

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    Antero Resources Stands Above the Rest – Nets $941M in 2015

    There’s at least one driller that’s figured out how to continue making money in one of the worst down markets in two generations: Antero Resources. Antero released their “good news” operational update back in January (see Antero Resources 4Q15 Update: NatGas Sales Averaged $4.40/Mcf). Earlier this month the company issued an update for 2016 that they will cut back spending by 23% (far less than others) with plans to drill 110 wells this year in the Marcellus/Utica (see Antero Resources 2016: Spending 23% Less, Drilling 110 Wells). We thought for sure when they finally got around to sharing their financial numbers it would be red as far as the eye can see. Nope! Yesterday Antero, one of the biggest and best drillers in the Marcellus/Utica, released their fourth quarter and full year 2015 financial update. And guess what? They made more money last year than the year before! Three years ago Antero lost $18.9 million. Two years ago, after expenses, Antero made $674 million. Last year, in 2015, Antero made, after expenses, $941 million. That’s nearly $1 billion in profit! Other drillers need to study Antero closely to see what they’re doing right…
    Read More “Antero Resources Stands Above the Rest – Nets $941M in 2015”

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    Rice Energy 2015: Lost $291M, Production Up 101%

    Rice Energy issued their fourth quarter and full year 2015 financial and operational update yesterday. The company stumbled in 4Q15, losing $281 million, which made last year’s total year loss $291 million (i.e. most of the loss came in 4Q15). That’s the bad news. The good news is that production was up 57% in 4Q15 over 4Q14 and production for the entire year was up 101% over 2014, an average of 552 million cubic feet equivalent per day (Mmcfe/d). Also good for Rice is the price they’ve been getting for their gas. They averaged $3.39/Mcf in 4Q15 and $3.19 for all of 2015. Proved reserves are up 30%. The company also released details for 2016 yesterday. Rice, which is a pure play driller focusing on the Marcellus and Utica Shale region, will spend 14% less this year than they did last year–which is far less of a cut than most drillers. Below are both the 2015 update and the 2016 forecast, with lots of details about their Marcellus and Utica programs…
    Read More “Rice Energy 2015: Lost $291M, Production Up 101%”

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    Cheniere Finally Ships First Sabine Pass LNG Export – to Brazil

    Seems like it’s been forever in coming, but finally (!) Cheniere Energy has shipped their first LNG tanker of exported shale gas from the Sabine Pass facility on the border of Texas and Louisiana. We don’t know if any of the gas liquefied at the facility was from the Marcellus/Utica, but we do know that at some point it will be, which is why we’re excited about this new market opening up. This first tanker full of LNG (liquefied natural gas) set sail for Brazil yesterday and will dock in a few days at the regasification terminal in All Saints’ Bay, Bahia…
    Read More “Cheniere Finally Ships First Sabine Pass LNG Export – to Brazil”