Marcellus Drilling News

Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Kinder Morgan | Pipelines | Regulation | Transco

Antis Use Their Own Children as Cheap Props at FERC Hearing in NH
August 4, 2015August 5, 2015

A picture truly is worth a thousand words, as the old saying goes. So let’s show you a picture and see what you think (view it below). It is a picture of young children tricked out in “Stop the Pipeline” yellow shirts and red Stop the Pipeline hats–sitting on the floor playing with toys at a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) hearing in southern New Hampshire last week. Two hearings were held to gather public comments on Kinder Morgan’s Northeast Energy Direct natural gas pipeline. As they usually do, anti-fossil fuelers turned the hearings into freak shows–using (we’d call it abusing) children as props. We ask: Who would do something like that to their own children? Why would you brazenly use your own child as a cheap prop in a sleazy attempt to gain attention and sympathy for a political viewpoint? How low can you go?…
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Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Tue, Aug 4, 2015
August 4, 2015August 4, 2015

The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading:
Read More “Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Tue, Aug 4, 2015”
CONSOL Energy | Energy Companies | Noble Energy

Noble Energy to Idle Remaining Marcellus Rig Next Month
August 3, 2015August 3, 2015

Noble Energy, a driller with a massive joint venture with CONSOL Energy on 663,350 acres of Marcellus and Utica Shale leases in the northeast, has confirmed they are “cutting back” the number of rigs they operate in the Marcellus Shale due to “the current environment.” What “cutting back” means is that they will go from operating a single rig to operating no rigs beginning in the middle of the third quarter (which means next month). Two other Marcellus rigs operated by CONSOL Energy will go off line by the fourth quarter…
Read More “Noble Energy to Idle Remaining Marcellus Rig Next Month”
Energy Companies | Harrison County | Hess | Ohio | Utica Shale

Hess Says Harrison County, OH “Truly the Sweet Spot” of the Utica
August 3, 2015August 3, 2015

Last week Hess released their second quarter 2015 earnings and operations update. It didn’t really say too much at all about their drilling program in the Ohio Utica Shale. We did, however, get some color commentary from CEO John Hess on last week’s conference call with analysts. We learned from that call that Hess drilled, with joint venture partner CONSOL Energy, just 10 wells in 2Q15. They completed 15 wells (some previously drilled) and brought 9 wells online into production. Hess is dropping from 2 active rigs in the Ohio to just 1 rig for the balance of 2015 but even so, they expect to bring 25-30 new wells online for all of 2015. The interesting (kind of funny) thing to MDN was an off-the-cuff statement by Hess President & COO Greg Hill on the call. Hill said that Hess will continue to concentrate their Utica drilling in Harrison County, OH. Why? Not because that’s where most of their remaining Utica acreage is located–oh no. But because Harrison County is, according to Hill, “truly the sweet spot of the play” and “the wettest part of the play.” There you have it. Forget about Belmont, Monroe, Noble and Guernsey counties. Harrison is where it’s at…
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Kentucky | Rogersville Shale | Statewide WV | West Virginia

Rogersville Shale Secrets Exposed – Appalachia’s “Next Big Thing”?
August 3, 2015August 3, 2015

The editors of the top-flight NGI Shale Daily publication have put together a free special report on the Rogersville Shale–and you can download it by providing only your name and email address. So far, the Rogersville Shale, a formation that’s part of the Rome Trough in the Appalachian Basin, has largely flown under the radar. A new special report from the editors of NGI’s Shale Daily exposes what some E&Ps had hoped to keep secret. A half dozen or more E&Ps are clandestinely attempting to learn more about the Rogersville Shale–and a land grab is on to lock up lease rights for thousands of acres before the word gets out. An E&P early pioneer in the Rogersville drilled a test well in October 2013 that was later permitted for full production. The company secured a one-year confidentially agreement before they are required to release a completions report. On or about August 20, the one-year time limit expires. What new information will be disclosed?…
Read More “Rogersville Shale Secrets Exposed – Appalachia’s “Next Big Thing”?”
eCORP International | Energy Companies

New Underground Marcellus/Utica NatGas Storage Facility Proposed
August 3, 2015August 3, 2015

An open season–a time when customers can sign multi-year contracts with a pipeline company–begins today…but not for a pipeline. This open season connects to pipelines but is for storage of natural gas in the Marcellus/Utica region. Chestnut Ridge Storage, LLC is a proposed underground storage facility that will be built in the West Summit Field located under portions of Fayette County, PA and Monongalia and Preston counties in WV. The new facility will be able to store an initial 15 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas, and eventually 25 Bcf. The facility, if it gets approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), will not be fully operational for another three years–in 2Q18. The open season is “non-binding” meaning customers don’t yet have to sign on the dotted line. We don’t often talk about it, but a key part of the natural gas infrastructure that delivers gas to customers is storage. Not all gas can be used as soon as it’s extracted and flowed through a pipeline. There are a series of (mostly) underground storage facilities that act as a temporary rest stop along the journey to market. A very necessary and important rest stop. The interesting thing to MDN about this particular open season announcement, aside from the fact that it’s meant to store Marcellus and Utica Shale gas, is who is building it: eCORP International…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Crime | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | PennEast Pipeline | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide PA

Antis “Shocked” One of Their Own Sent Death Threats to PennEast
August 3, 2015August 3, 2015

Last Friday MDN told you about an ongoing FBI investigation into death threats made by anti-drilling zealots against workers of the PennEast Pipeline (see FBI Investigates Death Threats Against PennEast Pipeline Workers). Multiple choice question: When one of their own tips over the edge into violence or proposed violence, anti-drillers (a) act shocked and surprised, (b) deny it’s true, implying it’s a made-up story by the pipeline company, or (c) both. If you guessed (c) you would be correct…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | New York | Pipelines | Statewide NY | Williams

Shrill Opposition to Constitution Pipeline after Cabot Comment
August 3, 2015August 3, 2015

Flat-out, 100% lies is what best describes the claims being made by anti-pipeline groups like Stop the Pipeline in New York State in a letter sent to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, with respect to charges that the already-FERC-approved Constitution Pipeline would, if built, incite an environmental Holocaust in the state. These are the VERY SAME people who successfully pressured Cuomo into banning fracking in the state–so they’re hoping they can bully the pathetically weak Cuomo once again, this time to reject the Constitution Pipeline. The renewed and shrill campaign against the pipeline comes because last week Cabot Oil & Gas CEO Dan Dinges said he expects the NY Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to issue permits allowing the pipeline to cross streams and swamps (i.e. “wetlands”) any day now. The fact that this pipeline WILL get built is eating anti-drillers alive. They can’t stand it. So they whip up an email “letter” to Cuomo, and then get their sympathetic buddies at the Democrat Albany Times Union to run a story on their efforts, trying to manufacture the appearance that there is a groundswell of support against the pipeline–when there isn’t…
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Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Taxation

Philly Rags Continue to Blame Marcellus Drillers for Late PA Budget
August 3, 2015August 3, 2015

Once again the Philadelphia Inquirer and its Daily News subsidiary show why their circulation numbers (and profits) continue to plummet: Because they are nothing more than a Democrat house organ propaganda outlet. They don’t report news–they manufacture and repeat, endlessly, Dem lies. Note the latest “editorial” written by the same people who supposedly report the news in what has become a Democrat rag. The editorial, reproduced below, blames the budget stalemate in the Pennsylvania on Republicans because Republicans are supposedly in the back pocket of Marcellus big oil and gas companies. The self-righteous and pure as the wind-driven snow Democrats only want all remaining profits from Marcellus Shale drilling for the chil’ren (those evil, nasty, vile big oil and gas companies, anyway). Of course the editorial says NOTHING about Democrat lust and desire for OPM–other people’s money–to fund Big Education and to repay Tom Wolf’s election debt to teachers’ unions. Nope, not a word. And that’s why rags like the Philly Inquirer and crashing and burning…
Read More “Philly Rags Continue to Blame Marcellus Drillers for Late PA Budget”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Kinder Morgan | Litigation | Pipelines | Tennessee Gas Pipeline

Deerfield’s 2nd Bite at the Litigation Apple Against NED Pipeline
August 3, 2015August 3, 2015

Back in February MDN told you about a group of aging hippies, er, a, New Englanders from Deerfield, MA who decided to sue the federal government to block Kinder Morgan’s Northeast Energy Direct (NED) pipeline project from being built across their property (see Mass. Town Sues FERC to Stop Pipeline Claiming Gas is for Export). The Town of Deerfield is using the pro bono services of a lawyer that doesn’t live in Deerfield, Cristobal Bonifaz. Bonifaz filed the lawsuit in federal court. His argument is that “most of the gas” flowing through NED will be exported and not even used in New England, and taking private property via eminent domain to do so is illegal. His claim is false–but truth isn’t what always wins in court cases. These days it’s finding a liberal judge you can influence that wins in court. Bonifaz is back and he’s filed the same exact lawsuit a second time–with a different (small) group of people from Deerfield and surrounding areas…
Read More “Deerfield’s 2nd Bite at the Litigation Apple Against NED Pipeline”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide PA

StateImpact: PA Pipelines “Risky” & “Mystery” – Might Kill ‘Ya Too
August 3, 2015August 3, 2015

Yet another hit piece against the shale industry from the taxpayer-funded, left-leaning, anti-drilling PBS StateImpact Pennsylvania. This time it’s about pipelines. Reporter Susan Phillips says there’s so darned many of the stupid things under our feet, we don’t even know where they all are and “POOF!” they may explode at any minute if you look at ’em wrong. Case in point: A man operating a bulldozer whose company called One Call before digging, dug up a pipeline that wasn’t mapped and had evil, nasty natural gas running through it. It exploded and sent the man to the hospital with burns over 70% of his body. We’re not making light of the accident or this man’s plight (which is truly tragic). We are making light of the silly notion implied by Phillips in her wide-ranging hit piece that pipelines are “risky” and a “mystery” with the implication we shouldn’t build another single pipeline until we can get pipelines already in the ground fully mapped down the square centimeter. This is a new, coordinated attack on the industry from the usual suspects. Stop the pipelines and you stop the evil fossil fuel natural gas from getting to market…
Read More “StateImpact: PA Pipelines “Risky” & “Mystery” – Might Kill ‘Ya Too”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Taxation

PA Gov Tom “Severance Tax” Wolf: America’s Most Liberal Governor
August 3, 2015August 3, 2015

The non-partisan website InsideGov, a site built and maintained by technology company FindTheBest, used public statements, press releases, campaign platforms and voting records to score each state governor’s view on important issues. InsideGov then used the data they collected to assign values for the most conservative political philosophy, and the most liberal. No lie–the single most liberal state governor in the United States is not Andrew Cuomo–he’s #5 in the list of most liberal. Nope. The single most liberal governor in these United States is (trumpet fanfare): Tom Wolf, from Pennsylvania. Wolf is ahead of the whack-a-doos in New York, Vermont, Connecticut and even Minnesoooota. Yeah, the same Tom Wolf who wants to steal the profits from Marcellus drillers to give to teachers’ unions to pay them back for voting him into office. That Tom Wolf. Most liberal. And what do the libs at Philadelphia Magazine write? (This is hilarious.) They write that even though Wolf walks like a liberal duck, quacks like a liberal duck, swims like a liberal duck–he isn’t really all THAT liberal…
Read More “PA Gov Tom “Severance Tax” Wolf: America’s Most Liberal Governor”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Mon, Aug 3, 2015
August 3, 2015August 3, 2015

The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading:
Read More “Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Mon, Aug 3, 2015”
Energy Companies | EQT Corp | Greene County (PA) | Pennsylvania | Upper Devonian Shale | Utica Shale

EQT Releases Data on Biggest Utica Well Ever; Dumping UD Drilling
July 31, 2015July 31, 2015

One week ago MDN brought you the news of EQT’s monster Utica Shale well drilled in Greene County, PA–the single highest producing on-shore shale well on the planet with initial production (IP) of 72.9 million cubic feet of natural gas per day (see EQT’s 1st Utica Well Shatters Record – 72.9 MMcf/d IP Rate!). Yesterday EQT provided an update on the well. It’s currently shut in while they get all of the pipelines connected and things ready to rock and roll. But before they shut it in, they flowed it for seven days and the average per day production was 27 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d). It’s a truly astonishing well. Interestingly, this one, single well has changed the course of EQT’s drilling program. In the update (full copy below) they’ve announced the results from this well are so good, they are abandoning their Upper Devonian (UD) drilling program before it ever really got under way. They also announced they will drill a second Utica well in Greene County in August. Here’s the full update on the record-shattering Scotts Run 591340 dry Utica well and how it’s changed the direction of EQT…
Read More “EQT Releases Data on Biggest Utica Well Ever; Dumping UD Drilling”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Crime | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | PennEast Pipeline | Pipelines

FBI Investigates Death Threats Against PennEast Pipeline Workers
July 31, 2015July 31, 2015

We don’t want to broad-brush paint all anti-drillers opposed to pipelines, like the PennEast Pipeline, as whack-a-doos. But clearly some of them are–and some of them are potentially violent. It has just come to light that PennEast Pipeline received letters this past spring threatening to kill PennEast Pipeline employees. The FBI is investigating–talking to some of the whack-a-doos to ask them if they know about the letters…
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Blue Racer Midstream | Energy Services

Blue Racer Midstream CEO Says Utica Shale Better than Marcellus
July 31, 2015July 31, 2015

In April 2015, Stephen Arata, then Chief Financial Officer for Blue Racer Midstream, became the CEO of Blue Racer (see Blue Racer Midstream CFO Promoted over President to Become CEO). While Blue Racer operates in both the Utica and Marcellus Shale plays, it is the Utica that’s turned Mr. Arata’s head and is the focus of Blue Racer’s operations. In an article published in the July issue of The American Oil & Gas Reporter titled “Midstream Adjusts For Emerging Utica,” Mr. Arata makes this prediction about the Utica: “Arata predicts development of the Utica is about to take off. ‘The rock in the Utica is great,’ he enthuses. ‘The core of the rich part of the Utica is better than anything in the southwestern Pennsylvania Marcellus. People will be surprised how fast the Utica develops.'” Arata makes a number of boasts about Blue Racer, including the claim they are the only midstream company that can get “rich gas” out of Washington County, PA. Give this excellent article (with a number of Arata brags) a read…
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