Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Tue, Feb 10, 2015
The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading:
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Blue Ridge Mtn Res/Magnum Hunter | Energy Companies | Energy Services | GreenHunter Resources | Industrywide Issues | Regulation | Wastewater
GreenHunter to Coast Guard, We’re Barging While You Fiddle Around
As MDN chronicled on Friday, there is a dispute between GreenHunter Resources and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) over what, exactly, constitutes “oil field waste” (see GreenHunter/Coast Guard War of Words — MDN Explains It). If we might toot our own horn for a moment, we were the first to understand and share that understanding of the key issue, which is whether or not produced water (“brine”) from horizontal wells is essentially the same chemically as produced water from vertical-only wells. That is what GreenHunter and the USCG disagree about. GreenHunter says it is the same thing, and the USCG isn’t so sure. On Saturday, our interpretation of that key issue was confirmed by USCG statements–they remain concerned that low levels of radiation, which may or may not be present in produced water from horizontal wells, DOES make shale well produced water potentially different from regular old produced water from vertical wells…
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Chief Oil & Gas | Energy Companies | Lease & Royalty Payments | Marshall County | Ohio County | Tug Hill Operating | West Virginia
Lease Terms Revealed for Land Deal in Marshall County, WV
In November, MDN brought you the news that Tug Hill Operating, a privately-owned exploration and production company, did a deal with the Marshall and Ohio County Landgroup in West Virginia for a $100 million signing bonus for about 500 families (see Panhandle WV Landowners Broker $100M Deal with Tug Hill Operating). We later learned that Tug Hill’s CEO was at one time concurrently the COO of Chief Oil & Gas, meaning the two companies are “tight” and perhaps share a drilling program (see More Details on Tug Hill $100M Lease in WV Panhandle). In November we had precious few details, beyond the $100 million signing bonus and a claim that royalties may end up being another $400-$500 million. Can you imagine a half BILLION dollars rushing into the economy of those two panhandle counties? Astonishing. Behold the miracle of fracking! At any rate, we now have an inkling of what the terms may have been. The Marshall County Commission is considering signing a lease with Tug Hill for 72 acres behind the animal shelter. The deal isn’t done yet, but the we know the proposed terms, both for the signing bonus and the royalty…
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Anti-Drillers Don’t Like Being Considered Suspects in Crimes
Some children are never taught the life lesson that actions have consequences–and that you have to take responsibility for your actions. Some of those children grow into adulthood never learning that lesson. If you belong to groups that engage in “peaceful” blockades of fracking facilities or drill sites or pipeline sites, while shouting and screaming like you’re possessed, you might end up on a “watch list” by law enforcement. Why? Because some who act the very same way you’re acting tilt over into acts of lawlessness–sabotage and breaking things. It’s only prudent to keep an eye on groups of people who might be prone to such actions. But if you’re a spoiled child who grew up to be a spoiled adult, you take offense at being held to account for your actions because, well because YOUR actions shouldn’t have consequences. Your actions never had consequences when you were growing up–why should they now? We’re speaking about those who don’t like the fact that law enforcement–and yes, the drilling industry–keeps an eye on people who may be prone to breaking the law…
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EQT Shutters OH Utica Drilling, Still Likes PA/WV Utica Drilling
On an earnings call with analysts last Thursday, EQT’s top management said that they are “writing off” their Ohio Utica Shale acreage, taking a $162 million hit. The acreage performed “significantly below expectations.” However, that doesn’t mean EQT is giving up on the Utica–just their Utica acreage in Ohio. EQT owns a LOT of acreage in southwest Pennsylvania and West Virginia (over 400,000 acres) with dry gas Utica under much of it–and they’re eyeing the Utica in those locations very closely. EQT is in the midst of drilling two dry gas Utica test wells–one in Greene County, PA, the other in Wetzel County, WV…
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Small Fracking Co Leaving OH Utica, Heading South of the Border
It hardly seems worth mentioning, but we will anyway. Oilfield services company GoFrac LLC once had great hopes for the Utica Shale. GoFrac does frack jobs. Think of the company as a very (very) small Halliburton or Schlumberger. The company is based in Texas but a few years ago bought 90 acres in Cambridge (Guernsey County), OH with high hopes of hiring 250 people to work in the fracking fields of the Ohio Utica. No more. The company is closing up whatever presence they have had and leaving the northeast. Apparently, from their website (with a copyright of 2012 on it), they plan to go frack in Central and South America instead…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Crime | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Lancaster County | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Transco | Williams
Convicted Lancaster Protesters Taunt Williams After Court Date
It’s kind of funny how eight anti-drillers can conflate themselves to seem as if they represent untold thousands. They get themselves arrested for a lawless act and they’re actually proud of it–like they’ve accomplished something with their lives. We’ve been following the somewhat bizarre story of the “Conestoga 8” in Lancaster County, PA who are trying to stop the Williams Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline project. One of the eight is supposedly a Native American (i.e. Indian) who goes by the name of Chief Carlos Whitewolf (see Indians on the War Path Against Pipeline in Lancaster County, PA and Indians on the Anti-Pipeline War Path – Part 2). Except his last name isn’t really Whitewolf–it’s Rivera. Huh. A “Native American” with a very Hispanic first and last name. That’s a new one. Anywho, Chief Whitewolf-Rivera is protesting on behalf of the Conestoga people–who have been extinct for generations. He’s asking the United Nations to step in and stop the pipeline, on behalf of the long-dead Conestogas (see Lancaster, PA Antis Request United Nations Interfere in Pipeline). Chief Whitewolf-Rivera and the other small band of ne’er do wells had their day in court, and then they went on a field trip to the local Williams office straight from court to see if they could get arrested again…
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Coshocton County, OH #1 in Frack Wastewater Injection Volume
The amount of wastewater, both flowback and brine going down Ohio’s injection wells increased by a full third (35% actually) in 2014, according to research by Bob Downing at the Akron Beacon Journal. Wastewater in-state (produced in Ohio) jumped 32% while wastewater from out of state (Pennsylvania and West Virginia) jumped 37% in 2014. Here’s some statistics…
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Anti-Drillers Try to Ban Drill Cuttings from PA in NY Landfills
The anti-drilling group Environmental Advocates of New York has just published a 24-page “report” that claims drill cuttings–leftover rock and dirt from drilling a hole in the ground–that are being landfilled in New York State are radioactive and will make us New Yorkers all glow in the dark. Any day now. The report is titled “License to Dump” (full copy embedded below). Since anti-drillers successfully cowed the impotent Gov. Andrew Cuomo once, well, it ought to work again, right? Ban those drill cuttings Andy! Right now!! This is 24 pages of “notoriously toxic and radioactive” garbage…
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Shale Gas News Radio – Feb 7, 2015 [Audio]
Every Saturday the one-hour Shale Gas News show airs on Scranton, PA’s 94.3 FM “The Talker” radio station. The show is co-hosted by Kevin Lynn of Linde Corporation and Bill desRosiers from Cabot Oil & Gas. MDN brings you the latest program show notes and recordings for Shale Gas News each week (well worth your time to listen). Here’s the latest program, recorded on Saturday, Feb 7…
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Calendar of Events for Feb 9-22, 2015 [Free]
Below are upcoming events for this week and next. To see the full list of future events, visit this page: //marcellusdrilling.com/calendar/.
NOTE: To have an item included, please email it to: calendar@marcellusdrilling.com.
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Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Mon, Feb 9, 2015
The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading:
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Blue Ridge Mtn Res/Magnum Hunter | Energy Companies | Energy Services | GreenHunter Resources | Industrywide Issues | Regulation | Wastewater
GreenHunter/Coast Guard War of Words — MDN Explains It
MDN now believes we have the full story, and a proper understanding, for the current war of words between GreenHunter and the U.S. Coast Guard over the issue of barging produced water, sometimes referred to as brine, on the Ohio River and other inland waterways. On Wednesday MDN brought the news that GreenHunter claimed the Coast Guard has given the all clear to begin barge shipments of brine (see US Coast Guard Approves Brine Shipping via Barge on Ohio River). Yesterday we reported a response from the Coast Guard saying no, they haven’t decided and haven’t given clearance (see Breaking: Coast Guard Says They Did NOT Grant Barge Permission to GreenHunter). Yesterday GreenHunter, a publicly traded company, filed a statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) challenging the Coast Guard’s statement. It all comes down to semantics. MDN has spoken with a barge operator, has read the GreenHunter SEC statement (below), and we now think we know what is happening…
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Philly State Senators Want to Slap Marcellus Industry with 9.9% Tax
We seriously wonder if some of the legislators that serve in the Pennsylvania State Legislature are on drugs. Seriously. What else can explain comments like those from Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent Hughes (Democrat from Philadelphia) in saying the Marcellus Shale industry currently pays no taxes, that the drilling industry is making PA children “suffer,” and he thinks the industry should be hit with a new 8% severance tax PLUS another 1.9% impact fee. It’s absolutely mind-blowing–like psychedelic mind blowing. Does Hughes live in an alternate universe? Oh that’s right, he’s in the back pocket of teacher$’ union$ and is $imply their tool…
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Accidents | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Washington County
More on that Range Rig Fire in Washington County, PA
Range Resources dodged a bullet with the fire at a well pad in North Strabane (Washington County, PA) on Wednesday. We now know that a hydraulic line leaked oil and that’s what started the fire. Personnel on site tried to extinguish it but enough oil spread on the rubber well pad liner that the liner itself caught fire–essentially like a huge tire burning. Which is what caused the billowing black smoke in the area. The fire spread and consumed the rig, destroying it, and a couple of trailers parked at the site. Range was in the beginning stages of drilling the well. The bullet they dodged is that no one was injured. Equipment can be replaced–people can’t…
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Economic Impact | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Research | Statewide PA | Sunoco Logistics
New Study: Mariner East 1 & 2 Pipelines Mean $4.2B Windfall in PA
Sunoco Logistics has an important new tool in its fight to build the Mariner East 1 and Mariner East 2 pipeline projects in Pennsylvania. Mariner East 1 is already partially up and running but needs the final leg completed that will connect it to the Marcus Hook refinery near Philadelphia (see Range Cuts 2015 Drilling Budget 33%; Mariner East Up & Running!). Mariner East 2 is still on the drawing board. It will be a new 350-mile pipeline, most of it laid next to Mariner East 1 (see Sunoco Logistics Will Build $2.5B Mariner East 2 Pipeline). The new tool? Sunoco hired Econsult Solutions Inc. to do a proper, independent, rigorous and accurate study of the potential economic impact from the two projects on the PA economy. The study, titled “The Economic Impact of Sunoco Logistics’ Mariner East Projects in Pennsylvania” (full copy embedded below), says the two projects will add $4.2 billion to Pennsylvania’s economy, support more than 30,000 jobs during the construction period, and create 300-400 permanent jobs…
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As MDN chronicled on Friday, there is a dispute between GreenHunter Resources and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) over what, exactly, constitutes “oil field waste” (see 
MDN now believes we have the full story, and a proper understanding, for the current war of words between GreenHunter and the U.S. Coast Guard over the issue of barging produced water, sometimes referred to as brine, on the Ohio River and other inland waterways. On Wednesday MDN brought the news that GreenHunter claimed the Coast Guard has given the all clear to begin barge shipments of brine (see 
We seriously wonder if some of the legislators that serve in the Pennsylvania State Legislature are on drugs. Seriously. What else can explain comments like those from Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent Hughes (Democrat from Philadelphia) in saying the Marcellus Shale industry currently pays no taxes, that the drilling industry is making PA children “suffer,” and he thinks the industry should be hit with a new 8% severance tax PLUS another 1.9% impact fee. It’s absolutely mind-blowing–like psychedelic mind blowing. Does Hughes live in an alternate universe? Oh that’s right, he’s in the back pocket of teacher$’ union$ and is $imply their tool…