Marcellus Drilling News

Bradford County | Health Impacts | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Research | Statewide NY | Statewide PA

PA Public Health Expert Destroys NY Health Study, Frack Ban
December 30, 2014December 30, 2014

The Joint Landowners Coalition of New York (JLCNY) is a 70,000-member group of frustrated landowners who have had their Constitutional property rights stripped away by a spineless governor. In an effort to get the truth out about shale drilling and its affects–both good and bad–the JLCNY has taken to the airways with a periodic (every 3-4 weeks) radio program that airs Sunday evenings for an hour on Binghamton’s WNBF 1290 AM radio station. This past Sunday night the latest program aired and it was a must-listen program. The special guest was Dr. Theodore Them, MD, MS, PhD, MPH. Dr. Them is a specialist in environmental medicine working at Guthrie, the 19th largest health care system in the United States. Dr. Them lives in Bradford County, PA, within five miles of 100+ Marcellus Shale gas wells. Dr. Them was on the program to discuss the so-called “health impacts” report recently delivered by New York State Commissioner of Health Dr. Howard Zucker (see After 6+ Years, Andrew Cuomo Bans Fracking in New York). Dr. Them, in our considered opinion, completely destroyed the “findings” in Zucker’s report. We have the full one-hour program below for your listening edification…
Read More “PA Public Health Expert Destroys NY Health Study, Frack Ban”
Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Lease & Royalty Payments | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Chesapeake & PA Landowners Settle Royalty Lawsuit…Again
December 30, 2014December 30, 2014

In September 2013 MDN told you that Chesapeake Energy had “settled” a lawsuit that would reimburse Pennsylvania landowners for post-production costs Chesapeake had deducted from royalty checks, leaving some landowners with checks for pennies (see Chesapeake Settles PA Royalty Lawsuit for Pittance: $7.5M). As we said at the time, it was a pittance that Chessy would pay $7.5 million to be shared among “several thousand” landowners, with 1/3 of it going to lawyers. The suit was never settled because some landowners sued to block it while they filed their own, separate lawsuit. The disagreeing landowners have finally joined and have (now) accepted an offer from Chesapeake to settle–for $11 million. Still peanuts if you ask us, but perhaps something is better than nothing?…
Read More “Chesapeake & PA Landowners Settle Royalty Lawsuit…Again”
Statewide WV | West Virginia

WV Sees Slower Drilling, Crews Go Home for Winter
December 30, 2014December 30, 2014

According to an article today in the Logan (WV) Register-Herald, most fracking crews operating in the Mountain State have gone home for the winter with “don’t call us we’ll call you” instructions. Drilling rigs are idled in WV. Why? According to the article, because of the low-and-getting-lower commodity price of natural gas. While the WV economy is still booming, certain businesses, like restaurants and hotels, are taking a hit due to the absence of drilling activity. When will it improve again?…
Read More “WV Sees Slower Drilling, Crews Go Home for Winter”
Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pipelines | Statewide VA | Virginia

Dominion Sues VA Landowners to Allow Survey for Pipeline
December 30, 2014December 30, 2014

In September, Dominion committed full force to building a 550-mile, $5 billion natural gas pipeline that will run from West Virginia, through Virginia and into North Carolina (see Dominion Commits to Major New Marcellus/Utica Pipeline Project). The project, called the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, will transport Marcellus and Utica Shale gas to the southeast. In November, Dominion asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to begin an environmental review of the project (see Dominion Asks FERC to Start Environmental Review of SE Pipeline). In order to do a proper review and to finalize plans for the route, Dominion surveyors need to get on property of landowners in Virginia who have, so far, refused them entry. So Dominion has now taken 40 Virginia landowners to court to force them to allow a survey…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Kinder Morgan | MarkWest Energy | NGLs | Pipelines

KY Antis Now Opposing Kinder Morgan Y-Grade NGL Pipeline
December 30, 2014December 30, 2014

Will Kentucky scuttle yet another pipeline project? A group of anti-drillers/anti-pipeliners, including a bunch of radical nuns, earlier this year successfully stopped the Bluegrass Pipeline project, a natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline proposed by Williams and Boardwalk Pipeline Partners that would run from the Marcellus/Utica region to the Gulf Coast (see Williams Stops Work on Bluegrass Pipeline, Boardwalk Says “It’s Not Dead”). In November, Boardwalk agreed with Williams that yes, the project is indeed dead as a doornail. The KY legislature, and later a KY judge, disallowed the use of eminent domain for the project, which effectively killed it (see Kentucky House Votes to End Eminent Domain for Bluegrass Pipeline and Judge Rules Bluegrass Pipeline Cannot Use Eminent Domain in KY). Mission accomplished for the anti-drilling faithful, like the nuns of Marion County (see Thank God the Bluegrass Pipeline will Bypass Marion County Nuns). But then Kinder Morgan and MarkWest came along with a plan to convert some 800 miles of the existing Tennessee Gas Pipeline, which runs through KY, into an NGL pipeline from the northeast to the Gulf (see Kinder Morgan Y-Grade NGL Pipeline from NE to SW Still Alive). The anti-drilling faithful are getting the band back together to go after this effort. They may not find it as easy to scuttle as the Bluegrass…
Read More “KY Antis Now Opposing Kinder Morgan Y-Grade NGL Pipeline”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Research | Statewide OH | Utica Shale

Trout Unlimited Says Lake Erie Threatened by Utica Drilling
December 30, 2014December 30, 2014

Trout Unlimited (TU) might have once been populated with reasonable people, but it long ago left behind reasonableness and became a radical “green” group, funded and controlled by anti-drilling foundations (see Trout Unlimited, Other Groups Outted as Radical Green Groups). Even though TU has been exposed as having a radical, anti-drilling agenda, they still pretend, with the help of PBS and others, to be “reasonable” on the issue of shale drilling. When a member of TU says the group isn’t anti-shale, you know you just heard a 100% lie. They ARE anti-shale–to the core. We find it repugnant when mainstream media unquestioningly reports yet another TU spin story. The latest such story says that Utica Shale drilling in the Buckeye State is a “threat” to Lake Erie. TU has just released a so-called report (PowerPoint presentation, really) called “10 Special Places” (full copy embedded below). The “report” highlights 10 areas in the Eastern U.S. that TU says are threatened by Marcellus and Utica Shale drilling–including Lake Erie…
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Industrywide Issues | Reserves (Proved and Unproved)

Defining O&G Reserves: Proved, Recoverable & In-Place
December 30, 2014December 30, 2014

A handy graphic and article from our favorite government agency, the U.S. Energy Information Administration, explains the differences in what companies call their “reserves”–how much gas and oil they have in the ground, ready to be extracted. You often hear or read of “proved reserves.” How does that category differ from “economically recoverable” and “technically recoverable” reserves? And what about this nebulous “oil and gas in place”? EIA’s helpful primer ‘splains it to us…
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Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Shale Gas News Radio – December 27, 2014 [Audio]
December 30, 2014December 30, 2014

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, Dec. 27…
Read More “Shale Gas News Radio – December 27, 2014 [Audio]”
About MDN | Calendar

Calendar of Events for Dec 29, 2014 – Jan 11, 2015 [Free]
December 30, 2014December 30, 2014

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.
Read More “Calendar of Events for Dec 29, 2014 – Jan 11, 2015 [Free]”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Tue, Dec 30, 2014
December 30, 2014December 30, 2014

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, Dec 30, 2014”
Anschutz Exploration | Chemung County | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | New York

Exclusive: Anschutz Wins 4 Yr-Old NY Methane Contamination Case
December 29, 2014December 29, 2014

An MDN exclusive: In 2010, at the beginning of widespread public consciousness about the Marcellus Shale and a time when drilling was just taking off in Pennsylvania, a New York City personal injury law firm smelled opportunity with a group of landowners in Chemung County, NY. Nine families living in Big Flats claimed that nearby gas drilling from Anschutz Corporation had “contaminated” their water wells (see our story at the time, Supposed “First Claim” Filed in New York Alleging Water Contamination from Hydraulic Fracturing Gas Drilling). The NYC law firm claimed in a press release (falsely) that the two wells drilled by Anschutz had been fracked (see Anschutz Exploration Responds to Lawsuit Claiming Drilling Operations Contaminated Water Wells in Big Flats, NY). The case started out in a lower court, called Supreme Court in New York (go figure) and eventually ended up in U.S. District Court in Western NY. Last week, U.S. District Court Judge Charles Siragusa dismissed the case against Anschutz…
Read More “Exclusive: Anschutz Wins 4 Yr-Old NY Methane Contamination Case”
Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Lease & Royalty Payments | Southwestern Energy | Statewide WV | West Virginia

Southwestern Paid Chesapeake $12K/Acre for Land Signed @ $5/Acre
December 29, 2014December 29, 2014

Last week MDN told you that Chesapeake Energy closed on a deal to sell some 413,000 Marcellus Shale acres, mostly in West Virginia (some in Pennsylvania) to Southwestern Energy (see Chesapeake Using $1B from Southwestern Deal to Buy Back Stock). The deal ended up being worth $4.975 billion, discounted from the original $5.375 billion because Southwestern agreed not to sue Chessy for “title defects” when and should that occur. As we said at the time, we’re not sure if a $400 million discount is a good deal or not in the case some of the titles to leases aren’t free and clear. But the bigger story, in our humble opinion, is this: Chesapeake picked up some of those leases that originally paid landowners as little as $5 per acre and as much as $5,000 per acre. They just turned around and sold those same leases for $12,000 an acre. That made corporate raider Carl Icahn, Geppetto pulling the strings at Chesapeake, really really happy…
Read More “Southwestern Paid Chesapeake $12K/Acre for Land Signed @ $5/Acre”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Public Opinion | Regulation | Statewide NY

Q Poll: Majority of New Yorkers Support Cuomo’s Frack Ban
December 29, 2014December 29, 2014

If we New Yorkers are ever to one day see shale drilling and fracking in the Empire State, we must face the truth squarely in the face. We must be willing to admit to ourselves what the facts are (relative to the PR war we are in) and move on from there. A Quinnipiac University poll conducted shortly after Gov. Cuomo’s ignominious decision to ban fracking throws a bucket of cold water in our collective faces and is a wake-up call for those of us who support drilling (which is the correct and righteous position on this issue). The poll, conducted statewide, shows that NY state voters approve of Cuomo’s decision to ban fracking by a margin of 55% to 25% who oppose his decision. Republicans, sadly, support his decision by 42% with 40% opposed, and Democrats are simply in lock-step mode (they don’t think for themselves anymore, too much hassle): they support the man-child’s decision by 67% to 11% against the decision. Not one single party, gender, age or regional group had a majority that disapproved of Cuomo’s decision to ban fracking. That’s the bad news. Here’s the good news…
Read More “Q Poll: Majority of New Yorkers Support Cuomo’s Frack Ban”
Eclipse Resources | Energy Companies

Eclipse Resources Gets $440M from New Stock, Trims 2015 Capex 20%
December 29, 2014December 29, 2014

Some important news today from Eclipse Resources, an exploration & production company focused solely on the Marcellus and Utica Shale region. Eclipse reports raising $440 million in cash in a “private placement” of 62.5 million shares of common stock. The purchasers are EnCap Investments and certain members of the Eclipse management team. The company is also reporting they will lop off 20% of their capital expenditure (capex) budget in 2015 from 2014 levels–with a plan to spend $640 million on new drilling and associated activities. The Eclipse drilling mix is 60% natural gas, 20% oil & condensate, and 20% natural gas liquids…
Read More “Eclipse Resources Gets $440M from New Stock, Trims 2015 Capex 20%”
Energy Companies | Ethane | Industrywide Issues | Reliance Industries

Marcellus Ethane will Head to India Aboard 6 New Japanese Ships
December 29, 2014December 29, 2014

You may recall that all of the LNG (liquefied natural gas) that will be produced at the under construction export facility in Cove Point, Maryland will be sold to two countries: Japan and India (see Dominion’s Cove Point LNG Facility Achieves Important Milestones). Japan and India are teaming up again–but this time it’s for America’s ethane instead of methane. Reliance Industries Ltd., India’s single largest company of any kind (conglomerate that includes oil and gas drilling) has ordered up 6 Very Large Ethane Carriers (VLECs) for an undisclosed sum from Japanese company Mitsui. The VLEC ships will transport some 1.5 million tons of ethane per year to India, where it will be used to feed Indian ethane cracker plants. Since RIL has two joint ventures in the Marcellus, it’s a safe bet that some of that exported ethane will be coming from the Marcellus…
Read More “Marcellus Ethane will Head to India Aboard 6 New Japanese Ships”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Regulation | Statewide OH

Water Withdrawals from Creeks Next Point of Attack for Antis in OH?
December 29, 2014December 29, 2014

Are water withdrawals the next point of attack for anti-drillers in Ohio? Perhaps. We noticed an interesting story where a pair of elected Democrats (one from the Ohio House, one from the Ohio Senate) are making noise about the drilling industry’s unrestricted right to withdraw water from creeks as long as they report it to the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR). The Dem politicians seem to be saying they would like to slap a new law in place to limit (or disallow) water withdrawals…
Read More “Water Withdrawals from Creeks Next Point of Attack for Antis in OH?”