Marcellus Drilling News

Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | M&A | Talisman Energy

Talisman Energy Sale to Repsol Takes 2 Giant Steps Closer
February 23, 2015February 23, 2015

Not that there was really any doubt, but last week the deal for Spanish oil giant Repsol to buy out Canadian shale driller Talisman Energy took a couple of big leaps forward (see Spanish Respol Buys Marcellus E&P Talisman Energy for $8/Share). Talisman has major drilling operations in the Pennsylvania Marcellus Shale. The company was having problems for some time and that invited the vultures, er, corporate raiders to show up (see Carl Icahn’s Claws Go Deeper into Talisman – 2 New Board Members). No doubt under pressure by Ichan’s lieutenants, Talisman had to either sell off key assets, or sell the whole company. They opted to do the later last December. Last week both the shareholders and the Canadian government gave it’s blessing to the sale. Now all that’s left is for the proverbial fat lady to sing…
Read More “Talisman Energy Sale to Repsol Takes 2 Giant Steps Closer”
Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

PA MCOR Director Goes on the Road — to Alergia
February 23, 2015February 23, 2015

We’ve never been to Algeria, but Thomas Murphy, the co-director of the Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research (MCOR), has. Last week Murphy attended an oil and gas conference in Algiers, Algeria to present on the “American experience” in extracting oil and gas from shale. We don’t have a transcript of his statements, but we do have international reaction. According to reports, Murphy admitted that “the shale industry will always pose some environmental risk” including “the contamination of aquifers, infiltration of natural gas in drinking water or failures related to landfill processes of chemical and radioactive waste are the main risks relating to the exploitation of unconventional gas.” We suspect the comments in context are a simple acknowledgement that you have to be careful and follow regulations to avoid problems. But international Arab media seems to be presenting his comments as some sort of grudging admission that shale drilling pollutes the environment, which of course is not the case (when it’s done properly)…
Read More “PA MCOR Director Goes on the Road — to Alergia”
About MDN | Calendar

Calendar of Events for Feb 23 – Mar 8, 2015 [Free]
February 23, 2015February 23, 2015

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 Feb 23 – Mar 8, 2015 [Free]”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Mon, Feb 23, 2015
February 23, 2015February 23, 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, Feb 23, 2015”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Taxation

PA Gov Wolf Tries to Walk Back Ban Comment, PIOGA Doesn’t Buy It
February 20, 2015February 20, 2015

Is Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf an extortionist? Or is he just dumb? Last week, in response to a reporter’s question about his proposed severance tax and what might happen if it doesn’t pass the legislature, Wolf said this: “You know, the alternative is not really no tax… the alternative is no drilling – a ban as in the case of New York” (see PA Gov Wolf Turns Bully, Threatens Ban on Drilling Absent New Tax). What the heck did he mean by that? And why are there NO mainstream media outlets covering it? Yesterday Wolf tried to walk back his comment without looking like a dolt. He didn’t succeed. The Pennsylvania Independent Oil and Gas Association (PIOGA) is fighting mad and says Wolf’s comment is tantamount to extortion (see their letter below). So which is it Gov. Wolf? Are you threatening the Marcellus industry in your state–pay the tax or die? Did you take one too many Xanax pills before the presser last week and you “misspoke”? What, precisely, did you mean by your comment?…
Read More “PA Gov Wolf Tries to Walk Back Ban Comment, PIOGA Doesn’t Buy It”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

15 NY Towns Consider Seceding from NY, Join PA Due to Frack Ban
February 20, 2015February 20, 2015

There is an effort underway–a serious effort–for towns along the border in some upstate New York counties to secede from New York State and join Pennsylvania. Why? Because of New York’s ban on hydraulic fracturing. And no, this is not an early April Fool’s joke. MDN first started hearing of secession talk shortly after Gov. Cuomo’s disgraceful cabinet meeting in which he let bootlickers Howard Zucker (State Health Commissioner) and Joe Martens (DEC Commissioner) take the fall for a ban on fracking–a ban Cuomo himself wanted. We saw some signs and heard a few mentions of secession and chalked it up to understandably high emotions over Cuomo stealing away their future. But it seems it’s not just so much hot air. A group called the Upstate New York Towns Association has done some polling and found 15 towns along the border area of NY are ready to make the leap. There are, however, some major hurdles in the way…
Read More “15 NY Towns Consider Seceding from NY, Join PA Due to Frack Ban”
Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Research | Spectra Energy

Access Northeast Pipeline — Pulling Ahead of Kinder’s NED Project?
February 20, 2015February 20, 2015

Spectra Energy’s Access Northeast pipeline project is shaping up to be a worthy competitor to Kinder Morgan’s proposed expansion of the Tennessee Gas Pipeline, a project they call Northeast Expansion Direct (NED). On Wednesday, Spectra announced a new partner for Access Northeast–National Grid–along with an open season to sign up more potential customers–mostly electric generating companies (called LDCs or Local Distribution Companies) that use natural gas to fire their plants. The new partnership means Spectra has locked up electric generating plants that serve 70% of all the electric customers in New England–and they’re trying to get even more. Spectra is also trying to build as little new pipeline as possible, using looping (new pipeline laid next to existing pipeline) in areas where extra capacity is needed. Below we have the announcement about the open season and National Grid joining the project, a copy of the Access Northeast project map, and a brand new study by ICF commissioned by the Access Northeast partners that details how this project will save New Englanders $1 billion+ per year in electric costs. We also throw in a few of our own observations on this bold plan and whether or not the region can support both the Access Northeast and NED projects…
Read More “Access Northeast Pipeline — Pulling Ahead of Kinder’s NED Project?”
Air Quality | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Research | Statewide PA

New Peer Reviewed Study: Marcellus Fugitive Methane is Minuscule
February 20, 2015February 20, 2015

A new study on methane emissions in the Marcellus by researchers at the University of Colorado’s Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has just been published in the peer reviewed Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. The study, titled “Quantifying atmospheric methane emissions from the Haynesville, Fayetteville, and northeastern Marcellus shale gas production regions” (full copy below), finds very little methane leakage in the Marcellus Shale region. This study is one more nail in the coffin of the wild theories of professors Robert Howarth and Tony Ingraffea (from the once-great Cornell University) about “fugitive methane” leaking out all over the place, heating up Mother Earth. In fact, this new research finds leakage from Marcellus operations is between 0.18% to 0.41%. That’s less than 2/10ths of a percent to about 4/10ths of a percent on average. It’s minuscule…
Read More “New Peer Reviewed Study: Marcellus Fugitive Methane is Minuscule”
Energy Companies | Noble Energy

Noble Energy 2014 in Review, Spending $900M on Marcellus in 2015
February 20, 2015February 20, 2015

Noble Energy issued a pair of announcements yesterday. One was their their fourth quarter 2014 and full year 2014 results, the other was “guidance” or projections for what they plan to do in 2015. Noble is a big company with drilling both onshore and offshore. Of interest to us is their Marcellus program. In 2014, Noble drilled 24 Marcellus wells and they drilled their very first Utica well (in WV). According to Noble’s guidance, they plan to spend roughly $900 million on new Marcellus drilling in 2015…
Read More “Noble Energy 2014 in Review, Spending $900M on Marcellus in 2015”
Commodity Price | Industrywide Issues

Low Temps Used to Mean High Natgas Prices, But No More
February 20, 2015February 20, 2015

Boston keeps getting hammered by snow storm after snow storm–more than 7 feet of snow in the past month. The polar vortex is dipping all the way down into the Deep South (Georgia et al). It’s minus 8 at MDN headquarters this morning in Binghamton, NY! So what’s the price of natural gas doing? Must be going through the roof like last winter, right? Wrong! The price of natural gas is still low, and according to one commodities trading expert, it’s going lower over the next month or so–despite the frigid temps in the northeast. Why? In two words: Marcellus/Utica…
Read More “Low Temps Used to Mean High Natgas Prices, But No More”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, Feb 20, 2015
February 20, 2015February 20, 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: Fri, Feb 20, 2015”
Access Midstream Partners | Bradford County | Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Lease & Royalty Payments | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Williams

PA Landowners File RICO Royalty Lawsuit Against Chesapeake/Williams
February 19, 2015February 19, 2015

Along with acquiring Access Midstream (formerly Chesapeake Midstream), Williams has just acquired a brand new lawsuit. Two Bradford County, PA law firms along with a New Jersey law firm on Tuesday filed a RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) lawsuit on behalf of 90 landowners in Bradford County against Chesapeake Energy and Williams Partners (because Williams is now the owner of what was Access Midstream) claiming Chessy and Williams/Access conspired to defraud landowners of royalty money by deducting post-production expenses they had no right to deduct…
Read More “PA Landowners File RICO Royalty Lawsuit Against Chesapeake/Williams”
Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Lease & Royalty Payments | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

Cabot O&G Loses PA Supreme Court Case to Extend Lease
February 19, 2015February 19, 2015

In October MDN told you about an important lawsuit that went to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, a case called Harrison v Cabot Oil & Gas (see Important Landowner/Driller Case Heads to PA Supreme Court). In brief, Susquehanna County, PA landowners Wayne and Mary Harrison signed a lease with Cabot Oil & Gas for $100 per acre and 12.5% royalties. Learning that others in the area got better deals and feeling they were not only hoodwinked but pressured into signing, they sued Cabot halfway through the lease to dissolve it. Ultimately that lawsuit was decided in favor of Cabot. But by the time the lawsuit was done and dusted, the original 5-year term had expired without Cabot drilling. The Harrisons claimed since Cabot hadn’t drilled, the lease is now over with. Cabot said the lease went on “pause” when the Harrison’s sued–you can’t very well drill with an active lawsuit. This “lease on pause” case was appealed all the way to the Supreme Court in PA, and on Tuesday they rendered their decision…
Read More “Cabot O&G Loses PA Supreme Court Case to Extend Lease”
American Energy Partners | Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Litigation

Chesapeake Energy Sues McClendon for Taking His Rolodex with Him
February 19, 2015February 19, 2015

This is rich. Yesterday Chesapeake Energy sued its former co-founder, Aubrey McClendon, claiming he took his rolodex (“contacts list” for our younger readers) with him when he left the building. Chesapeake said the data McClendon took with him had “trade secrets” in it. McClendon, in responding to the frivolous lawsuit, said that the data he took was part of his contractual agreement with Chesapeake. McClendon was and remains Chessy’s biggest partner, with a working interest in almost all of the wells they’ve drilled. Apparently his ongoing relationship with the company he co-founded bothers the Powers That Be (corporate raiders Carl Icahn and Mason Hawkins)…
Read More “Chesapeake Energy Sues McClendon for Taking His Rolodex with Him”
Columbiana County | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Regulation | Trucking | Wastewater

OH Frack Truck Facility Given Green Light, Mayor Tries to Stop It
February 19, 2015February 19, 2015

MDN first told you about a frack truck washing facility in Columbiana, OH last September (see Frack Truck Washing Facility Shut Down Until ODNR Permit Issued). The facility, flying under the name of Clear Creek, made a misstep by not first obtaining a permit from the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources before it began operations. They immediately stopped operations and applied for the permit–it was a brand new requirement that Clear Creek was not aware of. A temporary permit to operate was granted by ODNR last week. The mayor of Columbiana, Ryan Blakeman, opposes the facility’s right to operate and he’s trying to find any grounds he can to appeal the ODNR permit and stop Clear Creek…
Read More “OH Frack Truck Facility Given Green Light, Mayor Tries to Stop It”
Energy Companies | Rex Energy

Rex Energy 2014: Revenues Up 39%, Production Up 66%, 50 New Wells
February 19, 2015February 19, 2015

Rex Energy, our “little energy company that could, and does” in the Marcellus and Utica Shale turned in its 2014 financial and operational update yesterday. Rex had a good year in 2014, despite prices for natural gas heading lower. They hit a new high for production–averaging 154.4 million cubic feet equivalent per day (MMcfe/d)–that’s 66% more than the 2013 average. Total proved reserves jumped up 57% to 1.3 trillion cubic feet. Rex drilled 50 new wells across their acreage in the Marcellus and Utica Shale, and they brought 46 wells online during the year. They earned $298 million in revenue in 2014 (up 39% over 2013) and they have $420 million of liquidity–money available to use for more drilling…
Read More “Rex Energy 2014: Revenues Up 39%, Production Up 66%, 50 New Wells”