Marcellus Drilling News

Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

Important Expose on John Quigley, Nominee to Head PA DEP
January 22, 2015January 22, 2015
MDN friend Tom Shepstone, who writes the excellent Natural Gas Now blog site, has just posted a must-read article on John Quigley, PA Gov. Tom Wolf’s choice to lead the Dept. of Environmental Protection. Tom does some real investigative journalism–something you won’t read in the Harrisburg Patriot-News, the Philadelphia Inquirer, or Democrat Party satellite publications like StateImpact Pennsylvania. You certainly won’t read anything detailed about Quigley in the Scranton Times-Tribune! Real investigative journalism has gone out of vogue in those publications. But not with Tom. Rather than copy his excellent work here, we’ll ask you to click on the link below and take time to educate yourself on the “real” John Quigley.
- Natural Gas Now/Tom Shepstone (Jan 21, 2015) – Will the Real John Quigley Please Stand Up?
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Thu, Jan 22, 2015
January 22, 2015January 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: Thu, Jan 22, 2015”
Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | M&A

Rumor Mill: Indian Oil Co Wants to Buy Chesapeake Energy
January 21, 2015January 21, 2015

Carl Ichan, corporate raider and puppet master at Chesapeake Energy, must be rubbing his hands together in glee. The rumor mill is buzzing that Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC), the state-run national oil company of India, is “aggressively” pursuing Chesapeake–to buy it. It appears ONGC wants to buy the whole company, although we don’t know that for sure. The ONGC/Chessy buzz has Chessy’s stock trading higher, which delights Mr. Ichan. Here’s what we’re able to find about this latest rumor…
Read More “Rumor Mill: Indian Oil Co Wants to Buy Chesapeake Energy”
Energy Companies | Lease & Royalty Payments | Marshall County | Noble Energy | West Virginia

WV Leases Another 1,400 Acres Under Ohio River for Drilling
January 21, 2015January 21, 2015

More drilling under the Ohio River is about to become reality. Last October, MDN told you about the deal to lease a 232-acre tract of land around and under the Ohio River in Marshall County, WV. The state leased the land for drilling to Gastar Exploration for $3,500 per acre plus a 20% royalty (see Gastar Wins Lease to Drill Under Ohio River in WV). That deal netted WV a tidy signing bonus check for $812,000, to say nothing of the royalties they’ll get once the gas starts to flow. WV liked that deal and decided to put more land under the river on the market (see WV Looks to Lease More Ohio River, Other State Land for Drilling). Yesterday the state confirmed they are close to finalizing a deal with Noble Energy to lease another 1,400 acres of state-owned land around and under the Ohio River–also in Marshall County. This new deal also nets the state $3,500 per acre, or $4.9 million, as a signing bonus…
Read More “WV Leases Another 1,400 Acres Under Ohio River for Drilling”
Butler County | Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Rex Energy

Rex Energy: Production Up 66% in 2014, New Drilling Area in 2015
January 21, 2015January 21, 2015

Rex Energy, the little energy company that could (and does) successfully drill in the Marcellus and Utica Shale, announced in December that they would reduce their drilling budget in the Marcellus by 44% in 2015 (see Rex Energy Reduces 2015 Marcellus/Utica Drilling Budget by 44%). Yesterday the company released an operational update for 2014 that shows production was up 66% in 2014 over 2013 numbers. Fourth quarter production numbers were up 15% over third quarter. In addition, Rex has begun drilling a series of Marcellus wells in a new area of Butler County, what they call the Moraine East Area. They plan to drill drill 10 to 16 wells in the Moraine East Area and complete 4 to 10 wells in 2015. Here’s the rundown from Rex for what happened in 2014, and what they intend to do in 2015…
Read More “Rex Energy: Production Up 66% in 2014, New Drilling Area in 2015”
Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Ohio | Statewide OH | Total | Utica Shale

Total Scales Back Investment in Utica Shale, Blames Low Oil Price
January 21, 2015January 21, 2015

Total (pronounced “toe-tail”), is a French multinational integrated oil and gas company and one of the six “supermajor” oil companies in the world. Yesterday the relatively new CEO of Total, Patrick Pouyanne, announced that he’s scaling back in the North Sea fields and in U.S. shale plays. In 2012, Total plowed more than $2 billion into the Utica Shale, partnering with Chesapeake Energy (see Chesapeake Sells More of its Utica Leases to Total). In September 2014, Total sold off a smallish investment they had in Cardinal Midstream, a Utica midstream company, to South Korean investors for $400 million (see Total, EVEP Sell Interest in Cardinal Midstream to S Koreans for $612M). Patrick Pouyanne became CEO of Total last October after a freak runway accident killed Total’s colorful and long-time CEO Christophe de Margerie (see French Supermajor Total CEO Killed in Freak Runway Accident). Pouyanne is now making his mark on the company. He blames the plunge in oil prices for his action. Here’s what Pouyanne said at a conference in Davos, Switzerland earlier this morning…
Read More “Total Scales Back Investment in Utica Shale, Blames Low Oil Price”
Baker Hughes | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Jobs

Baker Hughes Announces 7,000 Layoffs Due to Low Oil Price
January 21, 2015January 21, 2015

Although Baker Hughes, one of the largest oilfield services companies in the United States, had “record high” revenue in 2014 ($24.6 billion for the year), the company announced yesterday that they will lay off 7,000 employees in the first three months of 2015. This comes on the heals of Sclumberger’s announcement that they will lay off 9,000 (see Schlumberger Firing 9,000 to Reduce Head Count, “Low Oil Prices”). Both companies have a major presence in the Marcellus/Utica and both blame low oil prices for the layoffs. Their customers (exploration and production companies) are scaling back and not drilling as much, and for what drilling they do they are now squeezing oilfield services companies like crazy to lower costs. It certainly makes sense, on paper, for these companies to take drastic actions like this. But that’s not much comfort for the 7,000 families who are losing the jobs. Baker Hughes employs 62,000 people. The 7,000 jobs cut represent 11% of their workforce. Baker Hughes CEO Martin Craighead called the coming layoffs the “crappy part” of his job and the thing he really “hates” about the drilling industry…
Read More “Baker Hughes Announces 7,000 Layoffs Due to Low Oil Price”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Dauphin County | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Anti-Fracking Protesters Spoil PA Governor Inauguration Ceremony
January 21, 2015January 21, 2015

Yesterday, Democrat anti-drilling protesters spoiled the inauguration of one of their own–Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (Democrat, wants to tax the shale drilling industry into oblivion). There were “more than 100” very loud demonstrators outside of the inauguration according to the AP, which in partisan liberal math translates into “several hundred” protesters for PBS’s StateImpact Pennsylvania. Eight of these ill-behaved children adults were were so loud and obnoxious Pennsylvania State Police arrested and removed them. Two of them stood up during the inauguration speech hollering “ban fracking now” and were removed by State Police. The “ban fracking now” chant could be heard throughout the inauguration–spoiling the ceremony for everyone. According to those who organized this shameful performance, they were emboldened by New York’s recent ban–hoping if they can make enough noise and throw enough temper tantrums, they’ll get PA to ban it too. (Hey, it worked for them when they were children, why wouldn’t it work now?)…
Read More “Anti-Fracking Protesters Spoil PA Governor Inauguration Ceremony”
Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Statewide WV | West Virginia

WV Gov Earl Ray Tomblin Praises Marcellus Shale During Speech
January 21, 2015January 21, 2015

At Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s inauguration yesterday, Wolf didn’t even mention the word “Marcellus” and said nothing of shale drilling in the state beyond a vague statement about the state being “blessed with an abundance of natural resources” which includes “gas.” Compare Wolf’s total lack of acknowledgement of the Marcellus and the key role it plays in Pennsylvania with the West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s State of the State speech last week, a speech in which he positively gushes about the Marcellus, by name. Tomblin even treats two representatives from Southwestern Energy present in the audience as exalted guests, asking them to stand for applause (Southwestern has just invested $5 billion in WV). The kicker: both governors are Democrats. In part, here’s what Tomblin said last week in his annual speech to the state:
Read More “WV Gov Earl Ray Tomblin Praises Marcellus Shale During Speech”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Public Opinion | Regulation | Statewide NY

Poll: Majority of NYers Support Cuomo’s Frack Ban – Or Do They?
January 21, 2015January 21, 2015

Results of a new statewide poll for New York were released yesterday by Siena College. Siena provides one of the leading polls of political issues and politicians in the state. We’ve covered their polls many times. The media coverage of this latest poll is a meme that Siena themselves are pushing: there is “overwhelming support” for Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s ban on fracking in the state–both Upstate and Downstate. That’s the meme, that’s the template/narrative they want you to believe. However, when we look at the poll numbers, we find a lot that Andrew Cuomo should be VERY concerned about. For example, how does he launch a legitimate campaign for president when nearly half of all New Yorkers (40%) either have an “unfavorable” opinion or indicate they have “no opinion” of him? Nearly half! There’s no way you win a national election when the voters in your own state don’t like you. Let’s dig in to the numbers and see what the real story of this poll tells us…
Read More “Poll: Majority of NYers Support Cuomo’s Frack Ban – Or Do They?”
Economic Impact | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Regulation

Obama’s Faint Praise of Natgas in State of Union, Inhofe’s Rebuttal
January 21, 2015January 21, 2015

Last night was the second-to-last State of the Union speech to be given by our Dear Leader, Barack Hussein Obama (hallelujah!). While Obama gave credit to the oil and gas industry for generating most of the jobs created during his pathetic presidency, he also said he wants to regulate it more. Typical. He persists in calling carbon, the stuff you breathe out with every breath, “pollution” and he’s hellbent on regulating it–even though at the same time he admits we’re producing less of it! Go figure. Below we have the section of Obama’s speech where he talks about energy, including shale gas, along with the response from Sen. Jim Inhofe, the chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. We love Inhofe–he doesn’t suffer fools well and he minces no words about Obama’s out-of-control regulatory mandates. We like Inhofe’s take: Americans are resilient. Together we can survive the Obama Administration…
Read More “Obama’s Faint Praise of Natgas in State of Union, Inhofe’s Rebuttal”
Industrywide Issues | Litigation

Top Marcellus Shale Attorney Michael Joy Heads West
January 21, 2015January 21, 2015

BakerHostetler, one of the country’s top energy law firms, has lured MDN friend Michael Joy away from the Marcellus/Utica region to the sunnier mile-high climes of Denver, Colorado. Michael is an attorney with a long and distinguished resume. He also has a Ph.D. in geology. Michael once taught oil and gas law in the only program that teaches it in New York State (University at Buffalo). He later joined the Reed Smith law firm in Pittsburgh, practicing oil and gas law with the firm. Now he’s heading west, to help BakerHostetler with clients interested in expanding into the Marcellus/Utica. Our first memory of Michael was hearing him present at a Binghamton landowners meeting back in March 2011 (see Sizable Crowd Gathers in Binghamton to Hear Hear Expert Panel Discuss Marcellus Drilling’s Potential Impact on New York). We’ll never forget, at that meeting he answered the question, “If NY opens the door to drilling now, would anyone bother to show up and drill?” (see Audience Q&A About Marcellus Shale Drilling at Recent Landowner Meeting in Binghamton, NY). We wish Michael the very best in his new move. Here’s more about that move and Michael’s distinguished background…
Read More “Top Marcellus Shale Attorney Michael Joy Heads West”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Wed, Jan 21, 2015
January 21, 2015January 21, 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: Wed, Jan 21, 2015”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

In His Own Words: Quigley’s Positions on Fracking, NY Ban, Etc.
January 20, 2015January 20, 2015

MDN has done some more digging on Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s choice to run the all-important (for Marcellus Shale drilling) Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP), John Quigley. As it turns out, we didn’t have to dig very far. Quigley himself writes a blog site called “John Quigley’s A Green Thing blog.” The name about says it all. We went looking through his previous statements and found more that concerns us about his impending stewardship of the greatest economic miracle to hit PA in more than 100 years. One of the things Quigley repeatedly lobbies for is a rapid transition from water-based fracking to waterless fracking, something that isn’t remotely possible in the next 10 years…
Read More “In His Own Words: Quigley’s Positions on Fracking, NY Ban, Etc.”
Belmont County | Energy Companies | Gulfport Energy | Lease & Royalty Payments | Ohio

Coal Company Leases 6K Acres for Natgas Drilling in Belmont, OH
January 20, 2015January 20, 2015

Murray Energy Corp. is a coal mining company headquartered in St. Clairsville (Belmont County) in eastern Ohio. In 2013, Murray’s CEO and founder, Robert Murray, sued Aubrey McClendon when McClendon named his new company American Energy Partners. Murray, you see, operates a subsidiary coal mining company called American Energy Corp. (see McClendon Gets Sued in OH Over New Company’s Name). We haven’t heard anything since that time, so presumably it’s all blown over by now. What’s interesting is that Murray, whom we assumed has a grudge against natural gas, has just leased 2,076 acres of his coal mining property owned by American Energy Corp., along with 3,849 acres from another Murray subsidiary mining operation, The Ohio Valley Coal Co., to Gulfport Energy so Gulfport can drill for natural gas under the coal mines…
Read More “Coal Company Leases 6K Acres for Natgas Drilling in Belmont, OH”
Kentucky

Fracking on the Way in the Bluegrass State? Quite Possibly
January 20, 2015January 20, 2015

What’s this…fracking in Kentucky?? Maybe! No, it’s not the Marcellus or Utica Shale. Actually, the Marcellus underlies a small sliver of Kentucky where the state shares a border with West Virginia and Virginia–but no one is interested in fracking the Marcellus there. The shale play that’s driven “hundreds” of new leases to be signed in 2014 is called the Rogersville Shale in eastern Kentucky (see map below). Kentucky has been largely resistant to pipelines crossing the state. Will fracking also encounter resistance? It already is…
Read More “Fracking on the Way in the Bluegrass State? Quite Possibly”