Marcellus Drilling News

Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Taxation

Former Gov. Tom Ridge Predicts PA Will Get Severance Tax
September 26, 2014September 26, 2014

Although we have a run-down on the news coming from the Shale Insight conference in today’s lineup (see Shale Insight News – Roundup of Who Said What), there is one bit of news that to us, towers above the rest. Former PA Gov. Tom Ridge was always a bit squishy back in the day–not truly a conservative. But an OK guy and an able governor. He’s a very important figure in Pennsylvania politics, even today. Ridge was, as you may recall, the very first Secretary of Homeland Security under George W. Bush following the 9/11 Islamic terrorist attack on this country. At yesterday’s closing session, Ridge said he believes Pennsylvania will adopt a severance tax, which is a very bad sign in our opinion…
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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Public Opinion | Statewide PA

MSC Launches Major PR Campaign to Change Public View of Fracking
September 26, 2014September 26, 2014

Channeling in our inner Martha Stewart: “Fracking is a good thing.” One of the announcements made at this year’s Shale Insight event was from the host Marcellus Shale Coalition. They have just launched a major public relations campaign to change the word “fracking” from having negative connotations to having positive vibes. The campaign is called Fracking: Rock Solid for PA and sports three commercials that will be aired in media markets across the state. The advertisements will encourage people to type in the web address rocksolidfacts.com, a vanity URL that then forwards them to the MSC’s United Shale Associations website at this address: //unitedshaleadvocates.com/rocksolidfacts/. On that page visitors can watch a 3-minute video that shares the real facts about fracking in Pennsylvania…
Read More “MSC Launches Major PR Campaign to Change Public View of Fracking”
Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | MarkWest Energy | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Washington County

Fines Total $151K for 2 Incidents at MarkWest Chartiers, PA Plant
September 26, 2014September 26, 2014

MarkWest continues to feel the effects of problems they’ve experienced at the company’s Houston Gas Processing Plant in Chartiers Township (Washington County), PA. MarkWest had expanded the plant–doubling its operations. When new equipment went online in July, things didn’t go as planned and there was emergency flaring–burning of gas–at the plant (see Smoke at MarkWest Chartiers, PA Gas Processing Plant). It wasn’t long before the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) started handing out violation notices (see MarkWest Served Violation Notice for Chartiers Processing Plant). The company had a previous $71,000 fine for improper flaring at the plant stemming from incidents in April of this year. With the July incident, another $80,000 fine was assessed, totaling $151,000 in fines for the plant in the past six months…
Read More “Fines Total $151K for 2 Incidents at MarkWest Chartiers, PA Plant”
Energy Companies | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Lycoming County | NFG Midstream | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Regulation

PA DEP Fines NFG Midstream $250K for Pipeline Violations
September 26, 2014September 26, 2014

The PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) has just slapped NFG Midstream Trout Run LLC $250,000 for pipeline violations in Lycoming County, PA. NFG Midstream is a subsidiary company of National Fuel Group–the big utility and driller (via their subsidiary Seneca Resources) headquartered in Buffalo, NY. The fine is for “multiple violations” of the Clean Streams Law and DEP regulations during construction of the Trout Run Gathering System pipeline in five Lycoming County municipalities during 2011 and 2012. The DEP documented “continuing violations at multiple locations” over a 7-month period. NFG has already paid the fine…
Read More “PA DEP Fines NFG Midstream $250K for Pipeline Violations”
Energy Companies | Vantage Energy

Vantage Energy Postpones IPO Citing Unfavorable Market Conditions
September 26, 2014September 26, 2014

Have shale-related initial public offerings (IPOs) lost some of their luster? Early this year Rice Energy, focused on the Marcellus and Utica Shale region, launched an IPO that brought in $924 million (see Rice Energy IPO Soars, Brings in $84M More Than Expected). Eclipse Resources, another driller focused on the northeast, launched an IPO in June and raised $818 million (see the Bloomberg story Eclipse Resources Falls in Debut After IPO Priced at Low End). In July Vantage Energy, a Colorado company with major operations in the Marcellus, announced they would launch an IPO seeking $400. Then in September the number was revised up–the company felt like $601 million would be the goal of their IPO (see Vantage Energy IPO Target Goes from $400M to $601M). On Wednesday, Vantage announced they’re postponing the IPO, citing “unfavorable equity market conditions”…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Regulation | Statewide VA | Virginia

Sierra Clubbers Call on Virginia to Not Frack Until More “Study”
September 26, 2014September 26, 2014

Must be anti-drillers all use the same playbook. Maybe they all read Saul Alinsky’s book “Rules for Radicals” (Saul Alinksy is the same guy who heavily influenced Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton). The anti-drilling playbook goes like this: When you think fracking may actually, finally start to happen, call for more studies to ensure it’s “safe.” New York has done this to get effect–so other locales think they can borrow the same tactic. The corollary is: If drilling is already happening, say it’s unsafe and should be suspended pending further studies. Study study study. That’s the mantra. Even though there have already been plenty of studies and mountains of data and proof that fracking is safe. All you have to do, if you’re a radical environmental group, is issue a press release and call for a study to plant the seed that the industry is hiding something. So it was no surprise to learn that the Virginia Sierra Club wants (surprise!) a study before shale drilling is allowed in the Old Dominion…
Read More “Sierra Clubbers Call on Virginia to Not Frack Until More “Study””
Education | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Research | Statewide PA | Supply Chain

GE Donates $10M to Fund New Penn State Shale Gas Center
September 26, 2014September 26, 2014

Earlier this week Penn State announced they are receiving a grant/investment from GE to the tune of $10 million to study and improve natural gas supply chains and systems. Penn State’s Center for Collaborative Research on Intelligent Natural Gas Supply Systems at Penn State (CCRINGSS) will, according to the announcement, have “researchers and students from many disciplines in collaborative work with various industry stakeholders. The center will seek to advance efficiency and environmental sustainability both through technological innovations and improved supply chain management.” The money GE is giving to Penn State for the CCRINGSS will be used for research projects, buying equipment and funding undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral fellowships. More from the announcement…
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Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, Sep 26, 2014
September 26, 2014September 26, 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: Fri, Sep 26, 2014”
About MDN

MDN @ Shale Insight
September 25, 2014

$frack on!$ MDN editor Jim Willis is attending Shale Insight this week. Today (Thursday) is the last day. Sadly, that means no stories posted today. But have no fear, MDN will be back tomorrow (Friday).

A teaser: Jim conducted an interview with PA Sec. of the Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) Chris Abruzzo on Wednesday. It was a wide-ranging interview in which Jim asked the Secretary about the recent Range Resources fine of $4.15 million, the list of 243 cases of “water contamination” from fracking in PA, PA Attorney General Eugene DePasquale’s report knocking the DEP, and the challenges and delightful surprises he’s experienced since taking over the DEP in April of 2013. Look for that interview either Friday or Monday.

A special thank-you: Last night Jim helped host the NGI (Natural Gas Intelligence) Riverboat Cruise. We had a TERRIFIC time with NGI and MDN friends aboard. Thanks to everyone who turned up. It was a great pleasure getting to know you better. Congrats to those who won the NGI raffle of a Kindle Fire, Nexus tablet and Apple iPad Mini.

Until tomorrow, frack on!
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Research | Statewide PA | Wastewater

Stanford Study Tells Us What We Knew 3 Years Ago About Wastewater
September 24, 2014September 24, 2014

A new research study from Stanford University titled “Enhanced Formation of Disinfection By-Products in Shale Gas Wastewater-Impacted Drinking Water Supplies” proves what we already knew more than three years ago: When you send frack wastewater untreated, or lightly treated, to a municipal sewage treatment plant–the plant can’t get the residual water clean enough to not cause problems down river. Back in 2011, then-PA DEP Sec. Michael Krancer ended the practice of municipal treatment plants without special equipment from processing frack wastewater (see PA DEP, Marcellus Shale Coalition Admit Drilling Wastewater Likely Contaminating Drinking Water). Not long after it was shown that bromide levels–one of the hazards of treating frack wastewater with chlorine–had fallen after the ban (see Marcellus Wastewater Ban Leads to Lower Bromide in PA Rivers). Here we are three years later and a new study says the same thing…
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Cardinal Gas Services | Energy Companies | Energy Services | EV Energy Partners | Industrywide Issues | M&A | Ohio | Pipelines | Statewide OH | Total | Utica Shale

Total, EVEP Sell Interest in Cardinal Midstream to S Koreans for $612M
September 24, 2014September 24, 2014

In August MDN told you that a pair of Korean companies were sniffing around Cardinal Midstream Services–looking to buy up to a 34% stake in the company (see Cardinal Gas Courts S Koreans to Invest in Utica JV). Cardinal is a midstream operator (pipelines and processing plants) in the Utica Shale. The Koreans are sniffing no more. Yesterday, one of the investor/owners of Cardinal, French oil giant Total, announced they’re selling their 25% stake in the company to two Korean companies…
Read More “Total, EVEP Sell Interest in Cardinal Midstream to S Koreans for $612M”
Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Regulation | Research

GAO Report Recommends Feds Start Regulating Gathering Pipelines
September 24, 2014September 24, 2014

Instead of “planes, trains and automobiles” it was “trains, trucks, barges and pipelines” in a report just released by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). The report, prepared for Congress and delivered to them in August but only publicly released two days ago, is titled “OIL AND GAS TRANSPORTATION: Department of Transportation Is Taking Actions to Address Rail Safety, but Additional Actions Are Needed to Improve Pipeline Safety” (full copy below). In the report, the GAO, along with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), recommends the feds get involved with regulating gathering pipelines–the low pressure pipelines that connect directly to the well. Those pipelines have historically been regulated by the states themselves…
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Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Regulation | Statewide OH

Final Comments Due on Ohio’s Revised Well Pad Construction Rules
September 24, 2014September 24, 2014

The Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) recently posted revisions to their well pad construction rules. The revised rules (full copy below) now go through a comment period that ends on October 6th. This is a process that started back in February…
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Industrywide Issues | Residual/Recovery

Torrent Energy Gets Investment to Fund Residual Gas Capture Tech
September 24, 2014September 24, 2014

Torrent Energy Services leases and operates big mechanical refrigeration units used by Utica drillers and pipeline companies in the field–mobile units–that captures and cools natural gas and gas liquids that would otherwise be lost to flaring or as emissions into the air. The technology captures the gas, mostly methane and ethane, so it can be used to power equipment in the field. The one thing Torrent needs more of is money. So CSL Capital Management is investing in the company, providing “growth capital to accelerate its business plan.” The amount of the investment by CSL was not disclosed in an announcement made yesterday…
Read More “Torrent Energy Gets Investment to Fund Residual Gas Capture Tech”
Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Wildlife

Snake Handlers in Demand in the Marcellus
September 24, 2014September 24, 2014

You may have thought snake handling was something done in tiny fringe churches tucked away in the backwoods of Appalachia. Think again. Snake handlers, or wranglers, are very much in demand in the Marcellus Shale to protect oil and gas workers on location, and to protect the snakes themselves–Timber rattlesnakes, a candidate for the threatened species list. Drillers and pipeline companies have to jump through many hoops to drill a well or lay pipeline. MANY hoops. One of those hoops is to ensure their work does not unduly harm a threatened or endangered species, plant or animal (called T&E in the business). When it comes to rattlesnakes, drillers call in the specialists to handle them…
Read More “Snake Handlers in Demand in the Marcellus”
Allegheny County | Economic Impact | Energy Services | Ethane | Industrywide Issues | NGLs | Odebrecht | Pennsylvania | Processing Plants | West Virginia | Wood County

A Present for Attendees of Shale Gas Insight – Peebles Column
September 24, 2014September 24, 2014

Just in time for the attendees of Shale Insight in Pittsburgh to read, a guest commentary was published in today’s edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by David Peebles, the man helping to build a $3 billion ethane cracker plant in Parkersburg, WV. David waxes eloquent on shale, ethane and energy security…
Read More “A Present for Attendees of Shale Gas Insight – Peebles Column”