Marcellus Drilling News

Energy Companies | EQT Corp | Forced Pooling | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

EQT’s (Mis)Use of 2013 Royalty Law Creates Forced Pooling
July 29, 2014July 29, 2014

A Pittsburgh-based attorney who, it appears (from his byline) sues shale drillers for a living, nevertheless offers up an excellent article in the Harrisburg Patriot-News that helps us understand the ill-advised royalty bill signed into law one year ago this month (see PA Gov Corbett Signs Back-Door Forced Pooling Bill into Law). The bill was meant to help landowners receive better, more transparent information in their royalty statements, but at the last minute a provision was added that allows leased properties to be pooled for horizontal drilling. Immediately after the royalty bill passed, EQT used the eleventh hour provision, called Secton 2.1 of the law, to sue 70 landowners (see Bad News: EQT Sues 70 Landowners Using New PA Forced Pooling Law). As with all things legal, this is complicated, but thanks to the lawyer’s article, we now have a better understanding of it…
Read More “EQT’s (Mis)Use of 2013 Royalty Law Creates Forced Pooling”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Regulation | Transco | Williams

Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Will Get Environmental Impact Statement
July 29, 2014July 29, 2014

Last week regulators at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) announced they will perform a full blown environmental impact statement (EIS) on Williams’ proposed $3 billion Atlantic Sunrise Expansion pipeline project that will expand the Transco pipeline in Pennsylvania in order to feed cheap, abundant Marcellus Shale gas into a pipeline running to southern states. MDN has a copy of the FERC “Notice of Intent” to conduct an EIS. As part of the review process, FERC will hold four public hearings throughout PA next week to get feedback on the project…
Read More “Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Will Get Environmental Impact Statement”
Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

MSC Releases Annual Workforce Survey: Marcellus Continues to Hum
July 29, 2014July 29, 2014

Another 2,000 new Marcellus jobs are being added this yes–in 2014–by Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) members according to the latest annual Marcellus Workforce Survey conducted by the MSC. The latest survey (full copy of results below) is increasingly hiring skilled workers in engineering and construction. High-paying skilled jobs accounted for 26.5% of all new hires last year in the Marcellus Shale. And there’s lots more where that came from…
Read More “MSC Releases Annual Workforce Survey: Marcellus Continues to Hum”
Industrywide Issues | Regulation | Research | Wastewater

Partisan GAO Report Says EPA Falling Down with Injection Wells
July 29, 2014July 29, 2014

The partisan and biased so-called Government Accountability Office (GAO), populated with liberal activists, issued a 103-page report yesterday telling the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to get off it’s rear and get more aggressive about regulating shale wastewater injection wells. The GAO was asked by Congressional Democrats to “review” EPA’s stewardship and oversight of injection wells related to shale drilling and this “report” is the result…
Read More “Partisan GAO Report Says EPA Falling Down with Injection Wells”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Taxation

PA Lt Gov Candidate Supports Raiding Drillers for Big Education
July 29, 2014July 29, 2014

Democrat Mike Stack, a PA State Senator from Philadelphia, is his party’s nominee for Lt. Governor this fall. Stack has close ties to big education and is a tool of teacher unions who want to raid another industry–shale gas drilling–to feed their addiction to ever-higher salaries while turning in ever-lower education standards for their students. So it’s no surprise that Stack is one of the toadies that introduced legislation to enact a sky-high severance tax on Marcellus Shale drilling…
Read More “PA Lt Gov Candidate Supports Raiding Drillers for Big Education”
Alternative Energy | Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues

12 US Companies Commit to Pay Sky High Rates for Renewable Energy
July 29, 2014July 29, 2014

The following public announcement is a complete and total exercise in public relations by some of America’s largest companies–not meant to be anything other than a bunch of hot air with no real results. Companies including Mars, Sprint, Walmart, GM and Facebook have allowed their brands and logos to be (ab)used by the WWF (no, not the World Wrestling Federation but the World Wildlife Fund, although they’re very similar) to say “ain’t enough renewable energy out they’a for us all to use, we need more.” Which is, of course, a lark. A sham. A scam. Renewables won’t be able to compete with fossil fuels for at least the next 50 years, maybe 100 years–and efforts to “demand” more of it are just so much hot air…
Read More “12 US Companies Commit to Pay Sky High Rates for Renewable Energy”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Tue, Jul 29, 2014
July 29, 2014July 29, 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, Jul 29, 2014”
Industrywide Issues | Keystone Pure Water Tech | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Supply Chain | Wastewater

Exclusive: Breakthrough Tech Cleans Frack Wastewater <30 Minutes
July 28, 2014July 28, 2014

What if you were convinced an invention IS the greatest thing since sliced bread–at least as it applies to the world of shale drilling? And what if that invention could clean thousands of gallons of frack wastewater right on site and turn it into DRINKABLE water–in less than 30 minutes? And what if this process uses no chemicals, and even eliminates radioactivity, producing inert minerals (like iron) that can be sold for profit? Oh, and what if your cost, as the driller, was only $3 per barrel to work this magic? Would you believe such a tall tale? You would if you were me…
Read More “Exclusive: Breakthrough Tech Cleans Frack Wastewater <30 Minutes”
CNG/LNG | Exporting | Industrywide Issues

New LNG Plant in Nova Scotia Will Use Marcellus Gas
July 28, 2014July 28, 2014

Earlier today Australian company Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd. (LNGL) announced they’re purchasing a 255-acre site from Anadarko Petroleum located in Richmond County, Nova Scotia (Canada) that was previously going to be an LNG import facility BSGR (Before the Shale Gas Revolution). Anadarko’s plans have evaporated and LNGL now plans to convert the site, where a lot of work has already been done, into an LNG export facility. To finish site prep and install the necessary equipment will set them back around $2.2 billion, about the same amount of money they’re already spending on a similar project in Lake Charles, Louisiana–the Magnolia LNG export facility. LNGL plans to use Canadian on- and off-shore natural gas supplies to feed the new export facility. However, also key to their plan is using Marcellus Shale gas. Get this: LNGL figures their Nova Scotia project, called Bear Head LNG, will go online before the U.S. project (even though the U.S. project has had a years head-start) because regulations in the U.S. are so onerous…
Read More “New LNG Plant in Nova Scotia Will Use Marcellus Gas”
eCORP Stimulation Technologies | Energy Services | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Research

ecorpStim Says New Manufacturing Process Lowers Non-Water Frack Cost
July 28, 2014July 28, 2014

Every now and again eCORP Stimulation Technologies, or “ecorpStim” as they are known, pokes its head up to say, “Hey, we’re still here and we still have a great non-water-based fracking solution!” To which we always say, “Great!” However, non-water-based solutions have a common problem: they’re really expensive. ecorpStim’s technology uses non-flammable liquefied propane as the fluid for fracking. It has the benefit of turning back into a gas and coming back out of the hole–captured and sold at a profit (or captured and re-used). ecorpStim poked their head up again today with their latest press release to say they’ve figured out how to lower the cost of their technology…
Read More “ecorpStim Says New Manufacturing Process Lowers Non-Water Frack Cost”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Kinder Morgan | Pipelines | Tennessee Gas Pipeline

What’s Really in the Crosshairs in New England?
July 28, 2014July 28, 2014

The headline for a story in the Worcester (MA) Telegram & Gazette blares, “Natural gas pipeline expansion has Worcester and surrounding communities in crosshairs.” Yes, bet you didn’t know that those dastardly pipelines, like the Tennessee Gas Pipeline with its plan to deliver much-needed natural gas to New England, “targets” communities. You know, like a gun? Bang bang. That’s how environmentalist wacko editors write headlines. If you read far enough down in the Worcester story you’ll find a sad bit of news: comedian Bill Cosby is against the pipeline expansion (comes too close to his multi-million dollar estate, apparently). It’s not shocking that a celebrity is completely ignorant about such an issue–happens all the time (a la Susan Sarandon and Yoko Ono’s infamous fossil-fuel belching bus tour of Susquehanna County, PA, see Looney Toons Anti-Fracking Celebrities Visit Montrose, PA). What is shocking, however, is the massive willful ignorance of a former member of the Bolton Conservation Commission who says he doesn’t think natural gas is any cleaner than coal for generating electricity. Looks like he’s been “Howarthed” into believing a fairly tale…
Read More “What’s Really in the Crosshairs in New England?”
Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Regulation

EPA Inspector General: Bring Out the Jackboots on Methane
July 28, 2014July 28, 2014

What do you call it when the U.S. Attorney General won’t do his job to police an out-of-control president who tramples the Constitution? We’d call it political incest. What do you call it when a so-called independent division within the federal Environmental Protection Agency, the Inspector General for the EPA, “criticizes” the EPA and says they aren’t doing enough to stop leaky methane? We’d call it regulatory incest. If it weren’t so tragic and serious, we’d be laughing. But we’re not. Because a report issued by the IG of the EPA last Friday calls on the EPA to start bringing out the jackboots to force compliance with cockamamie and unrealistic standards for what they say is too much methane leaking from pipelines. They couch it in terms of how much money is lost every year, but of course their real motivation is to address “fugitive” methane’s contribution to mythical man-made global warming (that isn’t happening)…
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Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Regulation | Research

Researchers Look at Coming Changes to Electric Power Generation
July 28, 2014July 28, 2014

On June 2 the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it’s “kill coal” campaign which they dubbed the Clean Power Plan or CPP (see Obama’s Climate Madness Metastasizes – EPA Kills Coal Electricity). As we said then and still say today–when that abomination actually starts to take effect, you can expect rolling blackouts because there won’t be enough electricity generated due to coal-fired plants shutting down. The brainiacs at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Rhodium Group, both research organizations, combined forces to take a close look at how they believe the CPP will fundamentally change American power generation. Their preliminary findings are embedded below…
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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Regulation

Fracking Policy Monitor – 2nd Issue
July 28, 2014July 28, 2014

A few weeks ago the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) released their second quarterly issue of what they call the Fracking Policy Monitor. IPAA in partnership with PIRA Energy Group author this quarterly pub that provides analysis and information on the latest legislative, regulatory and litigation developments on hydraulic fracturing. According to the IPAA, it showcases some of the battles being fought by the industry (and why and how your dollars go to good use in supporting the IPAA). Here’s the latest rundown on what’s happening, including an excellent summary for both Pennsylvania and New York…
Read More “Fracking Policy Monitor – 2nd Issue”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Mon, Jul 28, 2014
July 28, 2014July 28, 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: Mon, Jul 28, 2014”
Energy Companies | EQT Corp | Greene County (PA) | Pennsylvania | Utica Shale

EQT Takes the Plunge: Drilling 1st Utica Well in SWPA
July 25, 2014July 25, 2014

Yesterday EQT released an update for second quarter 2014 (see EQT 2Q14 Update: Profit & Production Way Up). The top brass for EQT also held an analyst phone call/update to discuss that update–to elaborate and add some color and additional information. It was an informative phone call. Among the most interesting items to be discussed is that EQT has finally found its way on the Utica. They plan to begin drilling what is likely the deepest Utica well ever drilled at a depth of 13,500 feet–in Greene County–Pennsylvania’s most southwestern county…
Read More “EQT Takes the Plunge: Drilling 1st Utica Well in SWPA”