Marcellus Drilling News

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA Legislation to Split Conventional/Unconventional Regs Advances
June 26, 2014June 26, 2014

In early May three Pennsylvania Republican legislators said they would introduce new legislation to separate regulations for conventional (vertical only) and unconventional (shale) drilling in the state (see New PA Bill Would Separate Conventional/Unconventional Regulations). The intent is to plug some holes, they say exist, in the relatively new Act 13 law that makes small mom-and-pop drillers who sink only vertical wells adhere to regulations meant for big shale drillers. The bills were introduced and they’re now receiving attention and we’d say even likely to pass…
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Allegany County | Economic Impact | Garrett County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Maryland | Research | Statewide MD

Maryland Study: Marcellus Drilling Huge Benefit for Western MD
June 26, 2014June 26, 2014

A new study recently released by the Regional Economic Studies Institute (RESI) at Towson University says if Maryland would only allow Marcellus Shale drilling, two western MD counties would reap huge benefits. The study, “Impact Analysis of the Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Initiative” (full copy embedded below) says Allegany and Garrett counties would benefit from thousands of new jobs and hundreds of million dollars in newfound revenue…
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Commodity Price | Industrywide Issues | Research

Best Minds Say Natgas Price to Remain Under $6 for Next 20 Yrs
June 26, 2014June 26, 2014

According to analysts at Goldman Sachs, the days of futures traders running up the price of natural gas are long gone. Goldman says U.S. shale production will “constrain” natural gas prices for at least the next 20 years–if not longer. And it’s not only Goldman making that prediction…
Read More “Best Minds Say Natgas Price to Remain Under $6 for Next 20 Yrs”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA’s PUC Pro-Drilling Chairman Powelson Leads Mid-Atlantic Group
June 26, 2014June 26, 2014

MDN told you a month ago that the anti-drilling StateImpact Pennsylvania (PBS “reporters”) had claimed another scalp in their anti-drilling campaign by forcing PA Public Utilities Commission chairman Rob Powelson to resign from the Greater Philadelphia Energy Action Team–a Chamber of Commerce organization aimed at promoting business and all forms of energy in the state (see StateImpact PA Claims Another Scalp for their Anti-Drilling Wall). We’re happy to report Powelson has come roaring back. He’s strongly pro-Marcellus drilling and he’s just been sworn in as President of the Mid-Atlantic Conference of Regulatory Utilities Commissioners (MACRUC). It’s good to have a pro-driller in charge of MACRUC…
Read More “PA’s PUC Pro-Drilling Chairman Powelson Leads Mid-Atlantic Group”
Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Time to Enter Ben Franklin SGICC 2nd Annual EH&S Contest
June 26, 2014June 26, 2014

The Ben Franklin Shale Gas Innovation & Commercialization Center (SGICC) announces they are accepting applications for their second annual Shale Gas Environmental, Health, & Safety Award through August 1st. The award is aimed at Pennsylvania-based small businesses, entrepreneurs, or university researchers who have a proposed or commercially available new technological advancement in the EH&S area for the shale gas industry. The winner will be notified August 15th and receive a special award at this year’s Shale Insight event in Pittsburgh. You may recall the winner of the first EH&S award last September was HalenHardy and their very cool mobile silica air shower (see HalenHardy Wins Ben Franklin EHS Award for Silica Air Shower). Here’s the details for this year’s contest…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

Bet You Didn’t Know: Shale Drilling Causes Dangerous Earth Burps
June 26, 2014June 26, 2014

The terrorist-loving news network Aljazeera America–the network that paid Al Gore a gazillion dollars for his dying Current TV network, finally making Al a rich man and giving Al Jazeera access to American airways to spread their garbage–continues to publish anti-fracking stories. Here’s the headline of their latest brilliant posting (please don’t laugh out loud if you’re at work): Fracking increases dangerous earth burps…
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Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Thu, Jun 26, 2014
June 26, 2014June 26, 2014

The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading:
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Blue Ridge Mtn Res/Magnum Hunter | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Litigation

Magnum Hunter Wins Dismissal in 5 of 6 Lawsuits Alleging Mismgmt
June 25, 2014June 25, 2014

This is a “hmmm, that’s interesting” revelation for MDN. Yesterday Magnum Hunter Resources, a driller mostly focused on the West Virginia Marcellus and increasingly Ohio Utica Shale, issued a press release yesterday to say that they’ve been successful in getting five of six “securities class action and shareholder derivative lawsuits” against the company dismissed–without paying a penny to either the plaintiffs or their lawyers. The company is working on a sixth (and last) such lawsuit now. What is a securities class action/derivative lawsuit?…
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Ashtabula County | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Processing Plants | Velocys

UK-based Velocys Buys Ashtabula, OH GTL Plant
June 25, 2014June 25, 2014

Last September MDN told you about an innovative new $300 million gas-to-liquids (GTL) plant being built in Ashtabula, OH that will convert Marcellus and Utica Shale gas into chemicals and diesel fuel (see Utica Shale Gas-to-Liquids Plant Planned for Ashtabula, OH and More Details on Ashtabula, OH Gas-to-Liquids Plant). The plant is being built by a Houston-based company called Pinto Energy using technology created by Velocys. This morning Velocys announced they’re buying out Pinto Energy lock, stock and barrel–100%–including (and primarily for) the Ashtabula GTL plant now under construction…
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Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Taxation

Brave PA House Republicans Propose Budget with No Severance Tax
June 25, 2014June 25, 2014

Why is it Democrats demand that Republicans cave on their principles and move in their direction and if they don’t, they holler and scream “you’re not being bipartisan!”? But when Republicans ask Democrats to be reasonable and move an inch in their direction, the Dems never do and yet the word “bipartisan” and lack of it is never uttered by the Democrat-controlled media? We’re speaking of the heated budget debate in Pennsylvania where Democrats are demanding a single industry–shale drilling–be taxed into oblivion in order to feed the hungry Democrat political machine that needs ever more money to spread around. To their credit, PA’s House Republicans have “laid their cards on the table” in the budget debate. They’ve done the hard work and have trimmed the budget–just a small bit off a $29.1 BILLION budget–and every single Democrat in very partisan fashion voted against the plan. Every-single-one…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Lebanon County | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Transco | Williams

Lawsuits Next Act for Anti-Pipeline Group in Lebanon County, PA?
June 25, 2014June 25, 2014

The hippie protesters of Lebanon Pipeline Awareness are feeling positively rejuvenated. They haven’t had this much fun since the 1960s. The anti-fossil fuel group was formed in Lebanon County, PA to oppose a new 27-mile pipeline Williams plans to build as part of its Atlantic Sunrise Project (see Williams Plans $2.1B Transco Pipeline Expansion, 100% Sold Already). Lebanon Pipeline Awareness can’t get more than 50 people to attend their meetings, and when they do show up, they have to be handed talking points so they know what to say (see Lebanon, PA Group Coaches Blind Followers to Oppose Pipeline). When denied a public forum at a recent Williams open house on the proposed pipeline, the Lebanon protesters sat on the floor and stomped their feet like the babies they are (see Williams’ Smart Open House in Lebanon County Confounds Antis). What to do now? They can’t get any traction with public opinion, so the next act is to hire a lawyer and file frivolous lawsuits…
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Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Washington County

Strong Support for Range Drilling in N Strabane Township, PA
June 25, 2014June 25, 2014

Some more good news for Range Resources in Washington County, PA. North Strabane Township, population 13,408 (borders Canonsburg) voted last night to approve Range’s plan to drill five Marcellus Shale wells on a 140-acre property owned by A&S Landscaping along Rout 19. Site prep will begin in the next few weeks and if the schedule holds, the first well will be drilled starting in January…
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Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Protege Energy | Seismic Testing | Washington County (OH)

Seismic Testing Coming in July to Washington County, OH Town
June 25, 2014June 25, 2014

Seismic testing is coming to Fearing Township (Washington County), OH starting in July. Seismic testing usually precedes drilling–so that means drilling is most likely on the way. The testing will allow drillers to “see” the best locations to place wells. So how will Protege Energy III, the company that’s hiring the testing done, go about doing the testing? No big thumper trucks along roadways for Protege. Instead, they favor drilling small holes and putting small explosive charges in the holes and recording the sound waves that bounce from the explosive charges. Protege held a community meeting earlier this month in Fearing to discuss the process and answer questions…
Read More “Seismic Testing Coming in July to Washington County, OH Town”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

NY Group Says EPA “Kill Coal” Regs Not Enough – Kill Natgas Too
June 25, 2014June 25, 2014

Sad and predictable. That’s how we label an article/press release published by the certifiably insane anti-drillers at the Catskill Citizens for (So-Called) Safe Energy. Their latest tirade is against the federal Environmental Protection Agency. You may recall the EPA recently declared war on electricity in this country (see Obama’s Climate Madness Metastasizes – EPA Kills Coal Electricity). It seems the Obama EPA’s plan to destroy electricity in this country by requiring a 30% reduction in carbon emissions (the stuff you breathe out with every breath) from electric plants isn’t good enough for the brainiacs at Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy. They want to drive the nail all the way in the coffin and take everyone back to the stone ages…
Read More “NY Group Says EPA “Kill Coal” Regs Not Enough – Kill Natgas Too”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Kinder Morgan | Pipelines | Tennessee Gas Pipeline

Small Group in Ashfield, MA Vote to Oppose Kinder’s TGP Pipeline
June 25, 2014June 25, 2014

An anti-driller from Ashfield, MA says she wants her chance to stand in front of a Kinder Morgan bulldozer to try and stop the proposed Tennessee Gas Pipeline expansion from coming through their town. We sincerely hope she gets the opportunity. 🙂 Some 200 “voters” who are virulent anti-drillers packed an Ashfield town meeting to vote in favor of two resolutions against the proposed Kinder Morgan TGP pipeline (for background, see Reaction to TGP’s Planned Pipeline Across Massachusetts). The Democrat governor of Massachusetts and the governors of five other New England states want and desperately need that pipeline (see Blue State Blues: 6 New England States Want New Natgas Pipeline). But true to form, at least some towns along the proposed route, including Ashfield, have revived the old hippie brigade to begin a round of new protests (gives their lives a little purpose, a chance to relive the glory years of the 60s)…
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Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Statewide OH | Taxation

Anti-Drilling Policy Matters Ohio Says Severance Tax Too Low
June 25, 2014June 25, 2014

It probably won’t surprise you to learn that the far left, anti-drilling group Policy Matters Ohio (PMO) doesn’t like the current proposed severance tax of 2.5% for Ohio. It’s not nearly high enough to chase drillers away for PMO, and there’s waaaay too many “tax breaks” in House Bill 375, the severance tax bill, for their taste. But then, every last dime earned by hardworking drillers belongs to the government, right? The government should just let those nasty drillers keep a little bit of it so the government can spend it on people who didn’t earn it, right? That’s the attitude of PMO…
Read More “Anti-Drilling Policy Matters Ohio Says Severance Tax Too Low”