Marcellus Drilling News

Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Public Opinion | Statewide PA

Poll: Huge Majority of PA Voters Want More Home-Grown O&G
September 15, 2014September 15, 2014

The results of a Harris poll taken of 608 Pennsylvania registered voters at the end of July/beginning of August is bad news for anti-drillers–really bad news. The Harris poll found an astounding 87% of Pennsylvanians think it’s “important” that we produce more oil and natural gas right here in the good ole US of A–including Pennsylvania itself. That single question alone puts anti-drilling candidates on notice that they’re on the endangered species list this November. Even more astonishing: 70% of Pennsylvanians think the federal government doesn’t do enough to encourage energy infrastructure here at home. Talk about an anti-drilling nightmare in the making!…
Read More “Poll: Huge Majority of PA Voters Want More Home-Grown O&G”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

Antis Take Aim at PA Drillers for Not Hiring Enough Minorities, Women
September 15, 2014September 15, 2014

We seriously wonder if PBS reporterette Marie Cusick, who writes anti-drilling diatribes on the Pennsylvania StateImpact website, has ever, herself, visited a Marcellus well pad. How else could she write an article pejoratively titled “Gas drillers still ignoring law to include women and minorities”? MDN has visited pads a number of times–and the thing that stood out to us was the number of women suited up in overalls working in the dirtiest jobs on the drill site. But let’s not let reality destroy a good work of “journalistic” fiction…
Read More “Antis Take Aim at PA Drillers for Not Hiring Enough Minorities, Women”
East Resources | Energy Companies | Erie County (NY) | New York | Statewide NY

National Media Acknowledges Marcellus Shale Saved the Bills
September 15, 2014September 15, 2014

It’s not often that MDN sets the trend for national news, but we have to say we believe we did this time. Going back to June 2014, MDN speculated that if the Buffalo Bills franchise was purchased by billionairre Terry Pegula, it would be Marcellus money funding the purchase (see Fascinating Connection Between NFL & Marcellus/Utica). We then brought you the news that Aubrey McClendon, the former Chesapeake CEO and fracking “bad boy” the media loves to hate, would also help fund the purchase via his purchases of Marcellus and Utica property from Pegula (see Aubrey McClendon’s Money Makes Purchase of Buffalo Bills Possible). Last week the deal was struck and indeed, Pegula the Marcellus fracking billionaire, was the winner (see Buffalo Bills Stay in Buffalo, Thanks to $1.4B of Marcellus Money). After we reported that story on Wednesday, it took a couple of days, but eventually even Gannett and the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin had to admit we were right. In an interesting twist, the PSB reports that NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo is gushing with praise for Pegula, which of course just points out his sleazy, political double-standard on the fracking issue…
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About MDN | Calendar

Calendar of Events for Sep 15-28, 2014 [Free]
September 15, 2014September 15, 2014

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 Sep 15-28, 2014 [Free]”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Mon, Sep 15, 2014
September 15, 2014September 15, 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, Sep 15, 2014”
Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Warren County | Wastewater

CWA v Waste Treatment Corp Wastewater Discharge Lawsuit Settled
September 12, 2014September 12, 2014

In October of last year MDN told you the radical national anti-drilling organization Clean Water Action (CWA) had sued a small Pennsylvania company by the name of Waste Treatment Corporation (WTC) in Warren, PA in federal court claiming the company continued to accept, treat and discharge Marcellus drilling wastewater into the Allegheny River (see CWA Sues/Accuses Waste Treatment Corp of Continued Shale Pollution). WTC was supposed to have stopped that practice two years earlier, in 2011, after then-Secretary of the Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP), Michael Krancer, got all such operations to cease and desist. Responses to the CWA lawsuit from both the WTC and the DEP raised more questions than they answered for us (see Waste Treatment, PA DEP Respond to CWA Lawsuit). Since last year, the lawsuit has been quiet–at least publicly. Yesterday CWA announced they’ve reached a settlement of the case with WTC agreeing to immediately stop accepting/discharging Marcellus wastewater (even though they say they don’t), install expensive new equipment over the next 8 months, and then restart accepting Marcellus wastewater processing again…
Read More “CWA v Waste Treatment Corp Wastewater Discharge Lawsuit Settled”
Advanced Well Services | Butler County | Energy Services | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Supply Chain

PA “Snubbing” Company DWS Experiences Rapid Expansion
September 12, 2014September 12, 2014

What do you think of when you hear the word “snub”? We always thought it meant how Webster defines it: “to treat with contempt or neglect”. However, in the world of oil and gas drilling, to snub, or “snubbing” means something completely different. Deep Well Services (DWS) is the only “snubbing” oilfield services company located in Pennsylvania. With headquarters in Zelienople (Butler County), PA, the company has gone through a rapid expansion adding dozens of new employees over the past four months. So, what is snubbing and why should you care about it?…
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Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA | Wyoming County (PA)

FEMA Discriminates, Won’t Help PA Landowners with Gas Leases
September 12, 2014September 12, 2014

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has a reputation as a dysfunctional government agency–deservedly so. They botched the response to folks in need in Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina under Pres. George W. Bush, and they botched the response to Hurricane (then “super storm”) Sandy in New Jersey and New York under Pres. Barack Obama. Many folks in New Jersey and New York still aren’t back in their homes or in comparable replacement homes–two years later. Now we learn that FEMA continues their losing streak with a new rule (published in May of this year) that if you’re a landowner with a shale drilling lease and you get flooded–you’re outta luck. FEMA will not grant flood insurance for properties, nor will they purchase flooded properties, that have a drilling lease. Landowners Pete and Sharon Morgan from Meshoppen Township (Wyoming County), PA have learned that the hard way…
Read More “FEMA Discriminates, Won’t Help PA Landowners with Gas Leases”
Energy Companies | Shell

Shell CEO van Beurden Talks on American Shale, Global Warming
September 12, 2014February 1, 2016

Last Friday Shell’s still relatively new CEO, Ben van Beurden, had a sit-down interview with editors and reporters from the Washington Post. You may recall that not long after taking the reigns of Shell (in March 2014) van Beurden announced the company would shed some of its American shale assets (see Cuts Coming to Shell’s Marcellus Shale Operations). Sure enough, they did (see Rex Energy Takes Shell to the Cleaners – Picks up 208K Acres). But a few days later Shell picked up more Marcellus acreage, making our heads spin (see After Selling 208K Marcellus Acres, Shell “Buys” 155K More Acres!). When asked by Post editors about Shell’s stumbling and bumbling in American shale, van Beurden said the company is not abandoning American shale–just being picky and going after “the best of the batch”…
Read More “Shell CEO van Beurden Talks on American Shale, Global Warming”
CNG/LNG | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

MSC, PIOGA, Chamber of Commerce Join National LNG Export Coalition
September 12, 2014September 12, 2014

Pennsylvania is blessed with two industry premier trade groups and one premier business trade group that represent the oil the gas industry: the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC), the Pennsylvania Independent Oil & Gas Association (PIOGA), and the Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce. In an announcement yesterday, all three PA organizations signaled their support for an increase in exports of natural gas by joining a national coalition of groups called Our Energy Moment (OEM). With nearly 50 business and and economic development organizations, OEM raises awareness and (yes) “celebrates” the many benefits of expanded markets for liquefied natural gas (LNG) and exporting U.S. natural gas to our friends around the world…
Read More “MSC, PIOGA, Chamber of Commerce Join National LNG Export Coalition”
Energy Services | EnLink Midstream

EnLink Gets New Top Lawyer, 1st Major Personnel Change Since Merger
September 12, 2014September 12, 2014

Last year midstream company (pipelines & processing plants) Crosstex Energy announced it would merge with the midstream division of Devon Energy. The resulting new company was christened EnLink Midstream (see Crosstex Energy Gets a Name Change, Merger with Devon Proceeds). Both Crosstex and Devon had/have major operations in the Marcellus/Utica–so this was and is an important story for MDN. We further told you that the new EnLink would be retain the Crosstex leadership–and that those leaders have a heart (see A Peek Behind the Curtain of Crosstex/Devon Midstream Marriage). The leaders of the new EnLink vowed not to lay people off–and they didn’t. The new news is that one of those leaders, Joe Davis (executive vice president and general counsel) is now either cashing in his chips and retiring, or cashing out and moving on–we’re not sure which. This is the first major change-up in EnLink’s leadership we’ve spotted since the merger was officially completed in March of this year…
Read More “EnLink Gets New Top Lawyer, 1st Major Personnel Change Since Merger”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, Sep 12, 2014
September 12, 2014September 12, 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 12, 2014”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Research

Research: Shale Water Stays in the Ground in “Permeability Jail”
September 11, 2014September 11, 2014

Hack “researchers” will collect research others have done, run some numbers in a spreadsheet to bias the outcome, and then make off-the-wall pronouncements like burning coal is less damaging to the environment than drilling for natural gas (see New Study Final Nail in Coffin of Inflated Fugitive Methane Claims). Then there are real researchers–you know, scientists that perform actual measurements in the lab and in the field. They do real science to test hypotheses and issue real results–not theoretical hyperbole. Yesterday a real scientist/researcher from Penn State (Terry Engelder, geologist), a real scientist/researcher from Cornell University (Larry Cathless, earth and atmospheric sciences), and a real scientist/researcher from Shell (Taras Bryndzia, geologist) released the results of careful scientific testing. They wanted to know if the water injected into shale wells really stays in the ground–or if it, per chance, somehow magically travels back to the surface in a capillary fashion, possibly contaminating ground water sources. Their research paper, titled “The fate of residual treatment water in gas shale,” is published in the September 2014 issue of Journal of Unconventional Oil and Gas Resources. Here’s what they found…
Read More “Research: Shale Water Stays in the Ground in “Permeability Jail””
Ohio | Statewide OH

ODNR Updates Utica Map Showing Permits & Wells Drilled, Producing
September 11, 2014September 11, 2014

Last December MDN brought you a very cool map produced by the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) that shows, with different colored dots, where permits have been issued, where wells have been drilled, and where wells have been drilled and are now producing for the Utica/Pt. Pleasant Shale formation (see Very Cool Map from ODNR Showing OH Utica Wells Permitted/Drilled). The ODNR updated that map and released a new version last week, which we have for you below. What does it show?…
Read More “ODNR Updates Utica Map Showing Permits & Wells Drilled, Producing”
Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Statewide VA | Virginia

VA Gov. McAuliffe Vows No Drilling in Washington Natl Forest
September 11, 2014September 11, 2014

Sounding more like the liberal (and irrational) Democrat he really is, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said yesterday that there will be no shale drilling in (or under) the George Washington National Forest, which lies mostly in his state, while he’s governor. Which is kind of interesting because last week he stood toe to toe with Dominion CEO Thomas F. Farrell II at a press conference to announce his support for the $5 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline, part of which will run through (yes) the George Washington National Forest (see Dominion Commits to Major New Marcellus/Utica Pipeline Project). So apparently McAuliffe doesn’t mind cutting down trees and digging up the precious, pristine, “old growth” forest to lay a pipeline–but drilling a hole more than a mile under it’s surface? No way José. Which makes us wonder who’s contributing the most to his campaign coffers?…
Read More “VA Gov. McAuliffe Vows No Drilling in Washington Natl Forest”
Industrywide Issues | Lease & Royalty Payments | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

Does PA Royalty Bill 1684 Still Have a Chance This Year?
September 11, 2014September 11, 2014

As MDN wrote back in June, Pennsylvania lawmakers punted on doing anything about House Bill (HB) 1684, what MDN calls the “stop Chesapeake Energy from screwing landowners out of their royalties” bill. We also pointed out, at the time, that it seems pretty likely nothing would get done on that bill for the balance of this year (see PA Royalty Bill 1684 Off the Agenda, Likely for Rest of 2014). We’re sorry to say (so far) we were right. However, MDN received a call from an MDN subscriber (and member of the PA National Association of Royalty Owners, or NARO) to say there’s still a chance–albeit a long shot–that if PA landowners and residents flood their representatives with calls and emails over the next few days before the end of this year’s session, HB 1684 may yet get a vote and go to the governor for a signature…
Read More “Does PA Royalty Bill 1684 Still Have a Chance This Year?”