Marcellus Drilling News

High-Priced Strippers in PA: Semantic Gymnastics with Impact Fee

May 27, 2014May 27, 2014

Synder Brothers, a mostly conventional (vertical-only) oil and gas driller in Pennsylvania, is having a lover’s quarrel with the PA Public Utilities Commission over what a stripper is and isn’t. Er, a stripper well, that is. The outcome of that argument may mean Synder Brothers will have to pony up $500,000 for impact fees on wells they’ve drilled that are, according to them, “stripper wells.” And what, pray tell, is a stripper well?…
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Harrison, OH a Hub for Midstream Processing – Continues to Grow

May 27, 2014May 27, 2014

A few weeks ago MDN told you that Access Midstream and partners M3 Midstream and EV Energy Partners are planning to boost capacity and add a second “processing train” to their Leesville, OH gas processing complex (see Access Midstream: Major Expansion of Utica Processing Facility). With added capacity, the complex will be able to process 1.1 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day! In addition, the jv partners’ Scio, OH facility is currently building a third processing train to their fractionation (liquids-separating) operation…
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Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Tue, May 27, 2014

May 27, 2014May 27, 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, May 27, 2014”

Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

CA Anti-Driller Tom Steyer Purchasing Tom Wolf PA Governorship

May 23, 2014May 23, 2014

Looks like newly-minted Pennsylvania Democrat candidate for governor, Tom Wolf (who is a multi-millionaire), has signed up to be the political b*tch for Tom Steyer from California (a multi-billionaire). How else would you describe it when Steyer has pledged $100 million to fund three gubernatorial and four Senate races (all Democrats)–one of which is the governor’s race in PA? That’s $14.3 million for Wolf if the $100 million pot of Steyer’s gold is split evenly. If Wolf wins, he’ll be owned lock, stock and by the short hairs by Steyer–in office to do Steyer’s bidding. The reason Steyer is willing to buy Wolf an election in PA? Steyer hates fossil fuels. Surprised?…
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Clearfield County | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Wastewater

EPA Issues “Final” Permit for PA Injection Well, Then Rescinds It

May 23, 2014May 23, 2014

Looks like the word “final” doesn’t really mean “final”–at least for the federal Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA issued a “final permit” to Windfall Oil and Gas to drill a wastewater injection well near Dubois (Clearfield County), PA in February (see New Wastewater Injection Well Approved in Clearfield County, PA). The EPA’s exact language when issuing the permit after 18 months of evaluation: “Based on all of the public comments received, EPA is issuing a final permit to Windfall Oil and Gas.” The “final” permit allows Windfall to operate the well until 2019 (see a copy of the permit below). But then anti-drillers got involved and pressured the EPA. So the EPA has just taken the “unusual step” of withdrawing it’s “final” approval for the injection well. What’s it called when someone changes his or her mind on a whim? Oh yeah, flaky…
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Industrywide Issues | Landfills | Pennsylvania | Research | Statewide PA

PIOGA Issues “Plea” to Drillers for Drill Cutting Samples for Study

May 23, 2014May 23, 2014

The Pennsylvania Independent Oil & Gas Association (PIOGA) is putting out “a plea” for drillers in PA to lend a hand. PIOGA wants to prove to the state Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) that drill cuttings are not radioactive and not “laced” with dangerous chemicals. Why do they want to prove it? So that drill cuttings (leftover rock and dirt when the borehole is drilled) can be recycled and used as fill on drilling sites, and as fill for construction sites in general. Problem is, the drillers are not cooperating…
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Belmont County | Industrywide Issues | Landfills | Ohio | Statewide OH

ODNR Allows Drill Cuttings to be Used for Construction, Roads

May 23, 2014May 23, 2014

An interesting juxtaposition for MDN. We reported in a story today that PIOGA has put out a plea for drill cutting samples so they can perform a study that will prove to the Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) that drill cuttings are not radioactive or laced with chemicals and that it’s safe to recycle them for use in things like fill for construction sites–and even road work. Recycling is good! The juxtaposition is Ohio, where the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) already allows the use of drill cuttings for such purposes–with a permit of course…
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American Energy Partners | Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Utica Shale

Aubrey McClendon Raises Huge $8.7B for Shale Drilling…So Far

May 23, 2014May 23, 2014

Aubrey McClendon certainly has not let getting fired from the company he co-founded, Chesapeake Energy, slow him down. Aubrey has now raised an eye-popping $8.7 billion in capital to fund oil and gas drilling–much of it in the Utica Shale. Nearly half of that, around $4 billion, is coming in deals aimed at the Permian Basin (in Texas) and the Marcellus Shale. Those deals, according to an interview granted by McClendon last week at a conference in Houston, are still not “announced” nor “detailed”. He plans to announce the deals by the end of summer…
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Industrywide Issues | Research | Soil

Earth to Mars: We’re Coming to Frack You!

May 23, 2014May 23, 2014

No, this is not a spoof nor a joke. A petroleum engineer and professor at the Colorado School of Mines, Alfred William Eustes III, will address a meeting of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) in Aberdeen, United Kingdom on May 28th. The topic of his discussion? How oil and gas drilling techniques developed here on earth may help us discover whether or not there currently is or previously has been life under the surface on Mars…
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Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, May 23, 2014

May 23, 2014May 23, 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, May 23, 2014”

PA Democrat Primary Results & Possible Impact on the Marcellus

May 22, 2014May 22, 2014

Results from yesterday’s Pennsylvania primary to report that have potential consequences for the Marcellus Shale. In particular, the race for governor and the race for anyone but Jesse White for the PA House in Washington County…
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Delay in Leasing City-Owned Land Costs Marietta, OH Big $

May 22, 2014May 22, 2014

The mayor of Marietta, OH says the city probably missed the boat to lease 95 acres of city-owned land for Utica Shale drilling–and he blames city council for dithering about getting an ad placed to announce the land is available (death by committee). But perhaps all is not lost…
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Industrywide Issues | Pipelines

Marcellus Pipeline May Come to South Jersey After All

May 22, 2014May 22, 2014

In January MDN brought you the story that due to incessant nagging from the NJ Sierra Club and the NJ League of [Liberal Democrat] Women Voters the Pinelands Commission, which oversees a stand of scrub pines in South Jersey, nixed a plan for a new natural gas pipeline to bring cheap, clean, abundant Marcellus Shale natural gas to South Jersey (see Sierra Club, LWV Chooses Coal over NatGas in South Jersey). NJ Gov. Chris Christie has just appointed two new members to the Pinelands Commission, replacing two who voted against the plan. Re-vote time?…
Read More “Marcellus Pipeline May Come to South Jersey After All”

Williams Open House Sheds more Light on Transco Atlantic Sunrise

May 22, 2014May 22, 2014

On Tuesday night Williams held the first of 10 open houses (this one in Luzerne County) on their roadshow to discuss the proposed Atlantic Sunrise Project includes new and reversed pipeline flows for the mighty Transco (see Williams Plans $2.1B Transco Pipeline Expansion, 100% Sold Already). The Transco, built 50 years ago, as always brought gas from the southwest to the northeast. Under Williams’ plan, new pipes will carry gas to the northeast/New England markets, but the vast majority of the existing pipeline will become bidirectional–able to flow gas in either direction–carrying cheap Marcellus Shale gas to southern markets…
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Commodity Price | Industrywide Issues

Platts Launches New Daily Price Assessments for Shale Value Chain

May 22, 2014May 22, 2014

On Tuesday, Platts announced six new “daily price assessments” for the shale “value chain.” These are price indices–price calculations of various kinds (think the Dow Jones Industrial Average) that can be used to better understand what factors are driving the shale market up or down. Who will use these new indices and why?…
Read More “Platts Launches New Daily Price Assessments for Shale Value Chain”

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

Spell Fracking with a “k”? Merriam-Webster Says Frack Yes!

May 22, 2014May 22, 2014

Will this settle the debate? For years MDN editor Jim Willis has received sometimes good natured, sometimes irate feedback that “fracking” should be spelled “fracing”–without the “k”. The “proper” way to spell it is without the “k” according to many in the Houston area (according to one MDN source). The “k” was introduced by anti-drillers who want to make the word sound like another f-word, in an attempt to smear it. Merriam-Webster has just added 150 new new words and definitions to their 2014 edition–and fracking, with the “k”–is in the list. Case closed?…
Read More “Spell Fracking with a “k”? Merriam-Webster Says Frack Yes!”