Marcellus Drilling News

Columbiana County | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Statewide OH | Taxation | Utica Shale

OH County Engineer Speaks Truth to (Utica Taxation) Power
January 6, 2014January 6, 2014

It takes a “lowly” county engineer in an Ohio Utica Shale county–Columbiana–to have the guts to stand up and say if Republican politicians are going to cave and raise taxes on Utica Shale drilling, they ought to at least allocate some of the new-found money to the places that are actually impacted by drilling, instead of giving all the money away to people who had nothing to do with it! So we pin a medal on Columbiana County Engineer Bert Dawson for having the guts to stand up and say (in essence) “the Kasich emperor has no clothes” when it comes to this insane tax increase he keeps pushing…
Read More “OH County Engineer Speaks Truth to (Utica Taxation) Power”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Mahoning County | Ohio | Regulation

Third Time the Charm? Youngstown Anti-Drillers Try Again for Ban
January 6, 2014January 6, 2014

The crazies are back in Youngstown, OH–or more properly, they never left. Anti-drillers couldn’t get the good citizens of Youngstown to vote in favor of a frack ban twice in a row, but that doesn’t stop zealots like members of FrackFree Mahoning Valley from trying again. They’re back at it, circulating a petition that–for a third time–asks residents to put the same tired old “ban fracking” measure on the ballot for a vote. After twice being voted down in large numbers. The nutters call it a “Bill of Rights” hoping to fool people. Call the measure what you want–its effect would be to shut down Youngstown from the drilling industry and deny residents the multitude of benefits they now get from Utica drilling (jobs and business tax revenue).

But hey, it’s (still) America where fruitcakes have the freedom to do what they want–including pestering their neighbors to sign a petition circulated twice before. Our advice: If one of the FrackFree Mahoning fruitcakes comes knocking on your door–hand them the fruitcake you got for Christmas and still haven’t eaten, and send them packing…
Read More “Third Time the Charm? Youngstown Anti-Drillers Try Again for Ban”
About MDN | Calendar

Calendar of Events for Jan 6-19, 2014 [Free]
January 6, 2014January 6, 2014

Below are upcoming events for this week and next.
Read More “Calendar of Events for Jan 6-19, 2014 [Free]”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Mon, Jan 6, 2014
January 6, 2014January 6, 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, Jan 6, 2014”
About MDN | Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Commodity Price | Crude Oil | Economic Impact | Ethane | Health Impacts | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | MDN Resources | NGLs | Pipelines | Regulation

MDN’s Top 10 Most Important Stories of 2013 – Our View
December 31, 2013December 31, 2013

Yes it’s trite and certainly overdone, but hey, it’s the last day of 2013 and a slow news day. So MDN editor Jim Willis thought he would put together a list of what he considered to be the top 10 Marcellus and Utica Shale stories from 2013. It’s a look into what we believe, based on your input and feedback, to be the most relevant and important stories from this year. Enjoy!…
Read More “MDN’s Top 10 Most Important Stories of 2013 – Our View”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Public Opinion | Research

Peer-Reviewed Fracking Survey Peers into U.S. Minds, and Finds…
December 31, 2013December 31, 2013

A new survey of Americans on the topic of fracking appears in the upcoming February issue of the peer-reviewed journal Energy Policy. The survey, titled “Fracking” controversy and communication: Using national survey data to understand public perceptions of hydraulic fracturing (full draft copy embedded below) was actually conducted in September 2012–so the data is already quite old. Apparently 15 months is how long it takes to get your articles reviewed by journals like Energy Policy. A lot has happened in the last 15 months: FrackNation and Gasland II were both released, Dimock faded away as an issue, Pennsylvania’s natural gas production more than doubled, the U.S. became the world’s #1 producer of both natural gas and oil–the list goes on. Still, the survey is interesting and yields confirmation of what we already know along with the odd insight into what can be used as a predictor of whether or not someone will support fracking and shale drilling.

For example, if you’re conservative, educated and like to let the free market determine which energy sources should win, you support fracking. Conversely, if you’re liberal, less educated and like the idea of government picking the winners (that is, you have a touch of fascism in your philosophy), you don’t support fracking. If you’ve been reading MDN for any length of time, you already know all of this. The benefit of this particular survey is the scientific “rigor” used in testing which characteristics are good predictors of support or lack of support–and which characteristics are not good predictors. That’s what is interesting to MDN about this particular study.
Read More “Peer-Reviewed Fracking Survey Peers into U.S. Minds, and Finds…”
About MDN | Industrywide Issues | MDN Resources

Social Media Comes to Shale Plays, Including the Marcellus/Utica
December 31, 2013December 31, 2013

The shale energy industry is getting its own Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn platform–all rolled into one. Not long ago MDN was tapped on the shoulder by the folks at Oilpro.com, an online community of oil & gas professionals interested in connecting with colleagues. The shale social media site is only a few months old but has already taken off and attracted something like 30,000 active users–which is an astonishing feat in our industry! Oilpro.com is founded by the same people who founded (and later sold) Rigzone.com–so the people behind it have energy chops and know their way around a drilling rig.

Below is information about Oilpro.com–what it is and what it does. MDN encourages you to check it out and consider joining. We did!…
Read More “Social Media Comes to Shale Plays, Including the Marcellus/Utica”
About MDN | MDN Resources

See You in 2014
December 31, 2013December 31, 2013

MDN has noticed the shale drilling news…has…..really……..slowed……….down. Which is to be expected. A lot of people will take off from Wednesday the 1st through the rest of the week. We are too. We will keep an eye on the news and if anything major happens with respect to the Marcellus/Utica, we’ll issue an update. Otherwise, we’ll see you next Monday, Jan. 6th. We want to take this opportunity to thank our readers–especially our paid subscribers. We look forward to serving you in 2014.

We’re planning a website update in 2014–and more products, so stay tuned! If you ever thought, “I wish MDN would publish X or create Y,” we would like to hear about it. Drop us a line at: jim@marcellusdrilling.com. Now is the time to hit us up while we’re planning the next 12 months.

While we’re “on break” over the next few days, we’ll be working on Volume 3 of the Marcellus and Utica Shale Databook, which will be published in January. We’re going to make a big announcement that soon. Stay tuned!

A very happy New Year to all.

– Jim Willis, Editor, MDN
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Tue, Dec 31, 2013
December 31, 2013December 31, 2013

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, Dec 31, 2013”
Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County | WPX Energy

Hanger Continues to Use Franklin Forks Water as Campaign Issue
December 30, 2013December 30, 2013

As MDN has previously pointed out, former Secretary of the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) John Hanger is trying to make political hay out of methane in the water supply of three families in Franklin Forks (Susquehanna County), PA (see John Hanger Uses Franklin Forks Water Issue to Boost Gov Campaign). Which is kind of ironic since Hanger himself was raked over the coals by his own liberal buddies in Gasland for his handling of the same issue about 15 miles away in Dimock, PA. Hanger claims the DEP’s 16-month investigation in Franklin Forks was not independent enough for his taste. The DEP has fired back at their old boss and said they didn’t just rely on WPX’s investigation (as Hanger claims) but that they also conducted their own independent investigation and that Hanger is just making noise to, as we put it, boost his failing campaign for governor.

The sentiment coming from the DEP seems to be, “thanks for your unhelpful assistance John–now butt out”…
Read More “Hanger Continues to Use Franklin Forks Water as Campaign Issue”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Lenape Resources | Livingston County | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

NY’s Ongoing War Against Natural Gas – An Update
December 30, 2013December 30, 2013

Lenape Resources is one of MDN’s favorite NY-based energy companies. We’ve heard their CEO John Holko speak at events touting the benefits of shale drilling in NY. John doesn’t just say good things about drilling, he puts his money (and his time) into the cause as well. In 2012 Lenape sued the Town of Avon, NY (Livingston County) over their hastily passed fracking ban, a ban that not only bans horizontal or shale fracking (which isn’t even allowed in NY) but also ended up banning vertical fracking in the town, something that’s been going on in NY for more than 40 years. Lenape lost the case in lower court and appealed it (see Lenape Appeals Ruling, Seeks to Overturn Frack Ban in Avon, NY).

In its heyday, before the NY frack moratorium that’s now 5 1/2 years old, Lenape employed 100 people. Today? They have 5 people. Sound familiar (cough *Norse Energy* cough)? NY is driving energy companies out of business with ongoing hostility by municipalities like Avon and with delays by the state. NY is about as business unfriendly as you get. Here’s an AP update on Lenape and the ongoing negative impact of the frack moratorium in NY:
Read More “NY’s Ongoing War Against Natural Gas – An Update”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

Does PA Supreme Court Act 13 Decision Affect NY Cases?
December 30, 2013December 30, 2013

Apparently there’s been some concern, confusion and downright misleading information circulating since the recent PA Supreme Court decision that grants municipalities in PA the right to continue zoning where shale drilling can and cannot take place (see PA Supreme Court Rules Against State/Drillers in Act 13 Case). Some have tried to draw parallels between the “Dryden” and “Middlefield” cases now before the NY Court of Appeals (NY’s highest court) and the decision by the PA Supreme Court, because both involve issues of home rule or the right of localities to impose zoning on oil and gas drilling.

Even though both the PA Act 13 and the NY Dryden/Middlefield cases are both home rule cases, they are nothing alike and the PA case in no way impacts or affects the NY case. Perhaps the biggest difference between the PA and NY cases is this: In PA even though municipalities can now legally zone for oil and gas drilling, they must still allow oil and gas drilling in at least one zone. In NY, towns have completely banned drilling throughout the entire (rural) township. Huge difference. And there are other differences. Because of the ongoing confusion, the pro-drilling attorney for the Middlefield case, Scott Kurkoski, issued the following statement on the JLCNY website to clear the air and set the record straight…
Read More “Does PA Supreme Court Act 13 Decision Affect NY Cases?”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Guest Post | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

NY’s Albany Anti-Frack Protest – Made Possible by Natural Gas
December 30, 2013December 30, 2013

Not only are the crazies marching in Maryland (see today’s story Maryland Anti-Fracking “Madness” Continues – Crazies on the March), they’re also about to descend on Albany, NY. MDN friend and occasional guest blogger Vic Furman, a retired IBMer and one of the leaders of the Joint Landowners Coalition of New York, provided the article below pointing out the hypocrisy of those who oppose shale drilling. Vic says that in nine days when anti-drilling protesters arrive in Albany (many from out of state), they will do so because natural gas and oil from shale drilling made it possible for them to be there.

Take time to read Vic’s post and consider the salient points he makes:
Read More “NY’s Albany Anti-Frack Protest – Made Possible by Natural Gas”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Regulation | Statewide MD

Maryland Anti-Fracking “Madness” Continues – Crazies on the March
December 30, 2013December 30, 2013

The anti-drilling crazies in Maryland are on the march, literally! A coalition of extremist so-called “environmental” groups plan to march on Annapolis on the opening day of the General Assembly session to urge legislators to ban shale drilling. No, they are not demanding a moratorium–they are demanding an outright and permanent ban on fracking. How do you reason with unreasonable people? You don’t. You defeat them. And that’s what pro-drilling and clear-thinking people must do in Maryland. There is no sane debate with a crazy people.

Here’s a Maryland “madness” update:
Read More “Maryland Anti-Fracking “Madness” Continues – Crazies on the March”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Monroe County | Pennsylvania | Regulation

PA Town in Poconos Symbolically Votes to Condemn Fracking
December 30, 2013December 30, 2013

The day before the PA Supreme Court ruled that towns must allow fracking but can impose their own zoning rules about where it is and isn’t used, the Stroudsburg Borough Council voted, unanimously, to pass a resolution (or depending on your news source, ordinance) that “condemns” fracking. Stroudsburg is located about five miles from the Delaware Water Gap in Monroe County, PA. It’s debatable whether or not there’s anything to frack under Stoudsburg. Because the borough is in the Delaware River Basin the DRBC doesn’t yet allow drilling there anyway–so the vote was purely symbolic.

The ring leader seems to be outgoing councilwoman Kathleen Lockwood who has proven her ignorance on the subject of fracking with her public comments on the matter (see below). Since this was a symbolic vote, we nominate Ms. Lockwood to symbolically remove herself from using all natural gas–she should quit heating her home with it, quit using it to cook her food, and quit using electricity in her home produced by using natural gas–you know, to show the rest of us her resolve in opposing fracking. If fracking is so bad and evil, surely she would want to quit using the results of that fracking–natural gas–right? What’s that? Not so fast? Let’s not be hasty now! Yeah, that’s what we thought…
Read More “PA Town in Poconos Symbolically Votes to Condemn Fracking”
Air Quality | Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Carroll County | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Research

Carroll County Anti-Drillers Eager to Help with Air Quality Study
December 30, 2013December 30, 2013

The anti-drilling group Carroll Concerned Citizens (Carroll County, OH) is only too eager to help out with a new air quality study that will be conducted by the University of Cincinnati (UC) and Oregon State University’s (OSU) College of Medicine in Carroll County. Perhaps a little too eager. Using a grant from the National Institutes of Health, the two universities are teaming up to place passive air quality sampling equipment on properties close to active or recently-completed shale drilling operations. Carroll Concerned Citizens (CCC) is one of the local “partners” that’s “assisting” in the study. Err, yeah. Please tell the CCC volunteers this is a scientific study, K? And tell them to keep their cigarettes at home when they’re out and around checking the air sampling equipment, K?

The eager-beaver announcement from CCC about the new study:
Read More “Carroll County Anti-Drillers Eager to Help with Air Quality Study”