Marcellus Drilling News

Clinton County | Industrywide Issues | NG Vehicles | Pennsylvania

PA University First to Operate CNG-Powered Commuter Trolley
October 28, 2013October 28, 2013

We certainly hope this portends a trend. Lock Haven University (Clinton County, PA) is the first PA institution of higher learning to have its very own compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered commuter trolley which is now scooting students hither and yon around town. Radically lower air emissions, way cheaper to operate–what’s not to like? All thanks to cheap, abundant, fracked Marcellus Shale gas.

Ding ding. All aboard!…
Read More “PA University First to Operate CNG-Powered Commuter Trolley”
About MDN | Calendar

Calendar of Events for Oct 28 – Nov 10, 2013 [Free]
October 28, 2013October 28, 2013

Below are upcoming events for this week and next.
Read More “Calendar of Events for Oct 28 – Nov 10, 2013 [Free]”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Mon, Oct 28, 2013
October 28, 2013October 28, 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: Mon, Oct 28, 2013”
American Energy Partners | American Energy Utica | Energy Companies | Guernsey County | Ohio | SWEPI

Exclusive: McClendon Buys 24K Acres of SWEPI Leases in OH Utica
October 25, 2013

It seems that Aubrey McClendon is already putting some of that $1.7 billion he recently raised to good use (see McClendon Gets a Little Help ($1.7B) from His Friends in OH Utica). Thanks to an alert commenter on the GoMarcellusShale.com website, we now know where some of that $1.7B went.

In paperwork filed with the Guernsey County, OH Recorder’s office dated October 10, 2013, SWEPI (i.e. Shell) assigned what appears to be most or all of their leased Utica Shale acreage in Guernsey County over to McClendon’s America Energy – Utica company. The transfer (full copy embedded below listing ALL of the leases and landowners by name), includes 24,650 gross/24,016 net acres…
Read More “Exclusive: McClendon Buys 24K Acres of SWEPI Leases in OH Utica”
Crime | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Domestic Terrorism on the Rise in PA Marcellus?
October 25, 2013October 25, 2013

Enough is enough. We’ve always found anti-drillers to be misguided, irritating, relentless and yes, sometimes dumb (see today’s companion story about protesters in Canton, OH)–but anti-drillers aren’t usually terrorists. However, for some, their misguided and twisted zeal turns into something dangerous. A very disturbing story from the Harrisburg Patriot-News published yesterday says over the past 14 months in 4 different PA counties, “hazardous devices, including pipe bombs” have been discovered near shale drilling and pipeline sites. If that’s not domestic terrorism, we don’t know what is–although the FBI is not yet willing to call it that.

So far only one person has admitted his guilt in making two pipe bombs that failed to detonate. No one else has come forward to claim responsibility…
Read More “Domestic Terrorism on the Rise in PA Marcellus?”
Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

Cabot 3Q13: Production Up 61%, 4 Wells Produced Avg 27.5 Mmcf/d
October 25, 2013October 27, 2013

Quarterly reporting season continues. Yesterday Cabot Oil & Gas, one of our favorite Marcellus drillers, reported that production for 3Q13 averaged an amazing 107.1 billion cubic feet for the quarter. That’s a 61% increase over the same time last year. Truly astonishing. Also of interest, during 3Q13 Cabot drilled a pad with four wells in Susquehanna County, PA with 109 total frac stages across the four wells. Those combined four wells produced an initial production rate of 110 million cubic feet per day (Mmcf/d)–an average of 27.5 Mmcf/d per well! Just unheard-of rates.

Here’s Cabot’s 3Q13 financial and operations update from yesterday, with details of the Marcellus drilling operations in Susquehanna County, PA:
Read More “Cabot 3Q13: Production Up 61%, 4 Wells Produced Avg 27.5 Mmcf/d”
Boardwalk Pipeline Partners | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | NGLs | Pipelines | Williams

Bluegrass Pipeline Launches Open Season, on Track for 2015 Launch
October 25, 2013October 25, 2013

Williams and Boardwalk Pipeline Partners that are together building the Bluegrass Pipeline–a natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline from the Utica/Marcellus region in the northeast all the way to the Gulf Coast–announced yesterday they will conduct a binding open season for drillers to sign up to use the new pipeline, starting next week on Oct 29.

The most recent edition of the Marcellus and Utica Shale Databook (Volume 2), estimates the Bluegrass Pipeline project will cost on the order of $1.5 billion to complete. Construction is under way now and the new pipeline, with an initial takeaway capacity of 200,000 barrels per day, is expected to be done and in service in late 2015. The announcement (and more details) from Williams and Boardwalk:
Read More “Bluegrass Pipeline Launches Open Season, on Track for 2015 Launch”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Stark County | Utica Shale

FWW Anti-Drillers Protest an Empty Building in Canton, OH
October 25, 2013October 25, 2013

MDN has written many times about the odious and misnamed Food & Water Watch (FWW)–an anti-fossil fuel, anti-drilling group behind a lot of so-called “spontaneous” protests against fracking. We always knew the FWW faithful were misguided in their opposition. Unfortunately we have to be honest and add another adjective in the descriptor of FWW protesters: dumb.

Wednesday a group of some 300 people turned out at the Canton Civic Center in downtown Canton, OH for Utica Shale Summit 2014. A dozen FWW protesters thought they would make some mischief and grab a few headlines by turning up to protest. Except they turned up after the event was over and the building was empty. When told of their faux pas and that nobody was home, the FWW protesters stood around protested anyway–they protested an empty building. Talk about dumb and dumber…
Read More “FWW Anti-Drillers Protest an Empty Building in Canton, OH”
Energy Companies | Noble Energy

Noble Energy 3Q13: Marcellus Production Up 64%
October 25, 2013October 25, 2013

Noble Energy has drilling operations in several U.S. resource basins and indeed in other countries. One of their drilling operations is the Marcellus Shale (WV & PA), and yesterday they reported (3Q13 update) that production from the Marcellus achieved a record average rate of 168 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) for 3Q13, up 64% from a year ago. According to the update, Noble drilled seven new pads in the Marcellus during 3Q13.

Here’s the details as reported by Noble for their Marcellus operation:
Read More “Noble Energy 3Q13: Marcellus Production Up 64%”
Columbiana County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Sand/Proppant | Utica Shale

Columbiana, OH Frack Sand Operation Continues to Expand
October 25, 2013October 25, 2013

In March MDN told you about an Ohio property management firm in Columbiana County, OH that ended up in the frack sand business (see OH Property Management Firm Plugs into the Shale Supply Chain). A quick check-in finds that business for Buckeye Transfer Realty is booming, because of the Utica Shale.

If the received wisdom for buying real estate is “location, location, location,” we would add a fourth important ingredient, a key ingredient to Buckeye Transfer’s success: timing…
Read More “Columbiana, OH Frack Sand Operation Continues to Expand”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, Oct 25, 2013
October 25, 2013October 28, 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: Fri, Oct 25, 2013”
Beaver County | Energy Companies | Ethane | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Processing Plants | Shell | Statewide PA

WSJ Says PA Cracker Plant May Not Happen After All
October 24, 2013October 24, 2013

It seems like MDN has been writing about Shell’s proposed $2 billion ethane cracker plant for like, ever. You can scour our archive of stories mentioning the Shell cracker plant. We’ve chronicled the ups and downs. Where is this important project at right now?

According to the Wall Street Journal, the prospects that Shell will build an ethane cracker plant in Pennsylvania have now “faded”…
Read More “WSJ Says PA Cracker Plant May Not Happen After All”
CNX Resources | CONSOL Energy | Energy Companies

Water Cooler Talk: CONSOL Energy Splitting?
October 24, 2013

Is CONSOL Energy/CNX Gas getting ready to split? As in, spin-off the company into two pieces, one for its traditional coal business (CONSOL’s coal business has been around since the Civil War), and one for natural gas drilling? Apparently that’s the speculation “going around”–at least among energy industry analysts who seem to have ADHD when it comes to predicting mergers, acquisitions, takeovers and now–it seems–spin-offs.

An interesting (and balanced) article appears on yesterday’s Seeking Alpha investor’s website talking about the prospects of a CONSOL spin-off…
Read More “Water Cooler Talk: CONSOL Energy Splitting?”
Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Statewide WV | West Virginia

Looking for a Job in the Marcellus? Think WV
October 24, 2013October 24, 2013

If you’re looking for a job in the natural gas industry, you may want to consider…West Virginia. According to a new report from the Workforce West Virginia Investment Council, employment in the oil and gas industry in WV jumped a dramatic 20% last year. Not only that, but the average wage of the average o&g worker in WV jumped $5,500 in just one year–to $75,580.

Perhaps a jump in o&g workers in WV is not all that surprising, but what may surprise you is that employment in the o&g pipeline sector doubled last year from around 2,000 to around 4,000–up more than 100%! Yes, WV is a happenin’ place when it comes to shale drilling…
Read More “Looking for a Job in the Marcellus? Think WV”
Buckeye Brine | Coshocton County | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Utica Shale | Wastewater

Buckeye Brine Adds Second Injection Well, Business Expands Rapidly
October 24, 2013October 24, 2013

Buckeye Brine is a relatively new Ohio company that has so far built one brine injection well in Coshocton County, OH and is drilling a second injection now and considering adding a frack wastewater recycling facility. Quick tutorial: After an oil or gas well is drilled and fracked, wastewater from fracking flows back out for a week or two. After that, over time (years in some cases) naturally occurring water from deep underground–not fresh water from near the surface, but water from thousands of feet down–continues to flow from some wells. That naturally occurring water contains a lot of dissolved minerals in it, making it much “saltier” than even ocean water–hence the term brine.

Buckeye injects brine back into the ground. A bit more about Buckeye’s operation to date, and what they have planned…
Read More “Buckeye Brine Adds Second Injection Well, Business Expands Rapidly”
Lease & Royalty Payments | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Susquehanna County

PA Drillers Need to be Better Communicators
October 24, 2013October 24, 2013

Not everyone wants their land to be drilled for natural gas–even in Susquehanna County, PA where methane has been seeping out of the ground for 150 years. We respect that. In fact, we believe property rights are sacrosanct–if you don’t want drilling, you shouldn’t be forced to allow it. And conversely, those who want to lease their land and see drilling should be allowed to do so. Their neighbors should not be able to force them to abandon their rights either. Works both ways.

A story from Susquehanna County illustrates the tension landowners sometimes face in a decision about whether or not to lease. It also illustrates the sometimes confusing process that surrounds drilling a new gas well. One couple, not yet leased, learned (by accident) of a permit to drill a well on their neighbor’s property by Talisman Energy. There was nothing underhanded or wrong about Talisman’s application for a permit. However, this case points out the sometimes disjointed process landowners face in PA when it comes to leasing and drilling, and how drillers need to go the extra mile in communicating with them…
Read More “PA Drillers Need to be Better Communicators”