Marcellus Drilling News

Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Lackawanna County | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

Cabot Oil & Gas Sponsors Clay Shoot for NE PA Charity
September 24, 2013September 23, 2013

Cabot Oil & Gas continues to be one of those companies that truly impresses MDN. Last year the company was a key in donating more than $2 million of its own money, and key in spurring on other companies to contribute another $2.4 million so that a stalled project to build a new hospital in Montrose, PA finally got off the ground (see Cabot Effort Raises $4.4 Million for PA Physicians Clinic). Cabot’s actions are more than just a photo op and quick PR gimmick. You don’t pony up $2 million of your own (and investors’) money, and dedicate countless hours of your staff’s time, unless you’re serious about being a good neighbor.

Cabot is “at it again”! This time they’re sponsoring a sporting clay tournament in northeastern PA with all proceeds to benefit what they call “the amazing” St. Joseph’s Center in Scranton, PA. MDN encourages you to consider going to the clay shoot or if you can’t, donating to this very worthy cause…
Read More “Cabot Oil & Gas Sponsors Clay Shoot for NE PA Charity”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Tue, Sep 24, 2013
September 24, 2013September 23, 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, Sep 24, 2013”
Accidents | Blue Racer Midstream | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Marshall County | Processing Plants | West Virginia

Explosion/Fire at Blue Racer’s Natrium, WV Processing Plant
September 23, 2013September 23, 2013

An explosion and fire was reported at Blue Racer Midstream’s Natrium, WV natural gas processing plant early Saturday morning. Area residents, some of whom were evacuated for several hours, reported an explosion that rattled homes miles away and the night sky lit up with an orange hue.

Fortunately no one was injured in the blast and the fire, which was “isolated to a small area of the plant” burned itself out. No word yet on what caused the explosion and fire…
Read More “Explosion/Fire at Blue Racer’s Natrium, WV Processing Plant”
American Water Management | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Trumbull County | Wastewater

New OH Injection Well to be Drilled <8 Miles from Earthquake Site
September 23, 2013September 23, 2013

American Water Management Services (of Howland, OH) is certainly braver than we are. In the “new couple months” the company plans to drill a new frack wastewater injection well in Weathersfield, OH. Where is Weathersfield? Close to (under 8 miles away from) the now shuttered injection well operated by D&L Energy–the well that caused earthquakes in the Youngstown, OH area in December 2011 (see ODNR Finds Youngstown Injection Well Caused Earthquakes).

Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) says the new injection well targets a different rock formation than the D&L well that caused the earthquakes around Youngstown. The ODNR has installed seismic monitoring equipment and is watching this new well very closely to ensure there are no tremors being caused. Still, you KNOW if there’s the least little tremor around Youngstown from now until eternity, everyone will blame this new well even if it’s not the cause…
Read More “New OH Injection Well to be Drilled <8 Miles from Earthquake Site”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Vertical/Shallow Gas Wells in PA Try Going Horizontal
September 23, 2013September 23, 2013

A fascinating story in Sunday’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about a developing trend in Pennsylvania’s gas (and oil) fields–the trend of smaller drillers and even some larger drillers who are now targeting shallow rock layers with horizontal drilling. Vertical or conventional natural gas drilling produces a lot less gas than deeper unconventional/horizontal drilling. A LOT less. So how can “mom and pop” vertical drillers compete against the big boys? By going horizontal too.

Seems that some vertical drillers are giving horizontal drilling in their existing vertical wells a try. Instead of drilling down 5,000 feet to the Marcellus, they’re drilling down only 2,000 feet before turning the bit horizontal. The rock layers they’re targeting won’t be anywhere near as productive as the Marcellus–but hey, if you can goose production by 5-10X that of a traditional vertical-only well, it’s very profitable for a tiny fraction of the cost it takes to drill a Marcellus well. Thing is, we won’t know just how productive (or profitable) until next year because these shallower wells only self-report annually…
Read More “Vertical/Shallow Gas Wells in PA Try Going Horizontal”
Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

No More “Acting” for Abruzzo – Nominated as Secretary PA DEP
September 23, 2013September 23, 2013

Congratulations to Chris Abruzzo, Acting Secretary of the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP). Gov. Tom Corbett has just nominated Abruzzo to permanently fill the role as Secretary of the DEP. Abruzzo had big shoes to fill after the departure of Michael Krancer (see Developing… PA DEP Sec. Krancer Resigns).

When Abruzzo was appointed Acting Secretary this past spring, former DEP Sec. John Hanger, a Democrat, blasted his appointment by Corbett as “bizarre and irresponsible” (see Former PA DEP Sec. Hanger Blasts Interim Replacement for Krancer). Undeterred by such criticism, Abruzzo has done an outstanding job over the past six months (see PA Acting Sec of DEP Making his Agency a “Problem-Solver”). Abruzzo’s problem-solving approach has now been duly rewarded with a promotion…
Read More “No More “Acting” for Abruzzo – Nominated as Secretary PA DEP”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

CA Gov. Jerry Brown Signs Bill into Law to Allow Fracking
September 23, 2013September 23, 2013

Last Friday, California Gov. Jerry “Moonbeam” Brown signed Senate Bill 4 into law–a new law that allows fracking in the state. In less than a year California took up the fracking issue, investigated it, debated it, crafted new regulations, and passed it–with Democrats in charge. Credit where credit is due, so our hat is off to them.

New York’s fracking moratorium (and debate) is 5 years 2 months old as of today. We believe California’s actions (and the following article) speaks for itself. However, just so we’re clear on our reason for highlighting the California vote last Friday: New York is broken. Whose fault is it? The person sitting in the governor’s mansion…
Read More “CA Gov. Jerry Brown Signs Bill into Law to Allow Fracking”
Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | TerrAqua Resource Mgmt | Washington County | Wastewater

Hearing on Proposed TerrAqua Wastewater Recycling Facility in PA
September 23, 2013September 23, 2013

A potential new frack wastewater recycling/treatment plant is on the way in Washington County, PA. If it can get zoning approval from Smith Township. TerrAqua Resource Management has applied for a zoning variance that would it allow it to build a Marcellus Shale wastewater fluid recycling facility near the village of Bulger. The original application was turned down by Smith, but TerrAqua refiled for the variance.

No one (from TerrAqua nor the town) is talking about this new request ahead of a public hearing tonight…
Read More “Hearing on Proposed TerrAqua Wastewater Recycling Facility in PA”
Pennsylvania | Westmoreland County

Westmoreland County, PA Not in the Marcellus Wet Gas Sweet Spot
September 23, 2013September 23, 2013

As drilling continues at a rapid pace in Pennsylvania, in particular in western PA, we learn more about where the wet gas/dry gas boundary lies. In addition to methane (or dry gas), “wet” gas includes natural gas liquids like butane, pentane and ethane. The extra compounds in wet gas make it more valuable than dry gas alone.

The head of the Keystone Energy Forum, speaking last week in Westmoreland County, PA, said Westmoreland County is not in the wet gas “sweet spot” of Marcellus drilling. But that doesn’t mean the county won’t profit from Marcellus drilling…
Read More “Westmoreland County, PA Not in the Marcellus Wet Gas Sweet Spot”
Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Statewide WV | West Virginia

What’s the Average Weekly Salary for WV’s Marcellus Workers?
September 23, 2013September 23, 2013

An article from West Virginia does an excellent job of summarizing the wages of the average gas field worker employed during the drilling/extraction phase. WorkForce West Virginia tracks how many workers are employed full-time in various counties in WV in the gas & oil business. If you average it out, workers (mostly manual laborers) are making anywhere from an average $537 per week (in Roane County) to $1,430 per week (in Doddridge County). Guess which county we’d rather be working in?

Here’s a county by county rundown:
Read More “What’s the Average Weekly Salary for WV’s Marcellus Workers?”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Marshall County | Ohio County | Wastewater | West Virginia

The Wheeling Water Warriors Live! Rumored Sighting Today…
September 23, 2013September 23, 2013

We’re glad to see that a complete and utter defeat hasn’t dampened the spirits of the anti-drilling Wheeling Water Warriors (cue echo, Water Warriors, Warriors…). You may recall that a half dozen or so people calling themselves that silly name opposed a new GreenHunter Water frack wastewater recycling facility due to be set up along the Ohio River in Wheeling, WV. The facility recently won approval from the Wheeling Planning Commission (see Wheeling, WV Approves GreenHunter Frack Wastewater Facility). You would think the Water Warriors would throw in the towel after a crushing defeat. Alas, you would be wrong…
Read More “The Wheeling Water Warriors Live! Rumored Sighting Today…”
About MDN | Calendar

Calendar of Events for Sep 23 – Oct 6, 2013 [Free]
September 23, 2013September 23, 2013

Below are upcoming events for this week and next.
Read More “Calendar of Events for Sep 23 – Oct 6, 2013 [Free]”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Mon, Sep 23, 2013
September 23, 2013September 23, 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, Sep 23, 2013”
Athens County | Ohio | Utica Shale

Will Utica Shale Drilling Come to Athens County, OH Soon?
September 20, 2013

From time to time Athens County, OH pops up on the radar screen–mostly related to a misguided attempt by a few anti-drillers to ban fracking (see last month’s article Athens Election Board Votes Against Anti-Frack Ballot Measure).

However, there has been no Utica drilling in Athens County so far. Is that about to change? The Athens News says drilling is inching steadily closer. They take a close look at the prospects (and evidence) that drilling may come to this southeastern Ohio county–soon…
Read More “Will Utica Shale Drilling Come to Athens County, OH Soon?”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Regulation | Trumbull County

Niles, OH Votes to Lift Frack Ban One Month After Passing It
September 20, 2013September 20, 2013

Well that didn’t last long. One month after Niles, OH City Council voted to spite its face by cutting it’s nose off (i.e., voted to ban fracking), they’ve voted to lift the ban. Why? Because the ban language also bans businesses from selling to the drilling industry–including the city itself (situated in Trumbull County), which sells a lot of water for fracking (see Niles, OH Considers Vote to Rescind Ill-Advised Frack Ban for background).

On Wednesday, Niles City Council voted to lift the ban. Congratulations on wising up!…
Read More “Niles, OH Votes to Lift Frack Ban One Month After Passing It”
Air Quality | Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Research

Forbes Article Exposes Cornell Prof Howarth and His “Research”
September 20, 2013September 20, 2013

Earlier this week MDN told you about the newly released Environmental Defense Fund research study that found (surprise!) not nearly as much methane leaks out of shale wells as scaremongers like Cornell professors Robert Howarth and Tony Ingraffea want you to believe (see New Study Final Nail in Coffin of Inflated Fugitive Methane Claims). It won’t surprise you that Prof. Howarth is indignant that his research has been called into question (yet again).

An article on the Forbes website by George Mason University’s Jon Entine does a masterful job of investigating anti-frackers like Howarth and Ingraffea and what really motivates them. Hint: Follow the (Park Foundation) money…
Read More “Forbes Article Exposes Cornell Prof Howarth and His “Research””