Marcellus Drilling News

Meetings

Shale Insight 2013: Final Wrap-Up, The Big Surprise
September 27, 2013September 27, 2013

Shale Insight 2013 closed with a bang. The inimitable Newt Gingrinch gave the closing keynote address on Thursday to a considerably smaller crowd than was assembled on Wednesday, which was the main day of the event. MDN editor Jim Willis heard Mr. Newt and other keynote addresses and will share his insights on Shale Insight below. However, there was one outstanding surprise at this year’s event compared to last year: No protesters. Or at least very few (literally less than a dozen). Although prior to the event the media hyped (hoped for?) the possibility of mass protests at this year’s event–but it just didn’t happen.

The event organizers were certainly prepared for protesters. Jim noticed security at this year’s event was much more prevalent than last year. You could not walk 10 feet without seeing a security person inside the Philadelphia Convention Center–and that’s not an exaggeration. Last year Jim had to “walk the line” and cut through protesters blocking the front doors (one of the few brave souls to do so before the police came to scatter them). This year? Nothing. Nada. A single sign about water being a “human right” draped on the front steps of a church across the street from the convention center. Jim was disappointed! He came prepared to interview protesters–but there were none to be found when he wandered outside.

What about inside the Convention Center? Inside it was all (shale) business…
Read More “Shale Insight 2013: Final Wrap-Up, The Big Surprise”
Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | UGI Energy Services | Wyoming County (PA)

Victory! UGI Nears Completion of New Pipeline Gate Station
September 27, 2013September 27, 2013

It’s a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. The point where two different natural gas transmission pipelines connect–to transfer gas from one to the other–is called a gate station. Utility company UGI wanted to build a gate station near Scranton, PA so it could tap into locally-produced (and very cheap) Marcellus Shale gas from northeast PA. And of course anti-drillers objected, even though there’s been another gate station operating safely in the area for 50 years (see Anti-Drillers Try to Stop Pipeline Connector in NE PA and Back to Kindergarten: UGI Explains NatGas Gate Stations).

In August a judge finally cleared the way for UGI to build their new gate station–and it’s nearly done. Finally! A victory against the anti-drilling Luddites…
Read More “Victory! UGI Nears Completion of New Pipeline Gate Station”
Butler County | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Rex Energy

Rex Energy Water Contamination Case Shifts Focus to Water Pipeline
September 27, 2013September 27, 2013

An update on the lingering/ongoing story of a community in western Pennyslvania (in Butler County) who say that nearby drilling by Rex Energy led to contamination of their well water supplies. The last MDN update on this story was in August of last year (see PA Residents Weary of Fight with Rex over Water Contamination). Some families have retained legal help and either have, or intend, to sue Rex. The PA Dept. of Environmental Protection, after an extensive investigation, said that Rex’s drilling is not at fault in the situation.

However, for most of the families, the issue has now progressed beyond blame–apparently water quality in the area was never the greatest to begin with. Rex had built a water line in the area to supply water for fracking and expects to turn over control/ownership of that line later this year. That water line can potentially be used to supply fresh water to the affected homes. The debate now: Who will pay to hook up the homes and to maintain the pipes and infrastructure required?
Read More “Rex Energy Water Contamination Case Shifts Focus to Water Pipeline”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Soil | Statewide PA | Wastewater

Pittsburgh Water-Testing Lab’s Certification Pulled, $60K Fine
September 27, 2013September 27, 2013

We don’t know if any Marcellus drillers in Pennsylvania were previously using Pittsburgh-based Microbac Laboratories to test water or soil for drilling purposes–but we do know they aren’t using them now. The PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) investigated Microbac and found 50 violations at their Baltimore, Maryland lab. Microbac has voluntarily relinquished its accreditation and will pay a $60,000 fine. Ouch. They will also pay to have an independent third-party audit (i.e. someone will come in and tell them what they’re doing wrong)…
Read More “Pittsburgh Water-Testing Lab’s Certification Pulled, $60K Fine”
Energy Services | GE Oil & Gas | Industrywide Issues | Wastewater

GE’s New Frack Wastewater Technology Uses Old Technology
September 27, 2013September 27, 2013

GE, which has long had an oil and gas division, is stepping into a new arena for the company: Cleaning up frack wastewater. The company has a new “membrane distillation” process/technology that cuts down on the amount of fresh water needed to clean up frack wastewater. It also cuts out transportation (happens on-site) and eliminates the heating and cooling usually required. Oh, and did we mention: It cuts the price in half over traditional treatment methods.

A bit more about GE’s new frack wastewater technology, which “borrows” this new process/technology from an old technology–industrial refrigerators…
Read More “GE’s New Frack Wastewater Technology Uses Old Technology”
Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Licking County | Ohio

Pipe Welders Needed – Ohio’s C-TEC Will Train Them
September 27, 2013September 27, 2013

Want a good paying, hands-on job in the Marcellus or Utica Shale? Try welding. The Career and Technology Education Centers (C-TEC) in Licking County, OH recently launched a new 10-month-long structural and pipe welding fabrication course. Students who are willing to work hard will get an average $45/hour after they graduate…
Read More “Pipe Welders Needed – Ohio’s C-TEC Will Train Them”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, Sep 27, 2013
September 27, 2013September 27, 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, Sep 27, 2013”
Meetings

Shale Insight Philadelphia: Day Two (Wednesday)
September 26, 2013

A quick note to tell you that this is one of those rare days when MDN will not feature the normal daily news update. Editor Jim Willis spent a very long (but productive!) day attending the Shale Insight event in Philadelphia. More news from the event tomorrow. We’ll leave you with a teaser: Jim was fortunate to get an exclusive interview with the newly nominated (and currently Acting) Secretary of the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection, Chris Abruzzo. To our knowledge, we were the only news/blog organization to be granted an interview with the Secretary yesterday at the event (he was only there for an hour or so).

Jim asked Secretary Abruzzo about PA Attorney General Kane’s prosecution of XTO Energy on criminal charges for an accidental spill three years ago. He also asked the Secretary about his biggest challenge so far in his new role, about the ongoing 18-month air quality study the department is currently conducting, and about John Hanger’s comments in the spring that Abruzzo’s appointment was “bizarre and irresponsible.” We asked it all! We’ll have the interview for you in Friday’s batch of stories. Stay tuned.

Until then, Jim will eat a yummy Philly cheesesteak for you. 🙂
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Meetings | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Shale Insight Philadelphia: Day One (Tuesday)
September 25, 2013September 25, 2013

MDN editor Jim Willis is in Philadelphia for the next few days attending the Marcellus Shale Coalition’s Shale Insight event. Jim is taking copious notes, as he does when visiting such events–so you’ll get to read about it in the coming days. Yesterday (Tuesday) was the “pre-conference” day. Of special interest was the Technology Showcase where established and up-and-coming companies shared their technologies for treating water, dealing with silica dust and a variety of other applications. If you’re “into shale,” it was fascinating.

Rather than recount it all for you right now, we’ll share a good story (very fair and balanced, surprisingly) written by the Philadelphia Inquirer who had a reporter on hand. The write-up does a good job of recounting the Technology Showcase, and in forecasting the coming protest from anti-drillers. One thing we can tell you–security is really, really tight at the Philadelphia Convention Center. They clearly believe there’s going to be a sizable crowd of antis parading out front…
Read More “Shale Insight Philadelphia: Day One (Tuesday)”
Energy Companies | Gulfport Energy

Former Gulfport CEO Gets Millions from Wexford Capital – Improper?
September 25, 2013September 25, 2013

Was former Gulfport CEO Mike Liddell, who stepped down in June, a tad too cozy with an investment company that does business with Gulfport? Gulfport, you may know, is a major Utica Shale driller. A Reuters story takes aim at Liddell, questioning his relationship with investment firm Wexford Capital which has given Liddell “millions of dollars in equity interests at no cost in more than a dozen firms that have done business with Gulfport.” Gulfport says nothing improper was done and all necessary disclosures have been made to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Will this story “have legs” and continue to reverberate in the media? It sure has all the hallmarks of the same kind of treatment the media gave former Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon…
Read More “Former Gulfport CEO Gets Millions from Wexford Capital – Improper?”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

Food & Water Watch has Sex on the Mind, Says Fracking Leads to STDs!
September 25, 2013September 25, 2013

The toilet continues to flush at the odious (and misnamed) Food & Water Watch and (oops!)…out comes another, uh, well you get the idea. The latest rubbish to emanate from Food & Water Watch (FWW) is a so-called report that says where there’s fracking there’s an increase in sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Uh, FWW? Maybe you were reading the wrong report? The “f” word in the report you were reading lacked a consonant and had a different vowel. We know–it’s an easy mistake to make.

This is what came out when the toilet flushed at FWW HQ yesterday:
Read More “Food & Water Watch has Sex on the Mind, Says Fracking Leads to STDs!”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PennEnvironment Supports PA Dem Frack Ban Bill, Gins Up Report
September 25, 2013September 26, 2013

Editor’s Correction: We slipped up! The original version of this story contained a headline and introduction (below) that said PennFuture was the organization that issued the report. It was not. It was PennEnvironment. Our sincere apologies to PennFuture.

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In a pathetic attempt to give political cover to their anti-drilling collaborators in the PA legislature, yesterday anti-drilling group ~~PennFuture~~ PennEnvironment issued a so-called report that demands that Pennsylvania turn the lights out on fracking for shale gas–at least for now and the foreseeable future–until…we don’t know, just until. Until they say so.

Last week MDN told you about PA Democrats who decided to leap over the cliff hoping a net (of public support) would appear by introducing legislation to ban fracking in the state (see PA Dems Go Over the Cliff – Introduce Statewide Frack Ban Bill). Thunk. No net appeared and the Dems now face annihilation at the next election. So ~~PennFuture~~ PennEnvironment is attempting to throw out a lifeline with a ginned up “report” that supports a loony frack ban…
Read More “PennEnvironment Supports PA Dem Frack Ban Bill, Gins Up Report”
Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | TC Energy/TransCanada

TransCanada: Open Season to Pipe Marcellus/Utica Gas West & South
September 25, 2013September 25, 2013

More new pipeline capacity for Marcellus and Utica Shale gas may be on the way for northeast drillers. TransCanada announced two open seasons (times when drillers can contract pipeline capacity) for the ANR Pipeline System.

By using mostly existing pipelines with a few modifications, TransCanada hopes to pipe northeast shale gas to both the Midwest and Gulf Coast…
Read More “TransCanada: Open Season to Pipe Marcellus/Utica Gas West & South”
Forced Pooling | Industrywide Issues | Statewide WV | West Virginia

WV Legislators Hear Presentation on Forced Pooling from SORO
September 25, 2013September 25, 2013

Forced pooling is once again being considered by West Virginia legislators. In the past few years forced pooling (which is sometimes called “lease pooling” or “lease integration” or any of several other terms) has been a non-starter in WV. Each time it comes up for consideration it goes nowhere–no votes, no nothing. So when a committee of WV legislators ask for a briefing on the topic–it’s noteworthy. It’s also very likely to come up again in the 2014 general session…
Read More “WV Legislators Hear Presentation on Forced Pooling from SORO”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Statewide NY

Willie Nelson & Friends are No Friends to Farmers
September 25, 2013September 25, 2013

A bunch of once-famous singers took to the stage this past weekend in Saratoga Springs, NY to lend Willie Nelson some help with his annual Farm Aid concert. Willie & friends were there to raise money for farmers and to bash fracking–the very thing that would raise more money for poor farmers than all of Willie’s concerts added together since he began doing them in the last century.

Among the has-beens who took to the stage was 94 year-old Pete Seeger–or a very passable taxidermist’s version of him. Pete had to get his licks in by bastardizing Woodie Guthrie’s song, “This Land is Your Land”…
Read More “Willie Nelson & Friends are No Friends to Farmers”
Health Impacts | Industrywide Issues | Sand/Proppant

HalenHardy Wins Ben Franklin EHS Award for Silica Air Shower
September 25, 2013September 30, 2013

Congratulations to HalenHardy, a company that makes a mobile air shower to quickly remove silica dust from workers’ uniforms. HalenHardy is the recipient (yesterday) of the Ben Franklin’s Shale Gas Innovation & Commercialization Center’ first annual Shale Gas Environmental, Health, & Safety Award. MDN editor Jim Willis was in the audience at the Shale Insight conference to witness the award.

Jim later spotted and congratulated co-founder and CEO Donnie Beaver as he sat on the exhibit hall floor up to his neck in booth paraphernalia. The company is building a fully operational demo unit for the exhibition hall available starting Wednesday. (Jim plans to take a turn.) The official announcement from the Ben Franklin Center:

Read More “HalenHardy Wins Ben Franklin EHS Award for Silica Air Shower”