Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, Sep 13, 2013
The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading:
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Celebrate! Dominion Wins DOE Approval for MD LNG Export Facility
It’s been a long, hard fight. Dominion has finally won approval from the Dept. of Energy (thank you new Secretary Ernest “Hair” Moniz!) to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility at their Cove Point, Maryland location. The LNG facility will allow Dominion to super-cool and condense natural gas to a liquid state–Marcellus and Utica Shale gas–and export it to India and Japan, countries who are allies of the United States but don’t have a free trade agreement with us. This is great news for those two countries who previously signed deals with Dominion to take 100% of the LNG the Cove Point facility can produce (see Dominion’s Cove Point LNG Facility Achieves Important Milestones). It’s also great news for Maryland: Dominion will spend between $3.4-$3.8 billion to build the plant.The new facility has been opposed by the Sierra Club and other well-known anti-drilling organizations because they believe the facility will encourage more fracking (see Sierra Club, Others Trash Talk Cove Point LNG Export Terminal). With this approval from the DOE, Dominion says they plan to begin construction next year, in 2014, and that the facility will be online and shipping in 2017…
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EPA Shuts Door on Pavillion, WY Water Contamination Investigation
Just last year all we heard from mainstream media (promoting the anti-drilling viewpoint) was how fracking pollutes water. Just look at Pavillion, WY! they said. MDN analyzed the Pavillion potential “fracking contaminates groundwater” issue at length one year ago this month (see 3 Things to Know about Pavillion, Fracking & Water Contamination). Then, much to the dismay of anti-drillers, the federal EPA backed away from it’s bungled investigation in Pavillion this past June (see EPA Abandons Pavillion, Can’t Prove Fracking/Water Contamination).
Now, with hardly a peep, the EPA published an official notice in yesterday’s Federal Register that they’ve turned the lights out on their Pavillion investigation (see it embedded below). Over and done. The EPA has officially washed its hands of the investigation. Do you think you’ll read about that in the New York Times? Ha!…
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Energy Services | GreenHunter Resources | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Washington County (OH) | Wastewater
GreenHunter Begins Operation of New OH Wastewater Injection Well
GreenHunter Water announced today they’ve started operating a brand new injection well at their Newport (Washington County), Ohio location–just a stone’s throw from the Ohio River (where they dearly hope to be able to barge wastewater soon). GreenHunter says the new injection well, called a “salt water disposal” or SWD facility, has the potential to pump 1,200 barrels per day of frack wastewater and brine…
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Harch Environmental Gets $100K Fine for OH Wastewater Dumping
In early June, the Ohio Dept. of Environmental Resources (ODNR) “temporarily” shut down Harch Environment Services after it was caught illegally dumping frack wastewater on the ground (see Another OH Company Shut Down for Illegal Frack Wastewater Dumping). The ODNR investigated and has just assessed a $100,000 fine against Harch. As part of their action, ODNR is requiring Harch to cease wastewater hauling for 30 days–although we were under the impression they had already ceased as of early June. Plus, ODNR says it reserves the right to bring more charges, including criminal charges, against the company in the future.
It does appear, however, that Harch (unlike D&L Energy) will be permitted to resume operations in Ohio once again…
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PA Rep. White Says Fake IDs were “Error in Judgment”
Western PA Rep. Jesse White, who used fake online IDs to criticize his own pro-drilling constituents (see How the Mighty Have Fallen: PA Rep White Admits Guilt, Not Sorry), went on camera for the first time yesterday since the story broke, claiming he had a political group therapy session at (where else?) Harvard University’s Kennedy School in July. White confessed his sins (being caught) to his fellow legislators attending the program, and, shazam! Jesse’s now seen the light!
White admitted on camera yesterday to Pittsburgh’s KDKA television that it was wrong to use fake IDs. Sort-of. White actually said his actions were “an error in judgment,” which is about as close to “I’m sorry” as you’ll get from a recalcitrant and arrogant White. How did he come to this revelation that he was sort-of wrong? His classmates during the summer program at Harvard told him so–that’s how he knows. It only took White four months (and a primary challenger) to admit his “guilt”…
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Hanger Joins Kane in Piling on XTO for 3-Yr Old Accidental Spill
MDN told you yesterday about the unprecedented and egregious abuse of power by the Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane in bringing criminal charges against XTO for a more than three-year-old accidental wastewater spill in Lycoming County, PA (see PA AG Abuses Her Authority, Files Criminal Charges Against XTO). Now, Kane’s fellow Democrat John Hanger, who was Sec. of the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection at the time of the accidental spill (and someone seeking the Democrat nomination to run for governor in PA) is piling on too. He’s happy that Kane has the long knives out for XTO and says so. Hanger, you may recall, still has not disavowed his party’s call for a statewide, ongoing moratorium on shale drilling (see Rendell Paints Hanger into Corner on PA Democrat Moratorium Vote).
Kane’s actions shouldn’t surprise anyone. She telegraphed her intentions before she was elected last year. Anti-drillers have confirmed Kane was eagerly looking for an opportunity to
persecuteprosecute a Marcellus Shale driller–to make an example of them. Brings to mind another anti-drilling zealot we know about who shares the same philosophy (see EPA Administrator Al Armendariz Resigns over Crucify Comment)…Read More “Hanger Joins Kane in Piling on XTO for 3-Yr Old Accidental Spill”
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Chesapeake’s Lawler Continues to Swing the Ax – More VPs Gone
Chesapeake Energy CEO Doug Lawler, no doubt spurred on by his boss, board member and corporate raider Carl Icahn, continues to swing the ax at Chesapeake. Although Chessy won’t reveal how many jobs have been cut, another round of ax-chopping happened earlier this week at the company with “numerous high level employees – vice presidents” getting notified they’re on the chopping block.
The latest from Oklahoma City’s News 9:
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Attn Gov Cuomo: CA Gov Brown Set to Sign Law to Allow Fracking
This really does take the cake! NY Gov. Andrew “Ditherer” Cuomo is now considered left of CA Gov. Jerry “Moonbeam” Brown. Who would have ever thought it possible?
In under a year, California legislators have crafted new drilling rules which Gov. Brown is about to sign. Meanwhile, 5+ years later, Andy is attending fundraisers in the Hamptons, avoiding Southern Tier landowners and hiding from New York’s virulent anti-fracking protesters. Strong leadership skills there, don’t you think?…
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TU: Just Eyeball Those Streams, You Know What Shouldn’t Be There
Like a roomful of zombies, about 20 people who belong to the anti-drilling group Trout Unlimited (some of them fisherman) lapped up the lies from TU’s community organizer for eastern PA, Paula Piatt, at a meeting in the Pocono Mountain region last night. She told them, in essence, that they don’t need scientific testing to see if there’s anything bad going on (from fracking) in the streams they like to fish. Instead, just eyeball it: “Your eyes on the stream are priceless, as far as knowing what should be there and what shouldn’t.”
One zombie reports being “totally in awe” of Ms. Piatt and her work…
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Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Thu, Sep 12, 2013
The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading:
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Accidents | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania | Wastewater | XTO
PA AG Abuses Her Authority, Files Criminal Charges Against XTO
In November 2012, the day after the general election, MDN asked the question if Pennsylvania’s newly elected anti-drilling attorney general, Kathleen Kane, would target the Marcellus Shale drilling industry (see Will New PA AG Go After the Marcellus Drilling Industry?). We now know the answer. Yesterday Kane’s office announced it had filed criminal charges against XTO Energy related to the spill of fracking wastewater at a site in Lycoming County, PA that happened more than three years ago–before she took office.XTO has already responded that the area where the spill occurred suffered no long-term adverse environmental effects and that Kane has far exceeded the bounds of her authority (in fact is abusing her authority) in seeking criminal charges. We agree with XTO…
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Delayed Pipeline to Single Gulfport Utica Well Impacts Market
Can delays in building a pipeline to a single Utica Shale well be enough to affect the stock price of the driller? You bet it can. Analysts from Sterne Agee issued revised estimates of how much production Gulfport Energy will see in the third quarter of this year based on Gulfport’s pre-announcement to the markets yesterday that they’ve had to lower their own estimates of production in 3Q13–because of a delay in hooking up the Irons 1-4H Utica Shale well in Belmont County, OH.
To be fair, Gulfport’s stock price only slipped a little bit on yesterday’s news (down less than 1/2 of one percent), and Sterne Agee remains bullish on the stock. Still, it’s incredible to us that the scheduling of a pipeline hookup for a single well can create such an impact on a multi-billion dollar energy company…
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Accidents | Belmont County | Energy Companies | Gulfport Energy | Harrison County | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Statewide OH
Gulfport Pays $250K Fine for Leaky Pad Liners at 7 OH Utica Sites
The Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) investigated Gulfport’s shale drilling sites in eastern Ohio after an inspector found ground contamination at a Harrison County well. ODNR found evidence of brine–naturally occurring underground water that comes to the surface after drilling is done–escaping from (leaking from) the well–which is not supposed to happen. Each well pad has a big rubber pad liner that’s supposed to catch anything that happens to leak. Gulfport’s pad liners did not do the job.
In addition to a $250,000 fine, Gulfport has to rebuild each of the seven drill pads where there are defective liners before they can continue drilling at those locations…
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Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Washington County | Wastewater
Range Water Impoundment Public Hearing Postponed 2nd Time
In August MDN told you about the latest kerfuffle between Range Resources and Mt. Pleasant township in Washington County, PA. Range had built and maintains four water impoundments (think “pond”)–one for frack wastewater and three for fresh water storage. Range uses the impoundments to store and haul water to/from drill sites for use in fracking (see Range Resources Argues with Mt Pleasant over Water Impoundment). Residents object to the impoundments on the grounds that their original use–drilling wells in that immediate area–is long over. Range continues to use them to drill other wells, not only in Washington County but also in Ohio and West Virginia. Residents say Range has overstayed their welcome with the impoundments.
A public hearing was continued from August to September when the public didn’t get a chance to vent at the August meeting. Last night, the hearing was continued yet again–to October–because Range wants a witness to appear at the hearing that couldn’t make it last night…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Mahoning County | Ohio | Regulation
Niles, OH Considers Vote to Rescind Ill-Advised Frack Ban
When you rush to do a dumb thing, you later regret it. City council members in Niles, OH have learned that hard lesson after voting last month to implement a ban on shale drilling. In their haste to “protect residents” from drilling, they didn’t bother to read the fine print of the bill they passed (no doubt drafted by a helpful anti-driller). In addition to banning shale drilling in the city–something that wouldn’t happen anyway–the bill also bans businesses that operate in the city and the city itself from doing business with the drilling industry. Oops. The city does a lot of business with the drilling industry.
Now city council members are planning a vote to rescind the ban they just passed last month…
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It’s been a long, hard fight. Dominion has finally won approval from the Dept. of Energy (thank you new Secretary Ernest “Hair” Moniz!) to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility at their Cove Point, Maryland location. The LNG facility will allow Dominion to super-cool and condense natural gas to a liquid state–Marcellus and Utica Shale gas–and export it to India and Japan, countries who are allies of the United States but don’t have a free trade agreement with us. This is great news for those two countries who previously signed deals with Dominion to take 100% of the LNG the Cove Point facility can produce (see 
In November 2012, the day after the general election, MDN asked the question if Pennsylvania’s newly elected anti-drilling attorney general, Kathleen Kane, would target the Marcellus Shale drilling industry (see