Marcellus Drilling News

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””
Bradford County | Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania

NJ Company Becomes Agent for NatGas to Power PA Electric Plant
September 20, 2013September 20, 2013

In October 2012, Moxie Liberty LLC of Vienna, VA applied for and received permission from the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) to build Pennsylvania’s first new electric generation plant to use Marcellus Shale gas to power it (see PA DEP Approves 1st New Electric Plant to Use Marcellus Gas). The new plant will be built in Bradford County, PA, the state’s most heavily drilled Marcellus Shale county. A month ago we learned that the project had been sold to Panda Power Funds of Dallas, TX and will now be called Panda Liberty (see Moxie Liberty Sells PA Electric Plant Project to Panda Power). Yes, we childishly made fun of the name!

More “new” news about Panda Liberty. One might think (as we did) that the new power plant will just hook up to whatever local driller or midstream company wants to sell them cheap, locally produced Marcellus Shale gas. However, that would be the wrong conclusion…
Read More “NJ Company Becomes Agent for NatGas to Power PA Electric Plant”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

3 New Bills Would Change PA’s 1979 Oil & Gas Lease Act
September 20, 2013September 20, 2013

On Monday, three new bills were introduced into the Pennsylvania House of Representatives that, if passed, will update the state’s 1979 Oil and Gas Lease Act. Two of the new bills were introduced by anti-drilling Rep. Jesse White–he of fake ID shame (see PA Rep. White Says Fake IDs were “Error in Judgment”).

A quick run-down on the proposed new bills and what they do:
Read More “3 New Bills Would Change PA’s 1979 Oil & Gas Lease Act”
Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Exporting | Industrywide Issues

WashPo Turns on Anti-Drilling Friends Over Cove Point LNG Exports
September 20, 2013September 20, 2013

MDN told you the happy news that the Dept. of Energy, under new Secretary Ernest Moniz, has approved a project to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility in Cove Point, Maryland (see Celebrate! Dominion Wins DOE Approval for MD LNG Export Facility). However, Dominion is not yet out of the woods with respect to putting shovel to ground–there are another 60 or so signoffs required by various agencies before they can begin to build. Anti-drillers, like the Sierra Club, have vowed to fight Dominion tooth-and-nail every step of the way, hoping they can block the LNG export facility.

In an amazing (to us) editorial, the Washington Post editorial board turns on anti-drillers (whom they usually support) and tells them, in essence, to get a life and leave it alone. The Post says we need that LNG export facility and we need it now…
Read More “WashPo Turns on Anti-Drilling Friends Over Cove Point LNG Exports”
Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | NG Vehicles

Chesapeake Axes CNG Vehicle Program Too :-(
September 20, 2013September 20, 2013

It seems that Chesapeake CEO Doug Lawler’s ax-wielding will affect more than just the company’s bottom line–it may affect all of us. The brisk pace of layoffs at the company continues (see God, Veggies & Bees – What’s Next on the Chesapeake Chopping Block?). Sadly, one of the programs deeply affected by these reductions is the division set up to grow usage of compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles by average consumers.

Chesapeake has been one of the leaders in producing technology to make it possible for consumers to “fill ‘er up” with CNG. However, the company’s CNG division has now also come under the budget ax, which means retail CNG efforts in this country will, at least for a time, be “substantially diminished”…
Read More “Chesapeake Axes CNG Vehicle Program Too :-(“
Allegheny County | Chevron | Economic Impact | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania

Chevron Wins 1st Approval for New Regional HQ Near Pittsburgh
September 20, 2013September 20, 2013

In May MDN told you about Chevron’s purchase of a 61-acre site in the suburbs of Pittsburgh where they plan to build a huge, 350,000 square foot office complex that will be home to 1,750 people when it’s done (see Chevron to Build New (Big) Regional HQ in Pittsburgh Suburb). It is an important sign that Chevron is committed–in a big way–to the Marcellus and Utica Shale.

On Wednesday the Chevron project moved one step closer to reality when Moon Township officials gave it their thumbs up…
Read More “Chevron Wins 1st Approval for New Regional HQ Near Pittsburgh”
Economic Impact | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide PA | UGI Energy Services

UGI to Invest $1.2B to Upgrade Pipelines in PA to Deliver NatGas
September 20, 2013September 20, 2013

UGI is Pennsylvania’s largest natural gas distributing utility serving more than 586,000 natural gas customers in 45 counties. Along with that many customers comes a lot of underground pipelines–some of which need to be replaced. So UGI is on a quest to hire at least 100 new full-time workers to help replace them. They plan to spend $1.2 billion on the project to upgrade their infrastructure in PA.

So what does UGI’s new pipeline replacement project have to do with the Marcellus Shale?…
Read More “UGI to Invest $1.2B to Upgrade Pipelines in PA to Deliver NatGas”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, Sep 20, 2013
September 20, 2013September 20, 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 20, 2013”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA Dems Go Over the Cliff – Introduce Statewide Frack Ban Bill
September 19, 2013September 19, 2013

Stupendously stupid and truly amazing, some Pennsylvania Democrats continue to push a statewide “open-ended” moratorium on shale drilling (in essence a ban). The party voted to adopt a ban as their official position at the statewide meeting in June (see PA Democrat Party Votes to End Marcellus Shale Drilling Statewide). Now, Democrat elected representatives have introduced a bill to do just that.

PA State Senator Jim Ferlo (D-Allegheny) has just introduced Senate Bill 1100 which would institute an immediate ban (they call it a moratorium) on issuing new permits to drill until a 7-member panel can study it for “at least three to four years” and make a pronouncement about whether or not fracking is safe. Talk about insanity…
Read More “PA Dems Go Over the Cliff – Introduce Statewide Frack Ban Bill”