Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, Aug 23, 2013
The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading:
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Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Education | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Lackawanna County | Pennsylvania
Lackawanna College NatGas Program to Get Boost from Obama Visit
MDN attended and reported on the grand opening of a new CNG fueling station in Susquehanna County, PA last week (see Cabot Launches CNG Fueling Station in NE PA). One of the presenters at that event was Mark Volk, president of Lackawanna College. Dr. Volk was there to sing the praises of Cabot Oil & Gas and their key support for Lackawanna’s new-but-rapidly-growing Petroleum & Natural Gas Technology program. Cabot has not only contributed money but also equipment and expertise to the program, one of only four or five programs like it in the country.Lackawanna College–a 1,600-student, private 2-year school near Scranton, PA–is about to emerge on the national stage in a big way, and by extension, Cabot as well. President Obama will visit the school tomorrow (Friday, August 23) and deliver a speech “to the nation and world” from Lackawanna, no doubt touting the role of Lackawanna in preparing students through programs like the Petroleum & Natural Gas Technology program. In honor of President Obama’s visit and to celebrate Obama’s recognition of the importance of an educated workforce for the northeast and particularly for the vitally important oil and gas industry, Cabot’s own George Stark has penned the following exclusive “guest post” for MDN readers…
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Energy Companies | Energy Services | Ethane | Industrywide Issues | MarkWest Energy | Ohio | Processing Plants | Shell | Statewide OH
OH Still in the Running for an Ethane Cracker? Maybe
Ohio’s dream to be the future host of an ethane cracker plant is still very much alive, according to U.S. Sen. Rob Portman from Ohio. Portman, along with Greg Sullivan, area manager for MarkWest Energy, spoke at the Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association meeting yesterday. According to Sullivan, a source to ship the ethane produced by their plant to when it separates the ethane from the natural gas liquid stream is “our big challenge.” MarkWest’s only current option is to ship it to Canada via the Mariner West Sunoco pipeline (see Big News: Marcellus Ethane Now Exporting to Canada Cracker Plant). Starting next year and the year after, two more pipelines will come online to ship it to the Gulf Coast (the ATEX Express and the Bluegrass).According to MarkWest, there is a “desperate need for a local ethane cracker.” Sen. Portman is hoping Ohio can supply that need, especially since Shell continues to “evaluate” its project to build a cracker plant in PA with no firm commitment or timeline to build it…
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Carroll County, OH Says Sierra Buckeye in Default on Utica Lease
In May 2012 Houston-based driller Sierra Buckeye signed a deal with the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (in Ohio) to lease 185 acres of District-controlled land for $4,500 per acre plus 20% royalties on all gas produced–really good terms. In October 2012 Sierra Buckeye signed a deal with Carroll County, OH to lease 481 acres of county-owned land for the same terms, receiving a check for over $2 million as the signing bonus. However, built into the Carroll County lease deal are penalties if Sierra Buckeye does not begin drilling by certain deadlines.
The initial deadline came and went and the county extended it. The second deadline is now past and Sierra Buckeye is asking for a third deadline (November). The county has had enough and has told Sierra Buckeye the lease contract is now in default…
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JLCNY Update on Friday’s Pro-Gas Rally for Obama/Cuomo
Yesterday MDN told you about the “Pro-Gas President Rally” family picnic/fun day planned by the Joint Landowners Coalition of New York (JLCNY) for Friday in Otsiningo Park–the day President Obama visits Binghamton, NY (see JLCNY Picnic Celebration for Obama’s Visit to Binghamton).
MDN received the following important update about that event:
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Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Statewide OH | Statewide PA | Statewide WV | Supply Chain | West Virginia
MSC Releases Annual Marcellus Job/Workforce Survey
What types of companies in the Marcellus/Utica Shale region are hiring? What types of jobs are they hiring for? And where are they hiring? Those are just some of the answers you’ll find in the latest annual membership survey from the Marcellus Shale Coalition (copy of survey results embedded below). In addition to those questions, the survey also addresses which functions and services drillers outsourced (pay attention supply chain companies!), and which positions were hardest to fill (pay attention job seekers!).
The press release announcing and summarizing the survey results:
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Revisiting the Radioactive Shale Cutting Issue in PA
Because of ongoing concerns about the radioactivity of leftover rock and dirt (“shale cuttings”) being dumped at PA landfills, the state Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) began a 12-14 month study of the issue this past January (see PA DEP Announces New Study of Radiation in Shale Drilling). A new update on their efforts and on the radioactive waste issue appears in today’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The article points out the dramatic increase in radioactive alarms going off at landfills over Marcellus waste shipments (happened nearly 1,000 times last year). However, the article also provides much-needed context and points out the radiation detected is minuscule because the detectors are so finely tuned to detect medical waste, and that in reality most of the time there is no issue or cause for concern.
The article begins this way:
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2nd High-Level Defection from PA DEP: Kevin Sunday Joins PR Firm
A second high-level defection from the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP). In March, then-Sec. of the DEP Michael Krancer announced he would leave the DEP and return to private law practice (see Developing… PA DEP Sec. Krancer Resigns). Krancer has been gone since April 15th. Now, a second prominent DEP official–deputy press secretary Kevin Sunday–has left too.
Harrisburg PR firm Quantum Communications announced yesterday that Sunday has joined their company and will “help lead” the “growing energy practice” at Quantum…
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OH Utica Shale – More Jobs to Come, Sale Tax Revenue Soars
Although the “received wisdom” is that the Utica Shale has not, so far, created a bonanza of jobs for in-state residents, it’s early days yet and most energy industry analysts and watchers predict jobs for Ohioans in much greater numbers are on the way. In the meantime, the Utica’s positive impact on local economies is not in dispute. The latest evidence: the 15 counties in eastern OH with the best Utica Shale deposits (and the most drilling) have seen their sale tax revenues soar by an average 20% in 2012 vs 2011. That is a huge number and indicates a lot of money from drilling stays in OH and ripples throughout local economies…
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Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Thu, Aug 22, 2013
The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading:
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JLCNY Picnic Celebration for Obama’s Visit to Binghamton
What a difference between planned rallies from the anti- and pro-drilling camps that will assemble this Friday, August 23, when President Obama visits Binghamton. Yesterday MDN told you about plans for the nutter squad (see NY Anti-Drillers Plan “Red Letter Day” for Obama Binghamton Visit). Compare that announcement, which is almost painful to read so laced with negativity and vitriol, with the announcement below from the Joint Landowners Coalition of New York (JLCNY), which is respectful, hopeful and positive.The JLCNY will not protest and picket Obama when he visits Binghamton. Instead, they’re heading to a local park for a day-long picnic. Of course bring your big signs so Obama sees it when he passes by–but the JLCNY event is about celebration, even though this group of people has far more to be negative and angry about. The two announcements illustrate the stark contrast between the kinds of people that make up each group. It’s like night and day…
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Corporate Raider Carl Ichan Ups Stake in Chesapeake – Again
Corporate raider Carl Icahn–a man who buys up stock in companies so he can lay people off and resell his stock at a profit–has increased his stake in Chesapeake Energy by a full percentage point–to 9.98%. Man we’d hate to have him lurking on our board. It’s likely no coincidence that Chesapeake has just laid off a number of its public relations staff in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Thanks Carl!…
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Anti-Drillers Want NY Hospital to Burn Oil to Avoid More Fracking
Natural gas burns cleaner than either coal or oil–this is an inarguable fact. Natural gas is also, thanks to shale fracking, now cheaper than either oil and in most cases coal. And yet, anti-fracking activists don’t want a hospital in Oneonta, NY to convert to using natural gas (cleaner, cheaper) because…it may one day lead to more fracking. Huh? Don’t convert, even though it’s better for the air and even though it will cost less than burning oil (as they do now). Yep. That’s the twisted philosophy rampant among New York anti-drillers. It makes no sense, so don’t try and figure it out or you may go crazy too…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Mahoning County | Ohio | Regulation
Anti-Drillers to Throw a Big Party this Weekend in Youngstown, OH
Calling all fossil-fuel haters–get your “frack” on–it’s time to paaarrrrrttttaaay! Anti-frackers will assemble in Youngstown, OH this weekend for a party in support of a truly stupid ballot measure that will be voted on (for a second time) this November. If passed, the new law would not only ban fracking in Youngstown–but also ban businesses involved with the shale oil and gas industry from operating in Youngstown. Such a measure would be a catastrophe for the economy of the just-starting-to-recover Youngstown, but this bunch will be so high they won’t notice…
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Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Wed, Aug 21, 2013
The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading:
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Pro-Drilling PA Gov. Tom Corbett Applauded by National GOP
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, strongly pro-drilling, was the star of the show at the Republican National Committee meeting in Boston last Thursday where he gave a speech at a gathering that included so-called Republicans like NJ Gov. Chris Christie and MA Senator Scott Brown–RINOs with much more national name recognition. Corbett got repeated applause for reducing the bloated size of government in PA (cleaning up the mess left by Ed Rendell) and for ramping up Marcellus Shale drilling.Pennsylvania GOP Chairman Rob Gleason said New York wants Corbett to come make a speech in the Empire State to show the apparently clueless (our words) Cuomo how to get it done when it comes to drilling. Here’s what Gleason said about Corbett’s Boston speech, about his conversation with the head of the GOP in NY, and about the controversy that has erupted over the PA Democrats’ idiotic vote to “temporarily” ban drilling statewide:
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MDN attended and reported on the grand opening of a new CNG fueling station in Susquehanna County, PA last week (see 
Ohio’s dream to be the future host of an ethane cracker plant is still very much alive, according to U.S. Sen. Rob Portman from Ohio. Portman, along with Greg Sullivan, area manager for MarkWest Energy, spoke at the Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association meeting yesterday. According to Sullivan, a source to ship the ethane produced by their plant to when it separates the ethane from the natural gas liquid stream is “our big challenge.” MarkWest’s only current option is to ship it to Canada via the Mariner West Sunoco pipeline (see 
What a difference between planned rallies from the anti- and pro-drilling camps that will assemble this Friday, August 23, when President Obama visits Binghamton. Yesterday MDN told you about plans for the nutter squad (see 
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, strongly pro-drilling, was the star of the show at the Republican National Committee meeting in Boston last Thursday where he gave a speech at a gathering that included so-called Republicans like NJ Gov. Chris Christie and MA Senator Scott Brown–RINOs with much more national name recognition. Corbett got repeated applause for reducing the bloated size of government in PA (cleaning up the mess left by Ed Rendell) and for ramping up Marcellus Shale drilling.