Marcellus Drilling News

Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Cayuga County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation

Niles, NY Turns Off NatGas Spigot for Everyone in Hasty Vote
July 5, 2013July 5, 2013

Oops. Looks like the town board of Niles (Cayuga County), NY has just voted to turn off the natural gas spigot for everyone in the town. Guess they’ll now have to heat with oil or wood or coal–or maybe stick up a windmill or a solar panel. On June 13, the town board of Niles voted to institute “a permanent ban on the drilling, storage, transfer and/or treatment of natural gas within town lines.” Guess what folks–storing and transferring natural gas includes moving gas through existing underground pipelines the local gas utility operates that connect to homes and businesses in the town. It also prohibits propane trucks from delivering gas to homes, and it prohibits people from throwing the backyard barbecue grill tank into the car to get it filled up.

No storage, no transfer. We’d sure hate to live in Niles…
Read More “Niles, NY Turns Off NatGas Spigot for Everyone in Hasty Vote”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Crawford County | Education | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania

Allegheny College Faces Green Monster of Its Own Making
July 5, 2013July 5, 2013

This is truly rich. Allegheny College, a private, exclusive, rich coeducational liberal arts college (2,100 students, tuition $38,750/year) in the northwestern PA town of Meadville has been a national leader in ~~brainwashing~~ teaching young college kids about the morally superior ways of so-called sustainability and worshiping Mother Earth and all things “green.” But dang, some of those nasty fossil fuel companies are waving big bucks in front of Allegheny College to lease some of the college’s land. Specifically, drillers want to lease, wait for it… the 283-acre Allegheny College Environmental Research Reserve. Talk about ironic! Like taking a bite from the apple all those years ago in Eden, it seems the temptation is just too much for Allegheny.

The college has assembled a ~~white-wash~~ working committee of faculty, staff and students to try, somehow, desperately, to justify selling their souls to the fracking devil so they can take those piles of money. Problem is, the college has created a legion of true green believers who now feel violated, betrayed, confused that the very institution they pay $38,750/year to teach them to hate all fossil fuels would possibly consider changing course for filthy lucre…
Read More “Allegheny College Faces Green Monster of Its Own Making”
Uncategorized

Solyndra 2: DOE Pushes $8B in Loans for New Fracking Technology
July 5, 2013July 5, 2013

The U.S. Dept. of Energy just launched a new program to encourage research into “advanced resource development” in fossil fuels to reduce carbon emissions (what utter folly). Regardless, the feds have $8 billion of taxpayer money they want to give out in loan guarantees for companies willing to come up with new and improved ways of drilling and fracking…
Read More “Solyndra 2: DOE Pushes $8B in Loans for New Fracking Technology”
Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Regulation

Obama Nominates CO Democrat for FERC Chairman
July 5, 2013July 5, 2013

President Obama just nominated Ron Binz to serve as the next Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). FERC, as you may know, is the federal agency in charge of approving new interstate natural gas pipeline construction in the U.S. Pipelines are a critical component of getting natural gas and gas liquids from point A to point B. A slow-down in pipeline construction would be a disaster for shale drilling. Although Binz has been a “strong proponent” of renewable energy, based on his background and history in Colorado, he seems like an OK choice for FERC and the shale drilling industry (as good as you get from an extreme leftist like Obama)…
Read More “Obama Nominates CO Democrat for FERC Chairman”
Energy Companies | Questerre Energy | Utica Shale

Questerre Gets $26.5M Loan for Drilling, Still Hopeful for Utica
July 5, 2013July 5, 2013

Canadian driller Questerre Energy has just secured a $26.5 million line of credit with an unidentified Canadian bank which they plan to use for shale drilling operations. One of those operations they dearly want to use it for is drilling in the Canadian Utica Shale–a portion of the Utica which lies under Quebec. If only the Quebec government would just allow it. Like New York State, Quebec has had a moratorium on fracking in the province for a number of years now. At various points Questerre has been critical in chiding the Quebec government (see Questerre Energy Points Out Quebec’s Hypocrisy on Fracking), and more subdued and hopeful in their tone (see Questerre Energy Hopeful Quebec will Lift Fracking Moratorium).

The latest announcement from Questerre once again strikes the more subdued and hopeful tone…
Read More “Questerre Gets $26.5M Loan for Drilling, Still Hopeful for Utica”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, Jul 5, 2013
July 5, 2013July 5, 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, Jul 5, 2013”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

Cuomo: NatGas is Good. Fracking? Who Knows (He Sure Doesn’t)
July 3, 2013July 3, 2013

Mealy mouthed: 1. hesitant to state facts or opinions simply and directly as from e.g. timidity or hypocrisy; 2. NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Bet you didn’t know that Cuomo’s name is now in the dictionary under the definition for “mealy mouthed.” The latest example of Lord Andrew’s mealy mouthedness on the topic of shale drilling and fracking in New York comes in response to a reporter’s question about Cuomo’s fellow Democrat, Pres. B.H. Obama calling natural gas “an effective transition fuel.” Lord Andy’s mealy mouthed response:
Read More “Cuomo: NatGas is Good. Fracking? Who Knows (He Sure Doesn’t)”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

Rabobank Bans Loans to Shale Industry & Farmers Who Allow Drilling
July 3, 2013July 3, 2013

Preferring to believe a lie over believing the truth (shale drilling is “evil”), Rabobank–a huge bank headquartered in The Netherlands but with major operations in the U.S.–has just announced it will not loan money to businesses involved with shale drilling. They’ll also ban loans to farmers who lease their land for drilling.

Rabobank’s action is outrageous and perhaps even illegal. We encourage you to cease doing all business with Rabobank and if you have an account with them, withdraw your money immediately. Let them know why you’re leaving their institution…
Read More “Rabobank Bans Loans to Shale Industry & Farmers Who Allow Drilling”
Access Midstream Partners | Carroll County | Columbiana County | Energy Companies | Energy Services | EV Energy Partners | Harrison County | Industrywide Issues | M3 Midstream | Ohio | Processing Plants | Statewide OH

M3 to Build Heliports at OH Processing Plants “Just in Case”
July 3, 2013July 3, 2013

Utica East Ohio Midstream–a joint venture between M3 Midstream, Access Midstream and EV Energy Partners–is in the process of building three natural gas processing plants in eastern Ohio. Two of the plants–Leesville (in Carroll County) and Kensington (in Columbiana County) will be cryogenic plants used to separate natural gas liquids from methane. MDN recently told you about delays in building the Kensignton plant (see M3 Midstream’s Kensington, OH NGL Plant Launch Date Slips). The third facility, located in Scio (Harrison County), will be a fractionation plant used to further separate NGLs from Kensington and Leesville into their constituent compounds, like ethane, propane and butane. Both Kensington and Scio are scheduled to go online sometime “this summer” (see Scio fractionation plant scheduled to go online this summer).

This story, however, is not about schedules for the launch of Utica East Ohio’s plants. It is about M3’s plans to build heliports at the Kensington and Scio plants…
Read More “M3 to Build Heliports at OH Processing Plants “Just in Case””
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Regulation | Statewide WV | West Virginia

New Rules for WV Horizontal Drilling Now in Effect
July 3, 2013July 3, 2013

On Monday, July 1, new drilling rules for horizontal shale drillers went fully into effect in West Virginia after being developed over the past two years. WV law firm Lewis Glasser Casey & Rollins, PLLC provides this handy summary of the new and more important provisions:
Read More “New Rules for WV Horizontal Drilling Now in Effect”
Air Quality | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Research | Statewide WV | West Virginia

WVDEP Releases Study on Air Quality Impacts of Shale Drilling
July 3, 2013July 3, 2013

The West Virginia Natural Gas Horizontal Well Control Act, passed and signed into law in December 2011, directed the WV Dept. of Environment Protection (WVDEP) to conduct three studies. The third and final study was recently released, titled “Air Quality Impacts Occurring from Horizontal Well Drilling and Related Activities” (full copy embedded below).

According to the cover letter from the WVDEP, based on the findings in the study, no new regulations are required to control air pollution around drilling sites…
Read More “WVDEP Releases Study on Air Quality Impacts of Shale Drilling”
Industrywide Issues | Lease & Royalty Payments | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Taxation

PA DCNR Nears Total Self-Funding from Marcellus Leases/Royalties
July 3, 2013July 3, 2013

Most people would view this as good news: The Pennsylvania Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) is within striking distance of becoming self-funding. Only $30 million (out of a $136.5 million budget) comes out of PA taxpayer pockets–just 22%. We’d call a self-funding government agency nothing short of a miracle! What would PA’s elected Democrats call it? A problem–because the self-funding comes from lease and royalty payments to the DCNR from Marcellus Shale wells drilled on state-owned land, and not from Democrat shell games in moving money around in Harrisburg to derive political power.

Currently about one-third of all state-owned land is leased for potential drilling with a voluntary moratorium on the rest first started by Gov. Rendell and later upheld under Gov. Corbett. Nearly 900 wells have been permitted on state-owned land, of which only 325 are drilled and producing (providing royalties)–so the DCNR may hit total self-funding at some point in the next few years when the other 575 wells get drilled. If partial self-funding has led to the current apoplexy in Harrisburg, total self-funding may lead to a full brain hemorrhage in PA’s elected Democrats…
Read More “PA DCNR Nears Total Self-Funding from Marcellus Leases/Royalties”
Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Processing Plants

Deep Dive: Compressors are the ‘Heart’ of Shale NatGas Production
July 3, 2013July 3, 2013

An excellent article on the Ohio Gas & Oil website takes a look at the critical role of compressors. In case you don’t know, compressors are needed at various points along natural gas pipelines to pressurize and keep the gas moving. The article uses the metaphor of compressors as the “heart” of natural gas production.

Let’s check out the old ticker for a better understanding of natural gas gathering and pipelining…
Read More “Deep Dive: Compressors are the ‘Heart’ of Shale NatGas Production”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Research | Statewide OH

Will Fracking Create “Information Forcing”? What is it Anyway?
July 3, 2013July 3, 2013

According to an article titled “Hydraulic Fracturing and Information Forcing,” published in the latest issue of the online publication Ohio State Law Journal Furthermore, widespread shale drilling and fracking has begun to “force the systematic production and recording of data, which could lead to broad information forcing efforts.” Those information forcing efforts (information that government might “force” drillers and others to collect) includes baseline contamination data, requirements for better disclosure during drilling, and post-drilling sampling and impact studies. The article was written by Hannah J. Wiseman, assistant professor at the Florida State University College of Law.

Read the full article below:
Read More “Will Fracking Create “Information Forcing”? What is it Anyway?”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Regulation | Statewide OH

EPA Interferes with OH Regulation of Oil & Gas Chemical Reporting
July 3, 2013July 3, 2013

Once again, the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is interfering with a state’s right to regulate oil and gas drilling. The latest trespass is the EPA leaning on Ohio about an Ohio law that allows drillers to shield information about some of the proprietary chemicals they use:
Read More “EPA Interferes with OH Regulation of Oil & Gas Chemical Reporting”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Wed, Jul 3, 2013
July 3, 2013July 3, 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: Wed, Jul 3, 2013”