As part of a story about Chesapeake Energy selling off yet another $1 billion worth of assets (in Texas and Louisiana), we get this brief production update for two Chesapeake Marcellus “wet gas” wells in Ohio County, WV:
Read More “Chesapeake Production Results for 2 Wells in Ohio County, WV”
One of the downsides to drilling–something that’s eminently fixable–is road damage from heavy trucks. A small town in southeastern Marshall County, WV is experiencing the problem first-hand. The drilling industry needs to take note, step up, and fix the problem…
Read More “Road Damage from Drillers a Problem in Marshall County, WV Town”
A quick report card on Pennsylvania’s amazing Marcellus Shale drilling: “Across the state, 6,200 shale gas wells have been drilled, though only 3,550 are currently producing. Even with just that production, Pennsylvania rose to the third largest producer in the United States in 2012, behind only Texas and Louisiana. In 2010, the Commonwealth ranked 14th.” In 2012, PA produced 2.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, mostly from shale. That was more than double the previous year’s production. No wonder it went from 14th to 3rd in U.S. production in just two years.
The quote above comes from an article discussing the PA Marcellus Shale delivered at a bi-monthly talk in Potter County, PA. Here’s more insights from that talk, including the observation that 2013 will be “the year of the pipeline” in PA:
Read More “PA Report Card: 6,200 Shale Wells Drilled, 3,550 in Production”
A small and frankly inconsequential wrinkle has developed in the building of a new cryogenic gas processing plant–a joint venture planned between Hilcorp and NiSource called Hickory Bend (see Mahoning Utica Pipeline/Processing Plant “Moving Forward”).
Although the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has issued an air pollution permit for the plant, an avowed anti-driller has appealed the permit, which will delay things just a bit while the appeal is considered (and subsequently dismissed)…
Read More “Slight Delay for Hickory Bend Processing Plant, Permit Appealed”
Anyone who lives in shale country can tell you one of the first signs that drilling either is, or is about to, impact an area’s economy, is full restaurants and busy hotels/motels. Shale field workers need a place to eat and a place to sleep. How these businesses–specifically hotels– respond is instructive for all businesses that would like to sell to the industry, i.e., plug in to the supply chain.
A recent story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette does a good job of covering someone MDN has highlighted before: hotel and motel owner Tejas Gosai, in Washington County, PA (see these two MDN stories). From when Gosai’s hotels serve breakfast, to outdoor boot washers, to checking for bed bugs–the way Gosai has responded to and adapted “regular” hotels to serve the Marcellus drilling industry is instructive for other hotels, and for other businesses to follow as an example:
Read More “Washington County, PA Hotelier Adapts to Serve Drilling Industry”
Cabot Oil & Gas is serious about helping the local Pennsylvania communities in which they operate. A case in point previously highlighted on MDN: Cabot’s key fundraising role that got a 20 year-old stalled project of building a new hospital in rural Montrose, PA off the ground (see Cabot Effort Raises $4.4 Million for PA Physicians Clinic).
And now, yet another example: Because of Cabot’s generous donation, the normal $300 fee to attend Keystone College’s “summer camp” for 7-12 grade teachers (July 22-26) to study climate change and energy is now free! Continuing education credits available. Here’s the low-down on the program and how teachers (and other interested members of the community) may attend:
Read More “PA Teachers: Free Climate Change/Energy Course Courtesy Cabot O&G”
An update on the proposed new natural gas liquids (NGL) Bluegrass Pipeline, a joint venture between Williams Partners and Boardwalk Pipeline Partners. As MDN previously reported, the Bluegrass will run from Ohio/Pennsylvania all the way to the Gulf Coast (see Williams, Boardwalk Announce Marcellus-to-Gulf Coast NGL Pipeline).
The update below, courtesy of the Akron Beacon Journal, does a good job of recapping what we do and don’t know about the pipeline project and where it will be built. The update also includes new information: In addition to gas liquids going to the Gulf, Williams and Boardwalk are eyeing LNG export terminals along the Gulf Coast as a market for the methane portion of what they’ll pipeline from the Utica/Marcellus…
Read More “Bluegrass NGL Pipeline Recap, Builders Eye LNG Exports Too”
An interesting look, courtesy the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), at the energy sources used in the United States throughout our history–from 1776 to the present…
Read More “The Changing Picture of America’s Energy Sources – 1776-2012”
Below are upcoming events for this week and next.
Read More “Calendar of Events for Jul 8-21, 2013 [Free]”
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, Jul 8, 2013”
Blue Racer Midstream, a joint venture between Dominion and Caiman Energy, was supposed to have a new $500 million wet gas (natural gas liquids) processing plant online in Natrium, WV last December (see Dominion $500M NGL Processing Plant in WV to Open in December). The date was then changed to “late spring” (see Natrium, WV NGL Plant Behind Schedule, Will Open “Late Spring”). Blue Racer finally stopped predicting when the plant would open, but MDN told you in late May the signs were there for an “imminent” opening (see Natrium, WV NGL Processing Plant Start-up Close).
Strike up the band! Even though Blue Racer has decided not to make a public announcement, the Akron Beacon Journal is reporting the plant has been up and “quietly” operating for the past several weeks…
Read More “Blue Racer Midstream’s Natrium, WV NGL Plant Now Up & Running”
Attempting to make heroes out of rabid, frothing-at-the-mouth anti-drillers from MDN’s neck of the woods (the Southern Tier of NY and Susquehanna County, PA), an AP article appearing on the USA Today website (and in numerous newspapers) begins this way:
Read More “AP Presents Anti-Fracking Zealots as Harmless Old Ladies”
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”
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”
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”
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”