Marcellus Drilling News

Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Scranton Newspaper Plays Both Sides of Fracking – For Profit?
May 28, 2013

Last week MDN told you about a non-story story written by the Scranton Times-Tribune which was immediately picked up and amplified by the AP (see AP’s Non-Story About PA Water Wells “Contaminated” by Drilling). The story tries (and fails) to say Marcellus drilling is causing a huge number of instances of methane contamination of water supplies in PA. We debunked it of course. But now we may know the real reason for that story. The owner of the Times-Tribune recently purchased an environmental services company that supposedly investigates and fixes such water-related issues. What a racket: Scare the *#$! out of people, then sell them a fix for their fears.

We get the story about this slimy setup by the Times-Tribune from a Wayne County landowner writing on the Natural Gas Now blog site:
Read More “Scranton Newspaper Plays Both Sides of Fracking – For Profit?”
Energy Services | GreenHunter Resources | Industrywide Issues | Marshall County | Wastewater | West Virginia

GreenHunter to Offer “Free” Recycled Frackwater at Wheeling Plant
May 28, 2013May 28, 2013

An article in The State Journal (WV) says the new shale wastewater treatment facility GreenHunter Water wants to build in Wheeling will grant generous discounts–in essence a rebate–to drillers who haul their wastewater to the facility and on the same trip fill up with recycled wastewater to haul back for re-use in drilling and fracking operations. GreenHunter will save money because they won’t have to pay to haul it away for disposal, and drillers get what is, in essence, free water for use in drilling. It’s a win/win for everyone:
Read More “GreenHunter to Offer “Free” Recycled Frackwater at Wheeling Plant”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

How Much Does Water Cost to Drill a Single Marcellus Well?
May 28, 2013May 28, 2013

How much money do drillers spend to acquire, truck and dispose of water for drilling and fracking a single Marcellus Shale well? The exact number varies by driller. However, we get a general estimate from an article published in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram–and the number may shock you (as it did us):
Read More “How Much Does Water Cost to Drill a Single Marcellus Well?”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Ontario County | Regulation

Canandaigua, NY Extends Frack Ban with Aim to Make it Permanent
May 28, 2013May 28, 2013

The Town of Canandaigua, NY (Ontario County, between Syracuse and Rochester) voted last week to extend a moratorium on fracking. A similar moratorium signed into law by failed Binghamton Mayor Matt Ryan was tossed out by a judge last October (see NY Judge Throws Out Binghamton Fracking Moratorium). Apparently judicial precedent holds no sway with the wizards of smart on Canandaigua’s town board. They want to try their own moratorium–even though there is no drilling in New York. However, the real aim, according to the town’s director of development, is a permanent ban, i.e., the stripping away of landowners’ Constitutional rights.

Hopefully the taxpayers of Canandaigua will enjoy paying higher taxes to defend the indefensible in court:
Read More “Canandaigua, NY Extends Frack Ban with Aim to Make it Permanent”
Blue Racer Midstream | Caiman Energy | Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Marshall County | NGLs | Processing Plants | West Virginia

Natrium, WV NGL Processing Plant Start-up Close
May 28, 2013May 28, 2013

Processing plants in the Marcellus and Utica Shale region are a critical component of the drilling picture that frankly is holding up further development right now. Without the ability to separate “wet gas” (gas containing compounds in addition to methane, like ethane, butane, propane and pentane), drillers in wet gas areas are either drilling and capping their wells, or not drilling them in the first place. All eyes are on infrastructure projects like the processing plant in Natrium, WV being built by Blue Racer Midstream, a joint venture between Dominion and Caiman Energy.

The $500 million Natrium plant was due to be finished last December. Then the start-up date was changed to be “late spring” of this year (see Natrium, WV NGL Plant Behind Schedule, Will Open “Late Spring”). It’s almost summer and the plant is still not open. However, the signs point to an imminent start:
Read More “Natrium, WV NGL Processing Plant Start-up Close”
Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Roads | Statewide OH

Who Owns the Mineral Rights Under Lakes and Roads in Ohio?
May 28, 2013May 28, 2013

In Ohio, who owns the mineral rights (for natural gas and oil development) underneath bodies of water like lakes and rivers? And who owns the mineral rights underneath public roads?

Both are very good questions that are answered in a pair of posts by the lawyers at Porter Wright Morris & Arthur on their Oil & Gas Law Report…
Read More “Who Owns the Mineral Rights Under Lakes and Roads in Ohio?”
Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio | Statewide OH

Veterans in Ohio Get Free Training for NatGas Jobs Courtesy ANGA
May 28, 2013May 28, 2013

Veterans looking for a job in the rapidly expanding natural gas industry in Ohio are getting a boost from America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA). ANGA recently made a $50,000 donation to the Support Our Troops Education Fund, money that will help fund training for 40 veterans to train them for high-paying jobs in Ohio’s natural gas industry…
Read More “Veterans in Ohio Get Free Training for NatGas Jobs Courtesy ANGA”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Tue, May 28, 2013
May 28, 2013May 28, 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: Tue, May 28, 2013”
Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

Cabot O&G Builds a Cash-Generating Machine in NE PA Marcellus
May 24, 2013May 24, 2013

An article on the Investors Business Daily website published yesterday chronicles how Cabot Oil & Gas has built a cash-generating asset (a virtual money machine) with their Marcellus Shale wells in Susquehanna County, PA. One of the analysts quoted in the article says the numbers for Cabot are “wildly economic,” and another wonders what they’ll do with all their available cash!

The interesting tidbit from the article for MDN is an estimate for how much it costs Cabot per thousand cubic feet (Mcf) to get the gas from those Susquehanna County Marcellus wells. Previous numbers we’ve seen thrown around as the breakeven price for Marcellus drilling in northeastern PA are from $2.88 – $3.44 per Mcf. However, the analysts say that for Cabot, the number is MUCH lower…
Read More “Cabot O&G Builds a Cash-Generating Machine in NE PA Marcellus”
Economic Impact | Harrison County | Industrywide Issues | NGLs | Ohio | Processing Plants | Statewide OH | Utica Shale

New 1-Mile Railroad Siding in Utica Shale will be “Game-Changer”
May 24, 2013May 24, 2013

If you’ve read MDN for any length of time, you know we love a good railroad story. Here’s another one, this one in the Utica Shale…
Read More “New 1-Mile Railroad Siding in Utica Shale will be “Game-Changer””
Aquatech | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Wastewater

PA Wastewater Plants Fined by EPA for Radioactive Discharge
May 24, 2013May 24, 2013

In early May, two wastewater treatment companies owned by the same person, Pennsylvania Brine Treatment and Hart Resource Technologies, were merged into one company called Fluid Recover Services (FRS). FRS was subsequently bought out by Aquatech (see Marcellus Wastewater Company Aquatech Buys Competitor FRS). FRS has become a new division within Aquatech headed by the former owner, Paul Hart. What you many not know, however, is that the three original FRS facilities once accepted Marcellus Shale wastewater, treating and discharging it into area waterways–a practice that stopped in April 2011 under the direction of then Sec. of the DEP Michael Krancer. Why did it stop? Because of concerns (now confirmed) that low levels of radioactive particles were making their way into streams–levels above safety standards.
Read More “PA Wastewater Plants Fined by EPA for Radioactive Discharge”
Bradford County | Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Crime | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Susquehanna County

Bradford County Pair Convicted of Attempted Extortion of Driller
May 24, 2013May 24, 2013

Two Bradford County, PA men thought they’d make a quick buck by attempting to shake down Cabot Oil & Gas with fraudulent claims that Cabot had certain “environmental violations” in their Marcellus Shale drilling program in Susquehanna County, PA. The men wanted hush money from Cabot to go away. Instead, Cabot turned them in. The men pleaded guilty and are now under house arrest and probation. Here’s the details as we know them:
Read More “Bradford County Pair Convicted of Attempted Extortion of Driller”
Energy Services | Halliburton | Health Impacts | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Research

New Study Debunks Public Health Impacts from Fracking Fluids
May 24, 2013May 24, 2013

NY State Health Commissioner and Gov. Cuomo should pay attention to a comprehensive new 169-page report/study commissioned by the (hated) Halliburton but performed by the independent Gradient Corporation titled, “National Human Health Risk Evaluation for Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid Additives” (full copy embedded below). The report takes a detailed, scientific look at the potential effects of fracking fluids on human health. Specifically, the report considers possible chemical migration from underground target formations as well as situations where chemicals spill on the surface.

The conclusion? Neither underground migration nor surface spills pose an “adverse risk” to human health. Even in worst case scenarios where chemicals are spilled on the surface (the only practical way for fracking chemicals to contaminate water supplies), the amount of chemicals used in fracking fluid becomes so diluted so quickly it’s an non-issue.
Read More “New Study Debunks Public Health Impacts from Fracking Fluids”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Research

Climate Central Report: Natural Gas & Climate Change
May 24, 2013May 24, 2013

The climate research organization Climate Central released a report this week titled, “Natural Gas & Climate Change” (full copy embedded below). The report obliterates Cornell professors Howarth and Ingraffea’s wildly overstated estimates of how much methane leaks into the atmosphere from shale drilling. It also says the EPA themselves are still overestimating how much methane leaks. The report says we still need better measuring and monitoring to see accurately just how much methane is leaking.
Read More “Climate Central Report: Natural Gas & Climate Change”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA | Taxation

Epiphany: Lower Taxes, Less Regulation Equal More Shale Drilling
May 24, 2013May 24, 2013

Finally! Somebody “gets it” when it comes to the issue of taxing and regulating the shale drilling industry. John Hanger, the former Secretary of the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) under Ed Rendell, toes the liberal Democrat line that PA should jack up shale drilling taxes sky high and increase burdensome regulations in PA (see Hanger, O-R Support Redistribution of Drilling Wealth in PA). Hanger is running for the Democrat nomination for PA governor. Sadly, he is a frequent Obama apologist and his proposed policies would plunge PA back into the huge budget deficits that current Gov. Tom Corbett saved them from (with very hard choices).

However, there are government officials (besides Corbett) who understand the more you tax and regulate something, the less of it you get, and the less you tax and regulate something, the more of it you get. Pretty simple to understand, and a universal law of economics. Where do government officials understand this basic rule of economics? That would be in the country of Poland, in Eastern Europe, where Polish government officials have decided they want shale gas drilling and will eliminate all taxes on it until 2020, and they’ll lighten up on burdensome regulations as well…
Read More “Epiphany: Lower Taxes, Less Regulation Equal More Shale Drilling”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, May 24, 2013
May 24, 2013May 24, 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, May 24, 2013”