Marcellus Drilling News

Crime | Industrywide Issues | Mahoning County | Ohio | Wastewater

Youngstown Illegal Dumper’s Former Company Files for Bankruptcy
April 17, 2013

It looks to be an ignominious end for D&L Energy, the company previously owned by Youngstown fracking wastewater dumper Ben Lupo (see Youngstown Business Dumped >200K Gal of Untreated Wastewater). Yesterday, D&L filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in U.S. District Court. The paperwork for the filing notes that although Lupo recently resigned as an officer and director at D&L, he retained 80% of the stock. The rest of the stock is owned by his wife and one other person. The paperwork also indicates the three D&L owners may have “improperly diverted funds of the debtors to other peripheral business entities owned or operated by one or more of these individuals for little or no consideration.” So it appears some hiding of assets/money may have gone on.

Here’s the low-down on the bankruptcy filing and who’s owed how much from D&L:
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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

FrackNation’s McAleer to Attend Gasland 2, Plans to Confront Fox
April 17, 2013

Phelim McAleer, the creator/writer/director of the fabulous documentary FrackNation is going to attend the premier of Josh Fox’s Gasland 2 “documentary” at the Tribeca Film Festival next week. According to Phelim, he will “likely clash with Fox” at the screening.

In case you haven’t yet seen it, FrackNation is a must-see film (see MDN Reviews New Documentary FrackNation). Phelim has tried, repeatedly, to get Fox to debate him–but so far Fox has been a coward (see GASLAND vs FrackNation: Josh Fox Refuses to Debate Phelim McAleer). So Phelim has decided to take it Josh at his own screening. We love Phelim’s fearlessness! (Interesting how telling the truth makes you confident and fearless.)

Here’s the announcement from Phelim about attending Gasland 2:
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Accidents | Blue Ridge Mtn Res/Magnum Hunter | Energy Companies | Energy Services | Eureka Midstream | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Tyler County | West Virginia

Second Death from Flash Fire at WV Pipeline Station
April 17, 2013

A second man has now died from injuries received last Thursday in a flash fire at a “pig receiving station” along a Eureka Hunter pipeline near Wick (Tyler County), WV (see Flash Fire at Pipeline Station in WV Kills 1, Injures 3 Others for our original report and background details).

We mourn with the families of Raymond Miller and Bruce Phipps:
Read More “Second Death from Flash Fire at WV Pipeline Station”
Ohio | Statewide OH

Utica Whisker Away from 600 Utica Permits, 300 Wells Drilled
April 17, 2013

Ohio is just a few permits short of 600 Utica Shale permits for drilling, and just a few wells short of having drilled 300 Utica Shale wells. And no signs of letting up.

Here’s the latest numbers provided by the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources, updated through April 6:
Read More “Utica Whisker Away from 600 Utica Permits, 300 Wells Drilled”
Accidents | Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Washington County | Wastewater

Tag Team Grudge Match: Jesse White/Patch v Range Resources/DEP
April 17, 2013

The ongoing grudge match between western PA Rep. Jesse White (from Cecil) and Range Resources continues and has grown. Last week White made a formal “Right to Know” request with the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (another favorite target of White) over the alleged leakage of 30 gallons of…fresh water? frack wastewater?…it’s not clear to MDN which it is–from a Range impoundment located in Cecil Township.

Regardless of the tiny amount of whatever leaked, the DEP has not responded to White, yet, so he’s turning up the pressure by going to his favorite media stenographer, Canon-McMillanPatch:
Read More “Tag Team Grudge Match: Jesse White/Patch v Range Resources/DEP”
Air Quality | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Laurel Mountain Midstream | MarkWest Energy | Regulation

EPA Makes MarkWest, Laurel Mountain an Offer They Couldn’t Refuse
April 17, 2013April 17, 2013

The heavy hand of the federal Environmental Protection Agency continues to insert itself into regulating oil and gas drilling (contrary to the U.S. Constitution that grants that right to the states). The latest example is an “agreement” from two midstream companies–MarkWest Liberty Midstream and Laurel Mountain Midstream–to implement expensive new measures to comply with EPA’s air regulations. Neither MarkWest nor Laurel Mountain have done anything wrong. Neither has had an accident or pumped too much nasty stuff into the air. The EPA wants them to install equipment that will (in their opinion) help prevent an accident or the possibility of too much air pollution in the future.

When the howitzer cannon of the federal EPA is pointed at your head, you nod up and down politely…
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Energy Companies | Gulfport Energy

Utica Shale Darling: Gulfport Rings the Closing Bell for NASDAQ
April 17, 2013

Times Square in New York City is always a favorite place to visit for MDN editor Jim Willis. He gets there at least 3-4 times a year, passing through on business. For those who have never been, the first time you visit, it’s sensory overload. So many lights, so many people–all in an organized chaos. It’s fun!

We’re not sure if Jim Palm, CEO of Gulfport Energy (a rising drilling star in the Ohio Utica Shale) has previously visited Times Square, but he was there yesterday–ringing the closing bell for the NASDAQ MarketSite.*
Read More “Utica Shale Darling: Gulfport Rings the Closing Bell for NASDAQ”
Industrywide Issues | Research

API’s 1Q13 Well Completions Report: NatGas Wells Down 26%
April 17, 2013

Although (sadly) MDN does not have access to the American Petroleum Institute’s (API) Quarterly Well Completion Report, we do have the high level takeaway from the first quarter 2013 edition: oil well completions are up 20%, and natural gas well completions are down 26%.

There’s a pretty simple equation at work: Low commodity price = less drilling = fewer completions. When the commodity price of natural gas is low, drillers slow down or stop drilling (as reflected by lower rig counts), and the the less drilling they do, the fewer wells get drilled and completed. The (very) brief press release from API which contains a few interesting numbers:
Read More “API’s 1Q13 Well Completions Report: NatGas Wells Down 26%”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

Sierra Club Lies (Yet Again) and Hits Rock Bottom
April 17, 2013

MDN has long chronicled the antics of anti-drilling groups like the Sierra Club, an organization that once-upon-a-time embraced natural gas as a bridge fuel, but lately has started lying about the benefits of clean-burning natural gas because it threatens their rather twisted view of an alternative energy nirvana “if only”…if only natural gas wasn’t so darned cheap and getting in the way of more windmills and solar panels.

Energy in Depth’s California chapter penned an excellent article pointing out the outright lies of the California chapter of the Sierra Club in their efforts to persuade residents to reject fracking in that state. Listen up CA: Don’t make the same mistakes we’ve made here in NY. Even Gov. Jerry “Moonbeam” Brown likes fracking! Here’s the excellent EID-CA article:
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Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Wed, Apr 17, 2013
April 17, 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, Apr 17, 2013”
Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies

Chesapeake 2.0? Aubrey McClendon is Back – in the Energy Business
April 16, 2013April 16, 2013

It was pretty easy to predict (and MDN predicted it), that a very youthful Aubrey McClendon would not just sit on his hands and lick his wounds after being unceremoniously tossed aside by corporate raider Carl Icahn and other Chessy investors. MDN said this on April 1:

Why is it an error to show McClendon to the door even in light of his aggressive financial deals? You think McClendon will take his piles of money and sit on a Caribbean beach somewhere? In your dreams! He’ll be back, and he’ll start (or buy) another company that will directly compete with Chesapeake. You can bank on it. (McClendon Exits Chesapeake, Well-Bonused “Friends” Replace Him)

And what’s this? Just two weeks after exiting stage left, Aubrey has registered three new company names, set up an office, and hung out his shingle. Stetson hats off to the man:

Read More “Chesapeake 2.0? Aubrey McClendon is Back – in the Energy Business”
Allegheny County | Meetings | Pennsylvania

MDN Goes to NAPE East in Pittsburgh (Pictures!)
April 16, 2013April 16, 2013

Sooner or later, all energy roads in the Marcellus and Utica Shale lead to Pittsburgh. In many ways, because of the huge impact of the Marcellus (and now Utica) Shale, Pittsburgh has become the new Houston–the center of the energy universe. At least in the northeast. Last week the North American Prospect Expo (NAPE) brought its franchise event to Pittsburgh. NAPE usually runs twice a year–in Houston. This year they’ve added Pittsburgh to the lineup, calling it NAPE East.

MDN editor Jim Willis attended and hung out at the NGI Shale Daily booth for most of the event, chatting with passersby. We already brought you links to stories about the event from several Pittsburgh media outlets (see Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, Apr 12, 2013). Below, Jim provides his thoughts on the event, and the comments (gossip!) he heard at the event. More importantly, he took pictures! We’ve created a “virtual tour” of the event, so you get a feel for what such an event looks like, and what happens…

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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Statewide NY

PBS ‘Innovation Trail’ Does Sloppy (Lazy?) Reporting on JLCNY
April 16, 2013April 16, 2013

Although it’s often maddening, to MDN, it’s sad to have to report on the bias (or laziness) in the mainstream media with regard to the drilling issue. Today we bring you one of the many examples we could have—and we bring it because of its particularly egregious nature. Innovation Trail is a collaboration between six upstate New York public media outlets. A reporter from the Buffalo PBS station, WBFO, posted an article yesterday that makes a factually wrong statement about the Joint Landowners Coalition of New York (JLCNY). If the reporter, Ashley Hassett, had bothered to check with the JLCNY instead of dutifully regurgitating propaganda from a radical group like Food & Water Watch, she might have preserved a bit of journalistic integrity with this story.

Using the ultra-radical Food & Water Watch (FWW) as her only source, Hassett posted a story with the theme that farmers and "foodies" (foodies being the radicals at FWW) are getting together to encourage Gov. Cuomo to adopt a ban on fracking. It was in the context of this so-called story she unknowingly (our preferred view) or perhaps knowingly made a statement about the JLCNY and their position that is an outright lie…

Read More “PBS ‘Innovation Trail’ Does Sloppy (Lazy?) Reporting on JLCNY”
Industrywide Issues | NG Vehicles

T. Boone Pickens Let’s the "F" Word Fly Re NatGas & DC
April 16, 2013April 16, 2013

Boone Pickens is worked up about the lack of vision and foresight on the part of Washington, D.C. politicians—when it comes to converting trucking fleets to run on natural gas. He’s so worked up, in fact, that he let the "f" word fly in referring to said politicians during a recent conversation with a Bloomberg Businessweek reporter.

In Boone’s own words…

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Ohio | Statewide OH | Utica Shale

Bloomberg Says Ohio Utica Shale is Gassy, Not Oily
April 16, 2013April 16, 2013

Even though the 2012 production numbers for Ohio have still not been released, Bloomberg has declared Ohio’s dreams of producing large quantities of crude oil now dead and buried. Bloomberg says the Utica Shale play has turned out much more "gassy" than "oily". As their evidence, Bloomberg points to Ohio Utica asset sales now offered by some of the state’s biggest drillers, along with the opinions of a few analysts:

Read More “Bloomberg Says Ohio Utica Shale is Gassy, Not Oily”
Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies

Chesapeake Investor Presentation – Interesting Slides/Maps
April 16, 2013April 16, 2013

Thanks to intrepid MDN contributor Chris Acker for sending along a link for the latest PowerPoint slide deck published by Chesapeake Energy (see it below). Jammed with useful information, we particularly like map on Slide 13 showing the location of natural gas processing plants in the Utica/Marcellus (with Chesapeake’s leasehold acreage colored in); the map on Slide 14 showing new pipeline "take away" capacity coming online soon; and Slides 27 & 28 showing, respectively, a Utica Shale and Marcellus Shale summary for Chesapeake’s holdings in each of those plays (how many rigs they operate, etc.).

There’s some really great stuff in this slide deck. Check it out…

Read More “Chesapeake Investor Presentation – Interesting Slides/Maps”