Marcellus Drilling News

Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies

Oh Oh – Chesapeake Installs an Undertaker on the Board
May 6, 2013May 6, 2013

Chesapeake Energy announced Friday they’ve shown board member Louis Simpson to the door. Simpson has been on the Chessy board since 2011 BCR (Before Corporate Raiders). He will be replaced by the CEO of the nation’s largest funeral home operator and provider of “death care products and services.” Talk about metaphors! We couldn’t have made this one up. Call in the undertaker…
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Crestwood Midstream | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Inergy | M&A

M&A Mania: Crestwood Midstream & Inergy will Merge
May 6, 2013May 6, 2013

Crestwood Midstream and Inergy Midstream announced this morning they are merging–a deal that will create a $7 billion midstream (pipelines & processing plants) behemoth. Both Crestwood and Inergy have operations and assets in the Marcellus and Utica Shale region.

Whose name goes on the door has yet to be decided. Here are the details about the deal as provided by the two companies:
Read More “M&A Mania: Crestwood Midstream & Inergy will Merge”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

JLCNY Lawyer Holds Press Conference on Court’s Ban Decision
May 6, 2013May 6, 2013

On Friday, MDN reported to you the disappointing decision from the NY Supreme Court Appellate Division that upholds the right of local towns in New York to ban gas drilling and fracking within their boundaries (see Breaking: NY Court Upholds Local Town Frack Bans). Scott Kurkoski, the attorney for the Joint Landowners Coalition of New York and the attorney of record who argued one of the two cases before the court (the Middlefield case), held a press conference on Friday to discuss the decision and to answer the question, “Where do we go from here?” MDN editor Jim Willis went along to the presser. As important as this decision was, you would think a press conference held by one of the lead attorneys in the case would attract a lot of attention. There was exactly one other reporter there–from YNN (Time Warner Cable’s Your News Now). That’s it. Two of us showed up.

Still, talking with Scott is a pleasure and we always come away with new information. Friday was no different. Here’s the insight he gave the two of us about the recent decision and what the future holds:
Read More “JLCNY Lawyer Holds Press Conference on Court’s Ban Decision”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY | Ulster County

Woodstock, Other NY Towns Want Fracking Criminalized
May 6, 2013May 6, 2013

The town board of Woodstock, NY (say no more, right?) wants New York State to criminalize fracking and passed a resolution supporting its criminalization back in January. Apparently the wizards of smart in Woodstock don’t know that low volume fracking of conventional gas wells has been going on in New York for decades–with no water contamination, no adverse public health affects, no ill effects of any consequence.

Now, Woodstock is attempting to infect other nearby town boards in Ulster County, including Rosendale, with the same contagion–stupidness…
Read More “Woodstock, Other NY Towns Want Fracking Criminalized”
Tyler County | West Virginia

Tyler WV Courthouse Overrun with Abstractors – Drilling Signal?
May 6, 2013May 6, 2013

According to Vol. 3 of the Marcellus and Utica Shale Databook, Tyler County, WV had a fair bit of permitting (and drilling) activity for the second half of 2012: 208 permits issued for 39 wells. However, it’s a distinct possibility those numbers are about to go up–way up–very soon. How do we know? Just look at the line of abstractors waiting outside the county courthouse–many camping out overnight! Long lines to view property records are a good barometer that something (drilling!) is about to happen.

Here’s the story:
Read More “Tyler WV Courthouse Overrun with Abstractors – Drilling Signal?”
Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Washington County

Court Fight: Range Resources v Robinson, PA Twp
May 6, 2013May 6, 2013

In March, Range Resources was forced to take Robinson Township (in southwest PA) to court over Robinson’s ongoing refusal to consider a conditional use permit to allow Range to drill at a new site (see Range Takes Robinson Twp, PA to Court over Permit Rejections). The judge in the case, John DiSalle, heard oral arguments last week. Unfortunately for Range, DiSalle refuses to recuse himself from the case even though his wife is a big-time anti-drilling organizer (see Judge Refuses to Recuse Himself from Range v Robinson Twp Case).

Here’s the back and forth arguments presented at last week’s court session:
Read More “Court Fight: Range Resources v Robinson, PA Twp”
Economic Impact | Exporting | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Research

Report: Benefits of NatGas Production/Exports for Small Biz
May 6, 2013

The nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy, research and education organization the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) published a new report last week titled “The Benefits of Natural Gas Production and Exports for U.S. Small Businesses” (full copy embedded below). The report looks at the period 2005-2010 and the rocket growth in jobs and new small businesses created by shale drilling in states like OH, PA and WV–three of the ten states highlighted in the report. It also looks forward to the opportunity for small businesses should the U.S. start to export natural gas.

An overview of the report from the SBE Council:
Read More “Report: Benefits of NatGas Production/Exports for Small Biz”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Mon, May 6, 2013
May 6, 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: Mon, May 6, 2013”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Norse Energy | Otsego County | Regulation | Statewide NY | Tompkins County

Breaking: NY Court Upholds Local Town Frack Bans
May 3, 2013May 3, 2013

It is a day of disappointment, but also a day of resolve, for landowners in New York State. Yesterday, the NY Supreme Court Appellate Division in a 4-0 decision ruled towns have the right to ban hydraulic fracturing and natural gas drilling. MDN has previously chronicled the long fight against a simple majority of three town board members unilaterally stripping away the rights of all property owners in a township to allow natural gas drilling. The matter came to a head when lawsuits were filed in two of those cases, the towns of Dryden (Tompkins County, near Ithaca), and Middlefield, (Otsego County, near Cooperstown)–see Town Frack Ban Cases Heard in NY Supreme Court Appellate Division for important background information.

The 77,000-member Joint Landowners Coalition of New York, whose lawyer, Scott Kurkoski, represented a JLCNY member in the Middlefield case, has responded to the loss (below) by saying they intend to appeal the decision to the next, and highest, court in New York–the Court of Appeals. MDN has a copy of the court’s decision (embedded below), reaction from the near-orgasmic anti-drilling eco-nuts, and our view of what it all means for the future of drilling in NY…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Sullivan County

Mark Ruffalo Invited to Upstate NY Screening of FrackNation
May 3, 2013May 3, 2013

MDN received the following notice from documentary filmmaker Phelim McAleer, creative force behind the excellent FrackNation documentary. Phelim will be speaking at a screening of FrackNation in Sullivan County, NY on May 8, and he (and the residents of Sullivan County) have invited movie star Mark Ruffalo (one of his many homes is located in Sullivan County) to attend the screening…
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Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide OH | Statewide PA | Statewide WV | West Virginia

List of “Things to Consider” Before You Sign a Pipeline Lease
May 3, 2013May 3, 2013

The rapid ramp-up in Utica Shale drilling in Ohio, and Marcellus drilling in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, has meant a shortage of “infrastructure” like pipelines to carry all of the bountiful shale gas being mined. Infrastructure development–pipelines and processing plants–are not being built at a furious pace across both the Utica and Marcellus–but particularly in the Utica. That means a pipeline company landman may come knocking on your door, if you’re a landowner. What are the things to watch out for, before you sign a lease to allow a pipeline?

The attorneys at Bricker & Eckler (with several offices in Ohio) have a handy list of “things to consider” before you sign on the dotted line to allow a pipeline across your property…
Read More “List of “Things to Consider” Before You Sign a Pipeline Lease”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Regulation | UGI Energy Services | Wyoming County (PA)

Anti-Drillers Try to Stop Pipeline Connector in NE PA
May 3, 2013May 3, 2013

Even though a pipeline connection, known as a “gate station,” has existed in Wyoming County, PA (northeastern part of the state) for the past 50 years, apparently no one noticed it existed (see Back to Kindergarten: UGI Explains NatGas Gate Stations). A small number of anti-drillers oppose a plan by local utility company UGI to build a second pipeline connector/gate station in the area. It’s not a compressor plant–just a connector. And even though it will lower their natural gas bills, they don’t want it. Why? They (erroneously) believe it’s a back-door way for UGI to build a new compressor plant in the area, apparently:
Read More “Anti-Drillers Try to Stop Pipeline Connector in NE PA”
Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Statewide OH

OH Company Builds Units to Convert NatGas to Diesel
May 3, 2013May 3, 2013

Ohio company Velocys, located in Plain City, just outside Columbus, has just opened for business and the impact for both the Utica and Marcellus Shale region could be huge. The company makes machines (based on 1920s technology from Germany) that convert natural gas into diesel fuel. Right now diesel is about 6 times more expensive than an equivalent amount of natural gas. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is starting to come on strong–witness UPS’ announcement last week to purchase 700 new tractor trailers that run on LNG (see UPS to Grow NG Fleet with Additional 700 LNG Tractor Trailers). That’s certainly one very necessary solution.

However, Velocys believes there’s a market to convert natural gas to diesel to feed the already existing market of millions of diesel engines on the roads today. And they’re right…
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Energy Companies | Southwestern Energy

Southwestern Energy 1Q13: Marcellus Production Exceeds 400 Mmcf/d
May 3, 2013May 3, 2013

The parade of first quarter earnings/operations updates continues. Southwestern Energy reported yesterday that their Marcellus Shale production surpassed 400 million cubic feet per day in April, the first time that has happened. Select portions of their update, including a detailed section on their Marcellus drilling program:
Read More “Southwestern Energy 1Q13: Marcellus Production Exceeds 400 Mmcf/d”
Energy Companies | Halcon Resources | Utica Shale

Halcón Resources 1Q13: Drilled & Completed 4 Utica Wells
May 3, 2013May 3, 2013

Halcón Resources, a Utica Shale driller, issued their first quarter financial and operational update yesterday. With regard to the Utica, the company reports they operated two drilling rigs in Ohio and Pennsylvania (yes, there is Utica in PA too!), drilling and completing four wells in 1Q13.

Select portions of the Halcón update:
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Energy Companies | Seneca Resources

National Fuel/Seneca FY 2Q13: Marcellus Production Up 57%
May 3, 2013May 3, 2013

National Fuel just finished the second quarter of their fiscal year–what we would call the first quarter of the calendar year–which ended March 31. Yesterday, National Fuel (and their Marcellus drilling subsidiary Seneca Resources) filed their FY 2Q13 fiscal and operating update. Earnings for the company were up an impressive 27% year over year. Even more impressive, natural gas and crude oil production for Seneca Resources (in the Marcellus Shale) was up 57% year over year. They attribute it to Seneca’s “strong well results in Lycoming County” (PA).

Here’s the full report issued by National Fuel yesterday:
Read More “National Fuel/Seneca FY 2Q13: Marcellus Production Up 57%”