Marcellus Drilling News

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Public Opinion

Pew Research Poll: Only Half of US Adults Know What Fracking Is
April 23, 2013April 23, 2013

A new national poll just released yesterday by the Pew Research Center and Smithsonian magazine quizzed the Americans public on their knowledge of science and technology with questions on current topics and basic scientific concepts (see the full report embedded below). One of the questions on the quiz was this: Which natural resource is extracted in a process known as “fracking”? The multiple choice answers given: Coal, Diamonds, Natural gas, Silicon.

Readers of MDN know the answer—you have a keen interest in the topic of natural gas. How many in the overall general public of adults 18 and older know that fracking extracts natural gas, even with Gasland and FrackNation? A pitiful 51%.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

IOGA of NY to Cuomo: Your Indecision is Killing ALL NY Drilling
April 23, 2013April 23, 2013

Independent Oil & Gas Association of New York (IOGA of NY) executive director Brad Gill and hundreds of other signatories sent a letter (copy embedded below) to Gov. Andrew “Ditherer” Cuomo yesterday to inform him that not only is his indecision on the fracking issue preventing new jobs and new companies from coming to New York, it’s also causing the existing drilling industry in the state to leave.

Gill says the industry is “in crisis” and although it has been operating in NY for decades, it’s 5,000 direct and 50,000 indirect jobs are leaving the state in droves. Hey Andy, there is a cost to indecision…

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BP | Energy Companies | Forced Pooling | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Trumbull County

ODNR Awards 2 New Forced Pooling Orders in OH – to BP
April 23, 2013April 23, 2013

The Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) recently issued two new “unitization” (or forced pooling) orders, bringing the total number of unitizations to four that they’ve issued in the Utica Shale. Both of the new orders were issued on behalf of BP and both were in Trumbull County. Here’s the details of the two orders, including how much the reluctant landowners were awarded as a bonus and how much they’ll make in royalties:

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

Anti-Drilling Eco-Nuts on Parade in PA for Earth Day
April 23, 2013April 23, 2013

In honor of “worship Mother Earth Day,” small groups of anti-drilling eco-nuts paraded themselves in front six different Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection offices around the state yesterday (see Protesters Rally Outside DEP Offices On Earth Day To Fight Marcellus Shale Fracking). They apparently don’t have jobs and do have lots of extra time on their hands to do such things.

In contrast to the intentional know-nothings who oppose fracking, in honor of Earth Day, the American Thinker (great site by the way) published the account of an air pollution meteorologist who recently visited actively drilled well sites in southwest PA. Here’s what someone with a brain reports about what he witnessed:

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Ohio | Statewide OH | Utica Shale

Utica Angst Continues – A Close Look at the Utica Tea Leaves
April 23, 2013April 23, 2013

An article from the Warren (OH) Tribune Chronicle tackles the thorny question of whether or not oil and gas drilling in Ohio is now passé…an also-ran…washed up…kaput.

It begins this way…

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Processing Plants | Statewide NY | Statewide OH | Statewide PA | Statewide WV | West Virginia

ShaleNavigator Expands Again: Adds New Areas to Online Mapping App
April 23, 2013April 23, 2013

Although technically not in the purview of MDN’s coverage, we want to alert you that MDN partner ShaleNavigator—the top-notch online mapping service that brings you those marvelous maps in the Marcellus and Utica Shale Databook—is expanding. ShaleNavigator founder Ed Camp has added the Collingwood and Antrim Shale plays in Michigan to his coverage.

Here’s Ed’s press release announcing the expansion of his excellent service:

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Energy Companies | Gastar Exploration

Gastar Sells East Texas Assets, Will Concentrate on Marcellus
April 23, 2013April 23, 2013

Yesterday, Houston-based Gastar Exploration Ltd announced they’re selling their East Texas “assets” (land, wells, etc.) to Cubic Energy, Inc. for $46 million. Why? So they have more money for Marcellus drilling…

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Belmont County | Chesapeake Energy | Economic Impact | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Utica Shale

Chesapeake Opens New Regional Office in Belmont County, OH
April 23, 2013April 23, 2013

Chesapeake Energy has just opened a new field office in Belmont County, OH at the Fox Commerce Park, just west of St. Clairsville:

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Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Tue, Apr 23, 2013
April 23, 2013April 23, 2013

The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading:

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

Upstate NY Farmers with Tickets Barred from Gasland 2 Premier
April 22, 2013April 22, 2013

A group of at least 20 farmers from upstate New York who made the long trip to New York City and the Tribeca Film Festival with tickets to Sunday’s premier of Gasland 2 were denied entrance after having the temerity to shout questions to Gasland director Josh Fox and Yoko Ono as they sauntered down the red carpet. Such big hearts, such open tents those liberal anti-drillers have, don’t they?

Fox and the Tribeca festival used security officers and police officers (see picture below) to keep farmers out—like the “dangerous” 70-year-old Inge Grafe-Kieklak…

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Lease & Royalty Payments | Ohio | Statewide OH

Muskingum Watershed Votes to Sell 209M Gals of Water for Fracking
April 22, 2013April 22, 2013

The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) oversees the largest watershed area in Ohio, spanning some 8,000 square miles. After some initial delays a few years ago, MWCD decided they want in on the Utica drilling bonanza happening all around them. In 2011 they leased 2,800 acres of watershed land to Gulfport Energy for $15.6 million. In 2012, they leased 3,700 acres to Chesapeake for $21.5 million. In February of this year, they signed a contract with Antero Resources to lease 6,500 acres for $40.3 million plus 20% royalties (see Muskingum Watershed District Signs with Antero for $40.3M Bonus).

All that drilling will need water. MWCD will oblige…

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

Cuomo’s Update on Fracking in NY: “Nothing New”
April 22, 2013April 22, 2013

Gov. Andrew “Ditherer” Cuomo was asked on Friday for an update on his decision about whether or not fracking will be allowed in New York State. Once again, he blamed an underling for his lack of performance and leadership, saying he’s still waiting for NYS Health Commissioner Nirav Shah to provide a report…

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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | New York | Pipelines | Schuyler County

NY Anti-Drilling Protesters Jailed After Refusing to Pay Fine
April 22, 2013April 22, 2013

Twelve protesters who suffer from what MDN calls FDS (Fracking Derangement Syndrome) were arrested in March for blocking the entrance to a legally operating facility near Watkins Glen, NY that will be used to store natural gas and propane in underground salt caverns (see NY Protesters Arrested for Blocking NatGas Storage Facility).

Three of the twelve have pleaded guilty and after refusing to pay a $375 fine were sentenced to 15 days in jail. They’ll get to have nice warm guest rooms in the clink in all likelihood heated by natural gas, and meals prepared by using natural gas. Do you think the irony will dawn on them as they sit there for two weeks? Nah, we didn’t think so either…

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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Education | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pike County | Pipelines

Pete Seeger Will Play for Fossil Fuel Haters Fest in PA
April 22, 2013April 22, 2013

Iconic folk singer and lefty activist Pete Seeger (now about 150 years old, a marvel to behold) will play a benefit concert for a group of fossil fuel-haters protesting the expansion of a natural gas pipeline in Pike County (northeast PA). They hate fossil fuels and the pipelines that deliver them—although hypocritically they use fossil fuels delivered by pipelines every single day.

Other helpful activities planned by the group: Brainwash school children with a “sustainable energy curriculum” at the Delaware Valley School District. What will they teach them? How wonderful it is to keep the thermostat set at 45 degrees? Every time your parents fire up the SUV for a run to Walmart they’re killing Mother Earth? (Be sure to rat out your parents to your greenie teacher, kiddies.) These are people with too much time on their hands…

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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Mahoning County | Ohio | Regulation

Will 2 Billboards Convince Youngstown Residents Ban Fracking?
April 22, 2013April 22, 2013

A handful of Youngstown, OH anti-drillers who are, frankly, quite ignorant of how fracking works (they apparently don’t know it’s heavily regulated), have foolishly spent their money on two billboards in the city to try and convince unsuspecting neighbors to pass a May 7 resolution to ban fracking in Youngstown—a loud and clear signal that Youngstown doesn’t want to participate in the economic miracle Utica Shale drilling is bringing to the state.

A Youngstown attorney says anyone reading the language of this bill (if it does pass) will think the city is populated with idiots. He’s right…

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Regulation | Statewide OH

Ohio Oil & Gas Regulatory & Environmental Matters eBook
April 22, 2013April 22, 2013

The lawyers at Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP write an excellent blog on oil and gas drilling in Ohio called the Oil and Gas Law Report. They’ve compiled a number of those articles into a handy PDF ebook (embedded below), covering regulations and environmental issues impacting Ohio’s oil and gas drilling industry. This little ebook (28 pages) is useful for lawyers, drillers and landowners alike…

Read More “Ohio Oil & Gas Regulatory & Environmental Matters eBook”