The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is once again interferring in the states responsibilities to regulate oil and gas drilling. The always excellent ShaleEnergyLawBlog, written by the law firm Babst Calland, notes two recent changes to regulations issued by the EPA dealing with greenhouse gas reporting and storage tanks:
Read More “EPA Keeps Messing with Drillers, Tweaks Regulations Yet Again”
Encore Energy, Inc. specializes in “lease acquisition and development of the Utica Shale play and other oil and gas projects in Ohio.” Think of Encore as a real estate agent for leases. Encore issued a press release yesterday to get some attention on Utica Shale properties they are “shopping”–looking for drilling companies who want to buy the leases. Encore will shop their leases at the upcoming NAPE East event in Pittsburgh next week. (Note: MDN editor Jim Willis is attending NAPE East, hanging out at the Shale Daily booth, #205. Please stop by if you’re at the show and introduce yourself!)
The interesting part of the Encore press release, which is why we’re bringing it to your attention, is the per-acre asking price Encore lists for Utica Shale properties in Guernsey, Noble and Morgan counties (Ohio):
Read More “Encore Energy Shops Utica Shale Leases at NAPE East”
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 3, 2013”
Yesterday morning the new acting CEO of Chesapeake Energy, Steve Dixon, delivered his first investors talk as CEO. One of the primary parts of that talk—indeed we would say the centerpiece—were remarks about the Utica Shale and its importance for Chesapeake as they move forward. According to Dixon, Chesapeake’s production in the Utica for 2012 will show lower numbers than otherwise possible because of lack of pipelines and processing plants. Dixon says that will soon change, and so too will their production numbers.
Dixon began his remarks with a 10-second “so long and thanks for all the fish” acknowledgment to the departed Aubrey McClendon:
Read More “Chesapeake’s New Acting CEO Says Utica Shale is a Big Deal”
The Brookings Institution, one of America’s oldest Washington, D.C.-based think tanks, conducts (and shares) research on a variety of topics, mostly economics-related. Brookings recently released a new report titled: Natural Gas Liquids (full copy embedded below). The report focuses on an aspect of the shale revolution researchers at Brookings believe is often overlooked–but critically important.
From the basics of describing what NGLs are and where they are found to how they are mined and the economics and key players–this short 15-page report does an excellent job of briefing readers without becoming a data dump. Here’s a brief description of the report and a summary of its five key takeaways, from the Brookings website:
Read More “New Report on Important-but-Overlooked Natural Gas Liquids”
Good news for drillers, landowners and consumers who want to see more low-cost Marcellus Shale gas flowing to East Coast markets. On March 22, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers green lighted Tennessee Gas Company’s Northeast Upgrade pipeline project to cross wetlands (i.e. swamps), rivers and streams in the Delaware River watershed. Hooray! The Corps didn’t cave to eco-nut, anti-progress pressure.
The details on where the new extensions are being built:
Read More “Army Corps of Engineers Approves Pipeline in Delaware River Basin”
Yoko Ono, who in recent years has become a pornographer (see this story about her 2012 “fashion line for men”), is a national treasure to the eco-nut left in this country. She’s trying to grab a second 15 minutes of fame by riding the coattails of the fracking issue, starting the group Artists Against Fracking (see Yoko Ono and Son Sean Lennon Go on Anti-Fracking Tirade). Ono has recruited a number of big (and clueless) celebrities to support her organization. One-percenters like Ono and Susan Sarandon are throwing a lot of money into Artists Against Fracking in hopes they can stop fracking in New York. Problem is, they’re supposed to register as lobbyists if they spend over $5,000, to keep spending transparent and above-board (and not greasing somebody’s palms). But they haven’t and don’t want to register–you know, they’re above petty things, like the law.
What’s interesting about the story of Artists Against Fracking not registering as lobbyists is how the media covers it. Most mainstream media, instead of questioning Ono about why she doesn’t want to obey the law, goes after the drilling industry instead! Unbelievable. But that’s what we’ve come to expect from “news” organizations like Associated Press:
Read More “What is Yoko Ono and Artists Against Fracking Hiding?”
Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia state governments watch out—the federal government is making noise about requiring you to provide monthly production reports for oil and gas production. The AP says the feds are working on a “proposal” to have Pennsylvania in particular move to a monthly reporting system. When was the last time the federal government ever “proposed” something that wasn’t actually “required”? But we digress… Apparently, the Marcellus Shale Coalition is on board with this “proposal” as well…
Read More “Feds Want to Force PA (Others?) to File Monthly Production Reports”
We have no doubt the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is anti-fracking. However, they do have some good writers for their The Equation blog site–and we always appreciate good writing. Yesterday, the brainiacs at UCS posted an April Fool’s story with this headline: “Pennsylvania High School to Host Bizarre Swim Meet – in Fracking Fluid.” It is a hysterically funny joke–written so well you almost believe it! The author tweaks us into thinking a PA high school is about to fill its swimming pool with fracking fluid and have young people swim in it at their next swim meet. Brilliant! It’s the kind of thing we wish we had thought of and written. No doubt some people will fall for the ruse.
Here is the faux news article from the UCS blog:
Read More “Clever Joke: PA High School to Use Frack Fluid in Swimming Pool”
The eco-nuts (Frack Action, Sierra Club, Catskill Mountainkeeper) are attempting to whip the troops into yet another frenzy to get them to call Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office and tell him to forget about fracking. We’re sure the switchboard operators at the governor’s mansion appreciate it…
Read More “Calling Gov. Andy: Anti-Frackers Flood Cuomo with Calls”
The Ohio Sierra Club is looking for volunteers to join their Water Sentinel Program—a program that uses volunteers to periodically test rivers and streams. So far they have about 150 “sentinels” to do the work, but more snitches volunteers are needed:
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, Apr 2, 2013”
As of today, Monday, April 1, 2013, Chesapeake Energy has made the biggest error in its 24-year existence. Today marks the exit of Chesapeake’s co-founder and CEO, Aubrey McClendon. In his place, the company announced Friday they have created an “Office of the Chairman” which will be populated with three people: Archie Dunham, non-executive chairman of the board; Steven Dixon, who is currently COO and will take on the role of acting CEO to replace Aubrey (for now); and Dom Dell’Osso, CFO. Apparently it takes three people to replace Aubrey–that should tell you something right there.
The colossal error is in letting McClendon go in the first place, which is being done largely because of pressure from corporate raider Carl Icahn (see Breaking: Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon Gets Pink Slip). You might think that Steve Dixon and Dom Dell’Osso would leave with their old friend and comrade–but they’re two of three people bribed paid a whopping $15.4 million bonus to stick around (see Chesapeake Pays $15.4M to Prevent Exodus of Top Talent). After being showered with millions, Steve and Dom said, “Aubrey who?”…
Read More “McClendon Exits Chesapeake, Well-Bonused “Friends” Replace Him”
A highly-placed Cuomo source has confirmed to the New York Post what many of us have suspected all along: The reason fracking has been delayed in New York is because of one person—Gov. Andrew “Ditherer” Cuomo. And the delay has nothing whatever to do with science. He’s delayed his decision on whether or not to allow fracking because he perceives no political benefit either way he decides. The rules crafted by the DEC are so over-the-top strict that he’s afraid no one will bother to show up and drill if he pulls the trigger to allow fracking. Plus, if he approves it, he’d have to put up with mouthy ex-brother-in-laws (see The Andy & Junior Show: Part Deux). What a drag that would be…
Read More “Cuomo Source Spills Beans on Real Reason for NY’s Fracking Delay”
Our friends at Energy in Depth – Ohio have assembled an excellent report (below) for how many drilling permits have been issued in Ohio for Utica Shale drilling, both by county and then by driller, as of the end of March. This is the best list of its kind we’ve seen so far (and one we wish we had created!). Thanks EID!
If you’re a landowner or business interested in who’s drilling and whether or not there’s activity coming to your county, check out the list below. Permits are the single best indicator for where drilling will soon happen. (Shameless plug: For information like that below charted on high-quality maps making it easy to understand, check out MDN’s Marcellus and Utica Shale Databook.)
Read More “Handy List of OH Utica Shale Permits, by County & Driller”
Many people eagerly await Ohio’s annual production numbers, which will (hopefully) be out sometime later this week. Drillers had to file their production numbers no later than yesterday, Mar. 31. MDN has brought you some of the recent “idle” speculation that inevitably happens while waiting. The speculation lately has been along the lines of, “Is the Utica really all it’s cracked up to be?” (see More Angst Over OH Utica’s Oil Prospects). It is natural gas liquids (NGLs) and oil that makes the Utica special. If it turns out Utica production is mostly dry gas (methane only), it will be a major disappointment.
Investor websites are famous for analyzing this stuff to death before any hard data is available. We say: Let’s see what the numbers actually say! In the meantime, yet another “idle speculation” article on one of our favorite sites, The Motley Fool, once again talks about the potential for the Utica. However, a big part of the article interests us. It’s a handy, condensed roundup of the major energy companies that are active in the Utica Shale:
Read More “Who’s Who in Leasing & Drilling the Utica Shale?”