Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Mon, Aug 5, 2013
The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading:
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Energy Companies | Halcon Resources | Mahoning County | Ohio | Statewide OH | Trumbull County | Utica Shale
Halcón Resources: Will Drill Up to 500 Wells in the Utica
Halcón Resources Corporation, increasingly an important driller in the Utica Shale, released their second quarter update yesterday. Halcón CEO Floyd Wilson also held a conference call for analysts. On that call, Wilson boasted about Halcón’s Utica Shale program–in particular the Kibler 1H well in Trumbull County which has been producing 2,233 barrels of oil equivalent per day–75% of it liquids. Halcón, which concentrates its drilling in “oily” plays like the Bakken and Utica, is currently operating 2 drilling rigs in Ohio/Pennsylvania. They’ve drilled nine Utica wells and are now evaluating the results. Halcón has 142,000 acres leased in the Utica Shale (primarily in Ohio).Remarks about Halcón’s Utica program from the conference call, and the Utica portion of yesterday’s 2Q13 report:
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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Processing Plants | Research | Washington County
DEP Marcellus Air Study in SW PA Extended Extra Half Year
In July 2012 MDN told you about a one-year study of air quality in and around Chartiers Township in Washington County, PA being conducted by the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (see PA DEP Announces 1 Year Study on Air Quality in Marcellus). The aim of the study is to determine whether or not Marcellus drilling, pipelines and the MarkWest natural gas processing plant in the Chartiers area causes an unhealthy increase in various air pollutants for residents.
What has the research found? The DEP says testing so far shows “no levels of any pollutant that would violate federal ambient air quality standards.” However, they’ve decided to extend the study until the end of this year. The one-year study has turned into a one-and-a-half year study. The DEP now expects to file a final report in “Spring 2014″…
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Chesapeake Energy | Energy Companies | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Pipelines | Regulation | Spectra Energy | Statewide OH
Spectra’s OH Pipeline Project Advances, Sept 20 Deadline w/FERC
More than 1 1/2 years ago MDN told you about a planned new 70-mile pipeline and compressor station to connect Utica and Marcellus wells in eastern Ohio to Spectra Energy’s Texas Eastern pipeline system (see Chesapeake Investing in New 70-Mile Ohio Pipeline). Called the Ohio Pipeline Energy Network (OPEN), the project is a $500 million joint venture between Chesapeake Energy, American Electric Power and Spectra Energy. Not since December 2011 have we heard any news about the project–until now.
Even though there’s been no media coverage, Spectra has been hard at work planning and holding public meetings for feedback on eight different proposed pipeline routes. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has given Spectra until Sept. 20 to tell them which alternative is their preferred route. FERC will then make a decision and (presumably) issue a permit that will allow Spectra to begin construction. An update on the OPEN project…
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PA Acting Sec of DEP Making his Agency a “Problem-Solver”
We noted our sadness in March when then-PA Sec. of the Dept. of Environmental Protection, Michael Krancer, announced he was resigning (see Developing… PA DEP Sec. Krancer Resigns). Krancer was tough but fair–someone with a sharp wit (and sometimes a sharp tongue). He knew how to dish it back to anti-drillers–and they hated it. At the time of Krancer’s resignation, Gov. Tom Corbett named his deputy chief of staff, E. Christopher Abruzzo, as Acting Secretary for the DEP. Abruzzo’s appointment was panned by Democrat John Hanger, who wants to run against Corbett in the next election, calling the appointment “bizarre and irresponsible” (see Former PA DEP Sec. Hanger Blasts Interim Replacement for Krancer).
We haven’t read much in the media about Abruzzo since his appointment six months ago, however, yesterday Abruzzo addressed the Washington County, PA Chamber of Commerce’s annual energy symposium. Contrary to what political opponents would have you believe, he sounded and acted quite responsible and un-bizzare…
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SW PA Energy Symposium: Still Early Innings for Marcellus Shale
The Washington County, PA fourth annual energy symposium, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, was held yesterday in Southpointe, PA. The event was emceed by state Sen. Tim Solobay (a Democrat, surprisingly). The recurring theme from drillers and others who spoke: When it comes to the Marcellus Shale, we’re just getting started. It’s still early innings…
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Chesapeake’s Lawler Excited about OH Utica, Calls it “Outstanding”
Chesapeake Energy’s new CEO, Doug Lawler, like Chessy’s founder and first CEO Aubrey McClendon, positively gushes when it comes to the Utica Shale. On a conference call with analysts yesterday, Lawler said, “The Utica is outstanding,” and he sees the Utica as “…a very strong asset going forward.”
More details on Chessy’s Utica Shale drilling program in Ohio from Lawler:
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Talisman Makes Noise About Selling Marcellus Midstream Assets
Canadian-based Talisman Energy is a major Marcellus Shale driller in Pennsylvania. They’re also a company in financial trouble–in the midst of attempting to turn the company around in the direction of profitability. A story out of Canada about Talisman’s latest turnaround efforts talks about the company putting certain assets on the auction block, including their considerable assets in Norway. Tucked in the article is this very brief mention that some of Talisman’s Marcellus assets may also go on the auction block:
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Southwestern Energy 2Q13: 1/2 Bcf/d of Marcellus Gas Flowing
Southwestern Energy has a sizable drilling operation in the Pennsylvania Marcellus Shale. In their second quarter 2013 update, posted yesterday, Southwestern reports they have 129 Marcellus wells now in production and another 99 being drilled. As of June 30, Southwestern’s Marcellus wells were producing an average 503 million cubic feet of natural gas per day–just over the half billion per day mark.
Here’s the Marcellus update taken from yesterday’s 2Q13 report:
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Will Fracking Come to…New Jersey?!
Who knew that there’s a shale layer under much of New Jersey–called the Newark Basin–that may one day yield natural gas worth fracking? Delicious irony, because anti-drilling sentiment in the state runs strong and deep. But don’t hold your breath that fracking will arrive any time soon in NJ–there hasn’t been active oil and gas drilling in the state for decades–at least since 1985 when a law was passed directing the state Dept. of Environmental Protection to draw up regulations for drilling. They never did draft drilling regs because no one was interested in drilling in the state.
That may, however, change…
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Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, Aug 2, 2013
The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading:
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Allegheny County | Energy Companies | EQT Corp | Forced Pooling | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA
Bad News: EQT Sues 70 Landowners Using New PA Forced Pooling Law
The recently signed Pennsylvania Royalty Bill SB259 provides extra transparency for landowners in how royalties are calculated, but it also introduces forced pooling for some landowners with old, pre-Marcellus leases (see PA Gov Corbett Signs Back-Door Forced Pooling Bill into Law). As MDN and landowner groups like the National Association of Royalty Owners (NARO) feared, this legislation is now being used against landowners. Earlier this week, EQT Corp. used the new law to sue 70 landowners to force them to allow EQT to get on their land to conduct survey work for future drilling on or under the land. Bye bye negotiations. Bye bye fairness. Hello steamroller.This lawsuit is bad news for PA landowners and bad news for pro-drilling Gov. Tom Corbett who mouthed platitudes that this type of thing would not happen when he signed it into law…
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Accidents | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | MarkWest Energy | Pennsylvania | Processing Plants | Washington County
MarkWest Served Violation Notice for Chartiers Processing Plant
Two weeks ago a MarkWest Energy natural gas processing plant in Chartiers Township (Washington County), PA started belching out black smoke. According to MarkWest, “several events” happened as workers were attempting to bring online some new equipment (see Smoke at MarkWest Chartiers, PA Gas Processing Plant). On Monday, the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) slapped MarkWest with a notice of violation.
The DEP continues to investigate whether or not the Chartiers plant is still malfunctioning…
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Energy Companies | Energy Services | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | MarkWest Energy | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Washington County | Williams
Last Document Released in Hallowich v Range $750K Settlement
It’s been a long struggle for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Washington (PA) Observer-Reporter, but they finally won–if you can call it a win. Last year, both newspapers sued to have a sealed court case opened. The case involves an off-the-record settlement between the Hallowich family in Washington County, PA and Range Resources, MarkWest Energy and Williams (see Pittsburgh Newspapers Sue to Unseal Drilling Court Case). The Hallowiches claimed nearby drilling and pipeline activity threatened the health of their family–in particular their two children. Range and the other plaintiffs elected to settle, but the case and all of the documents were closed as part of the settlement. So the newspapers sued to have the record opened.
In March of this year, a different judge reviewed the case and ordered the court documents be opened (see Judge Orders Range/Landowner Settlement in PA Made Public). Anti-drillers were disappointed to learn that there were no smoking guns–no admissions or evidence of any kind that drilling activity had polluted water, air, etc. In fact, among the documents was an affidavit signed by the Hallowiches stating that drilling had not caused any adverse health impacts for their family (see Affidavit in Range PA Settlement Shows No Drilling Health Impacts). However, there was one final document not made public by the court and the newspapers kept hounding. Success at last! The final document was released this week (copy embedded below). What does it say?…
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Latest OH Utica Numbers: 819 Permits, 460 Wells Drilled
The latest numbers of permits and wells drilled in the Ohio Utica Shale, courtesy the Akron Beacon Journal:
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Witch Hunt: NRDC Goes Looking for Enviro Apostates at EPA
Predictable. MDN told you about a sham story that recently appeared in the Los Angeles Times. The reporter claims to have a PowerPoint slide (which the Times calls a “report”) from the EPA that some people inside the EPA really do think fracking caused water problems in Dimock, PA after all, and the LA Times’ conclusion is that Godfather “big oil & gas” has “gotten” to the EPA and hushed them up (see LA Times Attempts New Hatchet Job on Fracking in Dimock).
Now that the mainstream media has done their job of lighting the fire with a new lie about Dimock, along comes fossil fuel-haters to pile on and accuse the Obama EPA–one of their own!–of being complicit in a nefarious plot to cover up “the truth” about fracking in Dimock–and while they’re at it, not just Dimock, but cover-ups in Wyoming, Texas…even the moon (if the moon had fracking). Prime example A is this missive from the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC):
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Halcón Resources Corporation, increasingly an important driller in the Utica Shale, released their second quarter update yesterday. Halcón CEO Floyd Wilson also held a conference call for analysts. On that call, Wilson boasted about Halcón’s Utica Shale program–in particular the Kibler 1H well in Trumbull County which has been producing 2,233 barrels of oil equivalent per day–75% of it liquids. Halcón, which concentrates its drilling in “oily” plays like the Bakken and Utica, is currently operating 2 drilling rigs in Ohio/Pennsylvania. They’ve drilled nine Utica wells and are now evaluating the results. Halcón has 142,000 acres leased in the Utica Shale (primarily in Ohio).
The recently signed Pennsylvania Royalty Bill SB259 provides extra transparency for landowners in how royalties are calculated, but it also introduces forced pooling for some landowners with old, pre-Marcellus leases (see