A quarterly mergers & acquisitions report by PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP) shows the Marcellus and Utica Shale regions were respectively the second and third most popular locations for big M&A deals for the first quarter of 2013. Just three deals totaling $882 million happened in the Marcellus alone…
Read More “Big Money Spent on Marcellus & Utica M&A Deals for 1Q13”
The down sides of drilling, if you happen to live close to a drill site, are noise, flood lights for working at night, and truck traffic. Residents of the Westwood Lake Mobile Home Park in Trumbull County, OH can attest to that. The good news is, drilling only lasts a short time—typically a month or less. Still, someone banging on your door at 3 a.m. in the morning is a bit much…
Read More “Trumbull County Mobile Home Park Doesn’t Like Utica Drilling”
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 24, 2013”
A truck with Marcellus Shale drill cuttings entering a landfill in Westmoreland County, PA triggered a radiation alarm last Friday. The truck was quarantined and after finding that yes indeed, the cuttings were a tad too radioactive for disposal at the landfill, the truck was sent back to the drilling site in Greene County.
The details:
Read More “Marcellus Drill Cuttings Set Off Radiation Alarm at SW PA Landfill”
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%.
Read More “Pew Research Poll: Only Half of US Adults Know What Fracking Is”
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…
Read More “IOGA of NY to Cuomo: Your Indecision is Killing ALL NY Drilling”
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:
Read More “ODNR Awards 2 New Forced Pooling Orders in OH – to BP”
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:
Read More “Anti-Drilling Eco-Nuts on Parade in PA for Earth Day”
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…
Read More “Utica Angst Continues – A Close Look at the Utica Tea Leaves”
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:
Read More “ShaleNavigator Expands Again: Adds New Areas to Online Mapping App”
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…
Read More “Gastar Sells East Texas Assets, Will Concentrate on Marcellus”
Chesapeake Energy has just opened a new field office in Belmont County, OH at the Fox Commerce Park, just west of St. Clairsville:
Read More “Chesapeake Opens New Regional Office in Belmont County, OH”
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 23, 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…
Read More “Upstate NY Farmers with Tickets Barred from Gasland 2 Premier”
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…
Read More “Muskingum Watershed Votes to Sell 209M Gals of Water for Fracking”
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…