Marcellus Drilling News

Columbia Pipeline Group | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide PA

Columbia’s SE PA Pipeline Project Includes Compressor Upgrade
March 15, 2013March 15, 2013

Columbia Gas Transmission, a subsidiary of Nisource, has applied to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to add 16 miles of new pipeline in southeastern PA and NJ to help fire a natural gas-fired electricity generating plant with cheap Marcellus Shale gas. As part of that project, Columbia is upgrading a compressor station in Forks Township (Northampton County), PA. The interesting thing about the upgrade? The compressor station’s next door neighbors don’t mind at all…

Read More “Columbia’s SE PA Pipeline Project Includes Compressor Upgrade”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, Mar 15, 2013
March 15, 2013March 15, 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: Fri, Mar 15, 2013”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

JLCNY Issues Update, Begins Fundraising to Finance NY Lawsuit
March 14, 2013March 14, 2013

The Joint Landowners Coalition of New York (JLCNY), an organization representing 77,000 landowners with over 1 million acres, issued an extensive update late yesterday on: the status of their lawsuit (which is proceeding); their need for fundraising to finance the lawsuit; and the rationale/strategy for the lawsuit. Even though recent comments by Gov. Cuomo offer a “tease” that he may soon approve fracking, the JLCNY says it’s moving forward with the lawsuit anyway, essentially telling Cuomo “we’ll believe it when we see it.”

Landowners in NY have had too many broken promises and too much double-speak from Albany politicians (see NY Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo: Fracking Friend or Foe?). Through the JLCNY, landowners are now acting to protect their Constitutional property rights. It seems Cuomo, Lupardo and other Democrats have miscalculated when it comes to NY landowners and they will now pay the political and economic price. Here’s the entire update from the JLCNY, worth the read:

Read More “JLCNY Issues Update, Begins Fundraising to Finance NY Lawsuit”
Allegheny County | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Regulation | Sunoco Logistics

PA Town First to Try Regulating Pipelines – Will Ordinance Stand?
March 14, 2013March 14, 2013

On Monday, supervisors for Forward Township (Allegheny County), PA unanimously approved what is believed to be the first (and perhaps an illegal) zoning ordinance targeting and extensively regulating both gathering and transmission pipelines in the township. Sunoco is building a low-pressure liquid-gas transmission pipeline from a processing plant in Houston, Washington County that passes through about 275 properties in Forward to a distribution point in Delmont, Westmoreland County.

The town solicitor has said existing pipelines are not affected by the new ordinance. Problem is, interstate transmission lines are regulated by the federal government, and smaller gathering pipelines are regulated by the state. Pipelines are not regulated by municipalities. A lawyer at Babst Calland makes this observation on the ShaleEnergyLawBlog.com:

Read More “PA Town First to Try Regulating Pipelines – Will Ordinance Stand?”
Ohio | Statewide OH | Utica Shale

OH Utica Shale ODNR Numbers: 567 Permits, 268 Drilled
March 14, 2013March 14, 2013

The latest numbers from the ever-expanding Utica Shale in Ohio, for permits and wells drilled:

Read More “OH Utica Shale ODNR Numbers: 567 Permits, 268 Drilled”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Forced Pooling | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

Bloomberg Tries to Stir-up NY over Compulsory Integration Issue
March 14, 2013March 14, 2013

Mainstream media sources, like Bloomberg, often tip their hand as to which way they think the wind is blowing on an issue. You just have to take time to observe. For example, someone at Bloomberg believes New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is about to decide in favor of fracking. How do we know they think that? Because they run hit pieces that try to scare readers as a tactic to “stir-up the natives” so they’ll make noise.

The latest stir-up-the-natives-against-fracking hit piece from Bloomberg is on the topic of compulsory integration. If 60% of your neighbors sign a lease in New York, and fracking is allowed, and if your property is in a drilling unit (640 acres or one square mile), your land may be included in the fracking operation. Nothing would be built on top of your land, but drilling may be done under it—a mile or more down—even if you don’t want it. Bloomberg found an anti-driller—someone who has bought the lies from the anti-drilling left hook, line and sinker—and they’ve milked it (or should we say slaughtered it) for all it’s worth…

Read More “Bloomberg Tries to Stir-up NY over Compulsory Integration Issue”
Boardwalk Pipeline Partners | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | NGLs | Pipelines | Williams

Zeits Takes A Closer Look at the Bluegrass NGL Pipeline
March 14, 2013March 14, 2013

Energy analyst Richard Zeits, writing on the Seeking Alpha website, turns his attention to the recently announced Bluegrass Pipeline which will transport natural gas liquids (NGLs) from the Marcellus/Utica region to the Gulf Coast for processing (see Williams, Boardwalk Announce Marcellus-to-Gulf Coast NGL Pipeline for background and MDN’s analysis). Zeits begins his deep dive on the Bluegrass (and the wider issue of NGLs) this way:

Read More “Zeits Takes A Closer Look at the Bluegrass NGL Pipeline”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Statewide MD

Love Canal Mom Uses Fracking Issue for Second 15 Min of Fame
March 14, 2013March 14, 2013

In a pathetic and transparent attempt to tie the miracle of hydraulic fracturing (i.e. “fracking”) to the 1970s issue of chemical contamination at Love Canal in Niagara Falls, NY, anti-drillers in Maryland held a protest rally yesterday in the state capitol of Annapolis. The featured speaker at the rally was Lois Gibbs, the mom who made Love Canal a household name in the 1970s. Her actions indirectly led to the eventual creation of the EPA Superfund program. Just like Yoko Ono and the manifestly untalented Sean Lenon, she’s back for her second 15 minutes of fame and believes she can grab it by riding the coattails of the fracking issue.

Of course, fracking doesn’t contaminate and has nothing whatever to do with the kind of chemical contamination that was found in the Love Canal toxic waste dump—but confusion, obfuscation and deceit is a favorite tactic of the environmentalist left…

Read More “Love Canal Mom Uses Fracking Issue for Second 15 Min of Fame”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA House Dem Introduces Bill to Ban New Drilling on State Land
March 14, 2013March 14, 2013

Pennsylvania Democrat State Rep. Greg Vitali introduced a bill last week (H.B. 950, full copy embedded below) that would permanently ban the leasing of any additional state land for Marcellus Shale gas drilling.

Here’s Vitali’s announcement about the bill, with his reasons for introducing it (complete with obligatory eco-nut language like “old growth forests” and “fragile ecosystems”):

Read More “PA House Dem Introduces Bill to Ban New Drilling on State Land”
Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Washington County

Range Takes Robinson Twp, PA to Court over Permit Rejections
March 14, 2013March 14, 2013

In the ongoing spat between Range Resources and Robinson Township (Washington County), PA, yesterday Range filed an appeal of Robinson’s rejection of two drilling permits Range sought last year. Robinson Township officials say Range didn’t provide a sound study (how drilling noise will affect the area) and did not provide a site plan that identifies nearby buildings and structures.

Range says they’ve provided everything they need to provide legally, so they’re pushing forward with asking a judge to overturn the rejections…

Read More “Range Takes Robinson Twp, PA to Court over Permit Rejections”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania

Phelim McAleer and FrackNation Come to Philly on April 10
March 14, 2013March 14, 2013

MDN friend Phelim McAleer will be on hand at the Philadelphia premiere screening of his marvelous new documentary FrackNation on April 10 at the Bryn Mawr Film Insititute. The Delaware Valley Marcellus Association (DVMA) is sponsoring the screening.

The announcement (and details for how you can attend), from the DVMA:

Read More “Phelim McAleer and FrackNation Come to Philly on April 10”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Thu, Mar 14, 2013
March 14, 2013March 14, 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: Thu, Mar 14, 2013”
Air Quality | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Regulation

Senators Wants Answers from EPA Nominee about “Crucify Them” Al
March 13, 2013March 13, 2013

The ranking Republican member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, U.S. Sen. David Vitter (Republican from Louisiana), and several of his Senate colleagues, are “demanding answers” from Gina McCarthy, Obama’s choice to head the EPA, over her involvement with the discredited and fired Al “Crucify Them” Armendariz (see EPA Administrator Al Armendariz Resigns over Crucify Comment). Seems a colleague at EPA emailed old Al when he was under fire and Al responded at the time essentially “don’t worry about me” and made mention of Gina McCarthy’s new EPA air pollution rules as “icing on the cake.”

Clearly Armendariz saw McCarthy’s efforts as dovetailing nicely with his own strategy to “crucify” several oil and gas companies as examples to scare the rest of the “villagers” into falling into line. Sick and sleazy. (Armendariz went to work for the Sierra Club after leaving EPA.) Vitter and other Republicans are rightly concerned over the tight relationship between Armendariz and McCarthy—specifically on the matter of Armendariz’s action in outlawing Las Brisas Energy Center (LBEC) in Corpus Christi, Texas—and they want answers. Vitter issued the following press release yesterday:

Read More “Senators Wants Answers from EPA Nominee about “Crucify Them” Al”
Air Quality | Devon Energy | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues

Devon Energy Accuses EPA of “Seriously Flawed Misuse” of Data
March 13, 2013March 13, 2013

Devon Energy sent a letter March 5 to the federal Environmental Protection Agency to inform them that Devon is pulling out of the EPA’s Natural Gas STAR Program—a program aimed at reducing methane emissions. Devon says in the letter that EPA is guilty of “seriously flawed misuse” of the data provided to it by drillers to justify costly regulations and to “taint policy research.” The Devon letter minces no words…

Read More “Devon Energy Accuses EPA of “Seriously Flawed Misuse” of Data”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Statewide MD

UMD Issues 172-Page Report on Marcellus Drilling Best Practices
March 13, 2013March 13, 2013

In the past MDN has been critical of the Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission appointed by Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley. There were supposed to provide a set of best practices for hydraulic fracturing to the state legislature and have repeatedly missed their stated deadlines to do so (see Maryland Shale Commission Misses Second Deadline for Report). The first deadline that slipped by was August 1, 2012. Then it was Dec. 31, 2012. Then they (wisely) didn’t commit but said some time in the spring of 2013.

We don’t know for sure, but perhaps their recommendations are late in coming because they’ve been waiting on the University of Maryland (UMD) to complete a report on best practices. Three weeks ago, the UMD Center for Environmental Science Appalachian Laboratory in Frostburg, Maryland, submitted a 172-page report (full copy embedded below) of recommendations for drilling and fracking best practices to the Maryland Dept. of the Environment (MDE).

Read More “UMD Issues 172-Page Report on Marcellus Drilling Best Practices”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

IOGA of NY Goes to Albany to Engage in “Hallway Chatter”
March 13, 2013March 13, 2013

One day after Gov. Andrew “the Ditherer” Cuomo verbally slapped around landowners and those who favor fracking by saying they ought to refrain from lobbying and “hallway chatter” (see The Gall: Cuomo Lectures Landowners on How to Play Politics), the Independent Oil & Gas Association of New York held their annual lobbying day in Albany to, well, engage in hallway chatter…

Read More “IOGA of NY Goes to Albany to Engage in “Hallway Chatter””