Marcellus Drilling News

Allegheny County | Pennsylvania

Southwest Airlines Begins Daily Roundtrip Houston/Pittsburgh
April 16, 2013April 16, 2013

Makes sense that Houston, the reigning champ as "energy capital of the world" and Pittsburgh, the challenger and on the ascendancy to the title, would have a direct airline flight between them. Until last weekend, there was one–United. United is now joined by a second direct flight every day: Southwest Airlines.

Southwest announced on Sunday they have begun a daily flight from Pittsburgh to Houston and back.

Read More “Southwest Airlines Begins Daily Roundtrip Houston/Pittsburgh”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Tue, Apr 16, 2013
April 16, 2013April 16, 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: Tue, Apr 16, 2013”
Accidents | Blue Ridge Mtn Res/Magnum Hunter | Energy Companies | Energy Services | Eureka Midstream | Industrywide Issues | Tyler County | West Virginia

Flash Fire at Pipeline Station in WV Kills 1, Injures 3 Others
April 15, 2013April 15, 2013

A flash fire at a "pig receiving station" along a Eureka Hunter pipeline near Wick (Tyler County), WV last Thursday evening seriously injured three people requiring they be airlifted to Pittsburgh. A fourth person was taken to a local hospital. Sadly, one of the seriously injured workers, 56-year-old Bruce Phipps of Marietta, Ohio, died late Friday night. Pipeline Inspection Gauges (or Pigs) are used for pipeline cleaning, inspection and maintenance, and fluid batching in pipelines. A pig is pushed along the inside of a pipeline by the flow of liquid or gas. A pig launching station is used to insert the pig into a pipeline using a series of valves and hatches. The pig is pushed through the pipeline by the liquid or gas stream to the pig receiving station.

It was at such a receiving station where the flash fire occurred. According to news accounts, the flash fire was under control within 15 minutes…

Read More “Flash Fire at Pipeline Station in WV Kills 1, Injures 3 Others”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Regulation | Statewide WV | West Virginia

WV Shale Drilling Bills that Failed in 2013 Legislative Session
April 15, 2013April 15, 2013

Whether it was from industry lobbying, landowner pushback, or just lack of interest, a number of bills introduced in the West Virginia legislature’s 60-day session for 2013 (which adjourned Saturday) failed to get enough traction for a vote and have died.

A short list of the measures that didn’t measure up:

Read More “WV Shale Drilling Bills that Failed in 2013 Legislative Session”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

JLCNY Keeps up Letter Writing Pressure on NY Gov. Cuomo
April 15, 2013April 15, 2013

The 77,000-member Joint Landowners Coalition of New York issued another request from gas drilling supporters late last week to keep sending letters to Gov. Andrew Cuomo in an attempt to convince him to move forward with authorizing drilling. Saying that "we ARE winning in NY," and that this is now "a numbers game," JLCNY president Dan Fitzsimmons provided two more form letters for supporters to print out and send (both embedded below). MDN encourages you to do it…

Read More “JLCNY Keeps up Letter Writing Pressure on NY Gov. Cuomo”
Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA | Taxation

PA Fish & Boat Commission Wants to Charge Drillers for PA Water
April 15, 2013April 15, 2013

The executive director of the PA Fish and Boat Commission, John Arway, is "mad" and says the Marcellus drilling industry is "stealing" PA’s water and not paying for it, and that ticks him off. Solution? Make industry pay. Oh, it will also help close a shortfall in his department’s budget of $9 million too (starting in 2017).

Apparently both Republicans and Democrats are showing interest in the idea and have introduced a measure in the PA Senate to study the idea of slapping a surcharge on PA’s water:

Read More “PA Fish & Boat Commission Wants to Charge Drillers for PA Water”
CNX Resources | CONSOL Energy | Energy Companies

CONSOL’s Detailed 1Q13 Operations Update for Marcellus/Utica
April 15, 2013April 15, 2013

On Friday, CONSOL Energy (CNX Gas) issued an operational update for the first quarter of 2013. CONSOL said they had a "strong" start to 2013 by drilling 14 new horizontal wells—12 of them in the Marcellus, and 2 in the Utica.

Here’s the portion of the update dealing their gas drilling operations which identifies not only what they did, but where they did and didn’t do it, and in the case of joint ventures, who they did it with:

Read More “CONSOL’s Detailed 1Q13 Operations Update for Marcellus/Utica”
Blue Ridge Mtn Res/Magnum Hunter | Energy Companies | Ohio | Triad Hunter | Utica Shale | Washington County (OH)

Magnum Hunter Drills First OH Utica Shale Well
April 15, 2013April 15, 2013

Although Friday for Magnum Hunter Resources was marred by the sad news of the flash fire in Tyler County, WV, the company (earlier in the day) issued a good news press release, one of importance: Magnum Hunter, through it’s subsidiary Triad Hunter, has just started drilling it’s first Utica Shale well in Ohio—northern Washington County.

The press release identifying where it’s being drilled:

Read More “Magnum Hunter Drills First OH Utica Shale Well”
Industrywide Issues | Taxation

IRS Provides Helpful Tips on Reporting Shale Drilling Income
April 15, 2013April 15, 2013

Tax day. Yuck. The IRS has issued a helpful guide for landowners in the Marcellus and Utica Shale (or anywhere for that matter) called "Tips on Reporting Natural Resource Income" that will lists IRS publications that can help. It appears their list of resources page (see below) was posted on the IRS site on April 11–not really time enough to do much about it now except to quickly file an amended return (if you’ve already filed) or an extension (if you haven’t filed). As painful as it is, landowners should review the information below—at least scan it—to be sure you’re not overlooking something important.

From lease bonus payments to royalties to "depletion deductions," the IRS has it covered…

Read More “IRS Provides Helpful Tips on Reporting Shale Drilling Income”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA | Washington County | Wastewater

PA Rep Jesse White to Introduce Law Banning Open Frack Ponds
April 15, 2013April 15, 2013

PA State Rep. Jesse White, a Democrat from Cecil with an ongoing grudge match with Range Resources (and someone who claims to be in favor of responsible drilling), will soon introduce a bill into the PA legislature that would ban Marcellus Shale wastewater frack ponds. He’s looking for co-sponsors for the legislation and using the new Center for Sustainable Shale Development (CSSD) as his political cover/excuse to push for it.

White incorrectly states the CSSD’s new standards call for the elimination of open impoundments or frack ponds. Standard #3 says no open ponds for fracking fluid, but Standard #4 says open frack ponds are permissible for "produced" or "flowback" water—the deep layer salt water that comes out after the drilling fluid has been removed (see MDN’s summary of the rules here: Important: Drillers & Enviros Form New Group, Launch Cert Program). Although he uses the CSSD for justification, White’s proposal goes well beyond what they’re stipulating…

Read More “PA Rep Jesse White to Introduce Law Banning Open Frack Ponds”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Cumberland County | Education | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Taxation

Brainwash Complete: Dickinson Co-Ed Wants PA Severance Tax
April 15, 2013April 15, 2013

A young college co-ed from Dickinson College has penned an editorial run in the Harrisburg Patriot-News proving what a valuable education one gets at Dickinson—where they teach kids that drilling destroys the environment. (Hint: You may want to re-think sending your children, and your money, to Dickinson College).

Here’s her "brilliance" on display (with snarky MDN comments inserted):

Read More “Brainwash Complete: Dickinson Co-Ed Wants PA Severance Tax”
Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania | Supply Chain

Air Products in Wilkes-Barre, PA – A Shale Gas Success Story
April 15, 2013April 15, 2013

Air Products is located on the outskirts of Wilkes-Barre, PA. If you’ve ever heard of the Air Products business, you may conjure up an image of small cylinder tanks of helium or other "rare" gases sitting inside a chain fence. Yes, Air Products sells gases by the tank, but they also manufacture the mother of all gas tanks, and that’s where the shale gas business comes in…

Read More “Air Products in Wilkes-Barre, PA – A Shale Gas Success Story”
Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Mon, Apr 15, 2013
April 15, 2013April 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: Mon, Apr 15, 2013”
Energy Companies | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Processing Plants | Shell | Williams

Shell & Williams Tie the Knot on New Midstream JV for NW PA
April 12, 2013April 12, 2013

More pipelines for both dry and wet gas, and perhaps just as important, a new cryogenic gas processing plant is coming to northwestern PA courtesy of a brand new joint venture partnership between midstream giant Williams and exploration & production giant Shell. The new jv will service not only Shell (the first customer to be signed), but also other energy producers in the area. It will be aimed at both the Marcellus and Utica Shale in the region.

Here’s the announcement from the happy newlyweds:

Read More “Shell & Williams Tie the Knot on New Midstream JV for NW PA”
Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio | Statewide OH

New OH Group Agrees with Gov. Kasich: Keep the Foreigners Out
April 12, 2013April 12, 2013

Echoing the same sentiment expressed by Ohio Gov. John Kasich that out-of-state workers are considered "foreigners" (see OH Gov. Kasich Continues Trash Talk Out-of-State Workers), a grassroots group in Ohio has formed to "protect" Ohio workers and lobby and "hold energy companies accountable" for hiring more Ohioans for Utica Shale oil and gas drilling jobs. The group, called Protecting Ohio Workers, Employing Residents (or POWER for short), issued the following press release on Wednesday:

Read More “New OH Group Agrees with Gov. Kasich: Keep the Foreigners Out”
Energy Companies | Range Resources Corp

Range Hits New Record Production for 1Q13 – Thanks to the Marcellus
April 12, 2013April 12, 2013

Range Resources announced first quarter production numbers yesterday and its very good news. Production volume is up 34% over the first quarter of 2012–to a new high of 876 million cubic feeet per day (Mmcfe/d). According to Range, the increase is mostly due to the Marcellus Shale.

The Range announcement:

Read More “Range Hits New Record Production for 1Q13 – Thanks to the Marcellus”