Marcellus Drilling News

Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Ohio | Statewide OH | Utica Shale

Why More Ohioans Don’t Work in Utica Shale Industry? Drugs
January 11, 2013January 11, 2013

Er, um, we’re not exactly sure how to broach this delicate topic without offending a great many residents of Ohio, including Ohio Gov. John Kasich who keeps saying he doesn’t want “foreign” workers in Ohio’s oil and gas fields (meaning he wants Ohioans only, not workers from Texas and Oklahoma), but, well, Gov. Kasich? Maybe you don’t have more Ohioans working in those gas fields because 50-60% of the Ohioans applying for those jobs are druggies. Yeah, you read that right. Half or more are strung out on drugs—both illegal and/or prescription.

In a recent interview, the head of the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program, Rhonda Reda, said that 50-60% of those applying for jobs in eastern Ohio’s shale industry are rejected because of the presence of illegal drugs or the “wrong” kind of prescription drugs (like Vicodin) found in the pee test. Note: we did not say half of all Ohioans use drugs! It’s half of all Ohioans applying for these jobs.

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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Crude Oil | Industrywide Issues

Al Gore’s Price to Sell Out the Environment? $500 Million
January 11, 2013January 11, 2013

Perhaps no one on the planet is more identified with the cause of “going green” and dumping fossil fuels than former Vice President (under Bill Clinton), and later presidential candidate, Al Gore. He even wrote a book in 1992 called “Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit” in which he said, among other outrageous and silly things, that one of the greatest threats to humanity is the invention of the internal combustion engine. He also tried to gin up support for selling “carbon credits,” a scam to tax the global energy industry. We already know the man is crackers. Now we know he’s a hypocrite too…

Read More “Al Gore’s Price to Sell Out the Environment? $500 Million”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

Who Did & Didn’t Attend NYS Assembly Hearing on Fracking
January 11, 2013January 11, 2013

Today, Friday, Jan. 11, 2013, is the final day of a new 30-day comment period from the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) required under law so the DEC would not have to restart the entire process of approving new drilling regulations, including regulations for hydraulic fracturing (fracking). Anti-drilling groups are trying to derail the inevitable approval of the new rules by a) dumping 200,000 new comments on the DEC, which we’re sure the DEC really appreciates, and b) by holding a joint hearing in the NYS Assembly yesterday.

The Assembly joint hearing, spearheaded by three anti-drilling Assembly Democrats (see NY Assemblyman Try to Stop the Clock on Fracking Comment Period), was supposed to hear from more than 50 people who signed up in advance to address the hearing. Almost all of the speakers signed up were anti-drilling, no surprise given who was hosting the hearing. But not all got to speak because one brave pro-drilling soul went on the hot seat for nearly two hours…

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

NY Energy Lawyer Tom West Says Latest DEC Revisions Go Too Far
January 11, 2013January 11, 2013

One item of note in the news generated around today’s deadline to provide comments to the New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) about their latest revisions to proposed fracking regulations…

MDN picked up on the published comments from energy industry lawyer Tom West who said he was filing comments on behalf of landowners and drillers. His comments about this latest round of changes by the DEC of their proposed fracking rules were decidedly pessimistic:

Read More “NY Energy Lawyer Tom West Says Latest DEC Revisions Go Too Far”
Accidents | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

EPA Keeps Investigating Fracking/Water Contamination in WY
January 11, 2013January 11, 2013

In a desperate attempt to save face and prove there’s at least one lone, solitary instance where fracking can be “proven” to have contaminated a groundwater aquifer (out of the hundreds of thousands of times it’s been done), the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has, for the third time, moved the goal posts in Pavillion, Wyoming. Yesterday the EPA announced they were extending a public comment period a third time, extending it to Sept. 30, 2013.

For a quick backgrounder on the non-controversy in Pavillion, see 3 Things to Know about Pavillion, Fracking & Water Contamination and API Says EPA Botched Pavillion, WY Fracking Tests. Here’s the latest:

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Ohio | Statewide OH | Utica Shale

Utica Shale Potpourri: from Names to Production to Multiple Wells
January 11, 2013January 11, 2013

Akron Beacon Journal reporter Bob Downing—in our opinion Bob is one of the best reporters covering the Utica Shale story in Ohio—brings us the following six “tidbits” that didn’t make it into a larger story he wrote looking back at 2012 and ahead to 2013 with respect to Utica Shale drilling.

There’s some interesting factoids below, along with MDN’s own (snarky) thoughts interspersed, including how one Ohio official wants to rename the Utica Shale! Forthwith:

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Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, Jan 11, 2013
January 11, 2013January 11, 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, Jan 11, 2013”
Ohio | Statewide OH | Utica Shale

Ohio Passes 200 Drilled Utica Shale Wells, New Permits Keep Coming
January 10, 2013January 10, 2013

Ohio has joined the “200 Club”. As of last week, more than 200 horizontal shale wells have now been drilled in the Utica Shale, according to the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR). Of those 200+ wells drilled, 47 are currently producing.

Here’s where the drilling hot spots are located:

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Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA | Taxation

Did PA DEP Undercount Act 13 Wells & Forfeit $303M in Revenue?
January 10, 2013January 24, 2013

Note: MDN’s headline originally stated “$100M” in revenue was forfeited. The study’s lead author, Joel Gehman, contacted MDN to correct that number. We misunderstood. They believe the DEP has forfeited two to three times that amount: $205-$303 million.

In an attempt to shame the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) into action to improve their data reporting for unconventional shale wells, researchers at the University of Alberta and McGill University (both in Canada) have published a paper in the journal Environmental Practice claiming the DEP undercounted the number of natural gas wells used for assessing the new Act 13 impact fee, thereby denying the state an extra ~~$100~~ $205-$303 million they could have received in tax revenue (see article below).

The article/study is titled “An Analysis of Unconventional Gas Well Reporting Under Pennsylvania’s Act 13 of 2012” and is peer reviewed, which supposedly blesses it as being accurate. However, the PA DEP strongly objected to the methodology used by the researchers and has said, point blank, they misunderstand the Act 13 requirements for what constitutes an unconventional well under the Act 13 law. DEP says there is no missing tax revenue due to an undercount. The researchers glibly reply the purpose of the article is to needle the DEP into “fixing” their data problem.

Read More “Did PA DEP Undercount Act 13 Wells & Forfeit $303M in Revenue?”
Maryland | Statewide MD

New Map Shows Location of Marcellus Shale in Western Maryland
January 10, 2013January 10, 2013

The Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources has just released a new “Geological Map of Garrett, Allegany and western Washington Counties in Maryland” (embedded below)—the first comprehensive geologic map of the region published in more than 50 years. The map covers the western counties of Maryland, providing a current look at how bedrock units and major surface deposits are distributed. The location of the Marcellus Shale is a prominent feature of the new map.

According to the Maryland DNR:

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Energy Companies | Halcon Resources | Ohio | Trumbull County | Utica Shale

Location of Second Halcon Utica Well in Trumbull County, OH
January 10, 2013January 10, 2013

Halcon Resources continues their rapid pace of new drilling in Trumbull County, Ohio. MDN recently told you that the very first horizontal Utica Shale well to be drilled in Trumbull is now under way by Halcon in Hartford township (see Trumbull County’s First Utica Shale Well Now in Process).

Looks like Lordstown will be the location for the second Trumbull County well to be drilled by Halcon. Here’s exactly where in Lordstown:

Read More “Location of Second Halcon Utica Well in Trumbull County, OH”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

PA DEP Finalizes Procedure for Using Acid Mine Water in Fracking
January 10, 2013January 10, 2013

For most of 2012 the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) researched how it might encourage, evaluate and control the use of acid mine drainage water for use in fracking natural gas wells. Such a practice would fix two problems at the same time—clean up acid mine drainage, and provide an abundant source for water to use in fracking. The DEP announced yesterday they have finalized their procedures and have published them in a white paper (see the white paper embedded below).

More than 300 million gallons of water is discharged from mines in PA waterways every day—a really big problem. This initiative is a win/win for the state.

Read More “PA DEP Finalizes Procedure for Using Acid Mine Water in Fracking”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

Out-of-Towners Show up at NY State of State Address to Oppose Fracking
January 10, 2013January 10, 2013

Unfortunately MDN editor Jim Willis could not attend the Albany, NY rally yesterday to show support for fracking. Both sides of the debate were out with placards and signs in the state capital in a show of support (or opposition) for the benefit of a single person: Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who delivered his State of the State address. On his way to the Capitol, Cuomo got to see signs and shouts of support/opposition from both sides. What did he see?

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Lario Oil and Gas | Ohio | Statewide OH | Trumbull County | Utica Shale

New Driller Enters Eastern Ohio’s Utica Shale
January 10, 2013January 10, 2013

Trumbull County, Ohio apparently has a new driller. No permits have been issued yet, but local land deeds show that Lario Oil and Gas, a Kansas-based company, has leased the mineral rights for “hundreds of acres” in Newton Township. They say they have leased thousands of acres in eastern Ohio:

Read More “New Driller Enters Eastern Ohio’s Utica Shale”
Energy Companies | Hess | Ohio | Statewide OH | Utica Shale

Hess Announces 2013 Plans, Includes Ohio Utica Drilling
January 10, 2013January 10, 2013

Hess Corporation announced its plans for 2013 yesterday. Among those plans—drill a lot more unconventional (i.e. shale) wells. Some of the drilling they’ve budgeted for 2013 includes “appraisal wells” in the Ohio Utica Shale.

From the Hess announcement:

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Atlas Energy | Energy Companies

Atlas Resource Partners – Drilling Plans for 2013
January 10, 2013January 10, 2013

Atlas Resource Partners, an exploration & production master limited partnership which owns an interest in over 10,100 producing natural gas and oil wells, primarily in the Marcellus/Utica Shale region in the northeast, and the Barnett Shale in Texas, released an update yesterday on their drilling and hedging plans for 2013.

From the announcement:

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