The loonies are coming out of the woodwork in response to the release of the somewhat anti-fracking movie Promised Land starring Matt Damon. Case in point is a rally tomorrow in Youngstown, Ohio sponsored by Fracfree America:
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), part of the U.S. Dept. of Transportation, has issued a corrective order to Columbia Gas (subsidiary of NiSource) dealing with the pipeline explosion near Sissonville, WV on Dec. 11 (see this MDN story). The PHMSA found that the pipeline section that exploded, which was built in 1967, was getting too thin:
Read More “Thinning Pipeline Caused Explosion Near Charleston, WV”
The next time you stand on the curb and holler “TAXI!” in Steel City you may just get a ride in a natural gas-powered vehicle. One cab company in Pittsburgh is doubling the number of natgas cabs in its fleet, saving its drivers more than a generous tip when it comes to fuel savings:
Read More “Pittsburgh Cab Company Doubles Fleet of NatGas Vehicles”
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, Dec 27, 2012”
It appears that Precision Geophysical, a company doing seismic testing in and around Chillicothe Road in Bainbridge (Cuyahoga County), OH, has stirred up a hornets’ nest of trouble with local homeowners. They used thumper trucks along the road without first gaining permission from each (possibly any) of the homeowners in the area, and in at least one case lied to a homeowner about what they were doing.
Precision’s actions have OH State Rep. Matt Lynch hopping mad and leading the charge to slap Precision with a large bill for damages they may have caused to structures in the area:
Read More “Seismic Testing in OH Creates Uproar in Community”
The town board for Wawarsing, a town in Ulster County, New York (lower Hudson Valley, near New York City) illegally banned hydraulic fracturing (or “fracking”) at a town board meeting last Thursday night. The vote was unanimous, following a public hearing where not one person stood up for liberty and the Constitutional property rights of landowners. This is how democracy dies—when no one stands up for our hard-won rights.
Not that Wawarsing’s actions make a hill of beans worth of difference. There’s no retrievable Marcellus Shale gas to be had under the town anyway. Still, it’s the principle that’s at stake—that a simple majority of two or three people on a town board can strip away the property rights for everyone in the town with a simple vote.
Last week MDN told you to be on the lookout for a sale by EV Energy Partners (EVEP) of their Utica Shale acreage (see this MDN story). EVEP’s Executive Chairman, John Walker, said in November the company was looking to sell its interest in 100,000 operated acres by the end of 2012. Looks like that was a tad optimistic on Walker’s part…
Read More “EV Energy Partners Utica Acreage Sale Delayed Until 2013”
Yes, MDN is a sucker for a good railroad story—always has been. And here’s another one…
A 12-mile short line railroad in Monroe County, Ohio will soon roar back to life after being closed for 10 years—thanks to Utica and Marcellus Shale drilling:
Read More “Utica Drilling Resurrects Railroad in Monroe County, OH”
Author Tom Bodett is perhaps best known for commercials in which he’s the spokesman for a motel chain, using the phrase, “We’ll leave the light on for ya.” Quick: Which motel chain is it? If you said “Motel 6,” you would be correct. So you’ve heard of Motel 6, but have you ever heard of Studio 6? Probably not—but you soon will.
Studio 6 is a long-stay motel started by Motel 6—think something between a hotel room and a small apartment. The state of Pennsylvania is about to get it’s very first Studio 6. And where might you think it’s being built? Philadelphia? Harrisburg? Pittsburgh? Nope. It’s being built halfway between Pittsburgh and Washington, PA (so to be fair, it is in the Pittsburgh “orbit”). But PA’s very first Studio 6 is not being built for business travelers—it’s being built for those working in the Marcellus Shale drilling fields of western PA.
Read More “Marcellus Workers First to Get Studio 6 Motel in PA”
The Warren, Ohio Tribune Chronicle ran an editorial yesterday that takes a look at the profound impact Utica Shale drilling has had on the Mahoning Valley area of Ohio. As part of that editorial, they make the following worthwhile (and astute) observations:
Read More “The Undeniable Progress from Utica Shale Drilling”
Two Ohio State University students from the Youngstown, OH area have started the Buckeye Shale Energy Organization, a student group aimed at connecting students with the state’s shale oil and gas industry:
Read More “OSU Group Connects Students with Drilling Industry in Ohio”
Below are upcoming events for this week and next.
Read More “Calendar of Events for Dec 24, 20112 – Jan 6, 2013 [Free]”
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, Dec 24, 2012”
CONSOL Energy, headquartered in Pittsburgh, has been known as a coal company for generations. More recently, they’ve accumulated the fourth largest number of Marcellus Shale acres under lease and have a very active shale drilling program in both the Marcellus and the Utica Shale. So when CONSOL issues an “innocent” press release announcing three members of the executive management team are retiring, we notice.
MDN has no idea whether these announcements really mean anything beyond what they are: long-time employees retiring—although one of the three has only been with the company since 2005. Still, a big change (shake-up?) in upper management may spell a strategy change coming for the company. Here’s CONSOL’s press release from yesterday:
The latest permits issued last week by the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) for Utica Shale drilling include permits for Hilcorp, Chesapeake, Gulfport, XTO, CNX Gas and Antero.
Here’s the details on which counties and for how many wells:
Read More “New Utica Permits for Hilcorp, Chesapeake, Others”
The Joint Landowners Coalition of New York (JLCNY) wants its 77,000 members to keep up the pressure on Gov. Andrew Cuomo—especially over the holiday period—by sending him a very special “Happy New Year” card (see a copy below).
MDN received an email from the JLCNY to its members encouraging them to print out and mail a copy of their special holiday greeting card. In addition, they want members to phone the governor’s office. The message to convey? “We’ve waited long enough.”
Read More “JLCNY Sends Gov. Cuomo a Special ‘Happy New Year’ Card”