Marcellus Drilling News

Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Research

New MIT Study on Fugitive Methane Discredits Cornell Study
November 29, 2012November 29, 2012

A new peer-reviewed study by MIT (see below) obliterates the findings and false claims made in a previous Cornell University study by Robert Howarth and Tony Ingraffea. The Cornell study tried to make the case that natural gas is actually worse for the environment than burning coal because of so-called greenhouse gas emissions from “fugitive methane” escaping into the atmosphere during the gas drilling process (see this MDN story).

A new study published in Environmental Research Letters by MIT researchers has done some actual—instead of theoretical—measurements and has found that “fugitive emissions” of methane are much smaller than Howarth and Ingraffea stated. Smaller by orders of magnitude—like only 22% of what the Cornell study theorized them to be. Oops. Paging Howarth and Ingraffea—the dean wants to see you in his office NOW.

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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Education | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Profs Target New Energy Training Center at Philly College
November 29, 2012November 29, 2012

A few weeks ago the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) announced plans to create what they call an “Energy Training Center” with the purpose of connecting Philadelphia-area residents with Marcellus Shale jobs. The president of CCP, Stephen Curtis, says the new program is essentially just a marketing campaign that repackages courses already offered by the school—there’s no new curriculum involved. Sounds like a smart move—no new courses or professors needed, repackage what you have, and put more Pennsylvanians to work. Except…

Except one professor at the school got his feelings hurt because no one told him about it before the press release was issued, and another professor is rabidly anti-drilling and opposed to it because of her twisted ideology. Both are now actively working to prevent the program from going forward. In other words, they would rather see fewer students and less income for the school if implementing this new marketing program goes against their own ideology (or selfish interest).

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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Athens County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Wastewater

OH Protesters Ejected from Injection Well Open House
November 29, 2012November 29, 2012

Oh gee, what a surprise. Anti-drillers behaving badly…once again. This time in Athens, Ohio:

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Research | Wastewater

DOE Funds Projects to Make Shale “Environmentally Acceptable”
November 29, 2012November 29, 2012

The massive federal government will not leave shale energy alone—that’s a given. Not because they think they can protect citizens, but because they want to control it. The latest attempt is by funding 15 research projects addressing what they consider “technical challenges to environmentally acceptable shale gas development.” The very concept is repugnant. Big-brother government choosing how an industry will do its job—what technologies it will be “allowed” to use. Welcome to Obamaland, Alice.

Yesterday the Dept. of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy announced 15 projects (“winners”) that they will fund over the next two years with $28 million of your tax money to research shale energy and ways to control it minimize it’s impact on the environment. Three of the 15 “winners” are located in the Marcellus and Utica Shale region. Here’s the announcement listing who got what from the government gravy train:

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Columbiana County | Energy Companies | Hilcorp Energy | Ohio | Utica Shale

Hilcorp Energy Plans New Utica Well in Salem Township, OH
November 29, 2012November 29, 2012

Hilcorp Energy plans to drill a Utica Shale well in Salem Township (Columbiana County), Ohio. Last night at the Salem Township trustee meeting a Hilcorp rep requested information about certain roads and made the comment that they plan to drill soon.

Read More “Hilcorp Energy Plans New Utica Well in Salem Township, OH”
Harrison County | Noble County | Ohio | Utica Shale

5 More Permits Issued in Ohio Utica Shale Last Week
November 29, 2012November 29, 2012

The latest Utica Shale well permits issued (by county) through Nov. 24, courtesy our friends at the Akron Beacon Journal:

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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Statewide WV | West Virginia

WV Jobs, Wages Go Up Because of Marcellus Shale Drilling
November 29, 2012November 29, 2012

WorkForce West Virginia issued a new report to the WV legislature on Wednesday documenting that employment throughout WV in the oil and gas industry has increased 10% since 2008, and average wages for those workers have gone up 19%. Why? The Marcellus Shale, of course.

A few more interesting facts and figures from the report:

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Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Thu, Nov 29, 2012
November 29, 2012November 29, 2012

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, Nov 29, 2012”
Belmont County | Energy Companies | Energy Services | Gulfport Energy | MarkWest Energy | Ohio | Utica Shale

Gulfport’s New Utica Well Produces Mind-blowing 28.5 Mmcf/d!
November 28, 2012November 28, 2012

First we had the “Alpha Dog” Utica Shale well from Gulfport Energy, the Wagner 1-H well producing 14 million cubic feet of natural gas per day (see this MDN story). Then we had an even bigger success with Gulfport’s Shugert 1-1H, which MDN dubbed the “King of Utica Shale wells” producing a whopping 20 million cubic feet of gas per day (see this MDN story). We’re running out of metaphors to use! Yesterday Gulfport reported a flow rate of 28.5 million cubic feet per day on the Shugert 1-12H well (in Belmont County, OH), sister well to the 1-1H. Wow! Shall we call the 1-12H the Emperor Utica Shale well? It certainly ascends to the throne as the top-most producing well in the Utica.

In the same announcement from yesterday Gulfport said it has made its first sales in the Utica Shale via MarkWest Energy. Here is the full press release with details on the Shugert 1-12H and MarkWest:

Read More “Gulfport’s New Utica Well Produces Mind-blowing 28.5 Mmcf/d!”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

NY DEC Files for 90-Day Fracking Rules Extension, What Now?
November 28, 2012November 28, 2012

It’s official: The New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will file for a 90-day extension on the rulemaking process for fracking. Although it would be better for the DEC to just release the new rules now, before tomorrow (Nov. 29), at least the process is still alive, albeit now delayed. Still, given the current climate in New York, MDN takes it as good news for landowners and a signal that drilling may indeed yet come to the Empire State.

Here’s how it all came down yesterday, with Gov. Andrew Cuomo admitting to reporters that the DEC will “have to” file for an extension:

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Energy Companies | Trans Energy | West Virginia | Wetzel County

Trans Energy Update on WV Marcellus Wells: “Two of Our Best”
November 28, 2012November 28, 2012

Trans Energy issued the following production update yesterday about two Marcellus Shale wells they’ve drilled in Wetzel County, WV, which they call “two of our best performing wells to date”:

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Elk County | Energy Companies | Energy Services | Ensign Drilling | Forest County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Jefferson County (PA) | Lycoming County | McKean County | Pennsylvania | Seneca Resources

Second Seneca 100% LNG-Powered Drilling Rig Goes Online
November 28, 2012November 28, 2012

MDN recently told you about Seneca Resources, the first Marcellus driller to convert a drilling rig to run on a 100% liquefied natural gas (LNG) engine, a rig they now use for drilling in Lycoming County, PA (see this MDN story). Seneca has just completed the conversion of a second 100% LNG-powered rig and uses it for drilling in Forest, Elk, Jefferson and McKean counties in PA.

Stands to reason the company that makes the engine would want to crow about it, and sure enough they now have. General Electric is the manufacturer of the Jenbacher J320 turbocharged natural gas engine, and they issued this press release yesterday about their innovative new engine being used by Seneca:

Read More “Second Seneca 100% LNG-Powered Drilling Rig Goes Online”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

NY DEC New Permit System for Large Water Withdrawals
November 28, 2012November 28, 2012

In order to comply with the Great Lakes Compact, the New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation yesterday instituted a new permitting system for large water withdrawals from NY bodies of water. The new system impacts any industry or user withdrawing more than 100,000 gallons per day. It also helps pave the way for natural gas drillers who use fracking—when and if new fracking rules are released in the state.

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Economic Impact | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues

Marcellus Shale Production Up 72% in One Year
November 28, 2012November 28, 2012

A few facts and figures about the Marcellus Shale and it’s immense importance to the energy picture in the United States, from a recent U.S. Energy Information Administration report:

Read More “Marcellus Shale Production Up 72% in One Year”
Energy Companies | Forest County | Pennsylvania | Seneca Resources | Utica Shale

Seneca Resources Targets Utica Shale – in Western PA
November 28, 2012November 28, 2012

You mostly hear about about drillers targeting the Utica Shale formation in eastern Ohio. But the Utica is much larger than just portions of Ohio—it underlies much of New York and Pennsylvania as well. Yesterday Seneca Resources (the drilling division of National Fuel Gas Company) issued an update that details how they are testing the Utica in western Pennsylvania, which lies beneath most of their leased Marcellus acreage.

Here’s what Seneca reported on initial results from a well drilled in Forest County, PA:

Read More “Seneca Resources Targets Utica Shale – in Western PA”
Allegheny County | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Wastewater

Setting the Record Straight on Bromides and Drilling in PA
November 28, 2012November 28, 2012

A few weeks ago the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette took a swipe at the gas drilling industry with an article that implied that wastewater from drilling is responsible for ongoing, high levels of bromides in the Allegheny River near Pittsburgh. Louis D’Amico, the president and executive director of the Pennsylvania Independent Oil & Gas Association (PIOGA), responds in today’s PPG to set the record straight and provide background and context missing from the article.

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