Marcellus Drilling News

Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Bucks County | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA | Tioga County (PA)

Anti-Drilling Close-up: Trout Unlimited
October 26, 2012October 26, 2012

One of the non-profit organizations that crops up in lists of those whom MDN would classify as anti-drilling is Trout Unlimited (TU). The 50 year-old organization is national in scope with 140,000 volunteers and 400 local chapters—really one of the country’s premier conservation organizations. The TU charter is “Conserving, protecting and restoring North America’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds” according to their website.

MDN has noticed that over the past several years TU runs programs—mostly on the weekends and mostly in Pennsylvania—to train volunteers in how to test streams and rivers. The aim is to test before there is drilling (or pipelines or compressor plants) in an area, to test during drilling or construction and then to test after, to see if those streams and rivers are in any way affected by drilling and related activity. So what have they found?

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Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Regulation | Taxation | Washington County

PA Rep. Jesse White Contacts MDN to Set Record Straight
October 26, 2012October 26, 2012

Yesterday MDN brought you the story of Cecil Township in Washington County, PA and how Range Resources indicated, according to the town, that they could influence the town resident who has brought a complaint against the town which is keeping the town from receiving $246,000 in impact fee revenue to drop his complaint in return for a private meeting between the town and Range (see this MDN story).

MDN quoted PA State Rep. Jesse White as part of that story. Rep. White said such an overture by Range is “extortion, plain and simple.” As part of that story, MDN referred to Rep. White as anti-drilling. He contacted us to set the record straight on that score. We always like to be accurate! So we’re happy to convey what Rep. White said.

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Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Seneca Resources

Seneca Boasts First 100% LNG-Powered Drill Rig in Marcellus
October 26, 2012October 26, 2012

EQT was the first driller in the Marcellus Shale to convert a drilling rig to run on electricity produced by LNG, or “liquefied natural gas” (see this MDN story). CONSOL has also been experimenting with converting some of their rigs to use LNG too (see this MDN story). You may now add a third driller to the list: Seneca Resources. Seneca is the gas drilling arm of National Fuel Gas Company.

Yesterday, Seneca announced they are converting two of their rigs to run on LNG. But unlike EQT and CONSOL which mix LNG with diesel fuel in a blend, Seneca is using 100% LNG to power their rigs—a first for drilling rigs in the Marcellus Shale. Seneca says they’ve already converted one rig that’s now in operation, a second rig will be finished in November, and a third rig is coming later this year. Seneca also says someday they’d like to use the gas coming out of the ground to power the rig that’s drilling it. Cool.

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Columbiana County | Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | M3 Midstream | Ohio | Pipelines | Processing Plants | Statewide OH

Dominion Signs Deal with M3 to Pipe NatGas/NGLs to New Plant
October 26, 2012October 26, 2012

Dominion Resources (a subsidiary of Dominion) has penned an agreement with M3 Ohio Gathering to hook up to wells in Ohio’s Utica Shale and move up to 180 million cubic feet per day of natural gas from those wells to the Kensington Processing Plant in Columbiana County, Ohio. The new plant is currently being built by Chesapeake Midstream, M3 and EV Energy Partners (see this MDN story for background).

Here’s the details on Dominion’s deal with M3 to pipe natural gas and gas liquids to the new processing plant:

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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Spectra Energy

Nutjob Protester Stops NYC Pipeline Construction for 2 Hours
October 26, 2012October 26, 2012

This story will help lighten the mood for Friday. Our entertainment for today comes courtesy the continuing antics of a small group of New York City protesters who object to what Mayor Michael Bloomberg has called “vital” to the city—more natural gas. Spectra Energy is building a pipeline from New Jersey, under the Hudson River, over to a pier in New York to help bring more badly-needed natural gas supplies to the city. Natural gas that will come mostly from the Marcellus Shale.

MDN told you a few weeks ago about protesters getting naked and painting themselves green (see this MDN story). On Wednesday of this week, one of the pipeline protesters (get this) didn’t even tell himself he was going to protest! He spontaneously chained himself to a backhoe. Here’s what happened:

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Dominion Energy | Energy Services

Dominion 3Q12 Update: Profits Down from Warm 2012 Winter
October 26, 2012October 26, 2012

Dominion is a huge utility and midstream (pipeline) company with customers and operations throughout the Marcellus and Utica Shale region. Yesterday Dominion issued their third quarter financials and it was not a pretty picture. Earnings for 3Q12 were down nearly half of what they were from 3Q11. Ouch. The reason? Dominion puts a lot of the blame on a hangover from a warm winter.

There’s not much in the way comment on their activities in the Marcellus in their statement below (they do mention the new Natrium, WV plant and a few other items). MDN includes their 3Q12 financial update because they are an important player in the Marcellus and Utica Shale and the overall health of the company is important to the industry.

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Energy Companies | Noble Energy

Noble Energy 3Q12 Update: Marcellus Production Up 38%
October 26, 2012October 26, 2012

Earnings reports for the third quarter continue to roll out. Yesterday, Noble Energy provided their 3Q12 update. Noble is a large company with operations in a number of countries. Here in the U.S., Noble is actively drilling in the Marcellus Shale in West Virginia. They also have a joint venture in the Marcellus in Pennsylvania. Noble reports their Marcellus production grew to 102 million cubic feet per day in the third quarter, an increase of 38% over last quarter. They also report their first two wet gas wells have started to produce natural gas liquids and are doing better than expected.

Here’s the relevant portion of the Noble announcement that focuses on the Marcellus:

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Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

New Book Released for PA Oil & Gas Law
October 26, 2012October 26, 2012

Three attorneys (two of them from Pennsylvania) with extensive experience in oil and gas law teamed up and wrote a just-released, first of its kind book, titled: Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Law and Practice. One of the PA authors, J.C. “Jay” Wilkinson, and the publisher, George T. Bisel Company, issued the following press release about the new book:

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Best of the Rest

Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, Oct 26, 2012
October 26, 2012October 26, 2012

The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading:

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Energy Companies | Range Resources Corp

Range Resources 3Q12: 24 New Wells in ‘Super-Rich’ Marcellus
October 25, 2012October 25, 2012

Range Resources posted its financial and operating update for the third quarter of 2012 yesterday. MDN has pulled out the operational report for the Marcellus Shale and includes it below. Of particular interest in the Range update are two items: 1) Range’s continued focus on what they call their “super-rich” area of the Marcellus—an area they define as having wet gas present with 1,350 Btus or higher; 2) Range had a “significant step-out well” in the super-rich area that tested at 1,044 barrels per day of natural gas liquids.

MDN has also included (below) a copy of a map Range published as part of a presentation earlier this year outlining where the super-rich area for them is located.

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Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Range Resources Corp | Regulation | Washington County

PA State Rep. White Accuses Range Resources of Extortion
October 25, 2012October 25, 2012

Pennsylvania State Rep. Jesse White (D) from Cecil, PA (Washington County) is a well-known and devoted anti-driller. He’s accusing Range Resources of attempted extortion of the Town of Cecil. Here’s the background:

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Blue Ridge Mtn Res/Magnum Hunter | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | M&A | Ohio | Statewide OH | Statewide WV | West Virginia

Magnum Hunter Buys Virco for $106.7M with 51,500 Net Acres
October 25, 2012October 25, 2012

Magnum Hunter announced this morning they’ve purchased 100% of privately-held Viking International Resources, Inc. (“Virco”) for $106.7 million using a stock swap and cash. The deal means Magnum Hunter will get an additional 51,500 net acres in the Marcellus and Utica Shale in West Virginia and Ohio, pushing their total acreage to something just over 166,000 acres throughout the Appalachian region. Management already has it’s eye on the new acreage and has identified 74 new drilling locations in the Marcellus and 31 new locations in the Utica Shale.

Details on the transaction and what it means:

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Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Marshall County | NGLs | Processing Plants | West Virginia

Dominion $500M NGL Processing Plant in WV to Open in December
October 25, 2012October 25, 2012

Some 903 workers are hard at work in Natrium, WV building Dominion Resources’ new processing plant. Dominion announced they would build a $500 million natural gas liquids processing plant in August 2011 (see this MDN story). Dominion says they are on track to open the facility in December of this year.

Once the plant is done it will process an incoming 200 million cubic feet per day of Marcellus and Utica Shale “wet gas” and separate it into ethane, pentane, butane, propane and other compounds for resale. But the plant is not without controversy. The local trade union is not happy that the contractor building the new plant is only using one-third local workers for the project:

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CONSOL Energy | Energy Companies

CONSOL 3Q12 Update: $11M Loss, Spent $438M on New Projects
October 25, 2012October 25, 2012

CONSOL Energy released third quarter results today and it’s not pretty for the energy giant (a loss of $11 million) because of their historical dependence on coal as their main source of revenue. CONSOL continues to diversify, namely by expanding into shale gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale. But coals gradual decline is having an impact on the company.

Although these quarterly earnings reports tend to cause glazing over of the eyes, every now and again you pick up a juicy tidbit, like MDN did with this report. Among the language is a brief reference to how much it costs CONSOL to produce natural gas per thousand cubic feet. How much is it costing CONSOL?

Read More “CONSOL 3Q12 Update: $11M Loss, Spent $438M on New Projects”
Energy Services | GreenHunter Resources | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Ritchie County | Washington County (OH) | Wastewater | West Virginia

GreenHunter Buys 2 More Wastewater Injection Wells
October 25, 2012October 25, 2012

GreenHunter Energy, a company specializing in treatment and disposal of fracking wastewater, continues to add new wastewater injection wells to its portfolio. Just today they announced they’ve purchased two more injection wells, one in Washington County, OH and the other in Ritchie County, WV. In February of this year, GreenHunter purchased three injection wells, one of which was also in Washington County, OH (see this MDN story).

Here’s the details about the two newest injection wells for GreenHunter:

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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | M&A

No Major Marcellus M&A Deals in 3Q12
October 25, 2012October 25, 2012

According to a PricewaterhouseCoopers report due out today, there were no major mergers and acquisitions of $50 million or more among energy companies for deals in the Marcellus Shale during the third quarter of 2012—the first time that’s happened since early 2010. Why?

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