Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Mon, Oct 8, 2012
The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading:
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Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | New York | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Research | Statewide MD | Statewide NY | Statewide OH | Statewide PA | Statewide VA | Statewide WV | Utica Shale | Virginia | West Virginia
USGS Releases Official Estimate of Oil & Gas in Utica Shale
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has just released their first official assessment (i.e. estimate) of how much recoverable natural gas, oil and gas liquids is located in the Utica Shale throughout Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland and Virginia (a full copy of the USGS assessment is embedded below).The USGS estimates the Utica is #3 in size behind the Marcellus (#1) and Green River Basin (#2) for volume of recoverable natural gas in the U.S. Here are the numbers from the USGS, along with and a brief introduction to their first-ever assessment of the Utica:
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Ohio’s Less Than Stellar Results from Oil Drilling
The story line for development of the Marcellus and Utica Shale going back to the beginning of this year was, “Drillers are leaving the dry gas areas and going after wet gas,” meaning natural gas liquids. Why? Because the price for liquids is more favorable. That meant drilling activity was lessening in places like northeast Pennsylvania and (supposedly) moving to southwest PA, northern WV and eastern OH. To some degree that has happened.
However, the price for natural gas liquids has fallen due an abundance created by Marcellus and Utica Shale drilling. So the more recent story has been a move toward drilling for crude oil, especially in Ohio. But drilling for crude in Ohio isn’t working out so well—at least for some drillers.
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Scranton Landfill Wants to Double (Again) Shale Cuttings
The Keystone Sanitary Landfill, located on the borders of Dunmore and Throop, PA (Scranton suburbs) applied to the state Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) last December to increase the amount of Marcellus shale cuttings—rock and soil leftover after drilling—from 600 tons to 1,000 tons per day. They also applied to accept “unprocessed” cuttings from drillers (see this MDN story for background).
The permit was granted in early March. Elected officials in Throop fought the increase but eventually dropped their fight from lack of interest and money (see this MDN story). Keystone just filed a new request to double the amount of cuttings again, from 1,000 to 2,000 tons per day. They also want trucks to be allowed to haul it in 24/7.
Read More “Scranton Landfill Wants to Double (Again) Shale Cuttings”
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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Processing Plants | Statewide PA | Statewide WV | West Virginia | Williams
Williams Official Gives WV Huge Compliment, Disses PA
At a Chamber of Commerce dinner in Marshall County, WV held last night, Darrell Bull, the general manager of Williams Ohio Valley Midstream (a division of midstream giant Williams) paid a huge compliment to West Virginia and dissed Pennsylvania.
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PennFuture Challenges PA DEP Wastewater Treatment Permit
On Monday, the anti-drilling organization PennFuture filed an appeal with the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board over a permit granted by the state Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) that allows treated Marcellus Shale wastewater to be used for purposes like keeping dust down on roads, and as a source of roadway salt (for wintertime).
According to PennFuture’s appeal (full copy embedded below), the DEP held public hearings were held for one use—simply treating the wastewater at a certain facility—and then the DEP turned around and issued a permit for a different use. PennFuture calls it a “switcheroo” in their official appeal.
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NY Pro-Drillers Plan Massive Protest in Albany, NY Oct 15
There’s a new kid on the block when it comes to pro-drilling organizations in New York State: Landowner Advocates of New York (or LANY for short). LANY is organizing what they hope will be the largest mass protest demonstration of pro-drillers ever in Albany, NY on Monday, Oct. 15. Although the Joint Landowners Coalition of New York (JLCNY) is not involved with organizing the LANY event, they are supporting it by sending their members to march and protest. (JLCNY represents 77,000 landowners throughout New York.)
Here’s the email MDN received from the JLCNY and LANY announcing the mass protest:
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MSC to Post-Gazette: Quit Lying to Our Kids
The industry-backed Marcellus Shale Coalition, headquartered in Pittsburgh, not-so-gently chided the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette over a recent story it ran on shale gas drilling—a story with a number of inaccuracies. Here’s the letter MSC sent to the newspaper:
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CONSOL Orders Additional 3 Dual Fuel Generators for 2nd Rig
CONSOL Energy has ordered an additional three dual fuel electrical generator conversions at a second drilling rig in the Marcellus Shale. MDN previously reported that CONSOL was experimenting with three dual fuel generator conversions—blending liquefied natural gas with diesel—at one location (see this MDN story). Looks like the experiment is going well enough that CONSOL has ordered another three conversions for a different location.
From the press announcement:
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EQT Converts 2nd Drilling Rig in WV Marcellus to Run on LNG
EQT was the first driller in the Marcellus to convert electrical generators used at a drilling site to burn liquefied natural gas, or LNG (see this MDN story). EQT announced yesterday they’ve commissioned a second drilling rig, located in West Virginia (as was the first converted rig) to be converted to the new LNG technology.
Read More “EQT Converts 2nd Drilling Rig in WV Marcellus to Run on LNG”
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More Snags for Tennessee Pipeline Expansion in NJ
New Jersey and New York City need more natural gas. There’s plenty of Marcellus natural gas produced in Pennsylvania. There’s also a big interstate pipeline, called the Tennessee (one of many pipelines) that carry natural gas from Pennsylvania and other states into northeastern markets including NJ and NYC. In order to meet growing demand, the Tennessee previously applied for and received approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to expand their pipeline.
The expansion plans have not been without controversy (see this MDN story). The latest controversy revolves around a planned route for a 7-mile portion of the expansion in New Jersey.
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Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, Oct 5, 2012
The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading:
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Ohio Village Flouts State Law, Passes Drilling Ban
The so-called home rule issue is cropping up in Ohio. Home rule is when a local municipality believes it has the right to govern or ban oil and gas drilling within its borders, using local zoning laws, even though in most states (like Ohio) the right and responsibility to govern oil and gas drilling is vested in the state and not in municipalities.Ohio now has it’s first municipality (located in Greene County) to flout state law by passing a drilling ban. It passed 3-2—a single vote stripped away property rights of residents to allow drilling on or under their land. Here’s the details:
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Caterpillar Announces Big Push for NatGas-Powered Engines
Caterpillar is a storied American company over 100 years old and the largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment in the world. So when CAT (as its known) says they’re going “all-in” to start producing equipment powered by natural gas, the world takes notice.
Here’s what went down at a recent conference where a CAT bigwig was the keynote speaker:
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Columbiana County | Energy Services | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | U.S. Silica
US Silica Opens New Frack Sand Storage Facility in Ohio
U.S. Silica, the country’s second largest domestic producer of commercial sand, announced yesterday they’ve partnered with S.H. Bell Company to open a new silica sand storage facility (railroad transload facility) in Columbiana County, Ohio to serve drillers in the rapidly expanding Utica and Marcellus Shale plays.
From the press release:
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Pittsburgh City Council Floats New Law to Allow Fracking
It seems since former Pittsburgh City Council President Doug Shields left that august body the other council members have had a change of heart on fracking. Shields was the ringleader who helped ram through a ban on fracking in the city in 2010. He also tried to get a ban permanently written into the city’s charter, an effort that failed (see this MDN story).
Realizing the ban passed in 2010 is likely illegal and will be overturned, council members are now considering new legislation to allow limited, strictly zoned fracking inside city limits:
Read More “Pittsburgh City Council Floats New Law to Allow Fracking”
The so-called home rule issue is cropping up in Ohio. Home rule is when a local municipality believes it has the right to govern or ban oil and gas drilling within its borders, using local zoning laws, even though in most states (like Ohio) the right and responsibility to govern oil and gas drilling is vested in the state and not in municipalities.