Calendar of Events for Oct 22-Nov 4, 2012 [Free]
Below are upcoming events for this week and next.
Read More “Calendar of Events for Oct 22-Nov 4, 2012 [Free]”
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Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Mon, Oct 22, 2012
The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading:
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Health Impacts | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Research | Statewide PA
New EARTHWORKS “Study” of Marcellus Health Effects in PA
Oh lookie here. A new “research study” (full copy embedded below) has just been released by the extreme environmental anti-drilling group EARTHWORKS that says residents in Pennsylvania who live near Marcellus Shale drilling have a “pattern of health symptoms associated with oil and gas development.”Let’s use the same standard they use to judge such studies, shall we? If any of the study’s authors have, at any point in time since birth, ever had anything to do with an anti-drilling organization, the study is instantly discredited. That’s the standard used for studies and research that are favorable to shale gas drilling—if the author of such a study has had any experience in the drilling industry, that study is tainted and must be expunged from the public discourse (see this MDN story about the University at Buffalo study and this MDN story about the University of Texas study).
The three authors of this so-called study either work for, or are related to, the enviro-left. So why wouldn’t we apply the same standard here?
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WV Shale Marcellus Drilling & Production – By the Numbers
A fantastic article in the West Virginia The State Journal takes a close look at natural gas production numbers from shale gas drilling in the state. It’s the kind of article MDN wishes it had written! In their review of the numbers, The State Journal asks a teaser question in the opening: Which county has produced the most shale gas in the state? You might guess Wetzel or Marshall counties. But you would be wrong. The county producing the most shale gas (to date, since shale gas drilling began in Dec. 2007), is Harrison County.
Here’s a few interesting highlights from this “mother load of information” article:
Read More “WV Shale Marcellus Drilling & Production – By the Numbers”
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Accidents | Atlas Energy | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA
Atlas Fined Twice for Same Incident – EPA Sticks Nose in PA
The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to interfere in oil and gas drilling—an activity specifically regulated by states and not the federal government. Yesterday the EPA slapped Atlas Resource Partners, L.P. (owned by Atlas Energy, L.P.) with an $84,500 fine over a fire at a Marcellus drilling site in 2010—after the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) had already investigated and fined Atlas $80,000 for the same incident last year.
This is the first time both a state agency and the EPA have fined a Marcellus driller for the same incident.
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API Says EPA Botched Pavillion, WY Fracking Tests
The American Petroleum Institute (API) issued a press release yesterday taking the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to task over their sloppy work in Pavillion, Wyoming.
You may recall the EPA is on a quest to try and prove fracking has contaminated water supplies in the Pavillion area with fracking chemicals. Never mind that the drilling and fracking done in Pavillion is shallow at around 1,200 feet down (not the one mile or more that’s common in shale plays). Never mind that the water table in Pavillion is deep at 800 feet (not the 300 feet as is typical in the northeast). Never mind that drilling and fracking was done in porous sandstone in Pavillion (not tightly-packed shale deposits). And never mind the EPA drilled just two test wells, one of which didn’t produce enough water for a valid sample. (See this MDN story for more background on Pavillion.)
Read More “API Says EPA Botched Pavillion, WY Fracking Tests”
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Allegheny County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA
South Fayette, PA Thumbs Nose at PUC over Zoning Review
Although parts of the zoning provisions in Pennsylvania’s new Act 13 Marcellus drilling law have been challenged in court and oral arguments were heard in PA Supreme Court earlier this week, there are other parts of the Act 13 law—zoning parts—that were not overturned and are not up for discussion. According to the PA Public Utility Commission (PUC), the agency charged with interpreting whether or not a town is in violation of those remaining sections, the town of South Fayette in Allegheny County is in violation and unless they revise their zoning laws, they won’t get impact fee revenue this year.
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Where Do Obama & Romney Stand on Fracking Issue?
What do President Obama and Mitt Romney really think about fracking? MLive Media, representing some of Michigan’s largest newspapers, asked the two campaigns this question: Should Michigan should ban fracking? Here’s what the candidates said…
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MSC Celebrates 2012 Accomplishments, Looks Forward to 2013
The Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC), headquartered in Pittsburgh, is (MDN would argue) the Marcellus Shale’s premier information and advocacy organization. They are top-flight professionals in every sense. MDN editor Jim Willis attended the MSC’s SHALE GAS INSIGHT conference in Philly in September—one of the best industry events of any type he’s ever attended (protesters and all!).
Last night the MSC held its annual membership meeting at Carnegie Music Hall to celebrate and reflect on the accomplishments of 2012 and to look forward to 2013. And what a list of accomplishments it was! The MSC issued this press release about last night’s gathering:
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Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Fri, Oct 19, 2012
The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading:
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Anschutz Exploration | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | New York | Norse Energy | Otsego County | Regulation | Statewide NY | Tompkins County
Important Developments in NY Fracking Ban Court Cases
There’s been an important development in two cases on appeal in New York State courts that challenge municipal bans of fracking. The two cases challenge municipal fracking bans in the Town of Dryden, NY (see this MDN story for background) and the Town of Middlefield, NY (see this MDN story for background).According to lead attorney Tom West, all the necessary paperwork for both cases has been filed (called “perfecting” the case). West believes both cases will make it onto the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court docket for an early February hearing of oral arguments. The Appellate Division typically issues an opinion 6-8 weeks following oral arguments, so we should have a decision by late spring. In addition and of keen interest, the plaintiff in one of the cases has changed.
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Why Do Drillers Prefer the Marcellus/Utica? (from S&P Report)
Why is the Marcellus Shale and its first cousin the Utica Shale so darned popular—more popular for drillers than other shale plays in the U.S.? Is it because of the size of the play—the Marcellus and Utica is the largest play in the U.S.? Not really, or maybe we should say not exclusively. The recent report issued by Standard & Poor’s titled “How The Marcellus Shale Is Changing The Dynamics Of The U.S. Energy Industry” (see this MDN story) contains a very interesting section that MDN believes gives the answer to the question of why the Marcellus is so popular for drillers. It won’t come as a surprise to you that economics play a key role.
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Marcellus Shale Top 15 Drillers (from S&P Report)
MDN highlighted an important and insightful new study from Standard & Poor’s yesterday titled “How The Marcellus Shale Is Changing The Dynamics Of The U.S. Energy Industry” (see this MDN story). There’s a lot of great content in the study, some of which deserves to be highlighted in separate posts here on MDN. One such section is their “Top 15 Drillers” in the Marcellus, as ranked by how much natural gas is produced by those drillers in the Marcellus. We’ve inserted the chart below, re-worked by MDN.
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Top 20 U.S. Natural Gas Producers
MDN highlighted part one of a new series of articles appearing on the Seeking Alpha website on the topic of rig counts and what they see as a coming natural gas shortage (see this MDN story). The series continues with part two. Of keen interest in the second installment is a slide from a Chesapeake Energy presentation showing the top 20 U.S. natural gas producers (based on production volume) with columns showing how many rigs they’re running and the percentage change in the number of rigs from January of 2010 to September 2012. Most startling is Chesapeake’s own rig count, which has gone from 110 active rigs in 2010 to just 9 at the end of September 2012—a 92% reduction. Wow!
There’s a lot of great detail in this chart. Here it is (click on the chart for a larger view):
Read More “Top 20 U.S. Natural Gas Producers”
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New Website Debuts Listing Research, Articles on Marcellus
Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh and the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs have collaborated to create an important new website aimed at providing links to research and articles on the web for public officials and the public in general on the topic of the Marcellus and Utica Shale. The website, called “A Research Guide to the Marcellus and Utica Shales” (www.andrew.cmu.edu/org/marcellus-biblio), links to over 1,200 research studies, articles and other resources. The information is categorized making it easier to locate related articles.
If you happen to click the category for “In the News” (their list of resources that regularly write about the Marcellus/Utica) you’ll find MDN in their select and very short list of 19 news resources. Obviously someone working on the project has good taste. 😉 Here’s the background for how the project and website came to be:
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PA Supreme Court Hears Testimony on Act 13 Zoning
Yesterday MDN told you about what we consider the most important oil and gas drilling case to go before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in many years (see this MDN story). The PA Supremes heard arguments (yesterday) in what MDN considers the second most important O&G case to be heard in years—whether or not the zoning provisions in the Act 13 law are constitutional. Were there any indications from the questioning which way the judges might rule?
Read More “PA Supreme Court Hears Testimony on Act 13 Zoning”
There’s been an important development in two cases on appeal in New York State courts that challenge municipal bans of fracking. The two cases challenge municipal fracking bans in the Town of Dryden, NY (