Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Tue, Dec 4, 2012
The “best of the rest” – stories that caught MDN’s eye that you may be interested in reading:
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NY DEC: We’ll Have our Cake and Eat it Too
Last week when the New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) filed for a 90-day extension to the rulemaking process for new fracking rules, the DEC issued a press statement to some media outlets (but still has not posted it on their website). A Gannett reporter provides us with the four paragraph statement, which contains several curious comments.The following statement was made last week by DEC spokesperson Emily DeSantis:
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Pro-, Anti-Drillers Comment on NY DEC Revised Fracking Rules
Following the release of a revised set of “tweaked” drilling rules last week by the New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC), both sides of the drilling debate had observations about the revised rules. In general, some of the language was tightened, tweaked or expanded. In some cases rules were made more strict (on setbacks, for example). What do pro- and anti-drillers think of the DEC’s 90-day rule extension and the documents released as part of it?
Read More “Pro-, Anti-Drillers Comment on NY DEC Revised Fracking Rules”
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Clarks Summit, PA Targets Marcellus Trucks for Violations
Warning to Marcellus trucks passing through Clarks Summit, PA: The local police department is watching you. And if your truck has a taillight out or appears to be “sitting low,” you may well be pulled over and ticketed.
Read More “Clarks Summit, PA Targets Marcellus Trucks for Violations”
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Energy Companies | Halcon Resources | Industrywide Issues | Mahoning County | Ohio | Seismic Testing | Trumbull County
Halcon Resources to Perform Seismic Testing in Eastern OH
Halcon Resources continues to step up its presence (and telegraph its intentions) with drilling in Trumbull and Mahoning counties, Ohio. The latest indicator that Halcon is serious about eastern OH? The presence of 25 workers seeking permission from landowners to take seismic readings in the area:
Read More “Halcon Resources to Perform Seismic Testing in Eastern OH”
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Energy Services | Harrison County | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Processing Plants | Utica East Ohio Midstream | Utica Shale
Ohio RR Company Signs Deal with Utica East to Ship NGLs
Utica East Ohio Midstream’s new $900 million natural gas liquids (NGL) processing plant in Scio, Ohio is about to become connected—but not by pipelines alone. Genesee & Wyoming announced today that their subsidiary, Columbus & Ohio River Rail Road Company has signed a long-term agreement with Utica East to ship some 10,000 carloads of NGLs annually. The new NGL processing plant is due to go online in May 2013.
Read More “Ohio RR Company Signs Deal with Utica East to Ship NGLs”
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MD Fracking Commission Casts First Vote – in 15 Months!
Fifteen long months after it was created, Maryland’s Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Initiative Advisory Commission, set up by Gov. Martin O’Malley, has cast its first formal vote. The vote came in western Maryland at a regularly scheduled meeting of the group.
The vote by the Commission proposes four broad principles revolving around (surprise!) money. Maryland legislators are making noise about passing new laws concerning the future of drilling during the next legislative session (due to meet in January), and the Commission apparently wanted to get out in front of some of the ideas being tossed around with their opinion.
Read More “MD Fracking Commission Casts First Vote – in 15 Months!”
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CMU Researching Ways to Convert Shale Gas to Petrochemicals
Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh is hard at work figuring out how to convert Marcellus Shale gas directly into “aromatic” chemical compounds used by chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturers. From a CMU press release:
Read More “CMU Researching Ways to Convert Shale Gas to Petrochemicals”
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New Welding Business Plugs in to the Marcellus Supply Chain
More tales of small companies in the process of making it big by plugging in to the Marcellus and Utica Shale “supply chain.” This one is about a couple of welders (and friends) who have started a specialty welding company in Wheeling, WV:
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PA Pipeliners Donate 1,100 Toys & Cash to Toys for Tots
Local Marcellus Shale gas pipeliners in Sarver and Butler, PA (both union and non-union members) recently collected over 1,100 toys and $700 cash and donated it to the Toys for Tots organization. Toys for Tots, in case you are unfamiliar, each holiday season collects toys for needy children in the community where the toys are collected. It’s an outstanding organization run by the U.S. Marine Corps.
A press release and a few pictures are included below. The point of the release (and why is MDN covering it)? Many—perhaps most—of the pipeliners that donated toys and money are not residents of western PA. Contrary to negative news stories about “out of towners” who work for drilling and pipeline companies boozing it up and spreading venereal diseases and crime, these people (mostly men) are hard-working and have good hearts. The recent Toys for Tots campaign in western PA speaks volumes about the character of these men and women.
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Calendar of Events for Dec 3-16, 2012 [Free]
Below are upcoming events for this week and next.
Read More “Calendar of Events for Dec 3-16, 2012 [Free]”
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Marcellus & Utica Shale Story Links: Mon, Dec 3, 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: Mon, Dec 3, 2012”
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NY DEC Files for 90-Day Extension on Fracking Rules
Yesterday the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) applied for a 90-day extension to the rulemaking process with respect to new rules for hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”). As MDN has endlessly chronicled, the DEC faced a deadline of yesterday (Nov. 29) to either release revised new rules, not release them and start the process all over again, or file for a 90-day extension. They opted for Door #3.As part of filing for the extension the DEC is required to release a “substantially revised” set of proposals which must be opened to public comment for a 30-day period. The DEC posted 11 documents on their website yesterday (see this page) as part of filing for the extension. The AP did some digging (and perhaps knows someone inside at DEC) and provided this brief analysis of the differences in the new rules from the previous draft, changes that are new and public for the first time with this release:
Read More “NY DEC Files for 90-Day Extension on Fracking Rules”
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Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Lenape Resources | Litigation | Livingston County | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY
Lenape Sues Avon, NY & DEC over Fracking Ban – Seeks $50M
The residents of Avon, NY will have to come up with $50 million if a local driller wins a lawsuit filed earlier this month. Lenape Resources, a small, independent conventional (vertical) natural gas driller in western New York sued Avon, NY and the state Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) because of a broad-based ban on fracking and natural gas activities in the township passed in June.
Avon, in a misguided attempt to ban fracking, drafted and passed a new zoning law so broad it affected not only unconventional shale drilling but also conventionally drilled (vertical) gas wells. At the time, Lanape’s president John Holko threatened to sue both the town and the DEC if the ban was not rescinded (see this MDN story for background on the ban and Holko’s threat of a lawsuit). The ban stayed, the DEC has refused to enforce a 1981 state law that says only the DEC has the power to regulate drilling, so Holko has sued. He’s asking for compensation to reimburse him for the millions the company has invested in wells and other infrastructure in the township, and for lost revenue because he’s had to shut it all down.
Way to go Avon! Three town board members have just bankrupted your township.
Read More “Lenape Sues Avon, NY & DEC over Fracking Ban – Seeks $50M”
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Accidents | Energy Companies | Harrison County | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | PDC Mountaineer | Regulation | West Virginia
EPA Fines PDC Mountaineer for Clean Water Act Violations in WV
The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under the guise of the Clean Water Act (CWA), is poking it’s unwanted nose into Marcellus Shale gas drilling—again. Yesterday the EPA announced a settlement with PDC Mountaineer for what they say are violations of the CWA at four locations (for two gas wells). The company will pay a fine of $177,500, in addition to paying big bucks to restore problems they created while drilling two wells in Harrison County, West Virginia.
What was PDC’s environmental crime? They drained a one-acre swamp (euphemistically called a “wetland”) without getting permission. Even though PDC has agreed to pay the fine and restore the swamp (if they can), as part of the deal they did not admit to any violations of the CWA.
Read More “EPA Fines PDC Mountaineer for Clean Water Act Violations in WV”
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NY DEC Pays $480/Hour to Health Expert for Fracking Review
Included in part of a Gannett story about the New York DEC’s release of revised portions of proposed drilling regulations, we got word of how much New York State is paying three outside “experts” to give an assist to State Health Commissioner Nirav Shah in his review of the DEC’s proposed fracking rules with an eye on their impact on public health.
The hourly amount paid to John Adgate makes me think I’m in the wrong profession:
Read More “NY DEC Pays $480/Hour to Health Expert for Fracking Review”
Yesterday the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) applied for a 90-day extension to the rulemaking process with respect to new rules for hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”). As MDN has endlessly chronicled, the DEC faced a deadline of yesterday (Nov. 29) to either release revised new rules, not release them and start the process all over again, or file for a 90-day extension. They opted for Door #3.